Critics have been quick to point out that
advertisers are unlikely to want their ads to appear alongside some of Tumblr’s
content, notably numerous blogs that feature pornographic content. They have
also been pointing out that a big part of Tumblr’s appeal is that its bosses
have not let the service become overrun with advertising. If Yahoo starts to
pump in huge numbers of ads, people may abandon the service in droves.
True, but if Yahoo manages the acquisition carefully it could turn out to be a smart move. Plenty of folk predicted a mass exodus from Instagram, a photo-sharing service, after Facebook snapped it up for $1 billion last year. But the social network has managed to develop the service without making users head for the exit. If Yahoo can pull off a similar feat with Tumblr, then it will certainly appear cooler to its shareholders.
