(By the way, I wrote this question. But, depending on your comments, an AI might write the next question.)

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When big things happen…

• a virus causes worldwide havoc for 2+ years

• one country invades another and threatens nuclear war

• a certain court opinion might change law and politics on a very controversial issue

….it gets a person to thinking:

Why Are We Here?

or, if you prefer,

What Are We Doing Here?

By “here,” I mean both on Substack and in this world in general.

Re me, I think, I'm not likely to change the world in a big way (though you never know). But maybe I can help people in small ways. Even the small things could make a big difference in unanticipated (hopefully good) ways.

I'm also here for other reasons: expressing myself; making money (crass but necessary); etc.

So (while you wait for my next post on why I've delayed posting for so long), why are you here? 🤔

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Substack and LinkedIn are quite different platforms.

However, you can use Substack for LinkedIn purposes.

• Your Substack "About” page, as well as posts, could include a bio with summaries of your education and experience.1

• LinkedIn has newsletters. Substack is all about newsletters.

• Substack can help you make connections and potentially lead to jobs.

Have you used Substack – in any of these or other ways – for purposes similar to how you might use LinkedIn?

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On Substack

Introducing the Substack app

Read more

4 years ago · 162 likes · 119 comments · Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie, and Jairaj Sethi

So, what do you think?

Have you tried the app?1 Do you like it? Would you suggest any improvement or new feature?

Does the app change anything for you as a Substack publisher or subscriber?

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Maybe you have a newsletter with paid subscribers.

Or maybe you are a paid subscriber to a newsletter.

In either case:

What advice do you have for newsletter creators seeking paid subscribers? 🤔

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I’d planned to write a follow-up to my previous two posts (about embeds and attachments on Substack). And I will soon.

But the world again intervenes.

We aren't robots creating or reacting to newsletters. (Though that would be interesting…) We are people affected by everyday circumstances and broader events.

For me, like many, the pandemic has intervened at times.

Now, it's Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (For me, this is news, and not experience or closeness to the situation. But it's not so distant for everyone.)

I feel it's more important than anything else I can do today on Substack to ask how you’re feeling about events in Ukraine.1

After you've had a chance to post your comments, I'll leave a comment too.

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I'm not Substack.

I'm a Substack about Substack.1

So I can't respond on Substack's behalf to complaints or compliments.

But I am interested in what the complaints and compliments are. And maybe I or a reader of this post can reply in an unofficial yet helpful way.2

I've noticed positive and negative views about Substack's:

• content

• discoverability

• editor

• emails

• formatting

• policies

• settings

• statistics

• support

(Perhaps I've missed a few categories. But you get the idea.)

What's your complaint or compliment about Substack?

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As you may know, Substack recently put this announcement at the top of every newsletter publisher's dashboard:

We have corrected a bug in view calculations that was causing email opens to be double-counted, so view counts may appear lower than you’re used to. Open rate was unaffected by the bug and remains unchanged.

The bug is gone but not forgotten.

Are you unhappy about the post-view bug? Has it affected your view about Substack or your newsletter?

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Still helping people who have covid.

Still somehow don't have covid myself. (The way things are going, that could change!)

And…Still intending to write about Google search results for Substack newsletters and about advice for Substack success.

On that second topic: there's much advice out there. I'd like to focus on what's most helpful.

What advice have you found useful for your Substack newsletter?

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So I plan to write a good post. But not this week.

Between the recent death of a family member (not my immediate family, but close enough), the anniversary of the death of a good friend, and omicron, my mind isn’t focused on Substack this week.

I can, also, start a discussion.

While I’m not focused on Substack this week, perhaps you are planning posts for the end of 2021, or making plans for your newsletter in 2022. If you want to share, what are you planning for your newsletter in the next few weeks or next year?

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It's the holiday season! Time for the Christmas classic, Mean Girls.

Gretchen: That is so fetch!

Regina: Gretchen, stop trying to make “fetch” happen – it’s not going to happen.

Ok, Regina, ok! I'll stop trying to make this week's post happen.

I'll make a post happen on Monday.

Meanwhile (ha ha, get it, meanwhile … ok, ok, I'll stop that too), I'll ask you:

What's some of the best advice – whether mean or nice – you've ever received? It could be advice on writing1 or anything. 🤔

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Mood: Grouchy/worn out. Yesterday felt like three days. Toiling in obscurity. [Accomplishment: getting a dryer filled with wet towels to remain semi-functional. Day 2: Dryer is still attempting to dry the towels.]

Reading about: Travis Scott concert disaster; covid.

Entertainment: Monty Python, “How Not to Be Seen”; Radiohead, “How to Disappear Completely.”

The commonality: On a grand scale, in a crowd, and on an individual level, we want or need to be seen. Sadly, often we're not.

I reckon publishing or commenting on a Substack newsletter can help meet our need to be seen.

In a better week, I intend to examine Google search results and give some thoughts about how to make newsletters more likely to be seen. (I was a contractor for a few years on two Google projects and later a reference librarian. So I have background for analysis and conclusions of Google results.)

In the meantime, let me ask you:

What do you do to get your newsletter more likely to be seen on Google or elsewhere? 🤔

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Do you ever feel like a plastic bag …

No, wait, that’s Katy Perry’s “Firework” song. Let me start again.

Do you ever feel like you’re trying to do too much?

Recently I’ve felt that way.

What do you do when you feel that way?

I want to do whatever is helpful and makes people feel happier. I also need to support myself and attend to other obligations in life.

As this newsletter has evolved, I’ve added new things to it (such as the recent focus on NFTs for newsletters). Of course, I want to continue much of what I’ve done before on the newsletter.

There’s only so much time in a day or week. With the new activities on top of the old, I’m feeling scattered.

Some people like what I’m doing and have signed up. Some subscribers have left. Am I taking two steps forward and two steps back?

“Six ways from Sunday,” as I see it, means trying to do or consider something in every way possible. The effort may be sincere; but results may vary.

I feel like I’m trying to address a complex issue – how to have a successful Substack newsletter – six ways from Sunday.

I assume you’ve faced similarly challenging issues, with your newsletter or other aspects of your life.

I want to ask your opinion on how I should proceed – or how you’ve proceeded. How should someone attend to everything needed without doing too much?

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If you tried to comment on some recent Sub Pub discussions, you may have encountered a paywall pop-up. 🙁

Wait, what? I had opened the discussions to everyone!

I'm not sure exactly what caused the pop-up. But Substack support informed me today that the bug has been fixed.

I'm posting this discussion to test whether the bug was indeed fixed.

So comment away! On anything at all!

In case you'd like a topic:

If you could say anything (which you can in these comments) to the entire world (sorry, my audience isn't everyone), what would you say? 🤔

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… and Buttondown, ConvertKit, Ghost …

You have many choices for newsletters and similar publications. (I tried Patreon for a while prior to Substack.)

In your opinion, how does Substack compare to other platforms with which you're familiar? How is Substack better or worse?

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NFTs and social tokens might soon be significant to us as creators or audiences. But since not everyone is excited by crypto, I’d like to turn to other aspects of the potential future.1

As someone (Niels Bohr? Yogi Berra?) once said:

Predictions can be very difficult – especially about the future.

In 2019, who envisioned a world-changing pandemic in 2020 and beyond?

Yet here we are.

Even Substack would have surprised most of us. Two years ago, did you think you’d be writing or reading newsletters much?

Though much is uncertain, we can still look ahead. We can make educated guesses about what may happen and what may be important.

What do you foresee?

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Last Friday I promised that I’d publish my NFT post on Monday (today).

Monday, Tuesday, what’s the difference?

But honestly, I’m a little embarrassed. 😳 I think it’s usually better to get a post right than to finish it fast. Still, a promise is a promise.

I suppose humiliation is humbling. It’s not so bad once in a while. Live and learn…

And so, here are my questions for you:

Have you had any embarrassing situation relating to your newsletter (that you feel you can mention)? How did you handle it?

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It's actually done! I'm putting it aside for a day so I can look it over carefully and make any final changes. Also, I can use the weekend to work more on the NFTs.

In addition to the NFT project, I plan to organize my newsletter. Sections, links, revised benefits of subscription … maybe a guide or a table of contents?

For me, it's “fall cleaning.” I've never been a “spring cleaning” person – I prefer to clean in September. (Though I live in the Northern Hemisphere, maybe I'm more in sync with the Southern Hemisphere?)

Have you organized or reorganized your newsletter? Was it worth the effort?

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Thank you for all the comments on A "Newsletter" or a "Substack"!

I like a discussion with varied views on an issue that might seem uncomplicated. Each of us might think we've got “the answer” – but it turns out there are many answers. 🙂

I'll review your answers again and give my own answer… but not today.

I'm getting over a cold and catching up on life and the epic post/project (Monday?🤞🙏). For now, here are a few questions I hope you'll want to comment on:

Do you have free subscriptions? Paid subscriptions? Both? Why or why not? (Note that the questions can apply to newsletters you either publish or read.)

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…I’ve got a question that I keep meaning to ask you.

When you mention your or another Substack newsletter, do you call it a “newsletter” or a “Substack”?

Follow-up questions: Do you feel that calling it a “newsletter” or a “Substack” makes a difference? Why or why not? 🤔

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