Post AVBOhSPCF7XT2ocdCC by nekofag@rdrama.cc
(DIR) More posts by nekofag@rdrama.cc
(DIR) Post #AURpv3qMzHTHSjOr3Y by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-08T14:08:05Z
5 likes, 7 repeats
Seeing people post positively about Substack now that it's challenging Twitter.Reminder: Substack is also centralised. Worse, the business model is basically to take what would once have been blogs and paywall them as premium 'newsletters'.Substack is not a friend of the open web.
(DIR) Post #AUTv0TEWu9gpk41FZI by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-09T12:45:32Z
3 likes, 2 repeats
Every time I criticise some centralised platform – this time it was Substack – there are lots of replies about how it's the "only way for people to make a living".I cannot describe to you how terrified I would be if my income depended on Substack.It is the latest in a long line of centralised platforms that will lock you in and then change the rules to your severe detriment – and their profit.If you build your livelihood on a platform like Substack then you are in for a very sad time.
(DIR) Post #AUTv0Tv4LziXrzvDsG by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-09T13:39:52Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
We should see Substack as an attempt at enclosure aimed at the whole concept of blogs.
(DIR) Post #AUTvUkFqBX1FDg4Ihk by analogfusion@mastodon.art
2023-04-08T17:53:54Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw My understanding was that you can set up a totally free site, and you don't have to monetize if you don't want to.In that respect, it doesn't seem all too different from Blogspot. But maybe things have changed recently.
(DIR) Post #AUTvUkzvQBslWbd6XI by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-08T18:16:47Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@analogfusion They push people to add a paywall, and whenever you click a link to Substack, it might be paywalled (there's no way to know before clicking).
(DIR) Post #AUTvUlVTWt7T6SOIiG by analogfusion@mastodon.art
2023-04-08T18:27:59Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw I think I created an account but haven't used it yet for anything, so I can't say how hard they push on upselling the paid model. Obviously they want as many users as possible to monetize because that's how they turn a profit (and subsidize the free accounts).But the paywall is still up to the discretion of the account holder, isn't it? With the steep decline in journalism as a viable profession, I can't fault a writer for wanting to make a living.
(DIR) Post #AUTvUm0JgDn0e6ovmi by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-08T19:48:56Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@analogfusion I'm bored of "making a living" as an excuse for the increased paywalling of everything to be honest. It wrecks the web and almost no one (in Substack's case, a top 1%) actually makes any living out of it.
(DIR) Post #AUTvUmYLdh0mLek6pU by analogfusion@mastodon.art
2023-04-08T19:52:57Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw I'm highly sympathetic to the idea that information wants to be free. I hate running into pay walls. But the practical side is somebody has to pay for the work involved in producing professional quality journalism, just like someone writing a well-researched book that took years to create needs to eat.I don't claim to know the solution, but it's a real dilemma in this day and age.
(DIR) Post #AUTvUmzI1WYvhDLcp6 by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-08T20:03:49Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@analogfusion I am yet to run across any "professional quality journalism" on Substack.
(DIR) Post #AUTvUnQEPM752lx8oi by tomey@shitposter.club
2023-04-09T16:56:38.631271Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw @analogfusion it's astonishingly easy to not find something that you dont want to find.
(DIR) Post #AUTxFLgDTDkQZFBw5g by adiz@outerkosm.us
2023-04-09T17:10:01.021Z
2 likes, 1 repeats
@tomw@mastodon.social These people addicted to centralized for-profit platforms deserve being mistreated by said platforms. They don't deserve our sympathy or help. The Twitter > Mastodon crowd is nothing but toxic and welcoming them to the Fediverse was a mistake. They don't care about FOSS, decentralization, data sovereignty, information freedom, et al.. They just want another Twitter. They want to turn anywhere they go into Twitter.
(DIR) Post #AUTxFMLgz0vOdsb3js by gabriel@mk.gabe.rocks
2023-04-09T17:16:15.626Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
@adiz@outerkosm.us "They don't deserve our sympathy or help."This is where I would disagree, from one controlled platform to another, you'll always find tons of people who've never encountered the idea of FOSS before.A lot of it is outright ignorance, I think it's important for voices to try outreach where possible. Whether it's twitter/substack or even tiktok I think it would be a mistake if all FOSS representation left all together and "abandoned" the people their to their fate.@tomw@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #AUU0ENuNzzXn3I3EtE by fluffy@social.handholding.io
2023-04-09T17:49:14.876140Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
>will lock you in and then change the rules to your severe detriment – and their profit.is this really so different from other ways of earning money?
(DIR) Post #AUU173OhxYU1MjIoAC by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-09T17:52:53Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@fluffy It is significantly worse than, for example, a job where you are covered by any kind of employment law. Substack will be able to drastically cut your pay and you will be able to do nothing.
(DIR) Post #AUU173w1xf8d24tQ6S by fluffy@social.handholding.io
2023-04-09T17:59:02.489233Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
>employers cannot arbitrarily cut your payemployment is at will. all employers can cut your pay for any reason. some may need to pay unemployment, but, due to a variety of causes this is not common.so i think this is a false dichotomy.
(DIR) Post #AUU1B9Xh3Sapa9SZQu by KOSMOS@erisly.social
2023-04-09T17:56:34.781Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@fluffy@social.handholding.io It's exacerbated by these platforms being winner-takes-all. For example, look at how Youtubers complain at the slightest of changes.
(DIR) Post #AUU1BAN5yLi49ZVcYK by fluffy@social.handholding.io
2023-04-09T17:59:58.245863Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
i'm not familiar with youtuber complaints. can you briefly describe what's going on?
(DIR) Post #AUU2iCMnfuOfqsga6i by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-09T18:02:25Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@fluffy Not everyone lives in the US with its ridiculous at-will employment, hope this helps
(DIR) Post #AUU2iD3L7kQNyoaYPg by fluffy@social.handholding.io
2023-04-09T18:17:03.654680Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
what a conceited response. rarely do i have the displeasure of interacting with such a pungent mixture of ignorance and arrogance.
(DIR) Post #AUU2lDvgK0PXZDRZwG by KOSMOS@erisly.social
2023-04-09T18:03:38.313Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@fluffy@social.handholding.io Any time the algorithm or rules are revised, Youtubers have to adapt their content to conform. Because if they don't, another Youtuber will, and will take the resulting ad revenue.
(DIR) Post #AUUAbcXyjpDEefHyKm by fluffy@social.handholding.io
2023-04-09T19:45:25.138050Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
if you mean in contrast to the EU specifically then on paper, yes that is true. however; in practice, you will find that a substantial amount of work these days in the eu is subcontracting labor of various sorts and is thus is not subject to many protections. about 1 in 5 europeans are such subcontractors, and you can read the details in the self employment statistics:https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Self-employment_statisticsthis share is higher in highly competitive industries. with this in mind, i should think that comparing a youtuber to a self-employed worker with one large client is a more fair comparison than to someone who is salaried. in fact, you will hear the same grievances if not worse ones from someone who is for example manufacturing widgets for their major client a car company as you would from a youtuber who is producing videos for youtube.
(DIR) Post #AUUCHrQJuyHuuUPcBc by atyh@pleroma.atyh.cc
2023-04-09T20:04:45.696390Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw i’ve started to take the IQ distribution graphs more seriously, as i’ve watched people smack their own face against the same wall of centralization over and over…each time looking over and smiling a bloody smile, saying “this time it’s different”
(DIR) Post #AUUDpcPuJocSASscIy by fluffy@social.handholding.io
2023-04-09T20:21:26.712322Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
it's hard to say. some people prefer to be self-employed because it allows for more flexibility. among other things, the tax situation for laborers is much worse than it is for companies. so i think some of those people would not welcome such a fix to this situation. still, it's certainly true that many people are de facto laborers who are asked to run sole props for their employers as a way to cut costs and dodge labor law obligations. i wanted to say that some sort of unfairness when you run a small business and have a major client, the way these youtubers do, is nowhere near unique to those who do work for youtube. actually, it can sometimes be much worse because these large companies may simply decide not to pay you for some reason and now your small business which did a huge job for them is at risk of bankruptcy. that is far from uncommon, and it really showcases how disconnected people who talk about this topic like the top level poster are from the reality of running a company when they make statements to the effect of youtube's mistreatment being in some way uniquely bad.
(DIR) Post #AUUNHfXhBrTDYcyOVU by tusooa@kazv.moe
2023-04-09T22:07:54.298734Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw You could say that `mastodon.social` is also becoming centralized.
(DIR) Post #AUVK9Uy8VsaHk8iG0W by anderspuck@krigskunst.social
2023-04-10T09:07:36Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw Well, sometimes writers like to get paid for their work. I don’t think Substack’s model is good or sustainable, but the problem is not that they are trying to create a model where independent writers can make a living.
(DIR) Post #AUVMa3tHUuOVULEgxk by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-10T09:34:33Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@anderspuck https://mastodon.social/@tomw/110170239125191339
(DIR) Post #AUVN1NtXEN8tLgNoXo by anderspuck@krigskunst.social
2023-04-10T09:39:44Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw I guess it's a Mastodon thing that I couldn't see your conversation on my server. Anyways, your argument is missing the point that the alternative to Substack is not a free blog. It is a paywalled blog on your own site. Or Medium or something else that also costs money.
(DIR) Post #AUVOS2Vqw7Q6o4a1J2 by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-10T09:55:42Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@anderspuck A paywalled blog on your own site would still not be ideal from an open web point of view, but way way better for the creator from a control/not getting screwed over later point of view.
(DIR) Post #AUVOWN4ASe6ri6hD04 by anderspuck@krigskunst.social
2023-04-10T09:56:35Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw Yes, agree. But probably beyond the technical skills of many writers.
(DIR) Post #AVBO0PuReBf4qpiOqu by ShaulaEvans@zirk.us
2023-04-09T16:12:44Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw Plus there's the issue with Substack of a platform that's down with transphobia and hate speech.https://mashable.com/article/substack-writers-leaving-misinformation
(DIR) Post #AVBO0Qn2NDKXa9Fzwe by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:08:40.865584Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw @ShaulaEvans
(DIR) Post #AVBO2vKhmnlWtAC3ns by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:09:10.201844Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBO4zjyN0258b02xU by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:09:28.204076Z
1 likes, 2 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBO6r0bnyfedUfSM4 by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:09:52.784498Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBO8P9oKN4appiA1g by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:10:09.645770Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBOA0cGXdetIkmmci by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:10:27.037497Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBOBibYTk4c1FGiES by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:10:45.652925Z
1 likes, 3 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBODRAII2qQVgKx60 by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:11:04.246560Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBOF0p5CU6jOHAOdk by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:11:21.325957Z
2 likes, 1 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBOGu0TVvjupUOe8m by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:11:41.833592Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBOId2dYq2wnBENrk by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:11:59.607257Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBOKHsFETvzimA2T2 by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:12:18.483812Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBOLnfkUZnAdF2O2a by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:12:34.803062Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBONGfCBoQ6psTjJQ by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:12:50.866715Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBOOaLWUlPIAbuB28 by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:13:05.153601Z
1 likes, 4 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBOQ4gz9dEuZoecG8 by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:13:21.255647Z
2 likes, 2 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw
(DIR) Post #AVBOcWBSlcjXJbqLJ2 by Ruusu@boks.moe
2023-04-30T16:15:35.355016Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@nekofag @tomw @ShaulaEvans thanks for the reminder neko. I was almost close to feeling happy about myself. I need a good beat down emotionally every now and then.
(DIR) Post #AVBOhSPCF7XT2ocdCC by nekofag@rdrama.cc
2023-04-30T16:16:29.630747Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@Ruusu @tomw @ShaulaEvans no problem bud
(DIR) Post #AVBP8rxJM7LM6ceMka by kkarhan@mstdn.social
2023-04-08T20:16:15Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw it's worse than #Tumblr because Tumblr never tried to #paywall content.
(DIR) Post #AVBPAmeI3bpuE5fM7k by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-09T09:52:50Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@j @mookie@trblcorp.com @donmelton Ghost is just Wordpress for people who think Wordpress is uncool for some reason. Use Wordpress.
(DIR) Post #AVBQVUvzDMxXJxNteS by rher@mugicha.club
2023-04-30T16:36:45.058367Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
(DIR) Post #AVBRMxX7cBmjMoFLdI by PurpCat@boks.moe
2023-04-30T16:46:24.712601Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@rher @tomw @nekofag that ending was great
(DIR) Post #AVBRPnWVHvrnBrJL6W by PurpCat@boks.moe
2023-04-30T16:46:55.515354Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@ShaulaEvans @tomw "why won't website delete what I don't like mods clean it up"
(DIR) Post #AVBS4Rv6Vssu3uCZJQ by rher@mugicha.club
2023-04-30T16:54:16.329953Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
The simplest argument to refute a moral nihilist is to kill them
(DIR) Post #AVBUc8QfgarbMm9olU by jeffcliff@shitposter.club
2023-04-30T17:22:45.502047Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
ghost is github-only = it's not open source
(DIR) Post #AVBUeDveD3I70CdsSO by majnouna@zirk.us
2023-04-09T05:56:44Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tomw That’s nonsense. The writer alone decides whether to paywall their posts, and can do so the way it works best for them: all or some, fully or partially. You sound like you just hate that some people are trying to make a living from their work rather than giving you everything for free.
(DIR) Post #AVBUeEbpgD2F72NZD6 by tomw@mastodon.social
2023-04-09T09:36:55Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@majnouna What I dislike is that Substack is spreading paywalling "down the food chain" – it is promising small writers riches (which, spoiler, they will not receive) and so causing a massive expansion of paywalling. It's not a freely made choice if it's based on a lie. We'll see the backlash to this soon no doubt.