I finally got around to updating my site, as you may have noticed. I now have http://possiblybob.com/ set up to mirror content from my site hosted on Tumblr.
What is Tumblr?
Tumblr is a site that lets you put together very simple blogs very easily. The setup process invovles setting your user name and password and creating a subdomain of tumblr.com to host your site. Logging in to the site dashboard lets you create blog posts, add photos, take down quotes, link links, record chats, or post audio and video files. Each of these items is displayed as part of a feed that appears just as a normal website would.
Why Tumblr?
I chose to use Tumblr because it has a very easy to use CMS (content management system). Logging into the site dashboard is very simple (the login page has very large boxes that make it easy to type on when using my iPhone) and creating entries is very quick. Tumblr also has a great API that allows the sharing of content on sites outside of the Tumblr domain. Possiblybob.com loads the latest feed items posted on the Tumblr site and displays them here in a different format. There are also quite a few Tumblr apps for the iPhone that make mobile publishing pretty easy.
Is this permanent?
I don’t think I’ll stick with Tumblr for the long run. As a web developer, I’d rather create my own CMS tailored to my own needs, but I don’t really have that kind of free time right now. Perhaps sometime in the future I’ll put one together. I’d also like the ability for people to comment on entries, something Tumblr doesn’t provide out of the box. For now, this will work for me.
What’s in it for me?
Having a way to post blog entries that will actually update on my site means I’ll be able to post a lot more often. I’ve been wanting to make entries for the past couple of months, but I’ve not had the chance. Now I’ll be able to. You can subscribe to my entries by adding my Rss Link to your favorite feed reader or home page. Send me some feedback to let me know what you think!
Welcome to the new and semi-improved possiblybob.com. You may not notice much of a difference, as the layout hasn’t really changed much, but it’s a step toward the next full version.
The main enchancements of the site follow:
- Move from ad-hoc CSS styling to the Blueprint CSS framework. This framework allows the creation of sites in a manner similar to that of creating a magazine or yearbook layout. This allows the site to appear nearly the same in all major browsers. It also helps lay sites out a lot faster (I put this layout together in 2 nights!)
- Updating of the site’s typeface (font). Rather than Trebuchet MS, I decided to switch back to a more standard Arial. It’s available on all (or most) major systems and is rather clean.
I don’t intend for this site to remain in beta for long (I’m looking at you Gmail), and I have high hopes for it. Depending on work load and social activities, I plan some major additions soon. Keep checking back for updates!