Tumblr instant messaging launches

Tumblr, the trendiest social network on the web (apart from Ello, maybe) has introduced an instant messaging feature.

Tumblr's (mostly) youthful users have muddled through with a fairly hard-to-use 'Fan Mail' direct messaging service, which is closer to a clunky email system than a genuine direct messaging service.

The new messaging feature will be available to only 1,500 users from today, and will be rolled out to all the site's users, whether they're on iOS, Android or web, over the next few weeks.

However, if any of these 1,500 users message someone without access, that person will instantly get the new feature too, as messages spread across the social network organically.

Fan Mail will still be accessible after the switch, but any new messages will be sent through the new messaging platform - you can continue your Fan Mail conversations, but you can't start new ones.

It's a welcome new function, especially since instant text messaging functions are becoming more and more popular on all social networks, from Snapchat to Instagram.

However, it's not all good news for Tumblr users - it doesn't support GIFs, as Wired disappointingly reported.

GIFs are basically the lifeblood of Tumblr, capable of expressing almost any kind of emotion or sentiment. Their absence in the chat feature is going to leave lots of users lost for words.

There's plans to introduce GIF and video support, as well as group chat in the future, but for now it's going to be one-to-one text-based messaging only.

It's not going to be the death of Facebook Messenger or anything, but it is a long overdue feature that should make Tumblr a bit better for its users.