Substack is a lightweight publishing platform used by journalists and writers. I chose it as a way to write a daily newsletter for the New Ipswich Historical Society. I was looking for a quick way to share the photos from the Society’s collection and elicit feedback from the public. It employs a subscription model, with the idea that subscribers would be willing to pay for content. Thankfully this is not a requirement, so my content is not behind a paywall. Substack makes it money by taking a percentage of the subscription fees. However it tolerates freeloaders like me.
Easy to Use
I needed something that was easy to use since I made a decision to publish on a daily basis. My postings contain many photos and Substack does an excellent job with uploading photos. It automatically converts them to a WebP format which is ideal for speed and quality. This is something that is not available with the other tools that I’ve been using. The editor is bare-bones but adequate.
Limitations
Since I post daily, I’m always concerned I might duplicate a photo. Unfortunately there is no way to search the archives for key words and phrases. However the ease of publishing outweighs the limitations.
Two Newsletters
After positive feedback about the Historical Society newsletter. I decided to create one for myself. In spite of having myriad websites, blogs and this Strange Life, I liked the idea of a quick and easy way to post something daily. Something folks could look at after they solve the Wordle game. It was in that spirit that the Final Chapter newsletter came into existence.
The Newsletters
- Photography
- Photography
- Photography
- Photography
- Photography
The Freewrite looks older than my Kaypro.