How To Start Conversations & Make Friends On Tumblr

How to start conversations & make friends on tumblr

I have no idea why, but I feel compelled to make this post. Probably because I need to remind myself once in a while, and I always see posts about ‘oh, I wish people would talk to me!’. And surely I’m not the only one who has had the should I/should I not debate with myself?

When I first got on tumblr I was really nervous about messaging people and literally didn’t know what to do with myself, but I really wanted to talk to them anyway. Because you know, you guys are really awesome. So if like me you sometimes feel like a llama in a flock of sheep,  here’s how to just go for it.

Remember 99% of tumblr loves getting messages. Unless they’re a super popular blog and have 46 new messages every time they check, most people are damn well pleased to receive a message. And if you look, plenty of people have “come and talk to me!” written in some form or another on their blog pages or about me sections, so if you want to talk to someone, do so because high chances are they’ll be beyond delighted.

Give them something to work with. Starting conversations can be awkward, so when you do send a message, make sure there’s plenty they can reply with. If they made a post about loving AUs of a certain ship and you read a great fic you think they’d love - rec it to them. Tell them why you liked it so much. Ask them for their favourite story. If they reblogged a post on society and put something in the tags that you agreed with, tell them so and bring up another relevant issue. If they’re an artist and you love their work, send them an ask saying you admire their stuff but also drop a question about how they got into art or how they perfected a certain technique. If they draw, make videos or write things, anything like that, this is a perfect starting place. People put hours, days, even months (!) of effort into these things, so if you tell them you loved their stuff, expect to be cried/screamed in happiness at. Appreciation will put an ear to ear smile on their face and maybe even make their week, even if they seem to get compliments all the time. If they made a personal post about struggling with something you have trouble with too, relate to them. They’ll probably love you forever. Just pick a starting point that can create a conversation (if that’s what you want, of course) and press send.

If you had an awesome talk that ended, but you want to speak to them again, then just message them again. Imagine they feel the same as you do, and how happy you’d be if they struck up a conversation. Send them a hello and ask them how their day was, or if they’ve seen that video of bloopers that’s been circulating.

Oh, and don’t be disappointed if it goes badly or the conversation fizzles out. It happens.

Okay, well, that’s all I got right now. Apologies to my followers if this is a really stupid post, I am the human version of a turtle on its back so please forgive me for my awkwardness ;)