Thanks for how you named the changes on this thing. I love the quiet of a non-endless feed -- I look if any of my writers have a piece, if they do, I read them, and when there’s no more, it’s done. I briefly felt like this was a harbor from the toxic waves of the attention economy, but it seems Mr Best wants to capitalize (literally) on twitters downfall. Not interested. I appreciate feeling the permission to opt out of the notes/chat stuff. I’m here to write and read writers and save my presence for more beautiful things.
I'd rather spend an hour reading three or four considered pieces from people I've chosen to interact with than that same hour scrolling through the random onslaught of an endless scrolling feed that leaves me feeling cross-eyed and irritated.
You are absolutely a rock star, Chris! Never doubted it. (I had "Dickhead Mountain" on in the car when I picked my son up the other day and he said, "I didn't know [redacted name of class bully] had a song named after him." American Falcon lives forever.)
I want to dance with that guy. I'd forgotten that song existed.
Also the comment about a manager coming back from a conference with all sorts of ideas is *exactly* how I've been feeling. Just let me get my damn work done! The launch of Notes actually pushed me to delete the app. I was using it mostly to keep on top of comments but now it feels too much like all the other social media I tried to get away from.
"I’m not a musician, I just like to rock, and there’s not much else to say about it" is a line for the ages.
Whenever one of these new Substack features rolls out I give it a spin, almost immediately dislike where it leads me, and go back to writing and comments, because that's where I think we can still make some sort of meaning on this thing. As others have noted, even just the headline of this piece stands out in that sea of notifications. I'm grateful, as I'm always grateful for you, Chris .
I think that's it, isn't it? Finding the meaning. That's where it feels disconnected. When I looked at Notes yesterday, many people were clearly getting that "hi we're connected again!" feeling, but it was also so much about growth and getting more subscribers. But what is all that if we can't find meaning in it? Or if others can't find it in our work? Some people can do both, but not all of us (not me!).
I actually saw one person complain in Notes that the Substack newsletters he pays for often don't produce enough content and that Substack should do something about that. That's when I got a headache and went to Costco instead! Good grief, my dude. We all die someday. Let's try living in the meantime.
Just a quick comment, because I don't want to overthink it, but I too am feeling swamped by this Twitter/Substack/Notes craziness and YOUR HEADLINE: When I read it, I felt like I could breathe again.
There is no coincidence, I suppose, in the fact that you have that ‘reckoning of a storm’ quality about your writing, of course you do. You are a rock star!
Ha, I am an early fan of the Black Keys but I love the new stuff. "Lonely Boy" is a constant soundtrack in my life. As for Notes, I'm on it. I am isolated from friends and I need to talk to people. I tried Reddit and it's just as toxic as everywhere else. Notes won't last long, I'm sure. But I'll take joy where I can. I get it on walks and bike rides without my phone, and sometimes I get it online.
I hope it delivers the goods for you. I've been on a run of five hours or so a week with friends lately and that's giving me all the social interaction I need.
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve only been writing here a few months and my heart sank when the notes started popping up - it makes me want to run for the hills! I’ve turned off all notifications, so hopefully that helps.
I unfortunately, did experience indoctrination 😬 but this is the first year I participated in ZERO religious services of any kind. My kids played outside all weekend, we grilled, painted rocks, and ate lots of chocolate. I loved reading recently that easter is always the Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox! The festivities may not be on the equinox, but they’re pagan af.
My big problem with notifications – which they seem to have fixed so they can be turned off – is that the abundance often buried notifications of replies I DO care about. I hate it when I miss replies to my newsletters; I do care about that stuff and it's hard enough to keep up as it is.
Just days ago I started using substack and published for the first time ever. I felt so proud and like I found a treasure, a hidden place in the world, (again, just days ago) - only to wake up to Notes.. I felt like running away and not even try anymore. It felt too close to what I’m leaving behind - anyways, you described the feeling perfectly.. it’s giving me back the hope that made me start in the first place. I know I will stay, but I do hope writers like you pop up the most on my feed too. 🤗
It really does feel EXACTLY what I've left behind, something I'm so much better for doing. I'm sure the furor will subside, let's just hope they don't devote an abundance of resources to moving in that direction.
I have mixed feelings about Notes. It DOES make it rather noisy around here and I’ve also discovered a few great writers that I probably would have never found had it not been for Notes. Conundrum!!!!
💯 on the capitalistic quantifiers of “success”. I couldn’t agree more. I am a much happier human when I choose to define my personal success on my terms.
One of the things I've liked about Substack is feeling some sense of community with the followers of particular newsletters because voices were all in one space. Now those communities are being fractured, some folks are still in the comments, some have mostly migrated to chat, and I don't even know (and don't want to know) what this Notes thing is. I'm exhausted by how many places my attention is supposed to be at once. I've given up even trying, come what may. I recently started an in person poetry writing class, 8 people around a table one evening a week, no phones, everyone is handwriting in a notebook. We read aloud, admire each others' work, laugh together. It's helping me push back against the notion that I have to "do" anything with my writing other than enjoy it for whatever it wants to be at the moment. I appreciate the message reinforcing that there is value in that.
"I'm exhausted by how many places my attention is supposed to be at once."
This is the crux of it right here for me. When I had social media accounts, it wasn't even just the mindless scroll that played to my lower tendencies, it was the need to keep track of so much. Between email, texting, comments to newsletters, and Insta/Twitter/etc messaging services, there was stuff – even stuff I cared about! – coming from SO MANY directions!
On Easter morning at 7:30, sitting in the back booth at the nearby corner cafe, I asked my waitress Ashley (25) if she had ever bitten the ears off a chocolate Easter rabbit. "Of course!" she laughed. And it was in that moment that I realized that... in my lifetime (b. 1947), almost all Americans have shared this chocolate communion, the ritualistic consumption of the body of Christ.
Damn, Chris! Even at your most irritable you are inspirational. As a onetime indie rock drummer turned middle aged bedroom guitar singer/songwriter, I loved your story of rock and passion. Makes wonder what if I’d been able to keep up with a rock band all these years...
Definitely echo the weirdness/disappointment about Substack. Sigh. Growth at any cost. A good friend has been deep in the mail art / zine subculture for years – perhaps those us of trying to escape the pain of social media will end up photocopying typewritten newsletters and mailing them to each other with cash tucked inside envelopes.
I was particularly irritable today, wasn't I? I've been trying not to be so much lately, but it's like The Game: just when you think you've freed yourself, it puuuuulls you back in.
If you’d like to keep writing your newsletter but get away from Substack, it is possible. A couple of years ago, two Substack writers that I follow decided to move away from Substack due to its platforming and promoting anti-trans bias. One of them moved to an app called Ghost, and the other moved to Buttondown. I don’t know the technical details, but both found the support to bring their subscribers along without any action on our part.
I played around with Buttondown some when Substack went TERF-y for a bit. It's very plain Jane in a way you might like. I ultimately just went back to my Wordpress blog with a plugin called Newsletter that was great. Sends out newsletters that also appear as blog posts. And all the content stays, in my case, in my self-hosted Wordpress CMS.
This is the second time I've heard of Ghost in the last week or so but I'd never heard of it prior. And this is the first I've heard of Buttondown. Interesting.
I was on Ghost before coming back to Substack. Pros and cons to each. I really loved Ghost in theory. And I really did love their customer support in practice. But Ghost cost some money, even if all your subscribers were free. It also required a lot of backend work and a little coding know-how. Which was endlessly frustrating as someone who just wanted to write. A huge benefit of Substack is that I can just click and publish. If I left Substack, I'd do something even simpler - like an actual email/newsletter service.
Thank you for putting something into words that I’ve been thinking and feeling for a long time (and it has nothing to do with Substack). Dancing fills me with joy. I’ve never done it professionally and at the ripe old age of 57 I never will. But I will continue to find ways to do it. Rock on!
Thanks for how you named the changes on this thing. I love the quiet of a non-endless feed -- I look if any of my writers have a piece, if they do, I read them, and when there’s no more, it’s done. I briefly felt like this was a harbor from the toxic waves of the attention economy, but it seems Mr Best wants to capitalize (literally) on twitters downfall. Not interested. I appreciate feeling the permission to opt out of the notes/chat stuff. I’m here to write and read writers and save my presence for more beautiful things.
I'd rather spend an hour reading three or four considered pieces from people I've chosen to interact with than that same hour scrolling through the random onslaught of an endless scrolling feed that leaves me feeling cross-eyed and irritated.
Which was exactly the attraction of this platform in the first place, if I recall …
1000 times out of 1000
You are absolutely a rock star, Chris! Never doubted it. (I had "Dickhead Mountain" on in the car when I picked my son up the other day and he said, "I didn't know [redacted name of class bully] had a song named after him." American Falcon lives forever.)
I want to dance with that guy. I'd forgotten that song existed.
Also the comment about a manager coming back from a conference with all sorts of ideas is *exactly* how I've been feeling. Just let me get my damn work done! The launch of Notes actually pushed me to delete the app. I was using it mostly to keep on top of comments but now it feels too much like all the other social media I tried to get away from.
The original inspiration for "Dickhead Mountain" was Kid Rock ... but I'm happy to see it associated with class bullies too.
This kid sadly has already collected two restraining orders, so … yeah.
👎🏽
"I’m not a musician, I just like to rock, and there’s not much else to say about it" is a line for the ages.
Whenever one of these new Substack features rolls out I give it a spin, almost immediately dislike where it leads me, and go back to writing and comments, because that's where I think we can still make some sort of meaning on this thing. As others have noted, even just the headline of this piece stands out in that sea of notifications. I'm grateful, as I'm always grateful for you, Chris .
I think that's it, isn't it? Finding the meaning. That's where it feels disconnected. When I looked at Notes yesterday, many people were clearly getting that "hi we're connected again!" feeling, but it was also so much about growth and getting more subscribers. But what is all that if we can't find meaning in it? Or if others can't find it in our work? Some people can do both, but not all of us (not me!).
I actually saw one person complain in Notes that the Substack newsletters he pays for often don't produce enough content and that Substack should do something about that. That's when I got a headache and went to Costco instead! Good grief, my dude. We all die someday. Let's try living in the meantime.
Truly, the NERVE. The nerve!
🤣
Just that he (of course) calls it "content" is all I need to know about this Philistine.
I'm grateful for you too, Annie!
Just a quick comment, because I don't want to overthink it, but I too am feeling swamped by this Twitter/Substack/Notes craziness and YOUR HEADLINE: When I read it, I felt like I could breathe again.
Swamped is a good analogy for it, yes.
There is no coincidence, I suppose, in the fact that you have that ‘reckoning of a storm’ quality about your writing, of course you do. You are a rock star!
⚡️❤️⚡️
This is all beginning to make sense ...✨
Exactly!
What a great description!
Ha, I am an early fan of the Black Keys but I love the new stuff. "Lonely Boy" is a constant soundtrack in my life. As for Notes, I'm on it. I am isolated from friends and I need to talk to people. I tried Reddit and it's just as toxic as everywhere else. Notes won't last long, I'm sure. But I'll take joy where I can. I get it on walks and bike rides without my phone, and sometimes I get it online.
I hope it delivers the goods for you. I've been on a run of five hours or so a week with friends lately and that's giving me all the social interaction I need.
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve only been writing here a few months and my heart sank when the notes started popping up - it makes me want to run for the hills! I’ve turned off all notifications, so hopefully that helps.
I unfortunately, did experience indoctrination 😬 but this is the first year I participated in ZERO religious services of any kind. My kids played outside all weekend, we grilled, painted rocks, and ate lots of chocolate. I loved reading recently that easter is always the Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox! The festivities may not be on the equinox, but they’re pagan af.
My big problem with notifications – which they seem to have fixed so they can be turned off – is that the abundance often buried notifications of replies I DO care about. I hate it when I miss replies to my newsletters; I do care about that stuff and it's hard enough to keep up as it is.
Just days ago I started using substack and published for the first time ever. I felt so proud and like I found a treasure, a hidden place in the world, (again, just days ago) - only to wake up to Notes.. I felt like running away and not even try anymore. It felt too close to what I’m leaving behind - anyways, you described the feeling perfectly.. it’s giving me back the hope that made me start in the first place. I know I will stay, but I do hope writers like you pop up the most on my feed too. 🤗
It really does feel EXACTLY what I've left behind, something I'm so much better for doing. I'm sure the furor will subside, let's just hope they don't devote an abundance of resources to moving in that direction.
Same 😫
✊🏽
I have mixed feelings about Notes. It DOES make it rather noisy around here and I’ve also discovered a few great writers that I probably would have never found had it not been for Notes. Conundrum!!!!
💯 on the capitalistic quantifiers of “success”. I couldn’t agree more. I am a much happier human when I choose to define my personal success on my terms.
"I am a much happier human when I choose to define my personal success on my terms."
Me too!
One of the things I've liked about Substack is feeling some sense of community with the followers of particular newsletters because voices were all in one space. Now those communities are being fractured, some folks are still in the comments, some have mostly migrated to chat, and I don't even know (and don't want to know) what this Notes thing is. I'm exhausted by how many places my attention is supposed to be at once. I've given up even trying, come what may. I recently started an in person poetry writing class, 8 people around a table one evening a week, no phones, everyone is handwriting in a notebook. We read aloud, admire each others' work, laugh together. It's helping me push back against the notion that I have to "do" anything with my writing other than enjoy it for whatever it wants to be at the moment. I appreciate the message reinforcing that there is value in that.
"I'm exhausted by how many places my attention is supposed to be at once."
This is the crux of it right here for me. When I had social media accounts, it wasn't even just the mindless scroll that played to my lower tendencies, it was the need to keep track of so much. Between email, texting, comments to newsletters, and Insta/Twitter/etc messaging services, there was stuff – even stuff I cared about! – coming from SO MANY directions!
On Easter morning at 7:30, sitting in the back booth at the nearby corner cafe, I asked my waitress Ashley (25) if she had ever bitten the ears off a chocolate Easter rabbit. "Of course!" she laughed. And it was in that moment that I realized that... in my lifetime (b. 1947), almost all Americans have shared this chocolate communion, the ritualistic consumption of the body of Christ.
You're right! So great.... 😂
Damn, Chris! Even at your most irritable you are inspirational. As a onetime indie rock drummer turned middle aged bedroom guitar singer/songwriter, I loved your story of rock and passion. Makes wonder what if I’d been able to keep up with a rock band all these years...
Definitely echo the weirdness/disappointment about Substack. Sigh. Growth at any cost. A good friend has been deep in the mail art / zine subculture for years – perhaps those us of trying to escape the pain of social media will end up photocopying typewritten newsletters and mailing them to each other with cash tucked inside envelopes.
I was particularly irritable today, wasn't I? I've been trying not to be so much lately, but it's like The Game: just when you think you've freed yourself, it puuuuulls you back in.
Chris, your irritability makes me chuckle, something I don’t do much these days. Don’t stop being you. Please.
Just a great fucking piece of writing about rocking!
Thanks, Maddie. Rocking is important.
Thank you for putting to words what I've been feeling about the recent "upgrades" here too.
✊🏽
If you’d like to keep writing your newsletter but get away from Substack, it is possible. A couple of years ago, two Substack writers that I follow decided to move away from Substack due to its platforming and promoting anti-trans bias. One of them moved to an app called Ghost, and the other moved to Buttondown. I don’t know the technical details, but both found the support to bring their subscribers along without any action on our part.
https://buttondown.email/
https://ghost.org/
Tbh, the description at Buttondown sounds more like you.
I played around with Buttondown some when Substack went TERF-y for a bit. It's very plain Jane in a way you might like. I ultimately just went back to my Wordpress blog with a plugin called Newsletter that was great. Sends out newsletters that also appear as blog posts. And all the content stays, in my case, in my self-hosted Wordpress CMS.
This is the second time I've heard of Ghost in the last week or so but I'd never heard of it prior. And this is the first I've heard of Buttondown. Interesting.
I was on Ghost before coming back to Substack. Pros and cons to each. I really loved Ghost in theory. And I really did love their customer support in practice. But Ghost cost some money, even if all your subscribers were free. It also required a lot of backend work and a little coding know-how. Which was endlessly frustrating as someone who just wanted to write. A huge benefit of Substack is that I can just click and publish. If I left Substack, I'd do something even simpler - like an actual email/newsletter service.
Yes, the old school email/newsletter thing sounds better and better to me too. We'll see. I'm just not that keen on starting over somewhere else.
Same.
Thank you for putting something into words that I’ve been thinking and feeling for a long time (and it has nothing to do with Substack). Dancing fills me with joy. I’ve never done it professionally and at the ripe old age of 57 I never will. But I will continue to find ways to do it. Rock on!
Keep finding ways!