How Do You Reply to People's Comments on Your Post on Tumblr?
By Randall Blackburn
The Tumblr platform does not support replying to replies or comments on your posts. However, Tumblr seamlessly integrates with the Disqus commenting system on your blog to replace the default Tumblr Notes system. In lieu of installing Disqus, many Tumblr users reblog the original post and add their text reply to the bottom of the reblogged post to address post comments. Reblogged reply posts can be directed to the appropriate user by including his Tumblr handle and the appended text and then tagging the post with “#reply.”
Reblogged Reply
Log in to your Tumblr dashboard, then click the name of the blog containing the reply post in the right sidebar menu.
Browse to the original post, then click the “Notes” link to open the list of replies, likes and reblogs for the original post.
Copy the Tumblr handle for the user who posted the reply.
Return to the original post, then click the “Reblog” icon. The Reblog form opens.
Click the down arrow next to the “Link” icon to open the Post Options box, then click the “Text” option to reblog the original text with your comments appended, or click “Quote” to quote the original block of text. You can add your response under the quoted text. Include the Tumblr username of the intended recipient of your response.
Type applicable tags in the Tags field. For example, you can tag the word “reply,” as well as any other keywords that apply to the content.
Click “Reblog Post” to publish the post.
Integrate Disqus
Open the Disqus Installation Instructions for Tumblr in a browser (see Resources). Click the “Get Disqus for Your Site” icon to open the new account form.
Type the name of your site in the Site Name field, then type a new Disqus URL for your site in the Choose Your URL field. Note that when you fill out the Site Name field, the Choose Your URL field populates with the same text. You can edit the URL, if desired. The URL prefix is your Disqus shortname.
Click the “Category” drop-down box, then click the applicable category.
Click “Finish Registration.” Click the “Dashboard” link in the top toolbar to open your Disqus dashboard.
Open a Tumblr in a new browser tab, then log in to your dashboard. Click the link for the blog to edit in the right sidebar menu, then click “Customize” to open the blog’s theme for editing.
Type your Disqus shortname in the Disqus Shortname field, then click “Save.”
Click “Exit” to close the editor, then open the blog in a browser. Click on the title of a post to open the individual post. The Disqus commenting tool is appended to the bottom of the post.
Click the “Reply” icon for any comment to reply to the comment.
Tips
You can track all of the sites you use with the Disqus tool from the Disqus dashboard. Even when you comment on other sites using Disqus, your comments can be managed from the dashboard.
Warnings
If your theme does not support automatic integration with Disqus, you can manually install the code (see Resources).
References
Writer Bio
Randall Blackburn has worked for several Fortune 1000 companies as a technical writer over the past seven years. He has produced a wide variety of technical documentation, including detailed programming specifications and research papers. Randall has also acquired several years' experience writing web content. Randall lives and works in Austin, TX.