Explain what you would do with it, and how that would be better than what I’m doing with it. If you make a sufficiently good case, I might be persuaded that the greater good requires me to give it up.

But please understand, I’ve been issuing this challenge to url suitors for a while now, and so far I’ve been, in the words of one such suitor, “a stubborn little fucker” about hanging onto it. So there’s that.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/62638867234.

I know, right?

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/62638345598.

Yeah, seems like a lot, and no, it’s not rude of you to ask. The chances are actually pretty good that I’ll give the ‘lies’ Tumblr URL away someday. But today is not that day. :-)

Side note: My son recently made fun of how I include a hyphen as a “nose” when I make a smiley. I’ve always done that, stretching back to around 1987, when I first went online. Now that he’s pointed it out to me, though, I do notice that lots of people (including you) leave it out.

On the one hand, it cuts down typing, and actually does convey more or less the same thing as the nose-inclusive version. Maybe I should change.

On the other hand, the nuances of exactly how a particular emoticon appears kind of do matter; that’s why there are so many emoticons. Human beings are so face-oriented in terms of how we perceive and interact with other humans that maybe :-) and :) really are different things, and convey different emotional content.

And then there’s the fact that I’ve been doing it this way so long. I’ve been obsessively typing at other people on a computer for more than 25 years. At this point, how I smiley is an innate part of my online persona. Changing now might be wrong, not because there’s any great difference between the two versions, but just because it would be untrue to who I am.

What do you think, Sinead? You seem like someone with a highly developed appreciation of online semantics. You know enough to value the ‘lies’ Tumblr URL and seek it out, even bothering to use my real name in the request. That’s a relatively high degree of thoroughness and attention to detail; I could show you data. I’d value your take on this.

Thanks!

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/61589204060.

Not rude, not mean. But I don’t know when the ‘lies’ URL might become available.

Perhaps we could brainstorm a suitable URL that you would like better than ‘preteen’. Longer URLs seem to be the most readily available. “Dashed” URLs (multiword URLs with hyphens in places of word spaces) seem to be a popular choice.

I guess I tend to see the URL itself as relatively insignificant. It’s the content of the blog, the things you choose to reblog and the original items you post, that are most important. I just took a look at your blog, and while we (obviously) are viewing the world from different perspectives, I thought your content was engaging and painted an interesting picture of who you are. And blogging that content under the ‘preteen’ URL has a certain irony to it, especially given your statement that you’re not actually a preteen anymore, and given how Tumblr is supposed to be limited to people 13 years old and older.

In a way, given Tumblr’s age restriction, blogging as “preteen” kind of is like blogging as “lies”. I mean, you’re using your URL to advertise the fact that you’re an unreliable narrator, which is (obviously) something I find interesting.

Anyway, good luck finding another URL (if that’s what you choose to do) or continuing to use the “preteen” URL (if that’s what you choose to do).

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/60935007938.

Thank you for asking so nicely. But I’m sorry; the answer is no, at least for now.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/60754521498.

can i have a pony?

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/60132930283.

Honestly? It’s doubtful. I’m pretty committed to keeping it myself. I’m not saying that feeling won’t eventually pass, and when it does there’s a good chance that someone will come up with it. And that someone could be you.

But probably not. I think you should set your heart on some other, more attainable goal.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/59329570323.

I would, and have, considered it. A few weeks ago I was giving it serious thought. I probably wouldn’t do it in exchange for another URL, though, and exchanging followers just sounds wrong (though maybe that’s because I don’t understand it).

Of the Tumblr identities I currently have hoarded but am not using, the one I’m most drawn to is this one. So if the urge to switch to using that ever gets strong enough, I hold the First Ever Lies Tumblr Url Games, with contestants striving to prove their worthiness of the coveted prize.

That future sounds pretty dystopian, though. For now I’m happy to stay in the present.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/57724387881.

Thanks, anon! Your message was nearly something that made me misty-eyed with gratitude.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/56879801246.

Actually, it is a little-known fact that every single post I make is typed from a supine position.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/56879496268.

I thought the ads for theconjuringmovie were not going to be as bad as the ones for universalhorrorpictures, but I was wrong. I just hadn’t seen the worst ones yet.

This morning you put a super creepy animated gif in my dash of an actor’s troubled face, staring blankly, while behind him the gray, lifeless feet of a young woman, presumably a suicide victim who has hanged herself, dangle in the air.

It’s a really horrific image. I’m sure the people who made it are justifiably proud of the way it immediately took me out of the mental place I’d been, contemplating all the cool things that the beautiful, wonderful, interesting people I follow had put in my dash.

theconjuringmovie has not earned the right to have their content appear inline with that of the people I follow. By giving them and people like them that power, and doing it repeatedly, despite my having told you it’s uncool, you’ve broken the terms and conditions that govern our relationship.

I’m not talking about a legal document that everyone clicks through and no one reads. I’m talking about the real terms and conditions. You and I had an agreement. You gave me access to a platform that lets me gather and appreciate the output of a lot of achingly cool people. I gave you my enthusiastic use of that platform, a piece of my time on earth, in which I tried, in my own inept, befuddled way, to contribute something back via my own curation of cool things.

I think what makes me so angry is that I believed you were capable of better. You were capable of better. God dammit, Tumblr. Why did you do this? I mean, I know why. I just thought you were better.

Followers, I’ve tried to think of what else I can do, and I really don’t see any alternative. I’m off Tumblr, at least for now. I’m going to take a week or so, pause my queue and think about it, but I’m not sure I’m coming back. Sorry for the dramatics.

P.S. If you’re a kid who’s willing to do anything for this URL, literally anything, ohmygod John pleeeeeeease, send me one more ask and tell me what you’d do with the URL. If I come back in a week feeling the same way I feel now, I’ll pick the most-worthy and let you have it.

Thanks.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/55785193214.

That’s just how I roll.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/55158427673.

Aw, that’s super nice of you to say; thanks. I think I’m going to keep using it, at least for, now, but I will put your name in the hat when it comes time to pass it on, and I’ll be secretly hoping you win.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/54624780651.

Yes!

(Actually, no. But I figured lying to you would be the next best thing.)

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/54552471049.

thegeek531:

This is a serious thing. Im curious how many people over the course of year(s) kept the same tumblr handle. A ton of the people I follow have changed their over time.

As far as I know Im one of the few who havent. Few being relative as there are millions of tumblr users. But yeah.

Social experiment.

If you HAVE changed your URL Click Here

I had a different one I created, but didn’t actually use to post anything. Later I got this one, and began posting with it, and haven’t switched since (leading to some gnashing of teeth and wailing on the part of the inexplicably covetous, but that’s another story).

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/54146238082.

The following came via an ask reply from photolies, with whom I’ve been exchanging messages lately about (you guessed it) the ‘lies’ Tumblr URL:

Ah, I see you don’t understand, or rather you’re confused on what trading followers or URLs is all about? Basically, the people that covet your URL are willing to do promotions in exchange for your URL. Basically, they would make links to your new url telling their followers to follow you on your new blog. There are some blogs with thousands of followers that can get you hundreds of followers. So when they say they’ll give you followers, trade followers, or promo you, any of these means simply that they’ll get you more followers through links on their blogs. In addition, some popular blogs on Tumblr have previously sold their URLs for money via Paypal, so I’m sure people have requested to buy your URL.

As you have previously said, there is a subculture, if you will, of people who trade URLs like baseball cards. The primary reason they covet your URL is that it is one word. Many one word URLs are saved by people hoarding them and in many cases have never even been used! So to find this URL in use by you is really amazing. In fact, people covet one word url’s so much that they look them up in hopes of finding a good vacant URL. The reason behind this is that these one word URLs generate more traffic to their blogs which leads to potential followers. In fact, it can be seen across Tumblr that people with one word URLs have thousands of followers despite what they posts simply because of the massive amounts of traffic generated by their URLs that attract people to their blog.

So to summarize all of this, people want your URL for one reason only, and that is to gain followers. They promise you promotions that will gain you a few hundred followers so that they can make “profits”, if you will, of thousands of followers.

I personally want the URL because it’s a clean URL, I’m really quite fond of it and would be proud to have such a clean URL. I feel that the URL would go with the photography that I reblog and post on on my blog, Photolies. I have the word in my URL but I would like a shorter more memorable way of describing the blog that I express myself in daily.

I want to thank you for even considering me, all I can say is whoever finally acquires your URL will be a very lucky and very happy blogger. Have an excellent day and if you have any more questions for me on any subject matter concerning anything at all, please feel free to inbox me (ask or fanmail). Once again thank you for your consideration of my request and good day to you. :) 

Thanks! I’ve been curious about this for a while now, and your explanation helped straighten me out. I’m still enjoying using the lies URL, but if and when I move on your name will certainly be in the hat for the big drawing.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/53380468384.

Thank you very much for the kind request. At least for right now, though, I think I want to keep the ‘lies’ Tumblr URL for myself.

I’m curious how someone gets 56,000 followers. Can you explain how that happened? I get a lot of requests for the ‘lies’ URL, and people making the request often bring up how many followers they have, how they could promote me at my new (different) URL if I’ll transfer ‘lies’ to them, and I just find it all very confusing.

If you’d be willing to explain some of this to me, slowly and without assuming too much knowledge on my part, the way you would explain something to a small child, I’d really appreciate it. I’m not saying it would be enough for me to be willing to give you the URL, but it would definitely count in your favor.

Thanks!

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/52814048599.

What a nice way of asking. No, sorry, not yet.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/52566104343.

natgeofound:

Friends gather around a summer campfire at Great Point Lighthouse on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, June 1970.
Photograph by James L. Stanfield, National Geographic

Ha! You young whippersnappers weren’t fast enough this time. Behold a-summer-campfire.tumblr.com!

Okay; relaxing now. Whew.

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/52303687629.

genderific:

beatonna:

fyeah-history:

Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 12, 1957

this picture is cool I am into it

It makes me so nervous to see them without helmets on and the goalie doesn’t even have a mask  (!!!!)

Aw, crap. without-a-mask is already taken. And the meanie who has it doesn’t even have a blog there! I should send him or her a whiny ask. Don’t they know there are grown-ups who would like to hoard that URL for themselves?

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/52303360780.