Substack
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Substack is a silo for publishing blog posts with a newsletter feature that allows authors to charge for subscriptions.
Features
- blog posts
- podcasts
- email newsletter publishing
- paid tier
- feed reader (supports RSS)
- chat
IndieWeb support
Tracy Durnell suggested adding Webmention support via Substack comment on the Substack newsletter/ blog "On Substack" on 2022 Dec 27
RSS Subscriptions
Substack publications have advertised RSS feeds at /feed
. Example:
Criticism
Funds transphobia
2021-03-21 : In Queers We Trust. All Others Pay Cash. (archived)
Lack of accountability
- “So Substack has an editorial policy, but no accountability. And they have terms of service, but no enforcement. … It’s the usual Silicon Valley sleight-of-hand move, very similar to Uber reps claiming drivers aren’t “core” to their business.” https://thehypothesis.substack.com/p/heres-why-substacks-scam-worked-so
Many trackers by default
- https://twitter.com/jakobsohn/status/1404889520332488708
- "Ironically, quite a few google and optimizely trackers on your blog. Likely unintentional as they're quite difficult to avoid using any commercial service but if substack isn't paying you, consider moving elsewhere? And if they are, maybe a post explaining what's being collected." @jakobsohn June 15, 2021
Articles
- 2020 Winter: CJR: The Substackerati
- 2021-04-11 NYT: Why We’re Freaking Out About Substack
Quits
- 2021-03-15 : s09e08: Wear a mask. It’ll change your life. (archived)
I’ll be moving this newsletter away from Substack soon and closing my account
- Moved to own domain and Buttondown for sending the newsletter
- 2021-03-18 : s09e09: A New Hope (archived)
- 2023-08-13 : Bye, Substack 🖤 (archived)
I’ve also been kind of reluctant to let so much of my content live somewhere other than on my website. It doesn’t matter that Substack is a great platform, and that I can move my content off it whenever I want. It doesn’t matter that I can monetize my content here. It’s still not my platform, and I have no control over the rollout of new features, visual changes, monetization policies, etc. Some people have complained to me that I’m being too pushy trying to get them to pay for a subscription. Well, it’s not me doing the pushing, it’s Substack. It’s all automated and beyond my control. And ultimately, what matters the most to me in my business in control and autonomy.
See Also
- newsletter
- business model
- criticism: new Notes feature and moderation challenges/neglect (CW racism or support thereof) https://www.theverge.com/23681875/substack-notes-twitter-elon-musk-content-moderation-free-speech
- Criticism: will it last? Thread: https://xoxo.zone/@mathowie/111020301146427089
- "I hate it when you follow a link to a really great blog post and you're two paragraphs in thinking oh my god this is really good but then a modal popup window from substack asks you to subscribe to this newsletter and you have to hit "continue reading" to finish and then you wonder if this great blog entry will last on someone else's service that may not be around in a few years" @mathowie September 6, 2023
- https://xoxo.zone/@mathowie/111020320007737221
- "I love that newsletters are getting people writing freely again, but there's so much great writing trapped behind the walls of substack and their shady CEO, I'd warn a friend if they were pouring their heart into say, Pinterest boards, that there are better more permanent places to host your stuff for the long term!" @mathowie September 6, 2023