74 Comments
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Substack's avatar

Sorry to readers who received this post in their inbox twice today. We published the post again with buttons to update the app and find your friends.

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Raziq Rauf's avatar

We've all clicked publish too early lol

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Fulco Heres's avatar

Yes, yes. And the wonder why it not going.

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Nathan Slake's avatar

FYI comments are locked on the third post about this that just went out ;)

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Nathan Slake's avatar

I was wondering why nothing worked that first time ;)

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Louise Stevenson's avatar

:-) I thought this was something that I just did - good to know even the experts are at it x

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BigE's avatar

Sorry, I thought this was Substack. Looks like I wandered into FaceBook, oh wait... META.

I want to opt out.

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Charlie Becker's avatar

COMMENT WILL GO HERE - WAITING FOR LINK

But seriously can’t wait to use this feature.

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Jasmine Sun's avatar

🤫

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Jenovia 🕸️'s avatar

Stephen King on Substack?!

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Hamish McKenzie's avatar

One of the many great writers who are on Substack as readers... We still have to convince him to set up a publication ;)

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Jenovia 🕸️'s avatar

Knowing he is a reader on Substack makes me love him even more.

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d.w.'s avatar

Hamish, I'm sure this has been addressed elsewhere and also I'm just dense about tech platforms — when a reader is following what I read, does that mean the person can see which individual articles I've looked at and what percentage I scrolled through them...?

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Hamish McKenzie's avatar

They can only see which posts you’ve liked.

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d.w.'s avatar

Thanks for the quick reply!

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Jo Thompson's avatar

That got me very excited..... come on Stephen....

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Chevanne Scordinsky's avatar

My heart fluttered.

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Jenovia 🕸️'s avatar

Same 💥

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Nathan Slake's avatar

My face also inverted when I saw that 😅

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Jo Thompson's avatar

I KNOW?!

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Jonathan M. Katz's avatar

Apparently not. Super weird of them to claim that he is.

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Meg Oolders's avatar

When I first joined Substack, there was a column displayed on the right of my inbox page that showed me everything my favorite writers (ones I subscribed to) were reading and liking. I loved that feature! Then Substack inexplicably removed it and replaced it with "featured" recommendations, staff picks, etc. I'm glad Substack sees the value in letting us connect with new writers through writers we already love (albeit with a few extra steps involved this time), but I still wonder why that feature went away in the first place.

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Jen Zug's avatar

Yes! I loved that, too! I went there all the time to see what my peeps were reading as a way to discover new writers.

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Christian Näthler's avatar

I can’t help but feel that this was very poorly announced. And not just because of the double email. The copy itself just seems...off? Like a first draft of something half-hearted. Not to mention the random list of hyperlinked names. I’m not sure yet how useful the new feature will be but for now it carries a palpable lack of enthusiasm.

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mahesh pherwani's avatar

Why do we / I really need this. No. I don't. How is this, substack dot org, different from awefil facebook, twitter.

I can make up MY OWN mind about my reading, interacting. Thank you.

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Leon's avatar

Hope this drives discovery!

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DougBTaylor's avatar

All these 'personalities' are meaningless. Jake Tapper? Really?

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Wayne Robins's avatar

Jake Tapper has yet to post on Substack. What is this celebrity inflation supposed to mean to us, who have written 150,000 words over the last 27 months? How are you helping the slow but steadily growing rank and file?

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Hamish McKenzie's avatar

Whoops, you caught an error, now corrected. Thanks.

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Hamish McKenzie's avatar

And follows should be a big help to the rank and file. Now there's an easy way for people to follow you without feeling like they need to fully commit to a subscribe just yet. Our bet is that this will mean a LOT more people being willing to enter into a relationship with what you're posting, with the option to convert to a deeper relationship over time. And it also increases the surface area for people in your network, people who might discover you, since the commitment to following is lighter weight (less intimidating) than subscribing.

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Wayne Robins's avatar

Thanks Hamish. But I found the earlier On Substack about the girl on the way to Barcelona with the six figure income spirit-and-soul crushing after 6 hours of writing the first of a two-part story. And all this talk of community…I know you mean it and believe it, but it’s really about winners and losers, and Substack needs to promote the winners to survive. I understand that, no matter how plentiful the new tools are.

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Hamish McKenzie's avatar

The goal is to create a system that can help create as many winners as possible. Of course, mileages are gonna vary.

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Wayne Robins's avatar

I can’t believe you agreed with me about being “rank and file” instead of phrasing it as “rising star”! 😎😂🤩🙀

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Hamish McKenzie's avatar

I would never gainsay you, Wayne! I wouldn’t dream of treating a rising star like that.

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Good Humor by CK Steefel's avatar

Love the new follow feature.

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Morgthorak the Undead's avatar

Hamish, there must be spme mistake. I was not on your celebrity list. Please fix this oversight. Thanks. 🤨🧐

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RAISINI's avatar

Thanks for including me in the list Substack 🙌🏻🚀

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Bertus's avatar

The half empty list of celebrity writers is a bit stupid. Would love Stephen to follow or restack me, but promoting the top layer is not very sub, Substack. Established names will make it harder for new voices to surface. My phone contacts have hardly any overlap with my readers. Readers do not equal friends. This platform is like a new style library. And while it is great to meet up with writers and readers round the big table you call notes, it should not become an all access mainstream café. Loud chatter is not what I’m here for. Substack is a greenhouse for seedlings. The big fruitbaring shrubs and trees can go to Mainstack, drinking and dancing stays outside on the terrace...

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mahesh pherwani's avatar

No. Thank you.

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mahesh pherwani's avatar

This is just yet another unsavoury way to extract ten percent from people. Shame, Substack.

I guess, it HAD to happen.

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Tyler Medved's avatar

No. Why would you make this a thing?

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Jonathan M. Katz's avatar

Half of those guys don’t even post on their Substacks. Wyd.

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