Google+ Redirects And Tumblr »
Excellent little tip from Nik Fletcher for Tumblr users who are on Google+: Hack the redirects to create shortcut URLs like 9-bits.com/+.
Collecting vs. Curating (vs. Blogging vs. Noting) »
Frank Chimero posted some excellent thoughts on “collection” vs. “curation,” with some obvious implications for services like Tumblr which really push the line between the two. While this blog is a fairly unstructured string of posts, I would argue that it is curation nonetheless — albeit a “flowing” curation. I am constantly trying to negotiate the amount of design-centric content vs. developer-centric, as well as find a similar balance between random items of interest (in areas like architecture, art, and computer science) and practical bits of industry news and practical resources.
To a further extent, I believe the word “curating” for this environment evolved from lack of better options. “Blogging,” by its own right, is simply too grandiose and implies writing full-length, well-researched articles. “Micro-blogging,” while certainly appropriate, still requires some degree of industry/topical commentary, and also carries a certain geekish elitism — certainly not appropriate for certain sites (eg. a Tumblr-based photography collection). Lastly, words like “noting,” “posting,” and “collecting” are all too generic for my tastes, and do a disservice to the creators of these sites that spend time considering what to post and how it will impact their audience.
