Going mainstream

Hear ye, hear ye. This is my final word on the temptress we know as Substack.

Even though I said I wouldn’t do it, I messed around for hours with Substack this week thinking I could post some of my stuff over there but keep this blog, too. I finally got it going when I saw another writer left the platform because it hosts Nazis and other extremists. All in the name of anti-censorship.

I once again paused to sort it all out, and here’s where I landed. No media is perfect, and some of it is less perfect than others. For writers, what I have to say might make a difference in where you publish your work. For readers, it’s about how much information you really need and the credibility of your sources.

It seems like a lot of pro-Democracy writers migrated to Substack after Trump was elected for the second time, and mainstream media failed to muster the courage to call him out for his authoritarian tactics. I like the writers who jumped ship, but sucking in all that political content is depressing at best.

I never saw Substack as the holy grail of elevated thinking, mostly because I read the co-founder is the same guy behind the mobile messaging application called Kik.

The only reason I even know Kik exists is because I served on a jury last year, and the app was integral to the case. Kik does not require a phone number or email to sign-up, and the anonymity is one of the reasons people are drawn to it.

The defendant in the case admitted he used it to chat about his fetishes and even to hook up with strangers for sex, but that wasn’t the charge. He was accused of downloading child pornography on the Kik app. Investigators testified about how that all happens and how they become alerted to bad actors. Although Kik was not invented for this purpose, pervs love it and the company makes millions.

That’s why I never thought Substack was about lofty ideals. Just another way to make money. It’s hard to know what to believe anymore, but there’s something to be said for mainstream media, warts and all. At least they have guard rails. And if you read a hard copy or limit yourself to one daily reading session, it’s contained. There’s no continuous flow of information.

Substack hosts many excellent writers, but there’s no barrier to entry, and you need to factor that in when you decide what to read. And as soon as you get on there, more is pushed your way. For me, and for all of those who are trying to survive these challenging times without going batshit crazy, it’s easy to become overwhelmed.

Although I may regret what might be called an impulsive move, I shut down my Substack account. Yes, there is a lot of good content there, but it stresses me out. I’ll stick with a cursory review of the NY Times and my local newspaper and call it a day.

As for my blog, I don’t presume WordPress is saintly, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the platform used by nine out of 10 Nazi sex predators. To some extent, what I write is in its own little bubble, and I don’t share common space with whack jobs. The only community I connect with is a lovely group of intelligent kind-hearted readers.

Not a bad gig. Thanks for being part of the journey. I very much appreciate your support.

23 thoughts on “Going mainstream”

  1. Yeah, I don’t no much about sub stack and it is overwhelming. I started because some big name well-known legitimate journalist were writing on it. And then I got a ton of other stuff. I don’t know what this other stuff is or where it came from. So I mostly stay away from it also.

    Not on the subject of this post at all, but I did want to tell you that there is a new season of Astrid and just watching Patience just a little bit ago, it’s very easy to compare the two. The ending of Astrid seemed like a finale and I thought that was the end of it, so I was so delighted to see new episodes.

    1. Thanks for the heads up on Astrid. I do think it’s better than Patience. Not to spoil a future post, but I’ve been watching The Hunting Wives. Wowser. Offensive but still rather addictive.

  3. I joined substack to read respected writers such as Paul Krugman, Heather Cox Richardson and Rebecca Solnit. I was disappointed with all the nonsensical “suggestions” for who else to read which are non-stop.

  4. I read a few writers on Substack and I have also jettisoned a few because it became overwhelming. Besides a few political types, I love to read Benjamin Dreyer for the joy of words, and I wouldn’t miss Jay Kuo’s Sheets and Giggles on Saturday for the laughs.

    I know a few bloggers who have made the switch to Substack but I’m not sure why. I will stay with WP… I don’t think I’ve been visited by a single Nazi sex predator since I started my blog in 2013.

    1. I think bloggers (including me) want to go there for the “community” and to attract more readers. But that comes with a price. Yes, we can fly the banner that says we haven’t been visited by a single Nazi sex predator on WordPress. Thanks for the laugh!

  5. At the moment Substack just confuses me. A few bloggers I read have moved over there, but I don’t have the mental band-width at the moment to figure it all out. Maybe that’s showing my age, or maybe it’s showing I’ve got too much else I’m trying to work through these days! Hoping it’s more the second.

  6. I’m so glad you haven’t moved over to sub stack, as I don’t access it. I love reading your posts, please keep them coming! I really appreciate that you share your news and views.

  7. Thanks Donna for sharing your life, food interests and personal challenges after leaving the work place behind. We always have our books and what we binge watch to escape from the noise.
    Thanks again

  8. I guess you know you’re a unicorn, making decisions using all those pesky things like ethics, intelligence and good judgment. I would’ve followed you over there just because I gave up boycotts and such years ago and frankly the people I read on Substack are all artists and I’m so naive, I actually thought it was just an arts site. That being said, I really like what you’re doing here and hope you’ll continue for a long time!

    1. I appreciate your loyalty! I still think Substack is a good place for discerning readers such as yourself. For me, the political stuff was tempting, so I’d immerse myself and then I would get depressed. That’s the main reason I closed my account. The ethics and judgment and all that comes into play regarding where I host my blog. I think being “independent” is better for me.

      Thanks for the encouragement.

    1. OK, here’s my best shot at explaining Substack. Anyone can start a newsletter on Substack for free. And anyone can read Substack for free. Writers have the bonus of being in a “community” where others might see their stuff. There is a Twitter-like feed where people can promote their own content or other people’s content. With Substack, it’s easy to charge a fee to read your material, which is why a lot of writers migrate there. Substack takes a 10% cut of whatever you earn. Most writers have free content they share to publicize their work, and that’s what you will see if you go there. You can often subscribe for free, and you will receive a lot of good content via email. However, there’s usually a paywall, meaning you have to upgrade to a paid subscription to read everything.

      For the record, my intent was to build a larger community of readers. I was never going to charge a fee.

  10. Ouch! That is some seriously bad news about Substack. I shall have to do some re-thinking… Thank you for sharing what you’ve found out though, I do appreciate it Donna.

  11. I followed a few writers/bloggers to Substack and have begun to get lots of other content I have no interest in. Thanks for sharing what you have learned about the platform! I am so glad you are staying here, and I thoroughly enjoy your content…artistic endeavors, cooking and lifestyle pursuits! Keep the good stuff coming…I’m right here!!

    1. Thank you, Carol. I always look forward to your “likes.” That’s when I know it was a good one.

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