First it was Facebook, then it was Twitter, and now, the new cool kid on the block seems to be Tumblr – a hosting platform that allows users to post text, videos, images, and even audio to their free blog.

When it first launched almost five years ago, no one really new anything about the website. In the last year or so, however, Tumblr has grown from a small site that only a few people knew about to a blogging site with over 35 million blogs, and over 13 billion posts.

Tumblr has exploded and turned into one of the top ways to reach people on the Internet. Not only does the nerdy kid in his dorm room have a Tumblr dedicated to his igneous rock collection – pictures and all – but giant organizations like the LA Times and Rolling Stone have them now as well. Even President Obama has a Tumblr for his 2012 campaign!

Tumblr is most recognized for its “reblogging” feature. Each user “follows” people, much like on Twitter; when following a user, their posts show up on your main page, your “dashboard”, and users only see posts from people they follow. When a user sees a post they like and want to share it with their followers, they are able to click and “reblog” the post so that it shows up as one of their own posts and their own followers can see it. Much like a “retweet” on Twitter. In this way, posts are easily spread around the web.

A great feature of Tumblr, much like other social media websites, is that it is being utilized by companies and organizations to get their messages out and connect with their clients and potential clients. It is highly visual so there is not a lot of long boring reading, companies can implement their own background theme and style, and companies can monitor who is following them and gage how they are connecting with their community.

Tumblr is extremely unique, and this might be a big reason so many people have begun to utilize it for their personal blogging and for large companies. Tumblr is very easy to use, and makes customization, blogging, posting videos and images, and even “reblogging” simple.

Move over Facebook and Twitter, there’s a new kid on the block.