I completely agree. I don't mind if there is some capacity for creators to use video for podcasts and in their posts but please, please, please don't make it front and centre on the platform. Substack is for long form writing, and audio is a nice complement to that. But the thought of distracting video previews all over the app is so depressing. Why make it like every other platform when Substack has a unique niche for long form, in-depth content that is difficult to find elsewhere? I really hope Substack leans in to what makes it unique instead of looking more and more like every other platform.
Sure, that's why I said I wasn't against there being video at all for those who want to use it. My objection would be making it a very prominent part of the platform. For example, video previews in notes or when you view your inbox in the app would be awful imo. There are plenty of platforms already for those who are focused on video. Coming to Substack from those platforms is like walking into a forest after being in an air-conditioned, artificially lit, noisy shopping centre. If the chain stores start setting up in the forest it will be a loss.
again, it is the quality of the content that is making it suitable to be published on a creative comunity platform like Substack. Not all video content is noisy or obnoxious, as is text content. When I was looking for a suitable platform to publish my video diaries, I could not find the right audience in a paid environment. So if you know 'plenty of platforms', please let me know.
Well, folks, I am leaving. I am deleting my information and canceling my subscriptions. As hard as I have tried, I just cannot deal with Substack. It is like this gorgeous, appetizing buffet, full of all the things I love,, that is just out of my reach behind a glass wall.
I realize much of this is because I am 90 years old and I am not as facile with all of the buttons and emojis and Logos that Substack contains, but I just can’t figure out how it all works. It is a constant frustration to me.
I have tried to post a couple of essays and the few people who have actually read them, or discovered them, have been very kind. I write a lot. I’ve written a couple of books, and I specialize in essays. I have a PhD, and I’m not senile yet! I would enjoy participating.
But what I have written here is here by accident, not because that’s where I planned for it to be. Maybe it will disappear into the Substack maw, and no one will ever see it. 😁
I’ll just say one thing before I go. There are wonderful writers on Substack. Great thinkers. Brilliant people.. But you aren’t speaking to the right audience. You all complain about the MAGA people who only get their information on Fox, and yet you limit all of this wonderful information to people who are willing to pay for it. Please find a way to speak directly to the MAGAs. I have no magic formulas for that, but there must be a way, especially if all of the brilliant and creative people of Substack put your minds to it.
The best of everything to all of you. I have enjoyed my Substack time with you.
I can understand that. I am just a few decades younger, I also have a PhD, but I also feel overwhelmed. I cannot understand those who get along with a smart phone. I always have to sit in front of my computer to do serious work and sort things out.
Contributions from your generation are so valuable. What about webinars for boomers and earlier generations?
I would like to urge the developers of Substack to reconsider their formatting, and redevelop it in a more user-friendly form. Surely I am not the only user who is totally confounded by the system.
At the very least I would like to see clear instructions on how to become a member, and how to understand the signs and signals.
For those of us who were not born with cell phones in our hands, these actions are not simply intuitive.
Whenever I try to sign on, I am told an email will be sent to my phone. Due to the volume of emails I get, I don't get emails on my phone but this allegedly state-of-the art app doesn't allow for emails/subscriptions to be handled on a computer instead of a phone.
I understand. It's been my experience MEGAS are not willing to listen. Even if you present your argument in a civil and debate style manner MEGAS soon resort to insults and misinformation. These are trying times and unfortunately you have to fight back and let them know you are not intimitated. It's no excuse I know. I do hope you come back. Wishing you the very best.
Well put, my friend. I think you make an excellent point! I agree. But doing what you propose would be difficult and costly. I’m glad at least we get informed on our side.
I hate to see you leave because of trouble getting started. If you have questions and want to give it another go, message me. I am happy to see if I can help.
Agreed thank you for being honest I’ll also be moving out very soon. They are transforming into a media mogul company with genuine sitting in my corner m writers scattered here and there… I feel they’re becoming Meta but all in one price but for more than 1100 characters.🤷♀️
I agree. Yesterday I had a fit with a “customer service” provider at American Express who did not understand me. I am 74, also have a PhD, have published - but have difficulty with Substack! My daughter, 41, is whiz with apps; but I am not. I have difficulty determining where to press and where to refrain.
Yes, a tip jar option would be great! And if it's in-house, SS could still get their percentage, so why the delay? It would be an easy win-win! Not only that, many people these days can't commit to paid subscriptions to ALL their fave Stacks, but could spread their money around as and when they can... every little helps!
Am I the only one to feel that Substackers who have NOT migrated here from elsewhere but have been here all along, slowly building their own corner (in my case, as a writer and podcaster), are treated by Substack as if they didn’t matter much, didn’t warrant much support or attention, forming a kind of sub-Substack barely-there presence?
Reader here, not "author". There is a lot of good stuff, but the subscription fees add up. How 'bout discounts for multiple subscriptions? Or maybe a package deal on a group of authors with different viewpoints.
Multiple subscriptions here on Substack are a problem for the reader -- and it is adding to the subscription fees for apps.
My solution for me as a customer:
- Only use apps that are Open Source
- or use apps that are part of the OS (like Notes.app)
- always prefer one-time payment options
- and for subscriptions on Substack be very careful what is really needed.
As a writer (just starting here on Substack) I have decided to
- give all newsletter content for free,
- offer only personal services as paid subscriptions
- and mainly offer courses on other platforms for those who need to learn systematically and in-depth. It is a one-time decision, the customer is in control of the monthly expenses.
Your suggestion sounds great: Getting discount from Substack when a certain amount of paid subscriptions is reached, or to offer package deals. On the other hands, things will get closer to Skillshare or Udemy in that case...
When I was young, a red-headed little munchkin, I could not or would not go to sleep without my teddy bear. To me he was much more than a pacifier blanket. Teddy was my loyal companion in all things and decisions that mattered.
At some point I grew up. WOW!!!
After being so important to me for much of my childhood, Teddy was vanquished into the dustbin of my youth.
I excelled in high school, winning a National Science Scholarship to study geology at Emory University’s geology camp in Ringold, Ga. This was at the end of my junior year. I always wanted to go to Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. However tuition was much more than I could afford, and I wound up at Clemson University in my home state of South Carolina.
Near the end of two years at Clemson, and having goofed off by playing too much bridge, along with a total lack of interest in my education, I realized that I had a real chance of being drafted which I did not want. Thus, I joined the US NAVY’s submarine service. I figured I would be 600 feet under the water, and nobody would be shooting at me. I have a very strong phobia of bullets tearing into my flesh.
After spending so much of my military time as a “squid,” I went back to Clemson and completed my degree in English and Secondary Education, and built my first house in Walhalla, SC, thanks to the GI BILL.
I was married at this time and still am to the same wonderful woman for 57 years. We had two children, a son and a daughter. My daughter, Meg, died eight years ago at age 39. She was my much loved “wild child.” But that is another venue for another rant.
I'm 80 and my wife is 78. our son and daughter-in-law wanted us to downsize before we got too old to do it so they could care for us in our declining years. The house on the corner next door to them came on the market. We left our home of 40 years across town and bought the 1924 Craftsman style home which was in utter disrepair and considered a tear down. Having found a fantastic builder who saved us a bunch of money, he began reconstruction. After three months we had a "brand new" home, complete with new electrical, plumbing, and exterior. Our new neighborhood was so very welcoming, and we had found the last home we would spend our lives in, a welcome respite from so many uncertainties.
Our daughter was Meg, and our daughter-in law is Meghan. My wife had given Meghan some of Meg's clothes that fit her. Another neighbor who is an excellent seamstress, asked her for one of Meg's blouses, because she wanted to make something for us in rememberance of our Meg.
A week later she presented us with the most beautifully made and professionaly put together TEDDY BEAR. It was made from one of Meg's old blouses, and on one of the feet, she had embroidered the quote: "IN MEMORY OF MEG."
Now I do not know of any other 80 year old man who sleeps with a TEDDY BEAR NAMED FREDDY. Every night when I say my prayers and meditations, I reach out, gently take hold of that little foot, squeeze it softly, and tell my Meg how much I love her, miss her, and that me, her Poppie, will see her soon, according to whatever God's plan is for the rest of my life. Freddy gives me so much of a feeling of love and the presence of Meg, and I can't thank my neighbor, who barely knew me at the time, for such a caring gift. WOW! I shiver for the caring nature of such wonderful people. We are all a part of the whole and need to lean on each other in times of grief and longing. What a God given blessing.
I will detail more terrible memories about our Meg's battles with her additions at a future date. Stay tuned for some terrible memories of the past.
Tell me, if you can, of any of your experiences and memories you would like to share, either glad or sad. A burden shared is half as heavy!
Please make your mobile website and android app functional. Every week its a new feature, but the android app is so buggy I want to smash my phone every time I open it. If I switch to another app, it disappears from the background and I have to start over. The mobile website brings up big preview windows for users as I scroll through comments, and makes it impossible to navigate.
I love the idea of this thing, but help me out with all this dysfunction. People have plenty of ways to create content and gain followers. Make the thing work well across platforms.
Please let this app not turn into another video farm!
I came to Substack because of the lack of video!
I completely agree. I don't mind if there is some capacity for creators to use video for podcasts and in their posts but please, please, please don't make it front and centre on the platform. Substack is for long form writing, and audio is a nice complement to that. But the thought of distracting video previews all over the app is so depressing. Why make it like every other platform when Substack has a unique niche for long form, in-depth content that is difficult to find elsewhere? I really hope Substack leans in to what makes it unique instead of looking more and more like every other platform.
Long form content can be video aswell: the direct connection between creator and audience in a paid environment makes it unique, not the lack of video
Sure, that's why I said I wasn't against there being video at all for those who want to use it. My objection would be making it a very prominent part of the platform. For example, video previews in notes or when you view your inbox in the app would be awful imo. There are plenty of platforms already for those who are focused on video. Coming to Substack from those platforms is like walking into a forest after being in an air-conditioned, artificially lit, noisy shopping centre. If the chain stores start setting up in the forest it will be a loss.
again, it is the quality of the content that is making it suitable to be published on a creative comunity platform like Substack. Not all video content is noisy or obnoxious, as is text content. When I was looking for a suitable platform to publish my video diaries, I could not find the right audience in a paid environment. So if you know 'plenty of platforms', please let me know.
Well, folks, I am leaving. I am deleting my information and canceling my subscriptions. As hard as I have tried, I just cannot deal with Substack. It is like this gorgeous, appetizing buffet, full of all the things I love,, that is just out of my reach behind a glass wall.
I realize much of this is because I am 90 years old and I am not as facile with all of the buttons and emojis and Logos that Substack contains, but I just can’t figure out how it all works. It is a constant frustration to me.
I have tried to post a couple of essays and the few people who have actually read them, or discovered them, have been very kind. I write a lot. I’ve written a couple of books, and I specialize in essays. I have a PhD, and I’m not senile yet! I would enjoy participating.
But what I have written here is here by accident, not because that’s where I planned for it to be. Maybe it will disappear into the Substack maw, and no one will ever see it. 😁
I’ll just say one thing before I go. There are wonderful writers on Substack. Great thinkers. Brilliant people.. But you aren’t speaking to the right audience. You all complain about the MAGA people who only get their information on Fox, and yet you limit all of this wonderful information to people who are willing to pay for it. Please find a way to speak directly to the MAGAs. I have no magic formulas for that, but there must be a way, especially if all of the brilliant and creative people of Substack put your minds to it.
The best of everything to all of you. I have enjoyed my Substack time with you.
I can understand that. I am just a few decades younger, I also have a PhD, but I also feel overwhelmed. I cannot understand those who get along with a smart phone. I always have to sit in front of my computer to do serious work and sort things out.
Contributions from your generation are so valuable. What about webinars for boomers and earlier generations?
I would like to urge the developers of Substack to reconsider their formatting, and redevelop it in a more user-friendly form. Surely I am not the only user who is totally confounded by the system.
At the very least I would like to see clear instructions on how to become a member, and how to understand the signs and signals.
For those of us who were not born with cell phones in our hands, these actions are not simply intuitive.
Whenever I try to sign on, I am told an email will be sent to my phone. Due to the volume of emails I get, I don't get emails on my phone but this allegedly state-of-the art app doesn't allow for emails/subscriptions to be handled on a computer instead of a phone.
I understand. It's been my experience MEGAS are not willing to listen. Even if you present your argument in a civil and debate style manner MEGAS soon resort to insults and misinformation. These are trying times and unfortunately you have to fight back and let them know you are not intimitated. It's no excuse I know. I do hope you come back. Wishing you the very best.
Well put, my friend. I think you make an excellent point! I agree. But doing what you propose would be difficult and costly. I’m glad at least we get informed on our side.
It's my style. These are trying times.
I hate to see you leave because of trouble getting started. If you have questions and want to give it another go, message me. I am happy to see if I can help.
Oh, do I hear you. Please keep publishing on Substack and if you do not, tell me where I can find you.
Shame to see you go Barbara hope you return x
Agreed thank you for being honest I’ll also be moving out very soon. They are transforming into a media mogul company with genuine sitting in my corner m writers scattered here and there… I feel they’re becoming Meta but all in one price but for more than 1100 characters.🤷♀️
Aw... please return, we need ppl like you. <3
I agree. Yesterday I had a fit with a “customer service” provider at American Express who did not understand me. I am 74, also have a PhD, have published - but have difficulty with Substack! My daughter, 41, is whiz with apps; but I am not. I have difficulty determining where to press and where to refrain.
Well said. Spot on. So refreshing to hear a sensible comment.
Yes! More languages!
If you cared about ‘small stacks,’ you’d have a tip jar option.
Yes, a tip jar option would be great! And if it's in-house, SS could still get their percentage, so why the delay? It would be an easy win-win! Not only that, many people these days can't commit to paid subscriptions to ALL their fave Stacks, but could spread their money around as and when they can... every little helps!
Exactly!
🤞🤞🤞
Ciaaaaao :)
I teach Italian Language on Substack.
Currently the amount of written text is increasing, especially in the Notes section.
It would be nice to have a filtering tool for languages not only in the post and publications but also in the notes.
Could you add that for satisfying a language teacher which believes in the power of Substack?
bests and thank you <3
Ciao! I subbed to you. <3
Am I the only one to feel that Substackers who have NOT migrated here from elsewhere but have been here all along, slowly building their own corner (in my case, as a writer and podcaster), are treated by Substack as if they didn’t matter much, didn’t warrant much support or attention, forming a kind of sub-Substack barely-there presence?
Absolutely.
Languages! Thanks Substack, c’est super 🩵
Reader here, not "author". There is a lot of good stuff, but the subscription fees add up. How 'bout discounts for multiple subscriptions? Or maybe a package deal on a group of authors with different viewpoints.
Multiple subscriptions here on Substack are a problem for the reader -- and it is adding to the subscription fees for apps.
My solution for me as a customer:
- Only use apps that are Open Source
- or use apps that are part of the OS (like Notes.app)
- always prefer one-time payment options
- and for subscriptions on Substack be very careful what is really needed.
As a writer (just starting here on Substack) I have decided to
- give all newsletter content for free,
- offer only personal services as paid subscriptions
- and mainly offer courses on other platforms for those who need to learn systematically and in-depth. It is a one-time decision, the customer is in control of the monthly expenses.
Your suggestion sounds great: Getting discount from Substack when a certain amount of paid subscriptions is reached, or to offer package deals. On the other hands, things will get closer to Skillshare or Udemy in that case...
Many of us don't use apps at all. Please make sure the website version works too. Also fix things that don't work before bringing in new features.
When I was young, a red-headed little munchkin, I could not or would not go to sleep without my teddy bear. To me he was much more than a pacifier blanket. Teddy was my loyal companion in all things and decisions that mattered.
At some point I grew up. WOW!!!
After being so important to me for much of my childhood, Teddy was vanquished into the dustbin of my youth.
I excelled in high school, winning a National Science Scholarship to study geology at Emory University’s geology camp in Ringold, Ga. This was at the end of my junior year. I always wanted to go to Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. However tuition was much more than I could afford, and I wound up at Clemson University in my home state of South Carolina.
Near the end of two years at Clemson, and having goofed off by playing too much bridge, along with a total lack of interest in my education, I realized that I had a real chance of being drafted which I did not want. Thus, I joined the US NAVY’s submarine service. I figured I would be 600 feet under the water, and nobody would be shooting at me. I have a very strong phobia of bullets tearing into my flesh.
After spending so much of my military time as a “squid,” I went back to Clemson and completed my degree in English and Secondary Education, and built my first house in Walhalla, SC, thanks to the GI BILL.
I was married at this time and still am to the same wonderful woman for 57 years. We had two children, a son and a daughter. My daughter, Meg, died eight years ago at age 39. She was my much loved “wild child.” But that is another venue for another rant.
I'm 80 and my wife is 78. our son and daughter-in-law wanted us to downsize before we got too old to do it so they could care for us in our declining years. The house on the corner next door to them came on the market. We left our home of 40 years across town and bought the 1924 Craftsman style home which was in utter disrepair and considered a tear down. Having found a fantastic builder who saved us a bunch of money, he began reconstruction. After three months we had a "brand new" home, complete with new electrical, plumbing, and exterior. Our new neighborhood was so very welcoming, and we had found the last home we would spend our lives in, a welcome respite from so many uncertainties.
Our daughter was Meg, and our daughter-in law is Meghan. My wife had given Meghan some of Meg's clothes that fit her. Another neighbor who is an excellent seamstress, asked her for one of Meg's blouses, because she wanted to make something for us in rememberance of our Meg.
A week later she presented us with the most beautifully made and professionaly put together TEDDY BEAR. It was made from one of Meg's old blouses, and on one of the feet, she had embroidered the quote: "IN MEMORY OF MEG."
Now I do not know of any other 80 year old man who sleeps with a TEDDY BEAR NAMED FREDDY. Every night when I say my prayers and meditations, I reach out, gently take hold of that little foot, squeeze it softly, and tell my Meg how much I love her, miss her, and that me, her Poppie, will see her soon, according to whatever God's plan is for the rest of my life. Freddy gives me so much of a feeling of love and the presence of Meg, and I can't thank my neighbor, who barely knew me at the time, for such a caring gift. WOW! I shiver for the caring nature of such wonderful people. We are all a part of the whole and need to lean on each other in times of grief and longing. What a God given blessing.
I will detail more terrible memories about our Meg's battles with her additions at a future date. Stay tuned for some terrible memories of the past.
Tell me, if you can, of any of your experiences and memories you would like to share, either glad or sad. A burden shared is half as heavy!
peppermiller3011@gmail.com
Beautiful writing...🙌🏻
When will there finally be support for right-to-left languages like Arabic?
Please make your mobile website and android app functional. Every week its a new feature, but the android app is so buggy I want to smash my phone every time I open it. If I switch to another app, it disappears from the background and I have to start over. The mobile website brings up big preview windows for users as I scroll through comments, and makes it impossible to navigate.
I love the idea of this thing, but help me out with all this dysfunction. People have plenty of ways to create content and gain followers. Make the thing work well across platforms.
The more languages, the better! Good work! The world needs to know how so many Americans feel!
Substack gives you the tools, you provide the product………or not.
why do you Nazi-coddlers keep emailing me? I don't care about your platform
Awesome😍 I want everyone to share so we all know what is going on🌻🙌🏻😎