488 Comments

Just don’t turn into social media on the journey to save people from it. I’d love this platform to continue to be reading and writing, forcing people to slow down, consider, listen....I finally have a great way to share my writing without having to engage in social media at all and it’s so nice.

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The slowing down is one of my favourite parts

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Second that!

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it's a gift

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+100 to this. This feels like a welcome escape *from* social media.

I also love that there are zero ads polluting the edges of my screen.

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February 28, 2023
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well stated!

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We need to gamify participation in government and economics. If we can turn it into a game where everyone can be part of it, that is the next evolution of social media. Imagine if we could all go on "missions" together to solve political problems, health problems, or just fix up the neighborhood park? Instead of social media platforms just to argue and share photos, we need ones for super human collaboration. Like this: https://joshketry.substack.com/p/why-doesnt-this-exist-building-a

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Interesting idea, and I say that as a game-industry vet in my day job.

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I’ve often thought about decorating our local neighborhood park for holidays, like lights during winter, hidden eggs for spring, etc but how to connect with the neighborhood and gain volunteers to do it together? That’s something I would take to an app like that

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There is one called NextDoor that might apply here.

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The NextDoor app is based on one's neighborhood and mine is solid BLUE and filled w/ demogogues who believe in school lock downs and Vaxxing children; I got off of NextDoor a couple years ago... just a word about that.. if your neighbors are "axxholes".. NextDoor will be filled with them.. sadly. there a couple good things on there though,, if one is disciplined enough to not respond to the "politics".. like "happenings" in the park or art.. or free concerts in the Parks... could work.

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Even slowing down sufficiently to consider NextDoor a possibility is interesting. Many of the people on ND seem in total denial. This is due to some extent to the negation of free speech on the app itself. It selects for those who accept the Blue narrative. But the thought these individuals cannot stay in denial forever. Going local and bringing people together over common interests - food, music, other entertainment, even new methods of education. could serve well.

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I think there is and it's called the Blockchain. Why are we not using it more to collaborate?

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Wow, had this literally thought today in response to the election. "How do we gamify political education and involvement?" Both on the ground, in our local communities (micro, talking neighborhood level) and at large, online. Will be subscribing and reading.

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February 28, 2023
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!

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I agree. Substacks are the new podcasts. I feel more intentional while reading.

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As recently as 2019, my "news" came from NYT, NPR, Google News, Daily Kos, etc. Covidland made me drop those rags like soiled toilet paper.

Since 2020, Substack is my sole source for "news". If the borg ever gets to owners of Substack, I guess I'll just go back to chopping wood while the world burns down ... with me being the last to hear about it.

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Focusing on the slow down us one thing, but features to help those you like faster consumption is still critical to sub growth. The read-along features are a nice touch that balance things well.

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well said!

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Yes! 100% agree 🙌🏻

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Yes! 💯

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Exactly ❤️❤️❤️

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Very glad to see these principles—free speech/hands-off content moderation, publisher control and rejection of the attention game—reiterated. We DO need this alternative. Looking forward to what comes next!

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Yes, it is very liberating to be able to write without constraint. I find it really helps the creativity to flow when I'm not having to think about SEO, being judged, or how many "likes" I get (although that part is nice.)

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In light of your comment about not worrying about how many likes you get, I hope it's not ironic that I clicked the like button on your comment. 😊

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I was almost going to write the same thing: your comment (Ms Donoghue) has as many “likes” as any I saw on the whole thread!

But it gets me to another thought that I’d love to get feedback about: Likes are nice, but what if you want to express a different opinion -- but without having to “respond or reply”? Should there be a “dislike” button? Right away I don’t like the sound of that, but maybe a “I question” button or “I see it another way” button? Either way, I guess you have to reply to qualify your difference of opinion.

Anyway, just wanted to see what others thought of that.

Because the one sort of concerning thing about the original article was the emphasis on “choosing” ones own customers or community. While that doesn’t sound nefarious: we all should strive to find our perfect or ideal customer. But do we want “thought” to only be targeted to that agree with us. Anyway, that was a part of the original article on the evolution of SubStack that bothered me a little. Thanks.

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I agree that the potential filter bubble effect is something to remain aware of and devoutly resistant to. Finding one's tribe, as they say, is fun and valuable. Mistaking one's tribe for the whole world, and/or writing, speaking, and listening exclusively in an ideological echo chamber, is the stuff of dangerous dystopia.

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Thanks for your thoughts. I think you expressed exactly my concern. It is difficult to manage either way. No “right” answer or solution.

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Classic. I hit the like as well ...

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I'm not sure of much, except for that nothing in this human realm is without IRONY.

We're all gonna get dosed by it whether we chose to drink from that punchbowl or NOT! IRONY is wholly without ethics or even consent.

Keep on activating, doing, ruddering....ring..ring...ring-a-ding-ding

Health and balance

Tio Mitchito

Mitch Ritter\Paradigm Sifters, Code Shifters, PsalmSong Chasers

Lay-Low Studios, Ore-Wa (Refuge of Atonement Seekers)

Media Discussion List\Looksee

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Yes absolutely 💯

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I have been blown away by the success substack has brought to my life. I was using my own site and social media and mail chimp and it was frustrating and often felt futile. With substack, I feel supported and I have found a community that vibes with me. Thank you! I tell EVERYONE I meet who writes to come join the fun! And anyone who worries about resource scarcity, they just don't get it...but you do, and thanks!

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I recently started writing/creating on Substack and as I scrolled through the interface, discovering features, it felt like there were all these hands that were pushing me to create and not worry about anything else. I had an overwhelming feeling of this being “right” and that my interests were aligned with Substack’s, and that this is a team game...very rare to feel that with any product or service, let alone one on the Internet!

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Pretty new here still but I completely agree. The freedom, the nurturing of creativity, the ease of it all ... ahh it's so refreshing! Plus the community is great and the weekly Office Hour update posts make it feel like you're evolving with it.

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Awesome 👏

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I’ve been reading publications on Substack for a good while now-- but I didn’t realize the benefits of reading in the app. The conversation threads are so rich and I am actually a little astonished a place like this exists in this world of toxic social media! I’m excited to dive in deeper to read and write more.

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Agreed! It’s crazy how different it is.

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Yes 🙌

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I was pleasantly astonished when i opened the app for the first time and saw a bunch newsletters I had previously signed up for - all lined up and ready for me to read! I hadn’t realized many of the newsletters I’d already subscribed to were even through substack. But BAM there they were, sitting pretty, no adds, no algorithm shoving stuff in my eyeballs. Entirely pleasing.

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My background is in IT so I've been observing the trajectory of social media for over two decades. I began reading Substacks about three years ago and have been increasingly impressed at how this platform has developed. I noticed genuine support and a focus on good quality writing to succeed. The fact that I was cynical and sceptical about the platform initially tells me a lot about what we've been subjected to via social media. It's the 'boiling frog' scenario. We adjusted, adapted and made ourselves small (or abandoned it completely) in order to survive.

Substack has made me cautiously optimistic for the first time in a long time about finding a way through what is going to be a tumultuous era for creators.

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I love reading this! I don’t have your expertise but I feel the same!

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Thanks Claire!

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Oh yes, my feels as well.

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😎😎🤘❤️

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🤓🤘

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February 28, 2023
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Heya, from Wikipedia: 'The boiling frog is an apologue describing a frog being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.' Social media has slowly cooked us over time so it's only at this point we can see the bad effects. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog

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March 1, 2023
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Lol, sometimes if the frog pays attention! 🐸

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It’s all about rate of change. If you try to change too much too fast, you get a lot of resistance: “change [perceived to be] imposed is change opposed.” If you do it slowly enough, like getting into cold water, it’s more readily accepted.

When income tax was first proposed, the promise was that it would be a trivial thing, and never more than 2-3%. Well, maybe 4%, but just this year.

Flatten the curve! Just for 2 weeks!

Want more?

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After the last 20 years of internet (which felt like 200), my skepticism is bottomless. Yet substack, to my astonishment, insists on proving that cool new shit *is* always possible. I’ve rarely been so happy to be wrong.

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Let's make the internet good together.

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🫡🫡🫡ONE BLOG AT A TIME🥹🥹🥳

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🤘🤘

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Thank you for this amazing platform. I published my 100th post today!

https://hellouniverse.substack.com/p/when-magic-happens

Have been super happy to publish here. I quit Facebook and Instagram cold turkey 6 years ago and wanted a platform that didn't depend on algorithmic audiences. Started writing on Substack every Tuesday and haven't looked back!

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kudos on your 100th post, Punit. 👊🏼

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Appreciate your kind words, darren. Loved your Substack. The post images are really cool, are they AI generated?

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thanks Punit. 🙏🏼

some images are AI... others are my photo-art.

i look forward to sharing... and to learning more about Hello Universe.

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Thanks for sharing your process. Do consider subscribing!

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Congratulations! Looking forward to reaching that milestone one day.

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Cheers! All the best. Do consider subscribing 😀

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Yes! No algorithms that rely on clout more than good content

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Congrats!

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First time I sold my words on the internet was around 2002. Number one question everyone asked me was: "but how do these websites make money?" The answer was ads, but as it turned out, most of those websites were trading millions in venture capital for advertising pennies. Sadly, the attention model has chugged along for decades, swallowing our minds, our culture, and our careers. BUT! I'm very encouraged to see that 2 million people are paying writers for their words. That's a huge accomplishment! Also, I'm proud to be one of those readers paying writers I love, and I'm pleased to be one of those writers receiving payments from readers who enjoy my stories. Thank you, Substack team!

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That’s a good point about being proud. I like the transparency of my profile showing that I’m a paid subscriber to several Substacks for that reason.

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Exactly! It’s a way for me to say, “this is good writing and the writer has earned my full support, so you should give their work a look.”

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Absolutely.

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🫰🫰🫰

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I've just joined Substack as a writer and have to say I love it! And yes, please save us from social media.

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Interestingly, Substack is a form of social media. Most writers come here with established followings on Twitter. I didn't - I dislike being the product being sold to advertisers. Yet I was able to build an audience, just by commenting on other substacks.

It's non-algorithmic social media that filters for intelligent people who like thoughtful long-form content.

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I’m terms of it being a media that has a social aspect to it, yes...but I haven’t found that toxicity or imposter syndrome here that is so prevalent on other apps like twitter/Instagram/Facebook

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Yes, and that's what's so nice about it.

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Personally I hope Substack can deviate away from the dependency of Twitter followings. It can be it’s own thing and I’m looking forward to seeing it when it does!

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February 28, 2023
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There isn't much else to say. Just read things that interest you, leave thoughtful comments, and some readers may be intrigued enough to click the 'writes....' link next to your name to look at your Substack, and if they like it, you get a new reader.

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February 28, 2023
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That's the beauty of it - that's precisely what it is. By eliminating algorithmic manipulation, 'social networking' becomes simply 'socializing'. Far more healthy and fun.

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I wholeheartedly agree.

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By talking to others on these threads, I learn more about what other writers are doing, can have interesting conversations with them, and to make it even better they might even check out my Substack as a result of our thoughtful discussions!

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👏👏❤️

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Maybe you should change your name to “ FarAboveStack”? Thank you! I’ve found all I need here!

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I feel the same way. More inspired than ever

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And I don’t get sent to my room for expressing my opinion!!😂😂😂

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This is why I joined Substack in the first place. It is authentic, honest, and community-oriented. No sleazy "influencing" (oh, how I detest this word/concept...). A "new economic engine for culture" -- and I and my readers can take part in creating it, shaping it. WOW. I'm grateful to Jairaj, Chris, Hamish, and the rest of the Substack staff for constantly expanding on their vision. It's like seeing a beautiful plant grow from a tiny seed.

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🙌🏻

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Yes 🙌

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I'm grateful to all of you at Substack for this platform, and also to my fellow writers and readers.

Today, Feb. 28, concludes my first month publishing here; I've been a pro writer for over 20 years.

Along with good cheer, support and even paying subscribers, I was amazed to see that one of my February Substack features got the attention of a newspaper editor resulting in a dead-tree commission!

While publishing in print media was the last thing I expected when signing up here, I look forward to the next month and many more to come, and hold out hope that what we can build here for the space of original FICTION writing might somehow, someday make up for how that market has dissipated in the past decade.

Keep up all the good work over there, and lots of luck and happy writing to one and all.

CD at the TLS

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Congratulations! That's fantastic.

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😎😎❤️❤️

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one thing that would be helpful for some of us, especially those who don't want to require a paid subscription or offer paid content, would be a way for readers to offer a one-time donation -- not as a fee or a monthly commitment, but a single contribution in whatever amount they felt comfortable offering. I've seen this request suggested somewhere else but haven't seen where it stands or whether it's being considered. Thank you! This came up when someone who wanted to make a donation to me made it by making a "pledge" because I have paid subscriptions turned off -- now I've turned "pledge" off too. But a way for receiving an occasional contribution would be great.

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You can do that on your own with services like KoFi or PayPal. I use the Custom Button to link to my KoFi account, saying something like, 'Donations welcome' or 'Tip the writer'. It's easy to set up a KoFi account and you're not begging, you're simply reminding your readers that writers need to be paid, too.

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thanks for the suggestions -- a custom button makes sense, though not as tidy as just going thru substack

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I believe you can set it up in your Stripe account 🙂

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Yes this. I use this as well, to offer my readers a way to support me, until my subscriber base is large enough and I feel confident enough in the frequency of the content I can put out there to start offering paid subscriptions. And Substack also uses stripe, so that makes it more convenient.

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Some of us don't like (or aren't good at) figuring out "techie" solutions even if they work.

Much better by our lights if there were a one-time, any-amount donation button.

I can't read everything I want to read: my time is not unlimited.

I can't subscribe to everything I want to read: my funds are not unlimited.

I DO want to say "Thank You" to writers that I can only read occasionally. A nice TY is money.

Right now, I'm going through my subscriptions and -- *sigh* -- cancelling some. (Again, funds and time aren't unlimited.)

I'd like the option of being able occasionally read a man or woman's contribution AND also be able to offer a Thank You with more than words (or likes) for the gift and privilege received.

I suspect many feel the same way.

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I set up a "support" page on my website where folks not interested in a paid subscription but what to support my work. If you'd like to check it out as an example >>> https://jenniferlangille.com/support Which is a squarespace site and it's processed through Stripe and/or PayPal.

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I’ve had writers sign up just for one month, and if you set your sub price to $5 or less, it’s basically what you’re asking for, without having to create a whole new tip system. I think a subscription is a better way to describe this, as you’re both metaphorically and literally subscribing to a writer’s style and POV.

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Wow. This article moved me. Let’s do it. ♥️

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Substack has been utterly transformative. It's possible to have conversations here that simply cannot take place elsewhere. A business model that makes content, rather than ad revenue, the source of revenue, means that what we write is the product ... rather than who we are.

Keep up the good work.

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"what we write is the product, rather than who we are"--THIS IS IT. This cuts to the core of social media. That's why we get influencers and superficiality and this empty materialism--because that's what Social Media rewards these days.

Substack doesn't reward anyone--but enables *substance* and *quality* to be rewarded by actual people with money. It's not about driving eyeballs, it's about rewarding *work*.

Well said!

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Love it! Just please, please, please don’t get acquired by those same social media or search companies.

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Our intent is to build the next great thing, not to try to fix the old, broken thing.

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I am a little nervous you all might overcomplicate the platform with all the bells and whistles. I'm still educating my readership I moved over from MailChimp on what and how to enjoy Substack... and reassure them it's not just another social media platform.

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So glad to hear that! Yay!

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Yes, that’s a bit of my fear, but this update seems to verify, at least for awhile, that this sort of takeover will not happen. If anything, Substack may eventually be the one taking over some social media properties to show how it should be done, when the social media ways have burned out.

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I do worry about this... especially as I’ve deleted my blog 😆

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