I've moved!
Just a quick note to tell you about what's coming next.
As I mentioned in my last newsletter of 2024, I decided to move off of Substack.
In many ways, Substack still has a lot going for it. My first post of 2024 was about the “rock and a hard place” situation that all creators find themselves in when dealing with the whims of platforms. I thought Paris Marx’s explanation of why he moved Disconnect back to Substack after migrating to Ghost highlighted those nicely while acknowledging that there is no perfect solution to the corporate capture of the internet.
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However, 18 months into my time using Substack to publish, I realized that I was thinking a lot more about the platform than I intended. And I found myself jealous of the writers and podcasters who seemed to sidestep the issue of platforms altogether.
So, I set about (re)consolidating my entire web presence.
It wasn’t easy. Nor has the project been comprehensive. But it’s done enough that I’m ready to publish something new and invite you in.
Tomorrow (Thursday, February 6), I’ll send out my first email from the new site (which should arrive from hello@whatworks.fyi). A new podcast episode will also hit your feed if you follow the show.
I’m sending this final email (I hope) from Substack to let you know that while I think I have things set up as best I can, emailing 10,000+ people from a new platform is always a bit of a crap shoot!
Also, after mapping over 100 URL redirects, connecting the site to just about all of the domains I own, and manually cleaning up a good portion of my archive, the number of broken links you might run into is, I hope, minimal.
While nothing is set in stone, the editorial calendar I have in mind for this year is one long-form essay per month—something that ties a conceptual theme to practical, concrete information. That’s what tomorrow’s piece is.
In between, I’ll share more 3 Ideas posts (book reviews featuring interesting takeaways), recommended articles & podcast episodes from around the web, and other shorter-form work as it comes up.
Okay, I’m going to sign off for now! Look for “Broken Links” in your inbox (and podcast app) by 10am ET on February 6.
“See” you soon!
Tara McMullin
I must’ve missed the memo last year (busy time of year!) but I’m so excited about this change. I’ve been feeling really uninspired by Substack as a platform and wishing I could just have my own site like I did back in the OG blogging days. You’ve made me wonder… well, why can’t I?
All the things I’ve thought might be positives to the platform (ease of publishing and in built community) haven’t really panned out how I imagined. And I personally find social media like Notes/Twitter/Threads type feeds much worse for my mental health and attention span than places like Instagram so I’ve hardly been able to use it. Yet I feel guilty and pressured to at least try because don’t I want a successful newsletter? Bleh.
Even if I did find more success on Substack I can see I’d outgrow the limitations of the platform very quickly anyway. Much to ponder! Looking forward to what’s next for you, and thank you for outlining your thoughts on the whole thing.
Best of luck in the new chapter! Can't wait to see where it takes you.