Substack Made Easy: Introduction
Substack is where it's happening! If you haven't at least dipped a toe into Substack yet, I really recommend that you do. It's currently the best resource for: 1) use as a Facebook replacement (yes, really!); 2) sharing creative writing (in place of Medium or blogs); 3) other creative sharing (music, art, poetry, cooking...); 4) podcasting; 5) reading or listening to your favorite people, whether political, creative or other; and 6) getting important news and commentary from intelligent perspectives (as a Twitter replacement, along with Bluesky).
It's also a wonderful place to create and enjoy community! Once you sign up, you'll soon find many like-minded souls around the country and beyond in a safe place for sharing. And yes, due to the way it's set up, Substack offers safety, in a way that Facebook and Twitter definitely do not. For example, you have total control of who Follows you and Comments on your posts, and Substack makes it easy to take action on those things. It also has a friendly, comfortable and supportive feel to it that I haven't found in any other online experience.
Adam Kinzinger (on Substack): "My favorite thing is that it doesn’t feel like news or even politics really, it feels like a community, and I mean that. It really is a new phenomenon, but people are looking for connection, friends, or most importantly, civil debate. I have seen so many of you in the comments having professional debates and acting respectful, and when you disagree with me the disagreement is the same. Honestly it feels like Democracy."
Because I do think it's an important place to be in this difficult time, and because quite a few people I've mentioned this to say something like, "it's too complicated," "I don't understand how it works," and so on, I've decided to make it easy to jump in by offering a simple, plain-English "how to" or tip each month for those who haven't taken the plunge yet. And if you prefer to get your instructions from the source, Substack itself provides lots of help. But maybe my tips are a little more user-friendly? Here's hoping….