I've read some fantastic articles on Substack, and I'm happy that the writers I like are doing well on the platform. But, I have to admit that I kind of hate how everyone abandoned their blogs. A well-done blog is more personal and personalized--it's like visiting a unique house with character, whereas Substack feels like a giant apartme…
I've read some fantastic articles on Substack, and I'm happy that the writers I like are doing well on the platform. But, I have to admit that I kind of hate how everyone abandoned their blogs. A well-done blog is more personal and personalized--it's like visiting a unique house with character, whereas Substack feels like a giant apartment complex or a new-build neighbourhood of cookie-cutter houses. Granted, some blogs are almost unreadable due to ads and popups and inserts, but I personally tend to be a one-time visitor to sites like that, and I'm sure that's not uncommon!
I wish there was a way for the people who want to stay on their own property (blog) to still be able to get their message out and reach people. Substack seems to be truly helpful in connecting writers to an audience. Traditional bloggers, on the other hand, seem to be throttled at every turn: social media platforms lock down outbound links and keep people scrolling on-platform. Google favours big brands and legacy media who abuse their domain authority to scoop up topics and keywords that are completely off-brand for them. And most of the Substack writers I follow, who are generous with their links, almost always just link to other Substackers!
I just don't think Substack is the end-all, be-all for indie creators. Definitely helpful for some, but what about the people who don't want to climb in the sandbox?
Agreed, even though Substack is a blogging platform with a few added benefits, pretty much. And a uniform layout that makes me feel like one URL is the same as the next, even though no two are alike.
When I was a kid, books and films like The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit were a thing (corporate drones). Then there was sociologist David Reisman's book, The Lonely Crowd. And other books, TV shows - and movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers - that riffed on many of the same themes. Am a couple of years older than TG and a fair bit younger than many who comment here. I wonder if any of you see these topics being recycled in the kinds of dystopian narratives common today?
If Big Tech is the bad guy, then let's talk about the impact it's having in Washington. I'm much more concerned about DNA databases (of immigrant and migrant farmworkers' kids) and security networks by the likes of Palantir. Oh and - traffic cam footage being used to track women suspected of having abortions. All three things have made headlines (The Guardian's US edition, the NYT) within the past 24 hours.
I've read some fantastic articles on Substack, and I'm happy that the writers I like are doing well on the platform. But, I have to admit that I kind of hate how everyone abandoned their blogs. A well-done blog is more personal and personalized--it's like visiting a unique house with character, whereas Substack feels like a giant apartment complex or a new-build neighbourhood of cookie-cutter houses. Granted, some blogs are almost unreadable due to ads and popups and inserts, but I personally tend to be a one-time visitor to sites like that, and I'm sure that's not uncommon!
I wish there was a way for the people who want to stay on their own property (blog) to still be able to get their message out and reach people. Substack seems to be truly helpful in connecting writers to an audience. Traditional bloggers, on the other hand, seem to be throttled at every turn: social media platforms lock down outbound links and keep people scrolling on-platform. Google favours big brands and legacy media who abuse their domain authority to scoop up topics and keywords that are completely off-brand for them. And most of the Substack writers I follow, who are generous with their links, almost always just link to other Substackers!
I just don't think Substack is the end-all, be-all for indie creators. Definitely helpful for some, but what about the people who don't want to climb in the sandbox?
Agreed, even though Substack is a blogging platform with a few added benefits, pretty much. And a uniform layout that makes me feel like one URL is the same as the next, even though no two are alike.
When I was a kid, books and films like The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit were a thing (corporate drones). Then there was sociologist David Reisman's book, The Lonely Crowd. And other books, TV shows - and movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers - that riffed on many of the same themes. Am a couple of years older than TG and a fair bit younger than many who comment here. I wonder if any of you see these topics being recycled in the kinds of dystopian narratives common today?
If Big Tech is the bad guy, then let's talk about the impact it's having in Washington. I'm much more concerned about DNA databases (of immigrant and migrant farmworkers' kids) and security networks by the likes of Palantir. Oh and - traffic cam footage being used to track women suspected of having abortions. All three things have made headlines (The Guardian's US edition, the NYT) within the past 24 hours.
The Guardian and the NYT? Not exactly harbingers of truth.
Link to DNA database piece:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/31/cbp-dna-collection-children-immigrants
Good points 👌. Can i translate this note into Spanish with links to you?
You can translate part of this article (up to 500 words) with my permission. But I am not licensing the translation of entire articles right now.
Many thanks, Ted. We did an "article review" of your excelent post in the Substack Journal (a free initiative to promote publications in Substack):
https://columnas.substack.com/p/substacks-ha-cambiado-en-los-ultimos
David, sure (if you were asking me...not sure if I'm following where the nested comments go on Substack!)
Thanks