I have been a member of Tumblr since it started. I have walked away and returned many times - each time drawn back by the relationships forged with people all over the world that would not have existed without the platform to share our lives so easily. Tumblr has never been perfect though - the creative minds behind it have almost wilfully designed a broken service. I can only speculate on their motives.
I posted the following to Tumblr this morning - in many ways a “goodbye” message…
For a service to tout itself as a means to capture the essence of our lives, it has to be there at the important moments. More often than not, we want to share something significant at the time it happens (which must be the driving force behind the mobile application - always on - always there - always available).
In order for us to share in each other’s lives, we must be able to communicate with each other when significant moments happen - we must be able to reach out and connect with each other.
Tumblr has repeatedly failed in both these respects, and shows no aptitude to change in either case. These are not complaints - they are observations. There are many nascent social networks working incredibly hard to solve the problems so many experience with Tumblr, and yet people are reluctant to explore them.
I think that’s sad.
Perhaps the more interesting thought is that WordPress, LiveJournal, and their kin have survived the coming and going of so many “social” solutions - perhaps because they concentrate more on being a platform for individual expression, than a means of connecting with others.