NYC-based "microblogging" service Tumblr just rolled out a new version of its site this week. Included in the update: A new design for the back-end "dashboard," where users prepare Tumblr posts and read others' tumblelogs, and a basic search function.
But it's also just rolled out a handful of new discovery tools, which both Tumblr users and Tumblr window shoppers can use to find interesting/neat tumblelogs worth looking at.
The new "explore" features include displaying Tumblrs by the music they embed in their posts, the color of photos they've recently posted, and our two favorites: A focus on popular, often wacky photos (above), and the "Tumblverse," a Google Maps-powered display of Tumblelogs near us (screenshot below). A great way to figure out how weird our neighbors are before meeting them. (And a reminder of how popular the service is in Manhattan and Brooklyn.)
We're still waiting for Tumblr to start rolling out "pro" features -- its first revenue stream.
See Also: Photographic Proof: Women Like Tumblr