5 Tumblrs You Should Already Know About
The New York Times got the digital world buzzing today when resident 'Gray Lady' hipster Jenna Wortham showcased the emergence of Tumblr, a social blogging site that lives in the “space in between Twitter and Facebook.”
We blame Mark Coatney for fanning the Tumblr flames. Ever since Coatney started Newsweek's Tumblr, got profiled by NYMag.com, then left the old media firm to join the burgeoning new social network, the Tumblr coverage just won't quit.
Allow us to pour more gas on the fire, and help you get up to speed, dear reader, by offering our top five Tumblr picks.
Feel free to “follow” and maybe even “reblog," to use 'the Tumblr' lingo. (If you're not already following http://newsweek.tumblr.com/ there's this new site called Facebook.com that you might want to check out.)
1. Archive Digger:
Not only does Archive Digger’s Tumblr pay homage to the Times’ famous motto (“All The News That’s Fit To Print”) but he is the ultimate source on Tumblr for “This Day in History.” Digger combs newspaper archives then links the most relevant historical stories of the day. Good for a dose of humor and perspective. Don’t forget to check out Penny Inkwell. Penny is Archive Digger’s feminine counterpart for fun archival finds. Disclosure: I have written for both. 
2. TODAY Show
Okay, this is less a 'Tumblr that newcomers should follow,' than it is an official request. Dear TODAY Show: Your Tumblr would be three million times better if it were edited solely by Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford. My advice to n00bs, and other mainstream media outlets trying to make it big on microblogging platform Tumblr: don’t be afraid to be silly.
3. LOLerature
Another fun example for anyone new to Tumblr, LOLerature brings LOLcats to great books. Example: Margaret Atwood’s dystopian best seller, The Handmaid’s Tale gets this subtitle : “Iz not “uterus” iz “uterMINE.” I suggest the New York Times try this approach on a Thomas Friedman or Maureen Dowd piece.
4. I Love Old Magazines
Because I do love old magazines, and because some of the best content on Tumblr is historically minded. If I ran the New York Times’ Tumblr, I’d mine their back pages. Strangely enough, old is cool on Tumblr (and works well in its format). See also: (censored for our gentle readers) F Yeah Victorians.
5. Official Says the Darndest Things
Pro Publica, the Pulitzer prize winning journalism non-profit, runs a Tumblr (pictured) highlighting the nutty things public officials often say. Old media properties trying to make it on Tumblr might follow suit by aggregating oddities on the public record. I like the idea of “Quotes We Decided Not to Publish.” Or, Worst PR Pitches.
— Lee Glandorf
Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeGlandorf
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