How to Create an Account on Tumblr

To create an account on Tumblr, follow the following steps:

1: access Tumblr's website, [www.tumblr.com]. Currently, its homepage looks like this:

2: Tumblr's homepage displays a preview of the platform including a feed of trending posts. If you scroll too much, you'll be asked to create an account. At the bottom, you'll find a permanent message that gives you the option to sign up or log in. Click on the "Sign me up" button to start creating your account. A dialog box will appear.

3: You're given the option to use your Google account or Apple account to sign up, or use e-mail. We'll use e-mail, as it's something everyone can have. Click on "Continue with email" to proceed.

4: type your e-mail address in the box and click Next. You'll be asked for a password next.

5: use your browser's built-in password generator to generate a strong password for your account, then click Next. You'll be asked for your birthdate.

6: type your birth date to confirm that you're old enough to use Tumblr. The minimum age would be 13 or 16 years old depending on the jurisdiction.

You may not use the Services, provide any personal information to Tumblr, or otherwise submit personal information through the Services (including, for example, a name, address, telephone number, or email address) if you are under the Minimum Age. The Minimum Age is (i) thirteen (13), (ii) sixteen (16) for users in the European Union or the United Kingdom, or (iii) eighteen (18) for certain features. You may only use the Services if you can form a binding contract with Tumblr and are not legally prohibited from using the Services.

You have to be the Minimum Age to use Tumblr. We're serious: it's a hard rule. “But I’m, like, almost old enough!” you plead. Nope, sorry. If you're not old enough, don't use Tumblr. Ask your parents for a Playstation 4, or try books.

https://www.tumblr.com/policy/en/terms-of-service (accessed 2024-10-18)

Note: actual, unaltered quote.

Observation: if a contract says "you can't do this because you can't be legally bound by this contract" I don't think there's anything actually stopping you from doing it because you aren't legally bound to consider what the contract says. I'm not saying you should do it. I'm just saying I'm not a lawyer and I wonder how online platforms deal with this sort of problem. One thing to consider is that if you create an account in a platform before you're legally allowed to, and they find out later, they can and often WILL just delete your account with no questions asked. This means if you created an account 10 years ago when you were 12, and that account has all your e-mails and important stuff, you should probably consider migrating everything to a new account before they find out the contract you agreed to was never valid.

7: at the bottom of the dialog, there are links to Tumblr's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Make sure to read them before continuing. If you don't agree with them, desist.

8: Click "Next." You'll be asked for your username.

9: pick an username for your account. There are a few things worth noting:

First, on Tumblr, users don't have "profile pages" like in your typical social media website. They have blogs. In practice, it's the same thing.

Second, on Tumblr, users call usernames "URLs," despite the fact they aren't technically URLs. A URL is normally a text code like https://tumblr.com/virtualcuriosities. In Tumblr's culture, just virtualcuriosities is what the "URL" would be.

Third, the whole sign up process is for creating your primary blog. On Tumblr, you may create as many secondary blogs as you would like that function more or less the same way as primary blogs do. Secondary blogs can't follow users or like posts, so you can't have mutuals in a secondary blog. However, you can still reblog posts to your secondary blog. In other words, it's like having a personal profile (primary blog) compared to a brand profile (secondary blog).

After choosing your "URL," click "Sign up." You'll be asked to pick your interests as part of the sign up process.

10: pick some topics that interest you. It seems to recommend a minimum of five interests.

It's not clear what this information is used for, but Tumblr does have a recommendation algorithm. If you want to see things that interest you in your home feed, you should provide this information.

Observation: this is probably the longest list of interests I've ever seen in a step like this and I've signed up to several social media. I assume this is thanks to Tumblr users use of tags on their posts.

Click Next to continue. You'll be asked to follow a few blogs that match your interests as part of the sign up process.

11: click on the Follow button on three blogs. This will make the button on the bottom-left read "Next."

12: click on the button that now reads "Next." You'll have created your account.

Observation: on Tumblr, "dash" as in "dashboard" refers to your home feed.

13: go to your e-mail inbox and check the e-mail you should have received from Tumblr. It contains an account verification link to verify your email. As of writing, the link you should click reads "This is me!"

Things to do After Creating Your Tumblr Account

Make sure you change your avatar. Like most social media, there are bots on Tumblr, so users may block you if you have the default avatar.