...the dopamine of connection is real...it is hard to communicate into vacuums because they suck...but this was an interesting read because being seen by strangers might be an equal sized void or punishment...staying grounded and knowing why and what you are communicating when and where might be the best strategy...stay simple to your pursuits and enjoy them equally whether they have an "audience" or not...great read and funny note too...also top secret rules...
YEA top secret rules! reading this makes me realize it's been so long since we talked and that we should definitely meet up again sometime. i'll try joining one of your gyms!
i've read this like 5 times today so i decided i HAD to comment on it. this really made me stop and think. i included a similar sentiment in my first post and now i'm like ... why? moving from private to public when it comes to writing is definitely a big step, so i think a lot of writers on substack and elsewhere feel like they have write about the fact that they are still writing for themselves and the engagement and/or community building is a just a nice bonus when ... it might be the deeper primal, or even primary, reason. speaking as a newbie public writer myself, i have no expectations yet but i'll admit that i sometimes do indulge in silly fantasies about having lots of likes and subscribers, but who hasn't?
i also love how you included notes discourse without being explicit about it. i've seen tonsss of articles about this on substack specifically and it absolutely does help with visibility (i discovered this blog through a note, for example) but it really does encourage liking and scrolling on forever. likes are fine and dandy but they're low effort. it really does take time and thought to write a meaningful reply to someone's post, compounded by the fact that your average substack consumer is subscribed to a Lot of Things (probably Too Many Things tbh).
i also love your suggested solutions to this problem and will really be thinking about them as i go forward in my own writing journey. the real face to face interactions or individualized comments are much more effortful and therefore much more meaningful.
final note, but the way you distinguished engagement and connection reminded me a lot of @lindspetersberg's article where she talks about writing for validation vs. publishing for validation. thank you for the fresh perspective and food for thought!
oh wow. thank you so much for taking the time to write this thoughtful comment! knowing which parts worked for a reader is intensely satisfying, so thank you for letting me read along with you here. and thank you for being a part of that change i talked about in the essay. it's gonna take some time unlearning social media habits, me included, but it's the right direction i want to take. thank you again for stopping by!
...the dopamine of connection is real...it is hard to communicate into vacuums because they suck...but this was an interesting read because being seen by strangers might be an equal sized void or punishment...staying grounded and knowing why and what you are communicating when and where might be the best strategy...stay simple to your pursuits and enjoy them equally whether they have an "audience" or not...great read and funny note too...also top secret rules...
YEA top secret rules! reading this makes me realize it's been so long since we talked and that we should definitely meet up again sometime. i'll try joining one of your gyms!
...anytime you want...peace and alohahaha...
i've read this like 5 times today so i decided i HAD to comment on it. this really made me stop and think. i included a similar sentiment in my first post and now i'm like ... why? moving from private to public when it comes to writing is definitely a big step, so i think a lot of writers on substack and elsewhere feel like they have write about the fact that they are still writing for themselves and the engagement and/or community building is a just a nice bonus when ... it might be the deeper primal, or even primary, reason. speaking as a newbie public writer myself, i have no expectations yet but i'll admit that i sometimes do indulge in silly fantasies about having lots of likes and subscribers, but who hasn't?
i also love how you included notes discourse without being explicit about it. i've seen tonsss of articles about this on substack specifically and it absolutely does help with visibility (i discovered this blog through a note, for example) but it really does encourage liking and scrolling on forever. likes are fine and dandy but they're low effort. it really does take time and thought to write a meaningful reply to someone's post, compounded by the fact that your average substack consumer is subscribed to a Lot of Things (probably Too Many Things tbh).
i also love your suggested solutions to this problem and will really be thinking about them as i go forward in my own writing journey. the real face to face interactions or individualized comments are much more effortful and therefore much more meaningful.
final note, but the way you distinguished engagement and connection reminded me a lot of @lindspetersberg's article where she talks about writing for validation vs. publishing for validation. thank you for the fresh perspective and food for thought!
oh wow. thank you so much for taking the time to write this thoughtful comment! knowing which parts worked for a reader is intensely satisfying, so thank you for letting me read along with you here. and thank you for being a part of that change i talked about in the essay. it's gonna take some time unlearning social media habits, me included, but it's the right direction i want to take. thank you again for stopping by!