Tumblr is a microblogging website, meaning that users typically
share small bits of media or information like sentences, pictures,
or short videos. Tumblr is also generally considered to be a social
networking site in the sense that it allows people with similar
interests, backgrounds, or hobbies to connect and develop virtual
communities.
On Tumblr, users "follow" other users, receiving their microblog
posts on their dashboard. One key difference between Tumblr and
other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter is that
Tumblr places substantially less emphasis on real-life connections
and encourages a more private form of social networking. While
Facebook communities are based around "friends" who often know each
other in real life or have some form of real life connection,
Tumblr users often follow people who they have no other connections
with other than a shared interest or other similarity discovered
through Tumblr.
Of course, some Tumblr users do use their real names and
pictures and do interact with people they know in real life as on
Facebook. The key difference, however, is in the design of the
website - Facebook emphasizing transparency in knowing who you are
friends with and Tumblr emphasizing levels of privacy and anonymity
(as can be seen with anonymous asking and other features).
Tumblr is a blogging platform that allows users to post text,
images, videos, links, quotes and audio to their tumblelog , a
short-form blog.