I'd love to support the worthy substacks fighting for our rights, but I can't for two reasons: 1. I'm unemployed so money is tight, and 2. even if I had a job right now, I live in a country where the government can, and does, freeze bank accounts for donating to what they deem an unacceptable cause (honk, honk, Canadian truckers).
Claudia, I certainly understand your position! As I've stated I'm never owed anyone's money so I try not to operate under the notion that I publish X, therefore expect Y in return since that would be very damaging to the psyche. I think Substack loosely may not be an issue, however I can understand that the given circumstances may make on hesitant if there's concerns there may be some tracing back from "naughty" activity.
Regardless, likes and comments are always helpful as well Claudia, and don't ever feel pressured to make support or donations! All the best to you!
It's understandable that these are difficult times, and I certainly can't hunt down people to force them to pay- that would cost too much anyways! 😉
But seriously, like I said I would hope people take care of themselves first before trying to support others. As long as others are in a financially sound position first then that's what's important. Given all the firings over the mandates and the increasing inflation I can understand the personal predicament everyone is in.
I don't have specific substacks to recommend, but I did want to comment that I dislike the trend of copying someone's entire post inside of their own, especially without permission. Even if they state the name of the author, I think it more appropriate to link to that person's post. This would accomplish a few things: lead the reader to the author's substack for which they may explore further and even subscribe, mislead readers who may have missed the name of the actual author that I have even seen provided at the bottom of a post before, and it also takes away from the stats of the original author in assessing their reach and readership.
That's interesting Lee. I think I may have noticed one incident of such a thing recently however I would hope it's not extremely pervasive. I do know there are a handful of Substacks that appear to just copy and paste verbatim someone else's post with a little note at the top of the original author's work which I find very troubling, especially when these people's Substacks are comprised entirely of copying and pasting other people's work.
I'm not sure exactly how to tackle it. I do hope that writers encourage people to use their work, but there's a difference between linking and using an excerpt or just taking the entire work.
I'll personally say that I try to cite everyone who's work I draw from, including comments from people who provide some insight or something worth researching further. However, if you feel that I may be committing the same issue please don't hesitate to make a comment about that concern. Hopefully this doesn't become a huge trend among writers since that takes away from the intentions of Substack.
I don't think I've seen it here before, but it's becoming more and more common.
If a person gives permission, I guess it's fine, but as a reader I prefer a link to the original post because I often glean just as much from the comments as the post. By linking to the original source, relevant comments are more likely to be found in one place. I also agree some commentary with new thoughts are appreciated. I usually provide my response to the post since it can be hard to find.
I think many people try to make an earnest attempt in linking people's work. However, they may only use a hyperlink rather than Substack's feature of embedding the post in that special way, so unless it sticks out many readers may not notice it. It's generally true that readers don't click links so I can see them missing it while perusing.
And yourself as well Peter! Don't sell your Substack short! I need to learn more about economics especially with the rising price of everything so it's nice to get a quick look at things going on in the financial world.
Well I think aside from COVID a lot of people are trying to find their niche to put it one way, so I think it's nice to see people diversify and try to find their legs online! And I think it helps that many people may not want to read about COVID only.
Also, I still have to remember to read A Hitchhiker's Guide so I'll need to remember to put that on my list!
I’ve thought about this for some time. I subscribe to about 20 substacks but can pay for only 4-5 at a time, so I rotate once in awhile. It would be great if substack created an alternative funding mechanism, e.g., a reader could also have a flex account from which funds are distributed monthly based on time or as directed. I wouldn’t replace the current model, but I wouldn’t mind being able to throw some money around, so to speak -- a few dollars here, a few there, just to lend support and show appreciation. Pass it on.
I think the go-around people have leaned more towards is to use places such as ko-fi which allows people to contribute any value they want to the people they enjoy. So even as little as a dollar or two can be donated to people you enjoy. However, I think it would be an interesting idea in which when someone renews sitewide subscriptions that Substack allows you to pick and choose from your list of all subscribers, almost like a little Substack shopping cart for the coming month. Not sure how Substack does it now but that would be an interesting way to organize it.
There's a few issues with how Substack organizes their subscription layout. I personally don't like that the first option is a monthly subscription. It can sometimes feel like Substack is hoping that people accidentally click on a monthly subscription, although I don't know why they organized their layout the way they do.
It tends to default to yearly, but I choose monthly, which is a little more expensive, but it gives the flexibility to change subscriptions. I'll keep an eye out for the alternative funding mechanisms offered by writers.
John, I have written to substack asking for something similar to your thoughts. I would like to set up a budget say $50/mo. Then, for each article I read some reasonable amount is given to the author. I have many interests and it is impossible for me to subscribe to so many. I can (at least for now) $50/month. I would love to support so many great authors out there. BTW, substack never got back to me.
I think many of Substack's employees respond to their comment sessions that they routinely put out. I think they seem to be receptive there but I haven't actually spent time in trying to reach out there. I commented to John about having a "shopping cart" feature for renewing subscriptions, but I think your comment is more towards donating a dollar or two towards an author based on an article they put out. I think ko-fi may work for that, although I also understand that people don't want to go through multiple payment processors.
I've been trying to figure out which substacks to subscribe to, given that my hubby is finally back to work, and we're back on our feet. I was gifted a subscription last year, and I will certainly be supporting that substack in future. I've subscribed to yours, as you make some very valid points. I honestly am overwhelmed deciding. Like other commenters here, I've also wished there was a different model. Some days, I don't have time to do much more than skim articles, as I'm in my busy season at work. I also understand some bigger substacks don't need my support as much as others. I also don't want to mooch! I've been thinking of subscribing to Jessica Rose's substack. She's a fellow Canadian. Any other ideas? I can subscribe to about 5 - U.S. dollar is still much stronger than our Canadian dollar!
Well first off I'm glad your family is doing better! It's always good to take care of yourself first so it's good to hear that you two are in a better place.
To be honest it can be overwhelming. It's different in being a regular subscriber and deciding who to financially support.
As I said above many Substacks have a ko-fi link which allows you to donate fewer than the monthly amount that they may ask on Substack, such as a dollar or two. That's a way to help stretch the support some more if that is to your liking. It can also help if you come across an article you really like and want to provide support for that one article. Many people would like any support someone can offer and most writers are trying to find different methods, but this is an interesting idea to have a more a la carte approach to articles as well.
So I didn't want to include anyone in particular, but a few that I read occasionally is Stephanie Brail who sometimes writes about COVID or anything really on her mind:
Brian Mowrey of Unglossed writes very technically about aspects of COVID, and he's been someone who reminds me that I need to read the Methods section more than I actually do:
But certainly there are a ton out there so it's hard to really choose who to support, but remember that even liking or sharing people's work can help as well!
I'd love to support the worthy substacks fighting for our rights, but I can't for two reasons: 1. I'm unemployed so money is tight, and 2. even if I had a job right now, I live in a country where the government can, and does, freeze bank accounts for donating to what they deem an unacceptable cause (honk, honk, Canadian truckers).
You do have my sincere thanks, though!!!
Claudia, I certainly understand your position! As I've stated I'm never owed anyone's money so I try not to operate under the notion that I publish X, therefore expect Y in return since that would be very damaging to the psyche. I think Substack loosely may not be an issue, however I can understand that the given circumstances may make on hesitant if there's concerns there may be some tracing back from "naughty" activity.
Regardless, likes and comments are always helpful as well Claudia, and don't ever feel pressured to make support or donations! All the best to you!
Aw, thanks for being so understanding!
It's understandable that these are difficult times, and I certainly can't hunt down people to force them to pay- that would cost too much anyways! 😉
But seriously, like I said I would hope people take care of themselves first before trying to support others. As long as others are in a financially sound position first then that's what's important. Given all the firings over the mandates and the increasing inflation I can understand the personal predicament everyone is in.
Hoooonnnnnkkkk!
I don't have specific substacks to recommend, but I did want to comment that I dislike the trend of copying someone's entire post inside of their own, especially without permission. Even if they state the name of the author, I think it more appropriate to link to that person's post. This would accomplish a few things: lead the reader to the author's substack for which they may explore further and even subscribe, mislead readers who may have missed the name of the actual author that I have even seen provided at the bottom of a post before, and it also takes away from the stats of the original author in assessing their reach and readership.
That's interesting Lee. I think I may have noticed one incident of such a thing recently however I would hope it's not extremely pervasive. I do know there are a handful of Substacks that appear to just copy and paste verbatim someone else's post with a little note at the top of the original author's work which I find very troubling, especially when these people's Substacks are comprised entirely of copying and pasting other people's work.
I'm not sure exactly how to tackle it. I do hope that writers encourage people to use their work, but there's a difference between linking and using an excerpt or just taking the entire work.
I'll personally say that I try to cite everyone who's work I draw from, including comments from people who provide some insight or something worth researching further. However, if you feel that I may be committing the same issue please don't hesitate to make a comment about that concern. Hopefully this doesn't become a huge trend among writers since that takes away from the intentions of Substack.
I don't think I've seen it here before, but it's becoming more and more common.
If a person gives permission, I guess it's fine, but as a reader I prefer a link to the original post because I often glean just as much from the comments as the post. By linking to the original source, relevant comments are more likely to be found in one place. I also agree some commentary with new thoughts are appreciated. I usually provide my response to the post since it can be hard to find.
I think many people try to make an earnest attempt in linking people's work. However, they may only use a hyperlink rather than Substack's feature of embedding the post in that special way, so unless it sticks out many readers may not notice it. It's generally true that readers don't click links so I can see them missing it while perusing.
In addition to your excellent Substack, one that's well worth everyone's attention, in my opinion, is Stephanie Brail's Wholistic.
https://wholistic.substack.com/
She's one I always make time to read.
And yourself as well Peter! Don't sell your Substack short! I need to learn more about economics especially with the rising price of everything so it's nice to get a quick look at things going on in the financial world.
High praise indeed. Thank you!
Well I think aside from COVID a lot of people are trying to find their niche to put it one way, so I think it's nice to see people diversify and try to find their legs online! And I think it helps that many people may not want to read about COVID only.
Also, I still have to remember to read A Hitchhiker's Guide so I'll need to remember to put that on my list!
I’ve thought about this for some time. I subscribe to about 20 substacks but can pay for only 4-5 at a time, so I rotate once in awhile. It would be great if substack created an alternative funding mechanism, e.g., a reader could also have a flex account from which funds are distributed monthly based on time or as directed. I wouldn’t replace the current model, but I wouldn’t mind being able to throw some money around, so to speak -- a few dollars here, a few there, just to lend support and show appreciation. Pass it on.
I think the go-around people have leaned more towards is to use places such as ko-fi which allows people to contribute any value they want to the people they enjoy. So even as little as a dollar or two can be donated to people you enjoy. However, I think it would be an interesting idea in which when someone renews sitewide subscriptions that Substack allows you to pick and choose from your list of all subscribers, almost like a little Substack shopping cart for the coming month. Not sure how Substack does it now but that would be an interesting way to organize it.
There's a few issues with how Substack organizes their subscription layout. I personally don't like that the first option is a monthly subscription. It can sometimes feel like Substack is hoping that people accidentally click on a monthly subscription, although I don't know why they organized their layout the way they do.
It tends to default to yearly, but I choose monthly, which is a little more expensive, but it gives the flexibility to change subscriptions. I'll keep an eye out for the alternative funding mechanisms offered by writers.
John, I have written to substack asking for something similar to your thoughts. I would like to set up a budget say $50/mo. Then, for each article I read some reasonable amount is given to the author. I have many interests and it is impossible for me to subscribe to so many. I can (at least for now) $50/month. I would love to support so many great authors out there. BTW, substack never got back to me.
I think many of Substack's employees respond to their comment sessions that they routinely put out. I think they seem to be receptive there but I haven't actually spent time in trying to reach out there. I commented to John about having a "shopping cart" feature for renewing subscriptions, but I think your comment is more towards donating a dollar or two towards an author based on an article they put out. I think ko-fi may work for that, although I also understand that people don't want to go through multiple payment processors.
I've been trying to figure out which substacks to subscribe to, given that my hubby is finally back to work, and we're back on our feet. I was gifted a subscription last year, and I will certainly be supporting that substack in future. I've subscribed to yours, as you make some very valid points. I honestly am overwhelmed deciding. Like other commenters here, I've also wished there was a different model. Some days, I don't have time to do much more than skim articles, as I'm in my busy season at work. I also understand some bigger substacks don't need my support as much as others. I also don't want to mooch! I've been thinking of subscribing to Jessica Rose's substack. She's a fellow Canadian. Any other ideas? I can subscribe to about 5 - U.S. dollar is still much stronger than our Canadian dollar!
Well first off I'm glad your family is doing better! It's always good to take care of yourself first so it's good to hear that you two are in a better place.
To be honest it can be overwhelming. It's different in being a regular subscriber and deciding who to financially support.
As I said above many Substacks have a ko-fi link which allows you to donate fewer than the monthly amount that they may ask on Substack, such as a dollar or two. That's a way to help stretch the support some more if that is to your liking. It can also help if you come across an article you really like and want to provide support for that one article. Many people would like any support someone can offer and most writers are trying to find different methods, but this is an interesting idea to have a more a la carte approach to articles as well.
So I didn't want to include anyone in particular, but a few that I read occasionally is Stephanie Brail who sometimes writes about COVID or anything really on her mind:
https://wholistic.substack.com/
Peter of All Facts Matter has been writing more about economics and COVID:
https://newsletter.allfactsmatter.us/
Brian Mowrey of Unglossed writes very technically about aspects of COVID, and he's been someone who reminds me that I need to read the Methods section more than I actually do:
https://unglossed.substack.com/
And Joomi Kim posts occasionally but she writes some very interesting pieces and provides some good insight:
https://joomi.substack.com/
But certainly there are a ton out there so it's hard to really choose who to support, but remember that even liking or sharing people's work can help as well!
Thank you, that's very kind of you!
As for recs, I highly recommend the Yakk Stack by a fellow Canadian:
https://sheldonyakiwchuk.substack.com
Plus there's Igor's Newsletter:
https://igorchudov.substack.com/
And I agree that Jessica Rose is definitely worth supporting.
Thank you for the suggestions. And I forgot about Igor. He is a great resource!
You're very welcome! And thanks again, you made my day :-)