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I’m horrified by the restacking comments thing. Maia Toll just said she saw her comment on my piece, showing up in her Notes. What??! How?? Can someone come into my comment section, take her comment and repost it?? As it goes, it was a lovely comment but that’s not the point. Where is the privacy? Where are the boundaries?

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I give you credit for your investigation. So many of the opportunities Substack sends us go in one folder and never get looked at again. You pick up everything and examine it in detail and I appreciate that! You've explained it for me in a way I didn't get when I scanned quickly through their offering and filed it where I question if I'll ever look at it again.

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Apr 14, 2023Liked by Ramona Grigg

There are a lot of things I like about Substack, and there are several writers here I read (like you!), but I'm not a Substack Notes fan. It's mostly because I'm not a social media fan, and this seems like social media to me. I wrote about Notes here (and I hope you don't mind a "why I'm not using Notes" link on your post about Notes!):

https://sassone.wordpress.com/2023/04/11/substack-notes-looks-great-im-never-using-it/

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You have some interesting thoughts on the Notes feature, Ramona. Many of which I agree with.

I straddle the middle of the road, I admire people's writing of quality, and I wish I could support all the writers whose thoughts and content I find interesting, but my budget just doesn't support my wants.

As a writer, I approach notes for my Substacks (Brace Yourself & Fantastical Fiction), not so much as a form of social media, but a place where I can make recommendations and share shorter pieces of content that don't lend themselves easily to being whole posts. Time will tell if the feature will be such a thing for me. I guess we'll see.

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I looked at it once, but I'm not sure if/when I'll go back. I joined Substack to read people's poems & essays (and write my own), not Twitteresque snippets.

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I joined Notes but have concerns and plan to take it slowly. I don't feel comfortable offering the option to all my subscribers - many are not in the SS network. For now, I am going to post in Notes without notifying anyone. If they are read fine and if not fine. I am in the FaceBook SS group - and it reminds me of that format. My primary focus is writing and I want to honor the subscribers I have with the format they seem to appreciate. As Journalisa said, it will go into a folder of "maybes" because it takes time to figure them out and use them with integrity. So, I will be interested in what others have to say.

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I tried a NOTE yesterday which you kindly read, Ramona, but I also wonder whether this is just taking us down the Twitter path...I want to figure out a Substack schedule for myself so it isn't the time suck that other SM have proven to be. Now that I've pretty much cured myself of checking out FB and IG too often, I don't want to fall down this rabbit hole. That said, I do appreciate the writing community quality of Substack...

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I easily get overwhelmed and struggle mightily with social media. I appreciate Substack's innovations but I fear I'll feel the pressure of trying to keep up with it. Of course, that's just my personal issue clouding my vision.

Thank you for saying you appreciate our work for its integrity and not its popularity or ability or lack thereof to generate income.

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I hear you. I feel mixed as well. Notes is nice, and I’m using it, but I do worry it’ll morph into something more Twitter-like. We’re playing with fire here a little bit. Substack in my opinion is the best thing we’ve got right now for serious, ambitious writers who want to connect directly with readers. We should be very careful. And by ‘we’ I mean the platform.

Michael Mohr

‘Sincere American Writing’

https://michaelmohr.substack.com/

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Thoughtful. I think many of us on this platform are looking at the expanded features with a bit of apprehension. I have already decided (and acted) on my dislike of writers using notes to boast about subscriptions by unsubscribing from their newsletters. Those are thoughts you should share with your dog on a walk and no one else. It’s what people used to call “gauche”. I am enjoying posting shorter items to notes, but I will likely never repost someone else. Reposting might sound like sharing something interesting, but in my experience it is the death of context and thus nothing but an echo chamber.

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Hi Sarah, I like that distinction.

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With you.

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my very first comment. i have been trying to use substack. I am a new writer, but have been trying for a long time during my life. I am older now and I do want a passive source of income, but...

but i cant help it; I write because i want to write not cuz i will make money (maybe i am a fool). I am deeply suspicious of changes in a platform because these are often movitated by money.

I hate facebook and twitter and have never used either. i too want substack to become the or a replacement. I too want a community. I live in Southern Humboldt in northern California and I know the power and joy of community. I would put my money there every time. And, in the end, this is about us, how we "serve" (in the best tao way) each other. If substack gets in the way, then I am gone. In a brutal way, we do not serve substack, substack serves us. i will keep trying; what else can we do? anyway.... :) steve

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I find Notes overwhelming!

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Update: Ask and ye shall receive: I posted a note on our concerns about restacking comments and I got a note from Nick at Substack letting me know they've scrapped the plan as of immediately!

I can't say enough about the crew here at Substack. Every time I've ever needed them they've come through! Yay!

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Not sure about Notes.

As I'm an enthusiastic Instagrammer, I'm not sure it won't just be repetitive.

I would love to build my subscriptions on Substack as I find everyone who is brave enough to comment on my account becomes someone with whom I want to engage on a regular basis. Substack does indeed have the capacity to draw kindred spirits together - iron filings and magnets comes to mind. But is it Notes vs Instagram?

As I say - not sure...

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