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Now testing: Best comments first
engineering
Summary
Tumblr has introduced an experimental comment sorting option called Best comments first for users browsing content on the web platform. This new sorting capability functions directly alongside standard chronological options within the comments view on any individual post. The engineering team designed this feature to help readers discover interesting conversations much more easily while actively demoting spammy comments. The implementation is currently undergoing active live testing and fine-tuning exclusively on web, with engineers soliciting community feedback to improve how it operates. Accompanying engineering records highlight various Hack Day prototypes, including LibreTranslate post translation, keyboard command palettes, and dense multi-column feed views.
Context
Comments on posts were limited to chronological sorting, creating a need to surface interesting discussions more effectively and suppress spammy replies.
Approach / What changed
Tumblr added a Best comments first sorting option to the comment view on web posts while testing and refining the sorting behavior based on user feedback.
Takeaways
- Tumblr introduced a Best comments first comment sorting option to elevate interesting conversation and demote spam.
- The Best comments first sorting feature is currently limited to the web interface while undergoing live testing and refinement.
- Tumblr Hack Day projects explored features such as LibreTranslate post translation, keyboard command palettes, and multi-column feeds.
Related reading
engineering.tumblr.com ·
Tumblr Hack Week, January 2024 Edition
Tumblr engineers and designers paused regular development during their January 2024 Hack Week to build experimental features and user-facing improvements. Katie developed formatting tools to create spoiler text hidden behind black bars revealed by tapping, entire spoiler blocks, and centered text. Paul from the Tumblr Design team created dozens of updated default blog avatar variations aligned with the platform's current color palette. Additionally, Daniel and the Feeds & Machine Learning team drafted engagement notifications and emails detailing post view counts and unique visitor metrics. Kelly and Paul implemented a Command or Control plus K keyboard shortcut command palette enabling rapid navigation to blogs, Activity pages, conversations, and search.
engineeringengineering.tumblr.com ·
Tumblr Hack Week, September 2023 Edition
Tumblr hosted its September 2023 Hack Week, pausing standard workflows to let engineers explore custom features and personal platform improvements. Following the production release of a direct messaging redesign from the March Hack Day, this edition produced several prototype projects. The Tumblr Patio project created a multi-column dashboard view allowing users to organize feeds such as Following, Trending, Activity, searches, and Collections side-by-side. Another team developed Tumblr Booths, an integration leveraging sibling platform WooCommerce to enable blogs to sell physical and digital goods directly. Finally, the Avatar Frames and Hats project prototyped purchasable and giftable cosmetic items for user profiles across the network.