tumblr, andrew wilkinson, bloggers, gawker, human giant, kevin rose, tumblize

Would you pay $999 for a customized Tumblr? Trustafarian bloggers will!

A couple weeks ago, when we showed you how to redesign your Tumblr for free, we mentioned that a company called Tumblize plan to charge $499 for the very same service. We were wrong. Andrew Wilkinson's Tumblize, launched today, will design you a customized Tumblr for "just $999." Startled by that kind of nonironic usage of the word just? Don't be. If Tumblr's blogging hordes have taught us anything, it's that earnest is the new ironic. Besides, Tumblize already has customers offering testimonials. Simon Frankson extols:

Tumblize actualized my crazy vision in ways I didn't think the internet even allowed for. They're poet/designers making haiku websites out of dreams.

Below, view a screenshot of Frankson's Tumblr and $3,996 more worth of goods.

Click to expand the images.

12:40 PM on Wed May 7 2008
By Nicholas Carlson
3,321 views
16 comments

Comments

sample032 at 01:03 PM on 05/07/08
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What does Tumblr do, again?
RocketRockit at 01:11 PM on 05/07/08
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Fuck this, no seriously, fuck this.
Nicholas Carlson at 01:12 PM on 05/07/08
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@sample032: Tumblr is a push-button blog platform. You can "follow" other tumblr users and pipe all their posts onto your "dashboard" -- which is kind of like Facebook's news feed. (The funny thing about fancy tumblr designs is that no one actually looks at them.)
Michael_Irie at 01:25 PM on 05/07/08
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Pretty poor use of "Trustafarian"....

Trustafarians go on Phish tour, speak in wanna-be patois, drive Subarus, and use their parent's cash to sport for the hefty PG&E bills that result from growing exclusive strains of high grade cannabis ....

That being said, maybe if they hire someone to set up a Tumblr page, they could potentially convince their benefactors that they've actually got a job of sorts...
stoppay at 01:31 PM on 05/07/08
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all the cool kids call it "tumbla"
nickmockiavelli at 01:52 PM on 05/07/08
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I actually think Trustafarians revel in the fact that they aren't mainstream, even though they drive Range Rovers and went to a $40,000/year NESCAC school.
vulturesquadron at 01:54 PM on 05/07/08
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I like how most of the people on Tumblr openly admit that it's their venue for crap that doesn't make the cut on their "real blog".

Also, none of them can hack CSS? What the fuck is wrong with kids these days?
vulturesquadron at 02:03 PM on 05/07/08
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Also, those designs are a fuckin snooze.
caseyliz at 02:08 PM on 05/07/08
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Honestly, when I first saw this website a few weeks ago, I assumed it was a joke.
Maura Johnston at 02:34 PM on 05/07/08
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@Nicholas Carlson: "(The funny thing about fancy tumblr designs is that no one actually looks at them.)"

ding ding ding.
Peteski at 04:45 PM on 05/07/08
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+ Watch video

$ 9.99
raincoaster at 05:03 PM on 05/07/08
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@Nicholas Carlson: Exactly. I often say if I had to teach blogging to the violently insane with OCD, I'd use Tumblr. No comments means no flamewars (because Tumblr users are too lazy to put them in posts) and any kind of lobotomized, heroin-dazed club kid can figure out how to use it.

But 'tis crap.

The fact that they're setting it at a thousand means they're pricing it against custom website design, rather than blog design. Smart, since their demographic is rich morons. I should do this, price it at $499, and target middle-class morons. It's not like I'm going to run out of customers for a few years at least.
brechtgirl at 07:22 PM on 05/07/08
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And then they don't work in IE: [numblr.nostrich.net]
SurotamaPsyche at 08:45 PM on 05/07/08
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@brechtgirl:
Comment on Would you pay $999 for a customized Tumblr? Trustafarian bloggers will! I wrote a post about all this controversy if you're interested: http://tmblg.com/post/34054964
jim_rock at 09:12 PM on 05/07/08
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+ Watch video
my web dev friend did my tumblr for a used copy of devil may cry 4 for 360 and a White Castle breakfast sandwiched I overnight fedexed him. True story.

You can tell. My tumblr is hit.

[jimrock.tumblr.com]
Motherfirefly at 11:10 AM on 05/08/08
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But I love Simon Frankson.