Taibbi leaves Twitter

[Axtremus]

That has been Twitter's fate for a long time -- a tool used to promote contents hosted somewhere else where revenues are generated.

Maybe Elon will succeed at changing it, maybe not. We shall see.

[jon-nyc]

Elon will backtrack for a while, create a long-form product with a subscription model, and reimpose the restriction, this time having a substack alternative. It could easily work - it’s a lot easier to create substack than to create Twitter.

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in Taibbi leaves Twitter:

it’s a lot easier to create substack than to create Twitter

Substack is basically this year's version of blogger or any other platform for long-term essays, right?

[Axtremus]

@George-K , that's certainly a good way to look at it. The revenue models are different though. Substack takes a cut off subscriptions. Blogger does affiliated marketing (make money through displaying ads). I get the impression that Substack articles are usually longer than blog posts.

[jon-nyc]

@George-K said in Taibbi leaves Twitter:

@jon-nyc said in Taibbi leaves Twitter:

it’s a lot easier to create substack than to create Twitter

Substack is basically this year's version of blogger or any other platform for long-term essays, right?

Exactly. No network effect, no social graph. They may have played with implementing these things but to no avail. Writers like it for the subscription model and generous early deals.

[jon-nyc]

Oh my, I just clicked on a substack link on Twitter and Elon gave me this:

[Axtremus]

@jon-nyc Have you tried "ignore this warning and continue"?

[jon-nyc]

@Axtremus Yes and it takes you to substack. Oh the horror!

[jon-nyc]

[jon-nyc]

My prediction is Elon will reverse this by tomorrow, latest,

[George K]

@jon-nyc i agree.

Wasn't there a time, shortly after Musk's takeover, that you couldn't link to outside sources?

Perhaps this is a bug, and not a feature, after all.

[jon-nyc]

@George-K

He suspended people for linking to competitors. Somehow that caught Paul Graham and Elon reversed it hours later.

[Aqua Letifer]

@jon-nyc said in Taibbi leaves Twitter:

@George-K said in Taibbi leaves Twitter:

@jon-nyc said in Taibbi leaves Twitter:

it’s a lot easier to create substack than to create Twitter

Substack is basically this year's version of blogger or any other platform for long-term essays, right?

Exactly. No network effect, no social graph. They may have played with implementing these things but to no avail.

They're still experimenting with this. The numbers are gradually tipping to discovery rather than referrals.

They also have a podcasting and chat function that's getting interesting.

[jon-nyc]

Josh Barro brings up the Streisand effect of this move.

You may have heard that Substack will soon be launching a feature called Notes, which will be a place to “post short-form content and share ideas… including posts, quotes, comments, images, and links.” In other words, the feature will be very similar to Twitter. You will even be able to “restack” another writer’s note.

The reason you may have heard is probably not that you saw Substack’s Wednesday announcement that Notes is coming. I mean, maybe you did — maybe it came to your inbox because you’re a big fan of Substack qua Substack and so you subscribe to Substack’s substack about Substack, On Substack. But probably not. I’m guessing if you heard, it’s because Substack’s announcement made Elon Musk mad, and he used Twitter to retaliate.

I suspect that’s true for everyone here.

[LuFins Dad]

Anybody have a subscription? I’m thinking about it.

[jon-nyc]

I subscribe to a few folks on substack

[Horace]

I subscribe to Glenn Loury there but I end up consuming his stuff through youtube.

[George K]

[Doctor Phibes]

@jon-nyc said in Taibbi leaves Twitter:

Josh Barro brings up the Streisand effect of this move.

You may have heard that Substack will soon be launching a feature called Notes, which will be a place to “post short-form content and share ideas… including posts, quotes, comments, images, and links.” In other words, the feature will be very similar to Twitter. You will even be able to “restack” another writer’s note.

The reason you may have heard is probably not that you saw Substack’s Wednesday announcement that Notes is coming. I mean, maybe you did — maybe it came to your inbox because you’re a big fan of Substack qua Substack and so you subscribe to Substack’s substack about Substack, On Substack. But probably not. I’m guessing if you heard, it’s because Substack’s announcement made Elon Musk mad, and he used Twitter to retaliate.

I suspect that’s true for everyone here.

I had literally never heard of Substack until Elon did this.

[George K]