15 Comments

This sounds like a full-time job. I got a little overwhelmed reading all of the rules. I hate rules. That’s my ADHD brain.

I believe in supporting each other. I follow a number of newsletters. I’m a paid subscriber on many of them.

My phone is full of notifications from Substack!

I love you writers! ♥️

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Thanks for the feedback! I'm someone who loves information so I tend to overshare a lot of it because that's what I want. The TL;DR read version would basically be "writers, come share links to your work every week and remember to like, comment and share everyone else's links".

The rest is all kind of housekeeping. I am basically working on Substack full time so for me this is just a fun extra part of it but I can see how for others it could be "work." Whatever way we support one another that's right for us is great. <3

PS - as much as I like information, I hate notifications. They stress me out, so I have almost all of mine turned off :)

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I can see how the rules may seem overwhelming.

In my first year English courses, I have my students post self-introductions to a forum. The rule is; post once, comment twice. The point being you can't just toss your bit in and walk away.

Regarding the “comment twice” rule, I add the following. Your first reply is to the post you connect with most. Your second reply is to a post which has no replies. The goal is for ALL posts to receive interaction, otherwise the exercise is a failure. Most students comment much more than twice, while others do the bare minimum.

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Those are good rules. We do an annotated reading thing in one of my courses where we are asked to comment twice and I think I'll keep your guide in mind as I do that!

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This guideline makes the activity approachable.

Feeling obligated to act on *every* other person's post is a commitment. However, acting on two is simple. Most people, understanding the intention of the activity, will tend to go past the suggested two acts and do more.

Keep in mind, you have a lot of followers, as you are a connector. Posting can feel like a commitment to possibly acting on 20, 30, or more other people's shared content. THAT is a big time commitment.

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That’s a good point. Instagram pods I was in always had the rule that you share and comment on everyone’s so I didn’t even think twice about that but worth reconsidering.

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Oh I love this! The first and second posts and the ethos behind this "simple" way of interacting. Thanks, Steve.

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I've been thinking a lot about this since Steve mentioned it. In the Instagram pods it felt like we really had to have the strict rules otherwise people would just spam with their own links and not really support others. But I'm thinking that maybe Substack is a place where people are naturally open to really interacting with each other's writing so the "rules" don't have to be as strict ... maybe we could start more loose with a frame similar to what Steve has suggested and then if there are "issues" adapt accordingly.

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I tend to agree. It's a different ethos all together here. :)

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I listened to a great conversation with @Laura McKowen and @Maggie Langrick in which Laura talked about being a good literary citizen, which I think is a beautiful way of putting it. All the things you mention here are definitely, for me, components of that, which I strive to do. So, I think doing that in a formalized way could be a nice extension of that. Thanks, Kathryn.

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Thank you! There hasn't been a lot of traction on the idea yet but I really think it could be a positive thing for everyone. <3 <3

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This is such a great idea! I am feeling quite overwhelmed at the moment so it took me a minute to think about it and yes it looks like a lot of rules! But really it’s all about making connections and it doesn’t have to be a lot of work. That’s me talking myself into it! I will certainly do my best to participate. I hope you will be patient with me as I am juggling a full-time job, my creative business, and this very new writing effort. Plus the demands of home and family. I really love the inclusiveness of the Substack community - thank you!!

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Absolutely. I’m realizing that these rules felt really necessary on Instagram because everyone was focused on promoting themselves but here people are already more community minded so it probably isn’t even necessary to lay it out like this. Basically just share your work and engage with the work others share to the best of your ability. I saw you posted and look forward to checking out your links tomorrow. I’m brain dead from so much class today.

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I can see how this might work for some, however, personally I'm moving away from rules like that as they feel restrictive to me and something that is rooted in obligation rather than honest desire to interact. All the best with it! ❤️

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Thanks for the feedback. I can definitely understand that perspective. My hope is that those who do participate enjoy discovering each other’s work. Big hugs.

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