When I heard Genimates talking about Substack as a potential new social media/publishing platform I signed up to see what the hype was all about. Several other genies I know joined around the same time.
As my Substack profile doesn't tell me when I joined I guestimate that it was around mid 2024 as that is when I started getting follows from other genies. Since then I get daily emails from Substack and followers that I usually ignore or delete. (I wish I could opt into these emails than having ot out) I like to look at my feeds in my own time so I pop into Substack when time permits or someone I respect points me to a post there.
There are two events that precipitated my current interest in Substack. Firstly I am presenting a talk on Social Media for our State Conference this week so I needed to be examine the platform more closely to make informed comments. Secondly I had an invitation to join a Speakers' Corner event hosted by ProjectKin on Substack last week, I enjoyed participating in that event.
On looking at my Substack profile I found four types of user and asked my assistant at ChatGPT to use my words to create the following infographic.
Some of the genies who joined up about the same time as me have become inactive, some visit rarely and a few have fully embraced the platform, I commend them for their commitment.
My historic usage falls into the fourth category. I can see benefits of using Substack to promote one's writing, activities and participation in events. It's also useful for keeping abreast of the activities of another diverse group of genies a reason for me to move myself over to the third category of users.
Looking at the profiles of the 45 people who are currently subscribed to me on Substack I see fourteen that I recognise as Australian. Of those there are only six who I would place in my categories 1 to 3, the remainder have either rarely or never posted. Perhaps they are lurkers, inactive doesn't necessarily mean uninterested. Someone who rarely posts may still be reading everything. These different degrees and purposes of participation are all valid.
I don't have the time or energy to commit to building a following on Substack when I have several hundred followers on Facebook and Bluesky.
My family of blogs will remain in the homes they have had for up to twenty years. I can't understand why someone who has been blogging for several years would leave their audience and start out afresh on a new platform. I also have concerns about using Substack as a One-Stop-Shop for publishing and social media. Substack may be a useful adjunct to genealogy blogging, but that doesn't necessarily make it a replacement for blogging.
Substack, which was born around 2017, appears to be a stable platform. It was built as a publishing platform for journalists and others who want to make money from their posts and newsletters. I understand that 10 % of what they earn on the platform is the share that goes to Substack. I wonder about the future of the platform for all those, like me and other amateur genies. who ride on the coattails of those profits that fund the platform.
I accept that my issues with navigating my way through the Substack platform are mine. They may disappear if I put some effort into learning my way around on a site I don't find intuitive.
In answer to a question I asked on Substack this week a genie from the US who I respect said
"Hi Jill, The most positive thing about Substack is all the amazing genie bloggers and the family stories they tell. It’s a wonderful community. However, I will continue to host [blog name] separately and occasionally post on Substack." I echo her thoughts.
“Where do you fit? Are you a Substack convert, a cross-poster, a promoter and follower, or an occasional browser?”
I can be found here on Substack, https://substack.com/@jillballakageniaus .
