substack
A pressing need
It’s a very cool world we’re living in right now, I think you’ll agree. At this point, I’m consuming so much well-sourced, well-reported news about Epstein, Bannon, Mandelson, Peter Thiel, AI, and the general enshittification of our democracies and the planet at large that I actually found myself staring at my phone, wondering, ‘Is this what people feel like when they fall down a QAnon or anti-vaxx wormhole? Am I falling for the same shit, but a different flavour?’
The Value Of A Promise
When you hear a company like Substack or Canva make a promise, you may get pretty cynical that they’re going to keep it. Honestly, I get that.
Barely Minimum
Substack favors the quick fix for its moderation crisis over the fundamental change, leaving a lot of longtime users in the lurch.
The Open Letter Still Works
Our final year-end Tedium award honors an open letter that hopefully encourages more creator-economy activism in 2024.
The Whole Stack
Substack got an unexpected wave of momentum last week that threatens to upend the game for people who just want email to be email. What should indie newsletter publishers think of that?
The Central Question
What is the difference between centralization and decentralization, and what should you know? I was asked this question recently; here’s my attempt to answer.
Newsletter, Untethered
There’s no real reason you have to use a platform like Substack to send email. If you want to get into making a newsletter of your own, understand your options.
Big Email Energy
Why your favorite email newsletter (not Tedium) always gets cut off by your favorite webmail client. (It may be all the tracking stuff in the links!)
No Room for Design
Of the many things that social platforms have taken away from us, perhaps the most disappointing is the freedom to customize our spaces. We need it back.