[Okay, this is recording on the Bose Overear. I'm going to leave the phone by the couch and walk around and make sure that it is in fact going through the headphones because it wasn't connecting right away. But everything else should be disconnected.]
Writing for Substack, about Substack
I got there through thinking about, ... what was it, Oh, Bombas! because I was in a downward facing dog in the living room after snuggling Xander and I, every time I wear these socks, every time I see them, every time I notice that I'm wearing them I think of the disappointing form letter I got in response to the email I sent about their gendered marketing.
I was not surprised to get that form letter.
I was not surprised at the outcomes on Substack.
I did not expect the needle to move in a huge direction on some of the issues that folks were discussing and concerned about. My goal as an individual was to prevent people I know from joining Substack without being aware of where their subscribers' money and thus their money --or rather the other way around their money and thus their subscribers' money would be going-- and to make sure that anybody who saw me there would also see immediately that I was not making money there and that I do not condone making money there and that I don't necessarily feel fully safe there, but that I will stay there until I feel UNsafe in order to continue to use the benefits of the platform, like finding other like-minded writers, and the growth of the platform, which has been significant lately, to my advantage and their disadvantage, because it means that my repeated messages about not monetizing the content that I publish there because of their ethics, and not encouraging my colleagues or my friends to build a following there, will stay in Google search results.
And so I'm not looking to halt Substack or to get all fascist publications removed from Substack. My ultimate goal is to prevent Substack from becoming the runaway choice for a newsletter platform when anyone looking to start one is searching for where to host their newsletter. I want to make sure that queer people, trans people, that people of color, that Jewish people, that Palestinian people [know that they] are not inherently safe in that space. I want them to see my post about how someone who has blocked you, you can tell that they've blocked you. How page reports go to the page admin rather than to Substack admin. These are issues that, if they still exist when someone is looking for a host for their newsletter, I want them to know exist.
So my goal in participating in Substackers against Nazis was to participate in the slowing of the momentum that Substack had picked up, because had I known what I knew in in early December, back in May, I would have chosen differently. So-- And ironically, it's the introduction of Notes that is both the benefit I'm hanging onto and the ultimate downfall of Substack, is my hope, as you know, the one and only newsletter host. As long as they don't have monopoly and people have other options and we are able to point out the flaws and the potential ethical incompatibilities to people of the global majority and to other marginalized folks. And, you know, I'm not breaking any terms of service because I'm not monetizing the content I publish here anywhere else. So not taking subscriptions does not violate any terms as of now, that may change, and if so I'll be happy to go. But until I feel unsafe or until I am no longer permitted to publish here, I will stay as one of the number who are privileged to stay without monetizing, and speak up as a light in the dark, a thorn in their side, a pain in the ass, take your pick, I am. I contain multitudes.
So that's why I'm still here. But the majority of my content about what's important to me and ultimately to my supporters is going to be over on Ko-fi, which I have a really hard time saying as "coffee" because of the way it is spelled-- so it's K O hyphen f i. If you're unfamiliar, it's a platform where you can send someone a one time tip or you can support somebody with a monthly subscription. What would be called a subscription here, there I believe it's either a gift or donation. It may just be called a tip all the time. I'm not sure because I just set it up. But at any rate, that's where, if you want to contribute to the Ad hoc Aunties, to the-- I don't know, what was I calling myself the other day the-- not freelance, oh! "Independent Community Programming Specialist." Yeah, yup, I'm gonna come up with the most ridiculous nonsense name for the work I do, it's gonna be great. Maybe I'll have a contest. And someone will get like, free petsitting for a month or something. Anyway, alright, so that's what I got. I'm gonna get back to whatever I was doing when I felt the need to record this.
