Tumblr has scheduled a maintenance update on Saturday, meaning users will have to make do without their beloved blogging site for at least a few hours.
Like with road construction, Tumblr planned the alert for off-peak hours (starting at 4 a.m. ET this Saturday), but the closure could still affect some avid users or take longer than anticipated.
And you never know when Tumblr could experience another unforeseen outage, such as the one that lasted close to 24 hours in December 2010 that sent Tumblrs into a tailspin. While there is no single replacement for Tumblr, you can probably find the bloggers you follow in other places around the Web. Most Tumblr blogs include connections to other social media networks, so start with those. The trick is to do your research before Saturday morning and keep it handy in case of a future emergency.
Here are some of the most interesting blogs from Tumblr, where to find them when Tumblr goes down and suggestions for similar content you might like.
If you're on it for the fashion
If you're following brands, you'll likely find them on Instagram. For instance, OscarPRGirl, who offers a behind-the-scenes look at Oscar de la Renta, started on Tumblr, but has an active feed on Instagram as well. She's also on Twitter @oscarprgirl, Facebook and Pinterest. The same is true of Nina Garcia, fashion director for Marie Claire, who can be found on Instagram @fashionninagarcia and on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter under her own name and at ninagarcia.com.
For a different fashion fix, try SparkRebel.com to catch up on the runway shows from Paris Fashion Week. The website presents a stream from professional photographers for backstage and runway views.
Trendsetters may enjoy lookbook.nu, a website that hosts photos of community members showcasing their "street style." Users can view looks for "girls" and "guys" and vote up the ones they like.
If you're a traveler, real or arm-chair
One of the more popular travel blogs on Tumblr is TinyWrld, a collection of timelapse videos offering quick tours of major cities and places of interest around the world. For more like this, head to the source. Online video site Vimeo hosts most of these videos, which are then imported into Tumblr. Search "timelapse" for the broadest results or narrow down your selection by location. Vimeo also has a lesson in making your own timelapse videos, which could keep you occupied long after Tumblr is back online.
But maybe you're addicted to less mainstream travel blogs such as "Surfing Trooper," a photo journal of one Star Wars Stormtrooper's adventures as he surfs the world. Luckily, the photographer under the helmet, Andre Price, has an active Pinterest page that includes his one-of-a-kind photos, along with favorite movies and music.
For travel planning and inspiration, try Wanderfly, a social travel site that was acquired by TripAdvisor this week. Wanderfly is part Pinterest and part travel booking site. Users choose what they're looking for in a trip, such as "food," and "off the beaten path" to see suggestions from around the world. You can narrow the possibilities by price, region and length of stay. Results are displayed in a Pinterest-like board and you can add your own pins to locations you're familiar with. (Caveat: When you choose a price limit, your results don't include airfare.)
Tumblr has attracted a slew of photographers who post photos and write about their work. For instance, Polamour has been posting one Polaroid a day since the start of 2009. She uses a variety of now-defunct instant cameras to capture mostly tiny objects (macro photography). Her work represents what Instagram users try to duplicate with a smartphone and built-in filters. Like many Tumblr photographers, you can find her photo stream on Flickr, Facebook and Twitter. Luna recently called herself a traitor when she announced she also has an Instagram account @haleyluna.