We’re four years into fashion blogging’s California Dream. In 2006, fashion blogging was obscure and virtually ignored. In 2008, the mainstream fashion media turned a handful of street style and personal style bloggers into stars. Brands jumped in on the hype and blog campaign budgets burgeoned. For a while now it’s seemed like even minor bloggers can score major partnerships and c/o has become common. Going pro began to seem like an easy route to fame and fortune and self-help sources set the standard. And standard was what we got.

Gold rush mentality is for imitators, not innovators. Thus, the current state of fashion blogging: a future archive of indistinguishable individuals wielding SLRs, and a rotation of affectations in lieu of the new. The division of attention is yielding diminishing returns for middle-of-the-packers – brands are bailing in favour of celebrities, the industry is losing enthusiasm for blog coverage, readers are disgruntled and comment culture has devolved.

Starting a fashion blog in 2006 was delusional because no one was doing it… launching a fashion blog in 2012 is even more delusional because everyone is doing it. If you’re in fashion, you should know which edge of the curve is worth entering. Which means that every fashion blogger with any sense is wondering what’s next for our medium.

Style blogging is not dead. Street style photography is as old as photography itself – it won’t die, and there will be successors to the current crop. The well-dressed girl with the mysterious power to sell us whatever is on her back is as old as time and as today’s it girls turn into women, tomorrow’s it girl personal style bloggers will replace them.

Extraordinary talents like Rumi Neely and Tommy Ton will always find an audience. In the past decade, what happened was that technology created a gap, briefly allowing more ordinary talents a taste of notoriety while the media establishment struggled with transition. Now, the tide is reversing; instead of blogger-turned-professional, we have entered the era of professional-turned-blogger. As established venues for their work disappear, experienced creatives are out of necessity, getting over their technophobia. They are in the perfect position to benefit from the rise of individualized media at the expense of a masthead. They bring their skills and reputations with them, significantly raising the top standard of work we see online.

The result is that the barriers to enter fashion, which were artificially low for the past five years are returning to their usual place – high. Amateurs aspirants who managed to slip in through the internet’s side door now have to rely on some combination of hard work, talent, connections, money, beauty, good timing and luck to stay inside fashion’s good graces. Just like everyone else.

 

Walking Away - I’m too busy to have my photo taken. Can’t stop, I’m always late and they’re holding up the show just for me. The wind is in my hair. If you want my photo, shoot fast. Fabulous never waits!

On the Phone - I’m talking to someone on the phone because I’m a visual person, I don’t like reading. Yes you can take my photo but I can’t stop listening to this very important call. They’re telling me things that make me smile enigmatically, but I don’t have a big enough vocabulary to tell you what’s so funny.

Fingering an iPhone - even though I’m at fashion week, what’s happening inside this magic slice of toast is waaay more amazing. My fingers are as soft as butter.

Shoulders Raised - it’s so cold in the Northern hemisphere! Make sure my coat is outside of the frame because it doesn’t go with my new spring outfit. I’m really fashionable underneath my parka, see?

Arms Akimbo - look at my belly… now look lower. YEAH. I am a REAL man, even though I like clothes, you can tell because I’m taking up as much space as I possibly can. Even my double monkstraps are very far apart. I think you’ll have to move back to get all of me in the photo.

Looking Down, Scratching Head – are you sure you want to take a photo of little me? You like this outfit? But it’s hideous! I just fell into it by accident this morning after tripping over my Litas. I guess you can take a picture of me as long as my face isn’t visible. This is truly mortifying. I hope your website isn’t that popular.

Clutching a Bag that has a Handle - this is how they hold bags in fashion shows, and since I like mindlessly following trends this is how I hold my bag now too. I know it has a handle but I don’t have to use it because I don’t really need the use of my hands anyway. I’m just here to see and be seen, you know?

Pigeon Toes - I’m as twee as can be! I was born after 1990! Tee hee!

Head Tilted to Side - I shaved half my head, and now everything is askew! But I don’t mind because I like seeing the world differently. The Earth I walk on is on a 45 degree angle. I don’t follow trends or obey the law of gravity. I also only wear one sleeve of my coat at a time, and have mismatching shoes and earrings. Did I mention I’m different?

Hands in Pockets - there is no such thing as a manly “pose”, so I’ll casually put my hands in my pockets and stand as STRAIGHT as possible. Actually, just my fingers are in my pockets because my drop crotch pants are so tight, but also somehow still falling down. This way I can simultaneously push my pants lower and hold them up at the same time. Notice where my thumbs are pointing?

Holding Bag in Crooked Elbow - UGH, fashion week is so exhausting I have to put my entire survival kit into this massive designer bag. Carrying around 500 ml spray mist face refresher, SLR, iPad, all the requisite chargers, an extra pair of platform clogs and two unpaid interns in this bag is REAL WORK. It is so heavy I have to carry it on my elbow so I don’t chip my nail art.

Legs Crossed – why is there always a lineup for the women’s toilet at Fashion Week? I guess while I’m waiting you can take my picture.

This has been an incredible year, full of adversity and transcendence.

What follows is a redux, final fashion‘s finest for the year. Thanks so much to everyone who visits, reads, comments, emails and reaches out. Friends and colleagues, you inspire me. You are all wonderful. Thank you.

 

My favourite blog posts

• what it is for – it girls and fashion – You are in denial if you think you can make it in fashion without embracing it.
• the economics of style – youth culture patterns - we fetishize “functional” work because our own so-called work is so ephemeral and indulgent.
• the aesthetics of scarcity - the last visceral shocker left to fashion is olfactory. This is why crust pants represent fashion’s last stand.
• the technique trap - so many young hopefuls come to London to go to these star-making schools and yet the instruction they receive sends them down the path of obscurity.
• the insider issue - In fashion, insider status is coveted by those who lack it and flaunted by those who have it.

Paper dolls

• Vionnet – both back and front views. Braless, just the way Vionnet liked it.
• Agyness Deyn – the first of a model series, I have a wishlist.
• Anna Dello Russo – for the Hudson’s Bay Company. She is such a perfect fashion phoenix, delightful to draw.
• Pink Martini Collection – my first completely hand-rendered, watercolour paper doll.

Incredible encounters

• Colin McDowell – respected writer, historian and curator of the Fashion Illustration exhibit. I had chance to show him some live sketches to at the Design Museum in February. Later in September he recalled my work and invited me to sketch at Fashion Fringe.
• David Downton – the 21st century’s finest fashion illustrator picked my work out of a lineup.
• Stephen Griggs – the owner of Dr. Martens invited me to visit the factory and see how my favourite boot gets born. Highlight.

Print appearances

• The Times 27-04-11 – my proposal for a princess’ wedding gown received some good words.
• Cosmopolitan Australia November 2011 – I talk it girls with the smart and spirited Rachel Hills.
• The Big Book of Fashion Illustration – featured in the definitive compendium of contemporary fashion illustration.

This was a year that started hard for me and then turned around in the second half. While I didn’t tick every box, I feel like I got the gist if not the gamut of my 2011 goals.

I’m looking forward to 2012. How about you?

Meeting fellow fashion bloggers to talk shop is one of my favourite types of encounters, and not so long ago I had the opportunity to talk outfit blogging with some very erudite male style bloggers. The subject of reactions to outfit posts came up and I was interested to learn that in the male style blogging sphere, the nature of the commentary seems somewhat different than in the female style blogging sphere.

Curious about whether this impression was reflected in reality, I took a very unscientific poll of four of my favourite style bloggers, asking them about what type of comments they get and why they put their ensembles out there for review. Of course every style blog is different, so the answers are various. If you’re as interested as I am in the call-and-response nature of fashion, you’ll enjoy this.

–

Winston of Le Vrai Winston, “men like clothes too”.

Do you think that on male style blogs, the comments are mostly by males, and on female style blogs, the comments are mostly by females? If so, do you have any idea why that is? Do you think that gender plays any role in the nature of the community and the commentary?

I think that is the case and logically so. My blog attracts women as well as men, but far more of the latter than the former.

The chief ‘benefit’ for most visitors, if I am basing it on their feedback, is inspiration. That is why some women visit; they can look past the suits, ties and shoes at the colour and pattern use and obtain ideas or inspiration for their own looks. The men come to get ideas for purchasing and composition as well as colour and/or pattern use and quite often ask explicitly about one of the items in the ‘outfit.’

I would estimate that the vast majority of the anonymous negative comments have been made by males. I say this because of the particular style and point of attack; most of them are stag-like in nature, rather than ridiculing, and therefore have a competitive, male tone to them that precludes female construction.

I think that overall, females are far more pleasant on average than males although it does depend on the age group. Middle aged to older men tend to be more reasonable and appreciative, whereas younger men are more competitive and harbour jealousy and resentment. Some comments from an anonymous poster I thought to be a young man referred to my being a ‘faux aristocrat’ because I took photos on a ‘grand, Georgian London street’ to make people believe I lived there. The fact that I do live on that street is not material. What is interesting is how they construct their challenges. It is based on challenging someone on their class, which includes their name and their style.

Certain men, probably of certain political leanings, cannot stand my name and consider it pompous and pretentious and even ‘made up’ in much the same way that they dislike my apparent ‘lifestyle’ and aesthetic ideas. They spend time visiting and commenting on a blog owned by someone they probably wish to physically harm, devoting considerable thought to the challenges they choose to conjure. Their purpose in this regard is perplexing to many who choose to pursue a ‘live and let live’ existence.

What is the best comment or the best type of comment you enjoy receiving?

Believe it or not, the best type of comment I enjoy receiving is constructive criticism. It’s pleasant to read things like ‘Brilliant outfit!’ and ‘Wow. I really like this look’ but it’s better to receive someone elses ideas as I would usually consider them in future alongside my own. Some people write things like ‘Nice jacket but the trousers don’t really work as they distract from the palette’ and many recipients of such a comment might choose to ignore it but I think it is far more interesting to acknowledge it and think about it seriously.

Other comments I enjoy receiving? I think everyone enjoys comments praising physical attractiveness or comparisons with famous heartthrobs. These comments are very very few, but it’s nice when you get them.

What are your motivations for creating outfit posts that are open for comments – what do you enjoy about it?

My original motivation was borne of frustration. I was annoyed that people accused me of spending fortunes on ‘obviously expensive’ clothing when other people had to shop on the high street. I myself was a keen high street shopper and very rarely ventured into expensive boutiques or purchased designer clothing. My girlfriend told me I should set up a blog that shows where my clothing comes from, so that people can see what sort of looks are possible with high street shopping and that it’s not all about trendy fashion, that you can attain looks of longevity, style, maturity and elegance from the stores that used to be laughed at by the fashion elite.

–

Isabel of Hipster Musings, “THE REVOLUTION STARTS HERE AND NOW within each one of us”.

What is the best comment or the best type of comment you enjoy receiving?

My favourite comments are ones that include suggestion. For example, if I mention a movie I recently watched or a musician I’ve been listening too lately I love it when people ask me if I’ve heard of “so and so” because usually I look into their suggestion and find it quite pertinent!

What do you think the main motivations for making a comment on an outfit post – positive or negative – might be?

Comments are a marketplace for getting noticed, I think. If you can write something positive and funny, then the blog you are commenting on will hopefully leave a comment in return. Circle jerk validation, really.

Do you think that on female style blogs, the comments are mostly by females, and on male style blogs, the comments are mostly by males? If so, do you have any idea why that is? Do you think that gender plays any role in the nature of the community and the commentary?

Well I mostly read ladies fashion blogs because I am a lady and I get inspired by their outfits and see what I can try out with my own wardrobe. That said, I really like The Dandy Project because Izzy’s style is so creative and DIY and his spirit really comes through in his writing and projects. If a fashion blogger is interesting, it doesn’t matter what their gender is – I’ll read it.

What are your motivations for creating outfit posts open for comments – what do you enjoy about it?

I guess I just like being validated by comments. Obviously, the more positive comments I get the better I feel! It doesn’t necessarily make me feel better than wearing the outfit already made me feel, but I’m just glad to know that other people like what I’m wearing too! Not too many of my friends are into fashion, so it’s fun to connect with people who are.

–

Barima of Mode Parade, “sartorial and pop culture dissection column”.

Do you think that on male style blogs, the comments are mostly by males, and on female style blogs, the comments are mostly by females? If so, do you have any idea why that is? Do you think that gender plays any role in the nature of the community and the commentary?

I do think that to be the case; I still remember being surprised that women liked my content enough to comment on it, and the other men’s style blogs I frequent have a mostly male clientele, though on the more “charming middle aged man’s lifestyle” sites, I think the gender ratio is closer to 3:2 in favour of men. I am certain that the commentary on women’s style blogs is overwhelmingly female.

Frankly, I’ve long suspected a herd or in-crowd mentality to much of the feting that can go with outfit posts. I think that very few of us genuinely like each other’s looks or like to lead each other down the garden path, which is a terrible consequence of groupthink, as well as one of looking for a star to follow. And much of it can be so fickle in that if a post garners less commentary than normal, these seemingly regular commenters either missed it or lack the balls to say what turned them off on this occasion.

What is the best comment or the best type of comment you enjoy receiving?

For outfits, the kind that is either insightful about what makes the ensemble work for them or wants to know more about a particular piece. For the other content, either an appreciation of my writing or extra information about the subject at hand. I enjoy learning from my semi-regular readers, though I also appreciate the bonhomie of the more regular commenters.

What is the worst comment or worst type of comment you have to deal with?

This is more germane to the forums I appear on – the insecure neuroses of the Nitpick Doyens generate the worst stuff, really. Someone once described them as “cowboys who beleieve that they’ve a better idea of how the clothes fit than the person wearing them.” It’s arriviste expertise, really. I take on all constructive feedback, but there’s no chance that I’ll pay heed to someone calling me ugly or too youthful looking, or who has a cripplingly narrow frame of aesthetic reference or other things like that.

Do you have any advice for dealing with negative feedback?

Don’t take it personally. Discern whether it has any utility and then respond accordingly.

What are your motivations for creating outfit posts that are open for comments – what do you enjoy about it?

I’ve chosen not to centre Mode Parade around the outfit posts for various reasons, although I recognise that they do attract a little more notice than my “bubbling under” writing does. I freely admit that it’s a narcissistic endeavour, but I also thought that they might be a useful documentation of how my presentation changes over time. And as regards style, it allows me to demonstrate my personal tastes to leaven out the focus on my opinions.

–

Jentine of My Edit, “a life between peep toes and steel toes”.

Do you think that on female style blogs, the comments are mostly by females, and on male style blogs, the comments are mostly by males? If so, do you have any idea why that is? Do you think that gender plays any role in the nature of the community and the commentary?

I would guess that 99. 6% (yeah, I checked… or not) of the comments on my blog are from females. I actually don’t read any male fashion blogs so I have no idea of their commentors. I do write and post with a female audience in mind. I am sure there are some guys who read my blog but I imagine my blog readership is a giant girly slumber party with pillowfights and a cupcake buffet.

What is the best comment or the best type of comment you enjoy receiving?

I get pretty tickled pink when people tell me that I inspired them to get to a thrift store. Also, funny and random comments make my day. I’ve met some really cool ladies like Merl and Emily through rambly back and forth commenting. I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to comment on one of my posts but the whole ‘follow me and I’ll follow you?’ thing is tedious.

Do you have any advice for dealing with negative feedback?

I have incredibly thin skin and I have always had a hard time taking criticism (I know, not the best quality) so perhaps I am not the best to give advice on this. I would recommend wine though. In all seriousness now, I think when you put yourself on the internet, you have to be prepared for some negative feedback at times. I think it’s important to determine if the negative feedback is just useless trolling or if it’s meant as constructive criticism or if it’s just a difference in opinion. Sometimes anything negative gets labelled as ‘haters gonna hate’ but maybe people are just trying to tell you something and there is something to learn from the comments.

What are your motivations for creating outfit posts open for comments – what do you enjoy about it?

As much as we pretend that it’s just a nice bonus, there is a certain amount of validation that does come from the comments on an outfit post. Yes, it feels nice to get comments and I love getting a reaction to what I write. It is the easiest way to keep communication open with your readers. I have met some really top notch ladies through the comment section and it is the oddest and coolest thing that I now consider some of my online friends as some of my closest friends.

For young adult fashion bloggers like myself, who have spent the past few years eking out small niches, figuring out the conventions of a new medium without a rule book, and investing time into things that seemed impossible to develop a living out of, watching the meteoric rise of teenagers on the same trail we had to blaze can be unsettling.

It bothers me more though, when I see dismissive and condescending posts about the teenaged fashion bloggers. It is ironic that the same bloggers who held the standard that online was the future and print was the past, are so unprepared for their own inevitable obsolescence. It is a huge mistake to dismiss the younger bloggers – they have a lot to teach us about the future of our chosen medium.

Bright, visually articulate teenagers have significant advantages when it comes to fashion blogging. They have the free time to dedicate themselves to it wholly – and so do their audiences. They don’t have to worry about lame stuff like monetizing their efforts. They had the luck to be born in the first generation of digital natives – so they’ve already passively absorbed the inherent quirks and conventions of internet communication. They’re beautiful and young, so of course fashion adores them. They’re both a curiousity and a threat to the relatively new fashion blogging establishment. Yeah, they’re going to bury us, just as they in turn will be buried by their younger counterparts.

Once, I was a precocious, articulate, creative teenager, trapped in a small town with no way to find anyone who was like-minded. It wasn’t until I was 23 that I discovered fashion blogging, and as soon as I did, I knew that I had been waiting to find this outlet my entire life. When I see teenaged bloggers now, I see the (im)possibility that I missed just by the unfortunate fact of being born a few years too early. Rather than being threatened by them, I find myself identifying with them, and I admit, not without a bit of bittersweet longing.

I was inspired to write this post after discovering the phenomenon that is Bebe Zeva. My initial response to her unflattering New York Times profile was just speechlessness. I couldn’t tell who was having on who, though I could tell that her existence converged on a few themes I find fascinating. I did some more reading, and it was strangely satisfying to be gradually disenchanted with my own initial negative reactions.

Bebe Zeva isn’t the new Tavi Gevinson. Superficially, they share some things in common – intelligence, and significantly, somewhat condescending profiles in the New York Times. Though they both strike fear into the hearts of un-precocious adult journalists and middle-of-the-pack fashion bloggers, they are quite different phenomenon.

Gevinson (who I am a huge fan of) represents the end of an era when it was still possible to start a blog without ulterior motivations. Her guilelessness is un-calculated – her memedom is unintentional, and she is just as ambivalent, as she is ambitious. Zeva contrasts with utter, obsessive dedication – self-manufactured with careful consciousness, artfully contrived. If Zeva is to be compared at all, she is the Lady Gaga of fashion blogging.

Gaga is the only mainstream celebrity Zeva professes admiration for, and the parallels are vivid. Both never dress to the same theme two days in a row, and never dress down. Both adore their fans and have their fair share of detractors. Both adopt titles that evoke destiny (Fated to be Hated and Born This Way), contrasting against their carefully crafted personas. Both seek the holy grail of eternal relevance and love, and express their goals with bravado. Most interesting from a cultural perspective, Zeva and Gaga both represent effort and sincerity. They are trying to be famous, and admit as much. No wonder they inspire such ire, in a culture that reveres so-called ‘effortlessness’.

In Zeva’s case, candour and raw emotion is pure rebellion because she’s taking on the nexus of disingenuous youth culture from the inside out. Don’t be fooled by the vestigial quotation marks in Zeva’s oeuvre, when she says she seeks relevance, she is 100% serious. When she adopted the hipster lifestyle, she did it totally and without reservation or distancing – which is why she isn’t a hipster at all, but something new and more interesting.

Zeva is both a curiousity and a threat to old-fashioned hipsters in denial - because she means exactly what she says. She’s post-ironic, forward-gazing, and self-aware. You may or may not find what she is doing to your taste – but I think she will be successful on her own terms. She is at the vanguard of an emerging attitude.

Want to know more about Final Fashion, and me? Download my first bonafide media kit.

Heartfelt thanks to Annching Wang, who made this kit happen. Putting together a package all about how rad you are is a difficult task to take on without help – which is why having a sharp eye like Annching is so valuable.

Annching is a Vancouver based fashion blogger I feel true affinity with – she’s interested in theory and entrepreneurship, she’s bright and inquisitive and ambitious. She offers writing, marketing and communications consultation, and after working with her, I wholeheartedly recommend her services.

Final Fashion is taking a back burner to some other big projects at the moment, but it is far from forgotten. Posting will be light over the next couple weeks.

In the meantime, I’m still dropping occasional, brief posts on twitter and tumblr.

 

As you can see, changes are happening on Final Fashion – only the second reorganization since I moved to this URL. It is not exactly a redesign – the same basic template has been in place since May 2006, and I like to keep it simple – the changes just to the main menu which is now in the header, the new wider sidebar, and an effort to clarify the agenda. As I am going through an intense life transition right now, it makes sense to re-evaluate the structure and role of the blog.

Over the course of 2009 and 2010, I experimented with a sponsorship program on Final Fashion. Like a lot of fashion bloggers, in 2011 I’ve decided to move on from the badge-and-banner stuff. It was an interesting process, as I developed and soft-launched a unique program. There were two components – a custom-illustrated badge in the sidebar, and a monthly sponsor news post, which the sponsors contributed words and images for on their own. I never promoted sponsorship on the site very actively, and yet I found that small to medium sized businesses, mostly in Toronto, voluntarily stepped up to support was is and has always been a very personal, niche fashion blog.

Because Final Fashion is not a shopping blog, I’m not sure that the results for the sponsors were anything more than a certain level of brand awareness among a very select population of regular visitors, which is hard to quantify. As I am primarily a fashion illustrator, and the blog is neither newsy or consumer focused, in the end I don’t think that media sales as a business model is a good fit for this site.

I did a brief anonymous survey with the sponsors. For anyone who is interested in the feedback from my small modern media venture, I’ve paraphrased the answers, and I’ve thrown in some of my own thoughts as well.

Have you ever sponsored a personal blog before?

80% of sponsors answered no, which I think reflects so well on their enthusiasm and gutsiness for trying an untested program.

Would you ever sponsor a personal blog again?

80% of sponsors answered yes, which gives me the sense that the overall experience was positive.

What results, if any, did you get from sponsoring Final Fashion?

80% of sponsors said that they got referrals for their website, which is the obvious function of a badge. Other answers included: brand awareness, insight on blogging, and inquiries from new contacts. Another clear benefit mentioned was direct referrals through me – when I work with trusted clients, they’ll often ask me for suggestions for other services or introductions, which is something I am always happy to help with if I can.

How did you feel the sponsor news posts complemented the program?

Most sponsors appreciated the opportunity to directly address a blog audience. The added benefit of increasing incoming links and google rank was mentioned. Some sponsors found the task of assembling a post too time-consuming and onerous to do regularly.

Why did you decide to sponsor Final Fashion?

Most said that they like me (aw!), and they like the site, and that’s a good enough reason. Some cited the discounted rate on the custom illustration for the badge. The aspect of promoting their business was almost an afterthought, which surprised me and made me feel grateful – a sponsorship program is more like patronizing an artist than it is like a traditional advertising model.

What do you feel is a fair monthly sponsorship rate for a niche blog like Final Fashion?

All over the place from $20/month to $150/month. Final Fashion’s monthly reach is between 15,000 and 20,000 unique visitors, including subscribers, to give you a sense of scale.

Any recommendations for those who would be interested in sponsoring personal blogs?

One sponsor wrote:

Before selected a blog to sponsor, be sure to understand who the readers are to understand what type of audience you will be reaching. It’s always good to be a followers and frequent visitor to that blog also.

Any recommendations for bloggers who are interested in sponsorship?

Connect with your sponsors and ask for feedback.

Any final thoughts on the Final Fashion sponsorship program?

I thought it was a great and unique way to introduce and promote my company. I loved the personalized illustration.

Another sponsor adds:

We loved working with Danielle. She makes it so easy to send posts and always sent out reminders.

A heartfelt thank you to all of the businesses who sponsored Final Fashion, for your support and your responses.

• rock-it promotions
• 18Karat
• Bicyclette
• Boa
• Fashion Crimes
• Fresh Collective
• Gwendolyne Hats
• John Met Betty
• Juma
• Las Valentias
• LIV by Au Lit
• Magnet Creative
• Pink Lady Fashion
• PunkMedics
• Savillian
• Shopgirls
• Toronto Fashion Incubator

While sketching my heart out in Berlin, I also had the opportunity to contribute a series of daily diary posts to FLARE.com, the website of FLARE Magazine, one of Canada’s most respected fashion publications. It was a thrill to have my first professional writing assignment. As I am neither an insider or a journalist, I chose to put together a very candid take on attending a foreign fashion week as a niche blogger, and I’m pleased that it has been well received. Check it out, and while you’re on FLARE.com, take a look at all the other terrific content too – in particular EIC Lisa Tant’s blog is a must read for insights from inside the glossy business.

A Canadian fashion blogger takes us along on her Berlin adventures:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

These days if you have a gnarly old blog like this one, you might as well be a dinosaur. I even read an article the other day which said blogging is for old people. I don’t pick up new online platforms lightly, it can start to feel overwhelming fast, which is why I’m such a late adopter to Tumblr. However, I can already tell it will be useful. Tumblr will collect all the various errata that won’t fit into the click click posts, plus I’ll share my lowest-common-denominator taste in pop music to spare my dear facebook friends.

I was disappointed to discover recently that my favourite, underrated bookmarking application, del.icio.us, was purchased by my least favourite tech conglomorate, and its future is now uncertain. So Tumblr will be my backup plan if the worst happens and del.icio.us is killed off. It seems quite a bit different, but I think I can use it for similar purposes.

So, are you on Tumblr? Any recommendations of great feeds to follow? Thanks!