You might have come across Tumblr before as one of the greatest procrastination tools out on the internet. You have a thing for weirdly evolved creatures? There's a tumblr for you! Or maybe you are mad for anything Disney? There are tumblrs for you by the score. Into baking and cooking? Here you go. Or you just need some cute cat gifs? Tumblr provides. But Tumblr is far more than just a place for rabid fans posting a gazillion gifs of their favourite film or actors. It can also be a place to create a collection of visual references for specific art periods or all types of castles. Or a place to share stories about your research or keep notes. And it's a way to share the discoveries you make with a wider public as Leiden University's own Erik Kwakkel is wont to do.

Low-threshold blogging

Tumblr's interface is relatively straight forward and easy to learn how to use. Because of this and because due to the service's nature Tumblr posts are less long-form essay and more quick thought sharing, Tumblr can serve as a good way of trying out whether blogging would work for you. You might even find that Tumblr fits your preferences perfectly!

Tumblr as a teaching tool

Another use for Tumblr that is linked to both research and teaching is the use of Tumblr (and blogs in general) in courses. It is a dynamic way to get students involved and lets them showcase their work in a different way. Whether in the form of longer think pieces, visual explanations of core course concepts, or as a group blog where they can share and discuss thoughts on their coursework.

So while Tumblr may not seem like an obvious choice to use as part of your daily academic practice, it does offer an easy and varied set of possible uses.