Yeah, I doubt anyone will want them back, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's what's going on in their heads. I mean. Anyway, good riddance to them. :)

I think for tumblr to get you updates you a) have to find people you like as your follows - if they're interested in topics or have diverse interests, yu get new information. And for general updates, I think tumblrs that collect stuff are good. I think for otw, there was one that was called unofficial otw election or similiar? So they reblog recipes, commentary and answers. And they're going to be alot faster on that because as a themed blog they have more followers, who can also alert them when stuff happens. I think these kind of blogs, if properly run, are not a bad idea to look into.