Skip to main content

The White House joins Tumblr, promises GIFs are on the way

white house tumblr
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The White House is about to get in on the reblogging, GIF-loving insanity that is Tumblr. The Obama administration has made ample use of social media, which has been heralded as hugely significant in the President’s last campaign, and now in addition to a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Tumblr will be added to the mix

The White House is well aware of its social media transparency. “President Obama is committed to making this the most open and accessible administration in history, and our Tumblr is no exception,” The White House Press team writes in the first Tumblr post.

Recommended Videos

Tumblr has been a favorite destination for many brands and users. It’s a no-hassle way to publish quirky content without worrying about the general layout of the site, like you would with a traditional WordPress-based website. So with this in mind, The White House has officially joined Tumblr and explains, “We see some great things here at the White House every day, and sharing that stuff with you is one of the best parts of our jobs. That’s why we’re launching a Tumblr.”

And being that this is Tumblr, The White House makes a special note that GIFs will be a part of the mix. Of course, there will be other content to look for. Specifically, “We’ll post things like the best quotes from President Obama, or video of young scientists visiting the White House for the science fair, or photos of adorable moments with Bo. We’ve got some wonky charts, too. Because to us, those are actually kind of exciting.”

If you’d like and have time for it, you can shoot over some post ideas to The White House here. Otherwise just keep an on what The White House PR team has brewing. Thanks to Tumblr’s ability to host longer-form and more creative posts, this could be an opportunity for the team to serve up in-depth, personal, and more immersive content than it can on other social sites. 

To get things started, the team has already published its second post: A photo of the five living presidents, which you can check out below:

five surviving presidents
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Francis Bea
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Francis got his first taste of the tech industry in a failed attempt at a startup during his time as a student at the…
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more
Here’s how to delete your YouTube account on any device
How to delete your YouTube account

Wanting to get out of the YouTube business? If you want to delete your YouTube account, all you need to do is go to your YouTube Studio page, go to the Advanced Settings, and follow the section that will guide you to permanently delete your account. If you need help with these steps, or want to do so on a platform that isn't your computer, you can follow the steps below.

Note that the following steps will delete your YouTube channel, not your associated Google account.

Read more
How to download Instagram photos for free
Instagram app running on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Instagram is amazing, and many of us use it as a record of our lives — uploading the best bits of our trips, adventures, and notable moments. But sometimes you can lose the original files of those moments, leaving the Instagram copy as the only available one . While you may be happy to leave it up there, it's a lot more convenient to have another version of it downloaded onto your phone or computer. While downloading directly from Instagram can be tricky, there are ways around it. Here are a few easy ways to download Instagram photos.

Read more