Why I’m Using My Website Blog Again
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Why I’m Using My Website Blog Again
And why you might want to also
First, apologies for my slight absence. I went on a road trip to Moab, Sedona, San Diego (for a writer's conference), and Tucson - then back to Santa Fe. 2700 miles in two weeks - and I loved it! I didn't even look at the news while I was away - it was such a joy to be on the road again.
As I have for the past couple of years, I'm figuring out the best way to get my work out to you and the public. I've been jumping around from place to place, and I just had an aha moment at the conference I just attended.
A colleague casually mentioned that Substack readers read on Substack, Medium readers read on Medium, and millions of people read newsletters and blogs. And that's when it hit me.
I'm potentially missing out on zillions of people reading my work because I'm using only Substack and Medium. You need to use the platform to see articles posted there.
Also, I'm not 100% confident in Substack's viability. Or Medium, for that matter. I hope the platforms flourish, but I've read that Substack has financial challenges, and Medium seems to be searching for its footing. Think Clubhouse - where's that these days?
And I don't want a situation where either or both shut down overnight and all my work disappears.
It also dawned on me that my website traffic is significantly reduced by keeping my work on external platforms, so I've decided to relaunch my blog, which will (most likely) be called Diane Digs. I'll post articles there first and then cross-post key ones to Substack and Medium. Not everything will be shared on all platforms.
The main difference between my blog and the work posted on Substack and Medium is that I'll post more personal stories and opinion pieces on the blog and send them out in a private newsletter. I'm also planning to build a community through my mailing list and website, so there'll be much more connection there.
Am I doing the right thing? Who knows. But with programs coming and going all the time and my website being severely affected by not having blog traffic go there, this is the best move for me.
Bottom line - I'll still be here on Substack, at least for the foreseeable future. I'm not building the community I want here, though I've met some great people and hope to keep building connections.
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And Finally
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Why I’m Using My Website Blog Again
You could still send links to your website only storied to your Substack subscribers
I think it's good to (re)evaluate what sites one uses to write and to read. I like simplicity and minimalism and organization, yet I want to be informed and I want my writing to be seen.
For news and other websites I want to follow, what I've arrived at is an RSS feed reader (that's where I'll input your blog URL, and coincidentally that is where I follow the blog that Substack admin itself produces). And the other tool is my podcast reader. Between the two of those, I think I'm keeping up with the current destruction of the world :-)
As for writing, I'm a real convert to Substack, mostly based first on their non-censorship. I already have one Substack line and plan to start another to promote my upcoming book. As for Substack's viability, I have no idea. It seems like all info on the internet: one place says Substack is shaky, and another says they just got new VC funding.
I had signed off all social media until I talked to a publishing consultant recently who said I should have a presence somewhere. So I recently signed back on to the least poisonous of them, Instagram, where I am posting photos related to the subject of the bio I'm publishing.
I also host a podcast, and the episodes are available everywhere as well as on my YouTube channel.
So that's what I'm down to :-)