Tumblr has just received its very own 'fail whale' in the form of Tumbeasts. Recently Tumblr has experienced occasional periods of failed service, much like Twitter and Foursquare experienced in their early days.
In response to the downtime, Oatmeal comic artist Matthew Inman decided that he would love to give the young site its very own failure symbol, thus the Tumbeasts were born. Now when the site goes down you'll be greeted by these furry green creatures.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Customized Downtime Symbols
- Creating personalized symbols or characters for websites experiencing downtime provides entertainment and unique branding opportunities for companies.
- Humorous Error Messaging
- Using humor in error messages during website downtime can reduce frustration and improve user experience.
- Community-driven Response to Technical Issues
- Encouraging user-generated content such as Tumbeasts during website downtime can foster a sense of community and loyalty to a brand.
Sectors Adopting This
- Technology
- The technology industry has the opportunity to improve user experience during website downtime through creative and personalized error messaging.
- Marketing
- The marketing industry can utilize customized downtime symbols and humor in error messages to improve brand recognition and customer loyalty.
- Arts and Entertainment
- Artists and designers can create personalized symbols or characters for websites experiencing downtime to provide entertainment and unique branding opportunities for companies.
