🔁 Something beyond fads.

That’s what I want, and that’s why I return to this WordPress site over and over again. This site isn’t going anywhere unless I go completely bankrupt and can’t pay for the hosting. In fact, this site, unlike my email service provider saga, has remained remarkably consistent. (My newsletter subscribers are the same, but the service I use to send the newsletter has changed multiple times… and will probably change again.)

I’m thinking about this because I’m hearing some disappointed opinions about Substack’s increasing shift toward something Twitter-esque. Apparently there is new ownership, and they don’t understand why Substack used to be popular, to begin with.

And so, all the external platforms, they’re just tools. Amazon is a tool. Spotify is a tool. Etc, etc.

My ideal picture: have people buy/read/listen through my own channels.

I think many people have a similar goal. That’s why the changes at Substack are so disappointing for them. If a tool isn’t going to help someone get discovered (and once discovered, will feed the algorithm or do whatever else to sustain the discovery phase), there is no point in using the tool. You might as well just do your thing on your own website, which will at least allow the search engines to access your site.

(Apparently, Substack intentionally makes that harder? Like… what? And it’s a newsletter platform–at least that’s what I thought it was–and yet you can’t send what you want to your list, at the frequency you want…? Like… excuse me? LOL Sorry, why would a person–especially someone new to Substack–use Substack when there are so many other email service providers that don’t pretend to be a platform with recommendation features?)

---

What I think will be possible before 2030:

• Those who want to will be able to run their audiovisual studios with extremely low overhead (which means that audio and text studio/publisher operations will be even easier)
• Low-cost one-time ticket transactions will become more feasible with lower fees and automated ownership checks (blockchain?)

I will keep using the tools as necessary, but with more focus on communicating with people who already like what I do. Ideally, eventually, I want to launch books exclusively to my list. (Email subscriber list and/or some sort of community list. Who knows what new technology will show up.) I want to launch movies exclusively to my list. If I do physical products, that, too, I want to deliver through my store, preferably exclusive to my list. 😂 If I want a physical screening of a movie, I will rent out a theater… for my list.

These things have been getting easier to do, for decades. They’ll only get even easier.

Right now, I do have to use the external tools. I don’t mind that. But seriously, wouldn’t the tool creators benefit from… doing a better job? I mean, they don’t owe it to anyone to guarantee discoverability or sales or whatever else, but if they just suck at remembering who they are… They are guaranteeing their own demise.

I just hope someone who is better at tool creation/operation will come along and displace the ones that don’t know who they are.