I do click “like” when I really like something, agree or not. I sometimes click “like” when I didn’t like it but think it was worth boosting to others. And some days I don’t want to leave any trace I was here on a platform.
That latter is more likely on fb where I still take a peek a couple times a day. I want that platform to know as little as possible about me as I dial back its addiction in my life. But I come here, to substack, to read.
Hi Joel. While I've never met you, I do know and love your partner. Pleased to meet you!
I agree with you on all of it. I will try to do a better job of hitting that heart button and to comment if I have anything intelligent to say.
Please check me out at I Lean Liminal where you'll see I get barely any engagement myself. I'm not writing to make money but Substackers are always going on about the great community here so I thought I'd give that a try. I reply to others' posts a lot which generates some responses, but out of the nearly 100 subscribers to my page (and many more followers) nearly no one comments or "likes" and if they do, no discussion comes of it. I suspect a lot (maybe most?) of my subscribers never get around to actually reading what I write.
I write about kind of niche topics so it might not be your thing, but if you do read anything, please leave a heart or a comment behind -- preferably a provocative invitation to discussion. Let's help each other out.
Also, I had this conspiracy-related thought today. I've noticed more and more Substack writers are using AI as they are all starting to sound the same, AI way now. And I get it. If you are trying to impress the algorithms so that you can make some money, your output needs to be higher than is humanly possible. My new theory is that this is a feature, not a bug. Substack was actually created to require AI in order to succeed.
Luckily for me, though I'd love the extra income, I didn't come here to make a living. But a writer's gotta write, and I gotta put it somewhere. For now, that's here.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one! Maybe we should start a community among those who've been rejected by the Almight Algorithm. We can boost each other!
Thank you, Kathleen, for the thoughtful enagement. Feels good to read. Your delay in getting back points to another issue: time. I try to prioritize reading and writing, but I think many are doing it in little creases of time in their lives, without much focus. I will check out your reading and yes, I have a series of people that I read who are becoming respite for me. Perhaps the beginnings of a network or community.
Comment to come. Tight schedule this a.m.
I do click “like” when I really like something, agree or not. I sometimes click “like” when I didn’t like it but think it was worth boosting to others. And some days I don’t want to leave any trace I was here on a platform.
That latter is more likely on fb where I still take a peek a couple times a day. I want that platform to know as little as possible about me as I dial back its addiction in my life. But I come here, to substack, to read.
Hi Joel. While I've never met you, I do know and love your partner. Pleased to meet you!
I agree with you on all of it. I will try to do a better job of hitting that heart button and to comment if I have anything intelligent to say.
Please check me out at I Lean Liminal where you'll see I get barely any engagement myself. I'm not writing to make money but Substackers are always going on about the great community here so I thought I'd give that a try. I reply to others' posts a lot which generates some responses, but out of the nearly 100 subscribers to my page (and many more followers) nearly no one comments or "likes" and if they do, no discussion comes of it. I suspect a lot (maybe most?) of my subscribers never get around to actually reading what I write.
I write about kind of niche topics so it might not be your thing, but if you do read anything, please leave a heart or a comment behind -- preferably a provocative invitation to discussion. Let's help each other out.
Also, I had this conspiracy-related thought today. I've noticed more and more Substack writers are using AI as they are all starting to sound the same, AI way now. And I get it. If you are trying to impress the algorithms so that you can make some money, your output needs to be higher than is humanly possible. My new theory is that this is a feature, not a bug. Substack was actually created to require AI in order to succeed.
Luckily for me, though I'd love the extra income, I didn't come here to make a living. But a writer's gotta write, and I gotta put it somewhere. For now, that's here.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one! Maybe we should start a community among those who've been rejected by the Almight Algorithm. We can boost each other!
Thank you, Kathleen, for the thoughtful enagement. Feels good to read. Your delay in getting back points to another issue: time. I try to prioritize reading and writing, but I think many are doing it in little creases of time in their lives, without much focus. I will check out your reading and yes, I have a series of people that I read who are becoming respite for me. Perhaps the beginnings of a network or community.