wip:
Hey, thanks for the feedback!
We’re exploring more ways of making Tumblr financially sustainable, so we can keep this weird ship afloat. You don’t have to buy into it if you don’t want, but like Matt, current interim Tumblr CEO, said in a recent post:
Remember that right now Tumblr costs a lot more to run than it makes, part of that bet is predicated on the idea that it’s losing money now but it’ll grow and make it up later. We just have to make it through this interim period by listening to users, iterating quickly, and shipping high-quality updates.
Love,
—Cyle (Tumblr Engineering)
I would rather pay a much, much larger subscription fee than watch tumblr ground to dust trying courting advertisers whose goals are fundamentally opposed to user friendliness.
Everyone who bemoaned the advertiser-friendly porn ban or got exhausted by the introduction of autoplaying ads with sound on the mobile app ought to be celebrating.
This is the most exciting policy decision tumblr has made in a decade.
Not only does this show a genuine good faith effort to engage with users now.
It gives tumblr financial incentive in the future to listen to our needs instead of advertisers.
This is probably the most user friendly thing tumblr has ever done. It could be one of the most user friendly things possible.
This is amazing, and we need to be lining the fuck up to support it.
You know that phrase, “if you’re not the customer, you’re the product”?
This is tumblr’s staff giving us the option to step up, stop being the product, and start being the customer.
And if you can’t afford it, it’s fine!
Reblog the positive and enthusiastic posts about it, get the word out.
We literally asked for exactly this.
And I will say it again, @staff @wip please look into allowing for other users to gift ad-free subs to friends and followers.
Thanks to Tumblr, I actually have a career and although I can’t afford much, I would like to help give back in the form that would also allow me to give to others.
I gift subs on Twitch when I have the cash. I used to gift memberships on LJ when I had the cash. Same with Dreamwidth. Please consider letting those of us who can to do the same for other Tumblr users!