If you consider running a blog, the platforms that spring to thoughts may embody WordPress and Tumblr. With over 30% of internet sites utilizing WordPress, it’s protected to say that they’ve the market share.
However what about Tumblr? Does it measure as much as the WordPress juggernaut and what can bloggers anticipate from this platform that rivals WordPress’s providing?
On this submit, we’re going to have a look at the professionals and cons of each platforms. And after we say WordPress, we’re referring to WordPress.org – the self-hosted model.
What’s Tumblr?
In comparison with WordPress, Tumblr is a a lot youthful running a blog platform. Tumblr was based in 2007, but it surely wasn’t till Yahoo bought it again in 2013 that it began to achieve far more momentum.
In 2017, Tumblr was within the palms of Verizon, a wi-fi telecommunications firm who purchased out yahoo.
Tumblr typically touts itself as the best manner for individuals to rapidly publish content material. Customers can immediately join with one another on the community, creating a robust sense of neighborhood. And with over 300 million blogs on Tumblr, the neighborhood is flourishing.
A brand new improvement of curiosity, nonetheless, may see issues change for Tumblr sooner or later. It has now reportedly been offered to Automattic, the corporate behind WordPress. Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg acknowledged of the sale:
There’s numerous overlap between WordPress.com and Tumblr. I’m actually glad that that is the way it ended up. It was a tough course of. – The Verge.
Evaluating dashboards
When working a weblog, the dashboard is the place you’ll spend numerous your time. You’ll need it to be simple to navigate and easy in fashion. What’s extra, it must be simple to publish content material rapidly.
Tumblr dashboard
Tumblr’s dashboard is extremely easy, which is good should you don’t need to spend ages discovering what you’re in search of.
You’ll be able to rapidly create a submit of any media kind with just some clicks through the strip alongside the highest of the web page. A sidebar on the proper, recommends blogs so that you can comply with with a single click on, and content material you may discover attention-grabbing sufficient to reblog.
The centre column offers a feed of content material from blogs you already comply with, with a couple of strategies thrown into the combination.
Additional to this, design, messaging and settings are all inside simple attain, enabling you to weblog in lightning velocity.
WordPress dashboard
The WordPress dashboard is loads much less vibrant than Tumblr. Boasting a clear, easy overview, you get an on the spot snapshot of what’s occurring in your weblog. The dashboard modules may be customised, to incorporate extra or fewer columns and modules may be hidden simply.
The complete breadth of WordPress settings and choices are accessed from the left sidebar. That is the mind of your weblog and while you’re first beginning out, there aren’t too many to choices to fret about.
It’s not till you begin including Themes and Plugins that issues might grow to be a little bit extra sophisticated. Earlier than that writing and publishing content material is a simple course of.
The running a blog course of
Since running a blog is probably going your foremost purpose with each of those platforms, it is smart we glance nearer on the strategy of publishing content material. By content material, we imply all types of media from customary textual content posts to photographs, video and audio.
Running a blog on Tumblr
Tumblr is laser-focused on running a blog and it’s extremely simple to create a submit in nearly any format. Choices embody:
Textual content
Photograph
Quote
Hyperlink
Chat
Audio
Video
Clicking any considered one of these choices within the prime bar will will let you begin creating your content material. After, you’ll be able to add a bunch of tags to your submit to make it extra simply discovered by different Tumblr customers. Then you definately’re able to publish.
As a result of it’s so easy there received’t be any further choices to confuse issues. In case you’re a brand new consumer, they’ll even provide help to out with helpful modifying tricks to make your submit look nice.
Running a blog on WordPress
Whereas WordPress is arguably probably the greatest running a blog platforms, it’s not as straight-forward as Tumblr. WordPress affords a feature-rich service to each kind of blogger and web site proprietor, so there are much more choices when making a weblog submit.
Informal bloggers might not want all of those settings, however they’re superb for skilled bloggers who need to lengthen their web site and customise each element. That being mentioned, WordPress affords a gorgeous, minimal canvas to create content material.
With the introduction of the brand new Gutenberg editor, content material may be created with easy blocks, permitting you the pliability to show issues in any manner you want. Block varieties embody:
Video and audio embeds
Columns and buttons
Photos and galleries
Shortcodes and customized HTML
And an entire lot extra. The customisation energy with WordPress places every part squarely within the consumer’s palms, which is fantastic if what you’re doing.
Customising your weblog
Even when all you need to do in your weblog, is submit a each day stream of your actions, you’ll nonetheless need to personalise issues a bit. With the ability to customise how your pages look, helps to inject persona and a way of your personal self into your content material.
So how do WordPress and Tumblr measure up with their customisation choices? Let’s discover out.
Customisation with Tumblr
Tumblr has a restricted vary of customisation choices for its customers. You’ll be able to edit parts just like the weblog cowl picture and profile image, together with varied colors and fonts.
There’s additionally plenty of themes which may change the general look of your weblog. However the extra advanced and design-savvy themes do include a price ticket, compared to the less complicated, free counterparts.
Extra skilled customers can customise the HTML of their blogs, however should you’re in search of one thing extra feature-rich you’re not prone to discover it on Tumblr.
Customisation with WordPress
The customisation alternatives for WordPress are close to limitless.
You’ll be able to change each side of your weblog and make it look nonetheless you want. Not solely can you buy professionally made premium themes, however there’s additionally a wealth of free themes out there, with extra added frequently.
Crew this with a treasure trove of plugins each free and paid, your weblog may be no matter you need it to be with WordPress.
Fundamental customisations comparable to color and structure are simple sufficient to alter with none assist. But for a extremely skilled look, new bloggers may battle with the huge alternative and technical know-how. On this case, discovering somebody nicely versed in WordPress design could be useful.
That being mentioned, WordPress surpasses Tumblr in customisation. There’s merely no competitors.
Social & neighborhood
Running a blog is one factor however getting your content material seen by extra individuals is one thing else completely. For the reason that world’s gone loopy social on-line, it is smart you’ll need to know what WordPress and Tumblr have to supply on this context.
Social on Tumblr
With regards to Social, Tumblr begins recommending content material as quickly as you create your weblog. Hitting the Trending tab will present you what’s at present sizzling and you may additional drill this content material down by workers picks and content material kind.
Your personal weblog will present as much as others in the identical manner based mostly on pursuits, searches and tags. This creates an ecosystem the place sharing is important. It’s just about a social sharing platform in its personal proper.
Social on WordPress
Social on WordPress is a distinct kettle of fish. As a result of it’s a self-hosted platform, the choices on what sharing choices to incorporate in your web site are completely as much as you.
Because of this:
Is all as much as you to do. This contains sharing your content material with different individuals.
It takes some work to advertise your weblog on WordPress however there are many free and premium instruments that may provide help to make your life simpler.
Possession of your content material
Possession of your content material is a tough however necessary topic. If you begin a weblog, you must determine in order for you to have the ability to personal your content material, or should you’re pleased with the platform you utilize, having management of it.
Tumblr possession
With Tumblr, the reality is you don’t personal your personal content material. The corporate who owns Tumblr (on this case Automattic), owns your content material and your weblog. This implies they’ll do no matter they need with it, together with suspending your account.
Whether or not this may change sooner or later, stays an open query. However since Automattic owns the content material of WordPress.com blogs (the hosted model), chances are high they’ll personal your Tumblr weblog too.
WordPress possession
However self-hosted WordPress blogs don’t have this drawback. As a result of it’s a must to arrange self-hosted WordPress on a server you pay for, you keep management over it. The house you hire from the internet hosting firm isn’t yours to personal, however the web site and all of the recordsdata on the server belong to you.
Observe: Some internet hosting firms have guidelines on the kind of content material you’ll be able to publish on their servers. However that is simply solved by switching firms.
The necessary factor is that you just register your area with a distinct firm than you host with. Quite a lot of hosts will provide free migration companies so you’ll be able to change simply, then merely replace your DNS with the area firm. Keep away from any provide for a free area along with your net host as a result of migrating domains is a tedious course of.
How a lot does it value you?
Now we’re speaking cash and should you’re a kind of individuals who has to stay to a good price range, it’s necessary to concentrate to the prices your weblog may incur. The costs for Tumblr and WordPress are very completely different, so let’s take a better look.
Tumblr prices
Tumblr is actually a free-to-use platform. You’ll be able to create an account without cost and publish content material without charge too. There are not any internet hosting or subscription charges levied at you, so that you’re good to go immediately.
Prices can come up should you determine to spruce up your weblog with premium themes and customized domains, however that’s about all there may be.
WordPress prices
Since WordPress is open-source, it’s also free to make use of. You’ll be able to obtain the software program and modify it to your coronary heart’s content material with no cost in any respect. However to get it up and working as a working weblog, you’ll must shell out on the internet hosting and domains.
The price of internet hosting your weblog and buying a website identify depends upon what you need to do with it. For one thing easy, it shouldn’t value various quid a yr. For premium internet hosting choices the costs can get expensive.
Comparability desk of WordPress vs. Tumblr
Tumblr
WordPress
The Dashboard
Quite simple and user-friendly
Easy with a studying curve
Running a blog
Easy out of the field
Geared in direction of superior bloggers
Customisation Choices
Restricted themes and customisation
Limitless alternative and customisation choices
Social & Group
Simple to share, on the spot neighborhood
Left within the Bloggers palms
Content material Possession
Owned by Tumblr
Owned by you
Pricing
Free with optionally available extras
Pay for area and internet hosting
Last ideas
As somebody who’s been a blogger for plenty of years now, I nonetheless assume it’s necessary to check the out there platforms. Since WordPress and Tumblr are two of the most important ones out there, it is smart to see what they’ve to supply.
When it comes all the way down to the ultimate determination, Tumblr is a good alternative for bloggers seeking to discover their toes within the on-line world. Its options are all beginner-friendly and simple to get the hold of proper from the beginning.
There are some customisation choices, none of that are too complicated and the power to attach with a big neighborhood from the beginning is nice for kicking off your running a blog journey. The draw back although is that you don’t personal your content material.
WordPress, nonetheless, is a complete running a blog platform that has a little bit of a studying curve to get used to. Higher suited to established bloggers with superior abilities, it’s feature-rich with the power to do what you need along with your weblog.
Customisation is close to limitless and whereas some prices are concerned with internet hosting and domains, you preserve possession of your content material.
Personally, I’d select WordPress over Tumblr. Proudly owning my content material is necessary to me, and whereas it might be tough to get the hold of issues, the abilities realized by means of utilizing WordPress, are useful ones for additional down the road.
Additional Studying:
