Ah, thank you! The visual is very helpful, as well as the recommendation to not try to do everything all at once before I've grown - it's so easy to get overwhelmed on a new platform...
I couldn't agree more. Just began on this platform and I've found myself responding similarly to a child in a sandbox simply wanting to explore every shiny new toy at arms reach.
My view is that the threads, chat, notes system is hopelessly confusing and so I don't use it much. I might be looking at "home" or "inbox" or whatever, but I never know what it is or who can see it or who I am talking with when I post. For example, I am posting here, but I have no idea who will see this. Is it visible to everyone? To only you? To only you and your subscribers? To only my subscribers? Who knows? Therefore, who cares? The whole system should be scrapped and replaced with a single understandable system.
I'm not sure why but I'm really struggling to wrap my head around these different features! When I'm on the Substack landing page and click on the little 'home' button...is that showing me Notes? And if click on the little 'speech bubble' button...is that Threads or Chats or both? It says Chat at the top of the page, but then the individual posts say something like "James: started a thread" ... which seems confusing! Thanks!
Thanks, that's very helpful. So...bottom line: Notes is social media... theoretically anyone could see my Notes but only if they "follow" me on the Substack platform. Chats automatically show up in the feed of my subscribers. Is that right? Thanks!
thanks Karen, that was really helpful (pretty sure I need to read this again in another week to remind me!). I just posted my first Thread (yay!) and received a reply from a friend directly into my email Inbox - which means nobody sees the reply when they go to the discussion. Do think you think this lack of conversation deters people from joining in? thanks. MJ
Yes, MJ, threads seem to do better when a lot of people jump into them quickly. I don't know how to make that happen with a small audience. The vibrant threads I see are for writers with large audiences.
I take the point of having at least 50 subscribers before starting a chat, but my Podcasting People is set up as a community so I’ll just have to persist u til I pass that number 🤞 I’m still a little unclear about the difference between a post and a thread 🧐
No, notes are not emailed to your subscribers or followers, they just show up in those people's Notes feed and on the home screen of the app. Think of a note like a Tweet or a Facebook post, they 'live' inside the social media platform.
Wow Karen! That was a lot to cover and I think you did a great job of explaining something that is really confusing. Keep it up and THANKS!
Ah, thank you! The visual is very helpful, as well as the recommendation to not try to do everything all at once before I've grown - it's so easy to get overwhelmed on a new platform...
I couldn't agree more. Just began on this platform and I've found myself responding similarly to a child in a sandbox simply wanting to explore every shiny new toy at arms reach.
great informative post, thanks so much. All these gadgets do confuse me, so I need all the help understanding I can get
My view is that the threads, chat, notes system is hopelessly confusing and so I don't use it much. I might be looking at "home" or "inbox" or whatever, but I never know what it is or who can see it or who I am talking with when I post. For example, I am posting here, but I have no idea who will see this. Is it visible to everyone? To only you? To only you and your subscribers? To only my subscribers? Who knows? Therefore, who cares? The whole system should be scrapped and replaced with a single understandable system.
I'm not sure why but I'm really struggling to wrap my head around these different features! When I'm on the Substack landing page and click on the little 'home' button...is that showing me Notes? And if click on the little 'speech bubble' button...is that Threads or Chats or both? It says Chat at the top of the page, but then the individual posts say something like "James: started a thread" ... which seems confusing! Thanks!
Oh it's not just you, Julia, it's all super confusing!
Yes the home button shows you Notes, the speech bubble shows you Chats.
Threads are sort of dead and live in inboxes like 'normal' posts, so they aren't used by many writers these days.
When a Chat page mentions a new 'thread' it really means a new chat.
See, clear as mud!!!
Thanks, that's very helpful. So...bottom line: Notes is social media... theoretically anyone could see my Notes but only if they "follow" me on the Substack platform. Chats automatically show up in the feed of my subscribers. Is that right? Thanks!
thanks Karen, that was really helpful (pretty sure I need to read this again in another week to remind me!). I just posted my first Thread (yay!) and received a reply from a friend directly into my email Inbox - which means nobody sees the reply when they go to the discussion. Do think you think this lack of conversation deters people from joining in? thanks. MJ
Yes, MJ, threads seem to do better when a lot of people jump into them quickly. I don't know how to make that happen with a small audience. The vibrant threads I see are for writers with large audiences.
Excellent
Very informative and helpful.
This is evergreen, thank you so much.
You cleared it up for me. Thanks for such a great explanation.
Thank you for the explanation! Well written and concise!
I take the point of having at least 50 subscribers before starting a chat, but my Podcasting People is set up as a community so I’ll just have to persist u til I pass that number 🤞 I’m still a little unclear about the difference between a post and a thread 🧐
Such excellent information, Karen. Thank you!
Thank you! And thank you for recommending The Sample!
If you create a Note, does it get emailed to your subscribers automatically?
No, notes are not emailed to your subscribers or followers, they just show up in those people's Notes feed and on the home screen of the app. Think of a note like a Tweet or a Facebook post, they 'live' inside the social media platform.
is Notes dead?