Tumblr is the New Refrigerator
So you walk into or through the kitchen with a purpose. There was something you were looking for. Or was it something you were going to do?
Maybe the answer is in the refrigerator?
You rummage through your pockets. There’s something you need to take down. What was it?
Oh look, your phone. Maybe the answer is in the Tumblr app?
email from tumblr regarding dashboard
Hello, It looks like you may have recently posted a concern about how posts are displayed on your Dashboard. Sorry for the confusion, though I’m happy to report this isn’t true. Someone on our Support team did incorrectly confirm this following limit. I think this was just confusion about the question, but we’re investigating what happened. Stupid of us either way. The only time content might be missing from your Dashboard is after scrolling through thousands of posts when you’re following thousands of blogs. Because of the way we query multiple blogs, it’s hard to maintain accuracy that deep into the chronology without affecting performance. This behavior hasn’t changed since the inception of the Dashboard. Our intention is always to deliver ALL of the content.
Hope that clears things up. Sorry again.
Marc
So the original post I got the info from had wrong info from a tumblr employee. However, we all seem to agree that we are missing posts and we all seem to have the same problem with the dash saying we have x amount of unread posts but those posts do not appear when we refresh.
Conclusion: I don’t know.
Further conclusion: whatever. It’s the weekend. Let’s go drink some beer and not care.
Like I’ve been saying, if there’s an issue with posts disappearing, it is not intentional or well-planned. Which is, frankly, worse.
I’m going to go ahead and prop one of the stickers here, unpeeled.
Because of reasons.
I’m disappointed that there’s only three stickers in the return envelope considering how much an International Reply Coupon costs.
Still, stickers!
Today is my second Tumblrversary / Tumblrthday!
I spent quite some time on Twitter before friends I made there dragged me over here. They made a big deal about Tumblr being great for socializing and sharing yourself with friends and strangers (things I quite enjoy doing).
You know what? They were right. I found communities here to belong to and became addicted to using the dashboard, a social tool the likes of which I’d never experienced.
I’ve written some great posts here of which I’ve been quite proud, I’ve made new friends (many of whom I’ve met in person, even on different continents), and even created a neat browser extension for Tumblr that one or two of you might have installed!
I look forward to an even better third year here on Tumblr.
Tumblr for Android update!
Replying! Fully-readable replies in notes!
![shortformblog:
producermatthew:
markcoatney:
joshsternberg:
producermatthew:
DEVELOPING: “Karp just announced that the Featured spot on the Tumblr dashboard is going up for sale to advertisers.”
Looks like ads are finally coming to Tumblr in at least one form. [h/t @rossneumann]
So what about all the people who don’t use the Tumblr dash but instead visit Tumblr sites? Will they see ads?
No! At least, not from Tumblr—any Tumblr blog is free to put whatever advertising they want on their own space.
CNBC’s @mcatwellons tells me the ads will be sold off in the “Radar” spot on the dashboard, not on a person’s Tumblr blog.
Of note: If ads were well-integrated into the Tumblr interface, would you mind them?
Well-integrated? I’ll reserve my judgement until I see it.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2ozx0fWHG1qz5ew6o1_1280.jpg)
DEVELOPING: “Karp just announced that the Featured spot on the Tumblr dashboard is going up for sale to advertisers.”
Looks like ads are finally coming to Tumblr in at least one form. [h/t @rossneumann]
So what about all the people who don’t use the Tumblr dash but instead visit Tumblr sites? Will they see ads?
No! At least, not from Tumblr—any Tumblr blog is free to put whatever advertising they want on their own space.
CNBC’s @mcatwellons tells me the ads will be sold off in the “Radar” spot on the dashboard, not on a person’s Tumblr blog.
Of note: If ads were well-integrated into the Tumblr interface, would you mind them?
Well-integrated? I’ll reserve my judgement until I see it.
Goddamn.
How do I know when a post in the Android app is going to retry?
Ode to Karp
Tumblr’s amazing but can’t you see,
We liked it the way it was.
We only added Missing e,
Because you never give us what we want.Get yourself bigger servers,
As they’re always over full.
And when something exciting happens,
It means I can’t reblog or post.Oh Karp,
Listen to our pleas.
Oh Karp,
Listen to our needs.You hate the fact we using Missing e,
But that is mainly your fault.
If you stopped making petty changes like the icons,
You’d realise why we revolt.We’d like to get rid of silly things,
Like dealing with ask limits.
Now I think about it we’d just like,
A better messaging service.With Missing e we can reblog our own posts,
And reply to our follower’s replies.
And instead of thinking these are good ideas,
You just try to screw with our lives.Do you ever wonder why we all hate you,
And think that you’re the worst.
It’s because you treat us like little children,
And don’t ask our opinions first.
I’m not sure what to think about this.
I’m convinced that the only reason why Tumblr keeps updating useless stuff on the dash all the time now is because they know Missing e has to catch up and fix the issues it causes and David Karp is secretly trying to annoy Jeremy Cutler into giving up.
I get this feeling, too. Only because it does actually annoy me, not because I actually think that’s what they’re doing.
~ Your Freedom To Use Your Browser Is Under Attack ~
Tumblr’s Terms of Service hasn’t changed yet. So please read and help out!
The Tumblr staff recently requested feedback on updates they will be making to their policies. They specifically mention one of their goals is to prevent the promotion of self-harm. However, their updated Terms of Service includes something a lot less laudable.
Unable to find the required avenues to stop developers from creating and distributing browser extensions that enhance the way you use Tumblr and not getting enough of a response to their scary warning campaign, they now seem to be preparing the groundwork for coming after users of these extensions.
~ Who, you? Yes, apparently. ~
Tumblr had been previously unable to prevent all development of these extensions, scripts and add-ons because they function within your web browser, allowing you to direct these extensions to use your browser to automatically perform tasks for you on Tumblr (like quickly reblogging from the dashboard, uploading images to posts, adding control buttons to your sidebar or hiding content you don’t want to see). The extensions, themselves, do not interact directly with Tumblr, only help your web browser to do it for you!
With the upcoming changes to the Terms of Service, Tumblr will soon be able to punish someone: you.
~ How is it wrong to use something to help me enjoy Tumblr more? ~
The important part of the new Terms of Service is under the section titled Limitations on Automated Use:
You may not do any of the following while accessing or using the Services: … (c) access or search or attempt to access or search the Services by any means (automated or otherwise) other than through our currently available, published interfaces that are provided by Tumblr… (d) scrape the Services, and particularly scape (sic) Content (as defined below) from the Services, without Tumblr’s express prior written consent
These limitations will make using almost any browser extension, add-on or script for Tumblr (and even some not specifically intended for Tumblr) against the rules!
Do you use Missing e, XKit, Tumblr Savior or any Greasemonkey script for Tumblr? Well, pretty soon, that will mean you will be in violation of Tumblr’s Terms of Service. That would be grounds for terminating your account!
~ What’s the Big Deal? ~
Extensions, add-ons and scripts like Missing e, XKit and Tumblr Savior help you get better use of Tumblr. They might mean that you decide against leaving Tumblr, or that you come back to it. They make it easier to spend more time on Tumblr than you might have normally and become a more involved member of this community. These are the kind of things a company like Tumblr should want, but is instead fighting against.
This most recent step effectively means that Tumblr apparently wants to reach into your web browser and tell you exactly how you are to use it to interact with their website. Their way, and NO OTHER WAY.
~ So, What Can We Do? ~
Tumblr’s new Terms of Service policy has not yet been put into effect. They are still looking for feedback. My suggestions is that we give them feedback.
Contact Tumblr (policy@tumblr.com) and let them know that this decision will alienate the userbase they work so hard to grow. Let them know that a browser extension (be it any of them) brought you back to Tumblr, or convinced you to stay, or kept you on this site longer. Tell them that your Tumblr is better off with a Savior, a Kit of the ‘X’ variety or that Missing e!
ABOVE ALL, BE POLITE. The best way to present your case is with clearheaded statements that show Tumblr that these tools make you want to use their product more!
~ Are you getting spam submissions in your inbox? ~
Quite a few people have been getting spam submission posts in their inbox. Some users have wondered if Missing e causes this.
To be clear, this problem has nothing to do with Missing e!
Unfortunately, this appears to be a problem with Tumblr, itself. At the moment, there is not a whole lot you can do about it.
~ Why is it a problem? ~
Imagine you get a submission in your inbox that looks like it is from yourself! See the image at the top of this post? That’s an example of what it could look like when someone who is not logged into Tumblr submits to your blog!
So, this malicious person can submit spam posts to your blog (which will wait in your inbox), and make it seem like it is from yourself. This can be annoying or even detrimental to those users who allow submissions to their Tumblr blogs!
~ How do they do that? ~
Unfortunately, it is too easy. When an anonymous person not logged into Tumblr goes to your
/submitpage (assuming you activated it in your blog settings), they are given the opportunity to post whatever they want.
To submit the post, they must enter an e-mail address and a name. Tumblr doesn’t validate the e-mail or the name, so anyone can impersonate anyone else by typing in their username as the name and any e-mail address (whether they own it or not). I’ve even been getting reports of spam submissions with a person’s username and staff@tumblr.com as the e-mail address!
When the submitted post appears in your inbox, all you see is the name that the person typed in (possibly your username) and whatever e-mail address they decided to use. In addition, submissions from people who are not logged in always appear with the Tumblr avatar of the blog the submission was made to (your blog).
~ What can you do about it? ~
Not much.
Currently, the only way to prevent these kinds of spam submissions is to turn off submission for your blog in your blog’s settings! There is no option to only allow submissions from logged-in users. It appears to be all-or-nothing.
Hopefully, Tumblr will be able to address this spam problem in a timely manner.
Why isn’t Tumblr doing anything about this?
Please note that this attack has absolutely nothing to do with the Missing e browser extension!
A while back there was a serious problem with a lot of blogs posting fake “staff” posts about Starbucks coupons or other spam-related things. That problem is still going on.
I’m pretty sure it is linked to what you see in the above photo. Quite a few Tumblr blogs that have been compromised (had their password stolen) have had a few lines of JavaScript added to their themes that cause a pretty big FAKE Tumblr login screen to show up, insisting that the blog you are viewing is somehow 18+ and you have to enter your login to continue.
~ Why is this a problem? ~
This is pretty bad, considering many people on Tumblr are not exceeding tech-savvy. I mean, the thing looks legitimate. I wouldn’t be surprised if quite a few people have just given their passwords away because of this thing. Then, their blog theme is itself changed to continue propagating this phishing attack.
To be clear, you should never enter your password into any page that is not a secure Tumblr page. Here’s a staff post on how to recognize a secure page.
~ What should Tumblr be doing? ~
The script actually loads from a server in China (IP: 222.47.112.220), but beyond that I can’t really work out anything about who is behind it.
The real question I have is why Tumblr hasn’t done anything about this. Other than posting helpful information on recognizing secure Tumblr pages, they don’t seem to be doing very much! I would expect that it would be possible for Tumblr to prevent this script from actually running on themed blog pages, considering it can be traced directly to a malicious server.
I’m thinking about adding something into Missing e to get rid of these fake login boxes, but that doesn’t solve the problem by a long shot!
~ What to do if your account is a victim ~
If your blog is posting spam or your themed blog shows the fake login screen, you can fix it!
- First things first, change your password! When you do so, make sure the page you are on is a secure Tumblr page (how to recognize one)
- Second, if your blog has the fake login screen, you need to reset your blog’s theme!
- If that isn’t possible, you can go in and remove the offending code. It is a couple of lines near the bottom of your theme code that start and end with
<script>tags and has a bunch of code with seemingly random numbers and letters
- If that isn’t possible, you can go in and remove the offending code. It is a couple of lines near the bottom of your theme code that start and end with
