Notes, Chats, & a new meetup date

Ways to connect using Substack

If you are having doubts about using social media that enriches Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and their ilk, you might consider ways to use Substack. It’s a different system and takes some navigating, so I thought I’d send a note about using Notes, and also links to two Chat threads I’ve sent up. These points are relevant to any of the newsletters you subscribe to.

Chats

The Chat things aren’t for 1:1 talk, but more like an online forum. I would love to hear your thoughts about third places and social life. That’s Chat #1: Third Places.

The second is a revival of a popular forum we ran at Berkshire Publishing in 2006 called LoveUSHateUS.com. We had comments from all over the world, and even got hacked by some with an anti-American message - which showed that they didn’t understand the point of the site. You can read about the original project , or go to Chat #2: LoveUSHateUS?

No rush, either: these will stay up for a while. I’ll check in, add some things, and comment, but it’s very relaxed. Kind of like a chalkboard where you can write suggestions or favorite quotations. Your comments can be as long as you like and you can add photos and videos.

Notes

Every Substack has a Chat for its subscribers (not always enabled - I’ve just started and it is only now visible).

Notes are different: they appear become part of your own profile. To get to Notes, you simply go to your own account. Any Substack user — that’s you — can post text, links, photos, and quotes as Notes. You can also share or "restack" posts from Substack to your Notes feed.

There’s no word limit (at least not one I’ve ever hit) and you can style text (bold or italics), which you’d have to pay for at Twitter/X. And unlike Twitter/X, Substack Notes are not algorithm- or advert- or Musk-driven. You mainly see content from people you follow and publications you subscribe to. You can follow people on Notes without subscribing to their newsletter.

I’ve left Twitter/X and use Facebook etc rarely and reluctantly, so I am beginning to use Notes (link is in the menu above). But - warning you! - my Notes feed will now have more about trains, since I’m working off some of my anger about politics by writing/podcasting about the mess that is US infrastructure.

Teams meetups

The next meetup - call it what you will: salon, conversazione, or third-place wannabe - will be held on Microsoft Teams, 10am Eastern Time on Wednesday 5 February. Paid subscribers will receive the link by email. If you are not a paid subscriber but want to join in, simply send me an email (clicking Reply should work).

I understand that paid subscriptions are often too much for the budget. This is the weakness of Substack: the idea that we should be willing (and able) to subscribe to everyone we like to read. People started newspapers and magazines because it’s efficient to pool a lot of good writers with varied expertise.¹But in our fragmented world, that’s no longer working the way it used to and Substack is the best option available. I’m happy to have free subscribers (who are the vast majority of my subscribers, in any case) and hope you feel truly welcome.

1. I would love to develop a multi-authored publication. But as a publisher, I know that brings a lot of complexity and cost. For even a couple of compatible writers, one needs someone to do admin and scheduling, not to mention editing.