Thanks for the fabulous analysis. I'm having a complicated reaction to the Notes thing too. The first few days felt great. But then the whole 'my opinion is right and yours is wrong' thing seemed to have kicked in, which is unawesome.
I've enjoyed reading and chatting to you in a bunch of different comments sections. I like how you think and hope you find a way to navigate it all in a way that works for you.
The brain stuff was fascinating. All the best to you and yours.
Mark, I had a chance to go to Walden Pond in Massachusetts last year. Thoreau cleared his mind by going to the woods for a time. In your sabbatical I hope you find that type of clarity. I looked forward to what you had to say in your Substack writings. You have great ideas to share so please keep perusing your place in this world.
I hope when you return you will find a newer better Substack. Notes to me is a low rent Twitter. That said, it can be useful in terms of gaining new subscribers, having positive interactions with fellow writers and discovering new stackers. I’ve only been here since Feb. Ask me again in a year. 😉 All the best to you.
Thank you for this, which touches on some things I, too, have been struggling with since the Reign Of Notes began. I loathe an activity feed. Best wishes to you in your thinking and writing.
Replying to Sea who posted to Notes. Consistent with my POV that Notes is dilution, here is Sea's comment which I thought to be great and thoughtful:
I agree. It is a “red flag.” With the introduction of “notes,“ I feel I’m treading a well worn path. I’ve had to turn off my notifications just to think. I said I would post 52 original songs over the same amount of weeks, so I will keep my promise. But, in the short time I’ve been with Substack, they’ve added “chat,” and now “notes.” These changes are worrying, as it pushes more and more writers towards “paid subscriptions only” to silence the beast, which, I feel, is the intent of the founders.
In a perfect world they might veer back towards more personal interactions, but going back…?
Once again, I feel like an old timer, in wish of a pencil, paper, and the taste of a stamp. I need a walk to my mailbox; it is there I’ll raise the only “red flag” I KNOW someone will notice.
Oof, to end on Jim Morrison! And that song. What a lot of memories it evokes.
As I think I said in an email, I'll miss your responses but am actually grateful that you're engaging in this experiment for the rest of our sakes. "The decisions of the Substack founders and the behavior of the users and most importantly the CONSCIOUS CHANGES leadership enforces in the algorithm will dictate what sort of place Substack will become." I agree with this. I am using a lot of extra energy even avoiding looking at Notes, but its existence and integration still affects me and what I write and how. We're all interdependent in this world.
Thanks for the fabulous analysis. I'm having a complicated reaction to the Notes thing too. The first few days felt great. But then the whole 'my opinion is right and yours is wrong' thing seemed to have kicked in, which is unawesome.
I've enjoyed reading and chatting to you in a bunch of different comments sections. I like how you think and hope you find a way to navigate it all in a way that works for you.
The brain stuff was fascinating. All the best to you and yours.
Mark, I had a chance to go to Walden Pond in Massachusetts last year. Thoreau cleared his mind by going to the woods for a time. In your sabbatical I hope you find that type of clarity. I looked forward to what you had to say in your Substack writings. You have great ideas to share so please keep perusing your place in this world.
I hope when you return you will find a newer better Substack. Notes to me is a low rent Twitter. That said, it can be useful in terms of gaining new subscribers, having positive interactions with fellow writers and discovering new stackers. I’ve only been here since Feb. Ask me again in a year. 😉 All the best to you.
Thank you for this, which touches on some things I, too, have been struggling with since the Reign Of Notes began. I loathe an activity feed. Best wishes to you in your thinking and writing.
Replying to Sea who posted to Notes. Consistent with my POV that Notes is dilution, here is Sea's comment which I thought to be great and thoughtful:
I agree. It is a “red flag.” With the introduction of “notes,“ I feel I’m treading a well worn path. I’ve had to turn off my notifications just to think. I said I would post 52 original songs over the same amount of weeks, so I will keep my promise. But, in the short time I’ve been with Substack, they’ve added “chat,” and now “notes.” These changes are worrying, as it pushes more and more writers towards “paid subscriptions only” to silence the beast, which, I feel, is the intent of the founders.
In a perfect world they might veer back towards more personal interactions, but going back…?
Once again, I feel like an old timer, in wish of a pencil, paper, and the taste of a stamp. I need a walk to my mailbox; it is there I’ll raise the only “red flag” I KNOW someone will notice.
Oof, to end on Jim Morrison! And that song. What a lot of memories it evokes.
As I think I said in an email, I'll miss your responses but am actually grateful that you're engaging in this experiment for the rest of our sakes. "The decisions of the Substack founders and the behavior of the users and most importantly the CONSCIOUS CHANGES leadership enforces in the algorithm will dictate what sort of place Substack will become." I agree with this. I am using a lot of extra energy even avoiding looking at Notes, but its existence and integration still affects me and what I write and how. We're all interdependent in this world.
Keep in touch now and then!
Mark! I love your reflections on how different platforms are based on lizard brain vs front brain.
I will miss you on Substack and am hoping for your return. :)
I'll miss you. Take care. Hope to see you around...
Of course, I hope you’ll stay, but I completely understand your decision. I’m still sorting out how I feel about Notes.