**This video is a basic, user created video on how and why to use Tumblr. It has an interesting part in it that describes how to use HTML and I felt that it could highlight my point of the HTML usage**
Tumblr’s UX, or User Experience Design, UI, User Interface Design, and IA, Interface Architecture, are all widely liked accepted by its users. The blend well in a way that makes it a prime example of a good networking site.The UX and the UI work well together and make the website easier to use than even Facebook. The design, both on the website and the app, is very seamless. The color scheme on both the app and website platforms are easy on the eyes and neutral toned. Having the icons large and different colors on the website encourages users to share more content than they would if they icons were one color. On the app, organizing the feed with the navigation on the bottom allows users to take in as much content as possible, encouraging more use of the app. Overall, the UX and UI do a good job of presenting an easy-to-use website for its users. Tumblrs’ audience is mostly millenials; we love simple and easy apps and social media channels. If something takes to long to figure out, wer are less likely to get to know it – we would more likely find an easier alternative to it.
When it comes to the Interface Architecture, Tumblr did a great job of not having too many subpages and extraneous pages or things to click. The pages and their subpages are few so that the website itself doesn’t detract from the interaction. Since Tumblr is a microblogging site, they have included different ways to customize pages. They made a good decision to have two ways for users to be able to do this: either with the basic options or by altering HTML settings, which is something that could be used for more advanced site users. This HTML feature was actually very popular in the early 2010’s, and people spent large amounts of time studying and learning how to change their HTML settings to make their page the best possible.
A little about myself. I am a GSU student majoring in marketing. With graduation approaching, I am beginning to think seriously about what it is I’m passionate about and what I really want to do. I have career aspirations in Media (preferably television, and digital media). The popularity of digital media is amazing and gives everyone equal opportunity to be curate content and be seen.
I also researched Tumblr for social media marketing midterm. While I agree with some of the comparisons Angela has made between Tumblr and Twitter. I have my own take on the two.
Angela was correct in the basic concepts of the two social media apps. You can post images, text, GIFS, and videos on both sites. But the design of each of the apps has significant differences.
Tumblr does not have a word count limit the way twitter does. It leaves users to be much more creative. With the microblogging nature of Tumblr, it encourages users to be creative, use text and images combined to be artistic as well as share information. It is also good for a laugh. Twitter, on the other hand, is designed for short exchanges and to blurt out thoughts and short statements. Many Twitter users just blurt out random short thoughts on their timeline. Twitter also uses an interface that provides threads. These threads can get long and include replies and initially can be a bit confusing (not knowing to read from top to bottom or bottom to top). Tumblr is much more simple when it comes to their reblogging format. It’s much easier to follow the path of the reblogs. It’s almost similar to a long line of telephone.
I agree with Angela about the fact that Tumblr has more features. You can post pictures, videos, quotes, GIFS, Audio, and links, it has a simpler interface and is easier to use. But I would say that without a doubt Twitter is much more popular at the moment. Twitter is able to stand the test of time along with the Facebooks and Instagram’s because of its text-based nature. It differentiates itself just enough to hold the user’s attention.
As of July 2018, Tumblr had 425.7 million active blogs. This number has been on a steady incline since May of 2011, according to Statista.
GENDER
According to a 2015 study, 11% of female internet users and 10% of male internet users were users of Tumblr. Overall, Tumblr using is equally divided between men and women. This is different than other platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, where the users are comprised more of women than men. Twitter was seen to have more male users than female users.
AGE
Most social media platforms are most popular with Millennials and Gen-Zers. Tumblr is no different. Like Instagram and Twitter, Tumblr’s audience is mostly comprised of young adults, with 20% being aged 18-29. The next highest age group was the 30-49 age group with 11%. From there the percentage of users trails off with less than 10% for users 50 and up.
LOCATION
By location, the United States had the largest regional distribution of online traffic to the Tumblr website. The United States had 33.2%, while the United Kingdom had 5.6%, Brazil had 4.44%, Canda had 4.15%, and Germany had 3.66%. There appeared to be more urban users than rural users. Sixteen percent of users lived in urban areas, while 8 percent were in suburban areas and 3 percent were in rural areas. According to Pew Research, along with a more urban-leaning audience, they also have a more college-educated audience. Their audience is comprised of people that either completed some college or attained a full degree. “Like most other social networking services, Tumblr tends to skew toward the urban and educated. Seven percent of urban Internet users say they use Tumblr, as does the same percentage of online users with college degrees.” (Pew Research)
INCOME
The incomes of the users of Tumblr is very extreme, with the majority of them landing either on the $30,000 and under demographic and the $75,000 and over demographic. 16 % of users were a part of the $30,000 and under group, while 11% were a part of the 75,000+ group. Overall, there were more Tumblr users that earned $50,000 and less than $50,000 and up, which can lead you to believe that the Tumblr community is less affluent.
Gartner’s Hype Cycle is a pictorial representation of the life cycle stages that happen in technology. These stages mark the different periods, from conception to maturity and then widespread adoption. “[The] hype cycle’s stages are often used as reference points in marketing and technology reporting. Businesses can use the hype cycle to guide technology decisions in accordance with their level of comfort with risk.” (WhatIs) The five stages are 1) Technology Trigger, 2) Peak of Inflated Expectations, 3) Trough of Disillusionment, 4) Slope of Enlightenment, and 5) Plateau of Productivity.
Based on Garnet’s Hype Cycle, I would say that Tumblr falls on the Plateau of Productivity. The site has undergone most of the significant change that it is most likely going to make unless they decide to do a massive overhaul of the design. As a user myself, I have had a Tumblr account since 2011, roughly four years after conception. Over time, not much at all has changed with the interface. While this is good for loyal users like me, who are fine with this design, this is not good for potential new users, as they don’t have any new features to lure them in.
Going through the five stages, Tumblr has long since passed its’ “Technology Trigger” phase. This phase occurred in 2007 and earlier, in the beginning, stages of the site. Tumblr’s “Peak of Inflated Expectations.” The peak of this stage can be seen in 2014, where growth was at its’ top. From there Tumblr rapidly falls into its “Trough of Disillusionment,” where growth rapidly begins to fall from 2014 to now, 2018. This growth was 32.8% and fell to just 6.5% in 2018. Tumblr’s “Slope of Enlightenment” came in recent years in that the number of active Tumblrs steadily has grown. This cannot be seen as an increase in overall users, however, because users can have more than one Tumblr to their account. Based on this information thus far, I would say that Tumblr is in it’s Plateau of Productivity. While there are some increasing numbers, overall Tumblr is pretty stagnant, especially compared to power players like Twitter.
Created in 2007, Tumblr is a microblogging and social networking site. This website allows users to post different types of media, like videos, music, and GIFs, in addition to regular blog posts. You can either make your blog public or private and follow other users’ blogs, in addition to other great features.
Twitter is an online news and social networking site, created in 2006. The messages sent via this platform are called “Tweets.” The site used to have an infamous character limit of 140 characters, but this limit was doubled November of last year for most language except Japanse Korean and Chinese. Those with a Twitter account can post tweets but those without an account can only view them. Twitter has the option of tweeting via the app, website or through SMS.
These two platforms are the same in that they both are microblogging sites. Tumblr and Twitter’s interfaces are different but they have features that are similar. Tumblr’s app interface is simple, with a large feed where you see your content, an icon where you can add different types of content to your blog, and navigation icons on the bottom of the screen. You can add content like quotes, GIFs, text, and more to your blog. The icons at the bottom of the screen are the home, search, activity & messages, and profile buttons. Twitter’s app interface is similar in the way that the screen is set up: feed on most of the screen, navigation on the bottom and new post icon on the bottom corner of the screen. the only difference is really between the last two navigation icons on the bottom: where Tumblr has the activity & messages icon, Twitter has the notifications icon and where Tumblr has the profile icon, Twitter has the direct messages icon. Both interfaces are relatively simple, so I wouldn’t hold one over the other. I think that it would depend on personal preference as to which would be easier to use. I think personally, Twitter is easier for me to use, only because I spend more time on it.
When it comes to the features, I would say that Tumblr has more features. They have the ability to post more kinds of content. On Twitter you can post, images, videos, and polls. On. Tumblr you can post text, photos, quotes, links, chats, audio, and video. In this area, I feel that Tumblr has Twitter beat.
This past Wednesday, November 29th, the Lofts Community Council put on yet another successful event. This event is their third of the semester and, like the others, drew a nice crowd. Roughly 30 people showed up to the open-mic night. There were light refreshments consisting of hot chocolate and cookies that could be decorated. The show was comprised of around ten performers, with talents ranging from singing and dancing to spoken word and poetry reading.
The Community Council puts a great deal of thought into planning and executing their monthly events. When asked what the creative process was like for the council, here’s what George, the public relations chair, had to say: “When we’re creating programs we spitball a few ideas during our meeting on Monday. Once we have a general idea, we go from there and people begin to chime in on how we can entice more people to come and how we’re going to meet the requirements we have to meet so that they’ll show up.” Those that attended the open mic could clearly see that the Community Council took the time and put in the effort for the holiday event.
The Community Council has been working hard this semester since being elected this past September. One of their big goals has been to make sure that the residents feel heard and to make life in the Lofts as enjoyable as possible. So far, they’ve done a good job of following up with the necessary people to get things fixed like the learning center computers and printer and the elevators. They have inspired residents to provide questions, comments, and concerns by providing a candy jar guess game at the front desk. Residents have the opportunity to win a jar of candy by guessing on slip of paper that is submitted via suggestion box. This suggestion box has proved very successful, with the box becoming full within 24 hours. They also have monthly Town Hall meetings. These are public forums where people can come and speak directly to the Community Council and any professional housing staff that may be there.
Residents have noticed the difference between this year’s community council and last year’s. The feedback has been great, and the Lofts Community Council has even more in store for next semester.
Boxing Hunger is an annual, fall semester event that takes place Georgi State University (GSU) each November. GSU’s University Housing department sponsors the activity that aims to spread awareness about homelessness and hunger during National Homelessness & Hunger Week. The program is very immersive and allows participation in different simulations, programs, and activities throughout the event.
This year, Boxing Hunger is held November 15, from 5pm until 10pm in the Commons Meeting Room in the University Commons dorm. The University Housing staff asks that participant bring donation items like non-perishables, toiletries, gently worn clothing and anything else they think will be useful. These items are exchanged for prizes to enhance the Boxing Hunger experience throughout the night.
One student spoke about how the experience opened her eyes and inspired her to make a change. “Before Boxing Hunger, I was not as aware of the magnitude of homelessness in Atlanta. It’s easy to become caught up in your own life and not notice the people constantly living outdoors around you.”
“After going to this event, I was aware of the struggles that homeless people go through that can also prohibit them from becoming housed. The experience made me want to do as much as I can, whether it’s giving them my leftovers to donating my old clothes,” she continued.
Typically, a lot of students can relate to this mindset. Being in college can be like being in a bubble, even in the heart of downtown Atlanta.
Other topics discussed at Boxing Hunger are poverty, food deserts and the struggles of government assistance. These are elements that most people don’t realize are related to homelessness.
“I was already aware of some of the facts surrounding homelessness around the city. The real shock came when learning about food deserts. I learned about how hard it is for poorer neighborhoods to obtain and afford healthier foods. It also can often be hard for lower-income families to stay on top of their benefits due to transportation costs, time conflictions with work and childcare, and even loss of benefits due to changes in regulations and requirements,” said another student.
These two accounts are representative of students who experience Boxing Hunger. Those who attend the event tend to return every year.
When he goes shopping for video games, Connor Jackson is careful to find the best deal. His mom says he’s always been good at finding bargains.
While her son has developed his money smarts himself, Lydia Jackson wonders why this isn’t a skill being taught in schools.
“I would think it’s more important to learn how to manage money than it is to do algebra,” she says. She’s not alone. When polled, 87 percent of Americans say that financial literacy should be taught in schools.
But the reality is that only 17 U.S. states require students to take a personal finance course. Only 20 states require a course in economics, but that course may or may not include information about personal finance.
Aidan Ferguson is a personal finance teacher in Roanoke, Virginia, one of the states that emphasizes financial literacy. He has been teaching the required financial-literacy course at Thomas Jefferson High School for eight years. He enjoys his work and sees its importance every day.
“I’ll have a student come up to me a year later and say ‘Thanks, Mr. Ferguson. The lesson you taught on college costs has been coming in handy as I apply to schools,’” said Ferguson.
He also noted that money is a topic that many students like. They are very engaged and stay interested in the material throughout the entire semester. “There’s never a problem with students not doing their homework – when homework is comparison shopping for fast food items,” he said.
The Commonwealth of Virginia mandates that students take a semester-long financial-literacy course before they graduate. Ferguson believes this is changing lives for the better and that his students will become better consumers as a result. He wishes more states would adopt this policy.
As for Connor Jackson, who lives in a state without a financial literacy requirement, he’s left to learn from his parents and his own experience. “I would take a course like this if my school had it … and I’d probably get an A,” he said.
Walking into CNN, I felt a sense of excitement. I felt ready and eager to begin my career. Even though I won’t be going into news, I still liked being in a professional environment with such accomplished people.
When we started the tour, Monte Plott, tour guide and Digital News Editor at CNN, told us the history of the CNN building and mentioned that it used to be the world’s only indoor amusement park.
The first place we visited was the newsroom. There were tons of, with people researching national and international stories for the next headlines to report. Here, Plott said that they produce 40-to-50 stories a day.
From there the tour became more in-depth. We visited the control room, where we could see everything on-air at that moment. Plott said the control room functions as the brain center for programming, ensuring that the news anchors stay on-script. We saw this process live with Wolf Blitzer.
Overall, the tour was great and informative and I felt lucky to be able to learn so much from a seasoned journalist. When asked if he had any sage words for us, Plott said, “The only thing we (journalists) have going for us is credibility. If we lose that — if get things wrong, doesn’t matter why or how we got them wrong, just that we screwed up — then we’re out of business.”
