NEW YORK — Blogging service Tumblr, with its freewheeling platform that allows porn among many other controversial topics, last week was close to securing $100 million in venture funding.
But industry watchers are wondering if its edgy material and lack of censorship will turn potential advertisers away from the blog.
A report in IT World said that Tumblr’s platform makes it easy for tech savvy adult pros who know how to earn advertising revenue, usually through http_referrer clicks. “Some of them lead people into the highly evolved world of porn payments.”
And Tumblr allows ads to be placed inside its page themes, effectively allowing ad tracking that’s on par with the way data’s assembled by Google.
But speculation is that the company's estimated $800 million valuation — based heavily on ad revenue — could be damaged by the stigma of porn.
Despite concern over the porn connection, the report said that one of Tumblr’s most compelling elements is its “strong dash of sex.”