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The Tome App | First Impressions From A Self-Proclaimed Internet Introvert And Writer

via Tome. Art is done in-house by Olivia.
via Tome. Art is done in-house by Olivia.

I'm what I call an "Internet Introvert." I've written more than once about being in the D.A.R.E. program during the early days of Myspace's existence and how my class's visiting police officer shared countless horror stories that made social media out to be a dangerous, lawless wasteland and how that combined with personal insecurities scared me away from using what has become such a valuable tool in the digital landscape.


Lately, though, I've been gradually coming out of my shell. I'm only active on a couple of platforms and still struggle with feeling like I'm infiltrating a party I wasn't invited to when commenting on posts, but I've found quite a few friends through the internet and am even part of a writing group with some of them.


So imagine my delight when I heard about a new social media platform designed with the bookish community in mind! It's called Tome.


Launching on January 28, 2025, Tome first crossed my radar in the days preceding the TikTok ban but was in the works before that. It's developed by a team of four people and though it was created with a focus on fantasy, they welcome all genres and have expressed plans to expand into other realms.


I've only had a limited amount of time to explore Tome, but a little more than a majority of users will have when this post goes live because I was able to claim a spot in a wave of beta testers for the desktop version and set up my profile early. And so far, I really like what I see!


If you're just learning about Tome and are curious about it, here are my first impressions as someone who gets overwhelmed by and typically shies away from social media.


Before that, however, a few disclaimers...


At the time of writing, the Tome app is only available on iOS so as an Android user, I'm unable to provide any feedback on that front. My experience has strictly been through the browser version, which I accessed through my phone during the beta phase and my laptop once launched in full.


I am not affiliated with the Tome team. I know next to nothing about developing an app and all of the work that goes into it, so I apologize in advance if something is misunderstood and give you full permission to correct me in the comments.


As Tome is still incredibly new, chances are there will be bugs and kinks that need to be worked out. Some features, like syncing your TikTok Following list, might have been phased out and new things may have been added. Any critique that comes up in this post may have already been resolved by the time you're reading it. This is only my first impression following roughly a week of being on Tome, the vast majority of which was in the beta phase before it was made available to all.


What's The Vibe?

If there is one thing I'd say really matters on social media, it's the vibe of the space. After all, that was one reason for the Great Migration away from Twitter following a change in ownership that left a bad taste in many users' mouths.


When I saw Tome introduced as a new spot for the bookish community, especially amid the uncertainty of BookTok's fate, I was raring to sign up.


Users of all genres are welcome, but Tome is predominantly fantasy-focused. So as a writer of historical romance without fantasy elements present in her stories, did this impact my experience?


Not at all!


I'll admit I was a little worried about unintentionally entering a space that wasn't meant for me because I wasn't aware Tome was developed with fantasy readers in mind until after reserving my username and joining the Discord, but to be perfectly honest, this is the most welcomed I've ever felt entering a new social media app. This could be in part because beta tester spots were limited creating a sense of cozy camaraderie among those of us who were granted early access, but I don't think that's entirely it. I think it's the result of an app designed for the bookish community as opposed to carving out our own tiny corner on bigger platforms. This is our space, and I love that.


I haven't had a single toxic interaction on Tome (unlike certain other platforms where the automated sales pitch DMs and follow-to-unfollow trends run rampant from the jump).


I'm expecting this sense of community will only grow once more users sign up.


Features

In addition to the overall vibe, the thing that first caught my eye about Tome was the number of features it offers.


Tome allows users to post text updates, media, polls, and the like, but it's got a few other tools I'd like to highlight.


Spoilers — Few things are worse than opening up an app and being met with spoilers for a book you've been waiting to read or only just started. And it doesn't help that the algorithm always knows what you're into and interacting with so that content is always getting pushed up in your feed.

Fourth Wing fan art marked as a Spoiler in Tome
Fourth Wing fan art marked as a Spoiler in Tome

And while you can mute words or phrases on there's still a chance of spoilers. Because if you're anything like me, once you start reading a post, you can't just stop in the middle of it and move on.


Tome offers a solution with its Spoiler designation, allowing users to mark posts that might spoil a book for someone else. The post then appears blurred in the feed.


If you're not worried about spoilers, you simply tap on the post to clear that filter.


It sounds like such a small detail, but it's super considerate.



Book Reviews — Since Tome is a bookish app for the reading community, being able to post book reviews is a must-have feature.


As I'm understanding it, this feature is powered by a plugin, so the selection of books is subject to its inventory and I haven't seen an option to add a book that's not on the list; I used my favorite 2024 read, The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles, for this example since my most recent, Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay, didn't come up. That's super minor, though, and not something that reflects on the Tome team.


You're able to assign a star rating and add any thoughts you have about the book.


I've also seen users use this feature when updating followers on their progress with their current read, like a reading log, and their TBR.


Blog Posts  —  In addition to basic status updates, Tome also allows users to write blog posts. These appear on a white background and come with some basic formatting options like bullet points and different headings. This is a feature I haven't played around with as much, but I could see it coming in handy.


This all adds to how unique Tome feels to me—at least, as someone who never had the true Myspace or Tumblr experience.


Speaking of being unique...


Customization

Like I mentioned at the top of this post, I was around 9-10 years old when Myspace got its start, so while I know a couple of classmates had accounts (and bragging about lying about their age to sign up and trading passwords to get into each other's accounts), I've only got a vague secondhand knowledge of how customizable the site was—and how you needed to figure out a little bit of HTML to pull it off!

My current profile (featuring my Beta Tester Badge!)
My current profile (featuring my Beta Tester Badge!)

That personalization has, in some aspects, been lost to time but Tome is bringing it back (and you don't need any coding know-how).


I've set my profile up so it matches the aesthetic of this blog and I'm pleased with how it turned out. The background didn't take me too long to whip up in Canva, where I also made the icons for my Collections.


Collections? I hear you ask.


Another aspect of Tome that I'm loving is how you can organize your posts into different categories, or Collections. Right now, I've got them broken up into things like Bookish Bits where I plan to post book reviews or reading updates, links to my blog posts, and my WIPs.


These can also be personalized individually, so imagine how much fun I'm going have someday when my books are published and each one can have its own Collection that matches its cover!


I've enjoyed scrolling through the profile gallery in the Discord and seeing how others are setting up their space. There are some seriously gorgeous ones out there! Plus it also enhances your first impression of a potential new internet friend in a way that's harder with more sterile, one-size-fits-all profiles.





Tome is incredibly new and I'm already impressed with what I've seen. After what has been a chaotic time for social media, it's nice to have found a nook where readers and writers can come together and find community while embracing what we love.


I'm excited to see how Tome evolves now that it's fully out in the world. To the Tome team, thank you for creating this space and congratulations on a job well done!


If you're on Tome, come find me! Hope to see you there!


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