Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Substack Is Setting Writers Up For A Twitter-Style Implosion

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

An increasing number of education writers are setting up on Substack - just as Substack is about to tank. "The Wrap details how Substack's decision to implement a new 'follow' feature...  Jeanna Kadlec wrote on Threads. 'Every writer I know is seeing our subscriptions plummet as our 'follower' count rises.'" The problem is that while subscribers sign up to an email list, followers have to stay on the Substack site to read content. Also, a subscriber list is portable, while a Substack follower list is not even visible to authors, let alone portable. It's all about making it difficult for writers to move (in the business world this is called 'lock in'). But once writers can't move, the squeeze begins... Via Dan Gillmor.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
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Last Updated: Dec 12, 2024 09:56 a.m.

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