Some of the things #9
I started this newsletter 4 months ago as a little life experiment and the results are in.
In my very first post back in December I wrote about how I was starting a newsletter as an experiment to see what benefits it might bring. My hypothesis was that Substack would be a better medium than Twitter for journaling and bookmarks. The structure of the experiment was simple: publish at least 2 posts per month through March.
Well friends, here we are at the very end of March and it’s time to conclude the experiment.
Here are the results.
Overview
8 posts since December, using a rough template of Work|Tech|Wellness to categorize my thoughts.
Some posts had more free form journaling, some were just a collection of links to things I was getting into.
19 people have subscribed. The first 6 subscribers were people I recognized, but most of the subsequent subscribers I don’t recognize.
Observations
It’s been fun to write. The bar for publishing is lower than other blog platforms I use. It’s easier to tap out thoughts here without overthinking. When I write blogs on Medium, for example, they tend to be more formal. With a lower bar for publishing, I’m more likely to write. For someone who values flywheels and flow, I find substack a uniquely interesting platform. Let the writing flow.
The more personal the writing, the more engagement I got - more likes, more comments, more subscribers. Almost all subscribers came after I wrote about my mom first going into the hospital with cancer complications, and then later about her passing away. Posts where I just aggregated content without much editorializing didn’t drive any new subscriptions.
Part of my original hypothesis was I could use substack as a database of all the interesting things I’m learning about and getting into. But I find Twitter’s searchability still more useful for that.
I’ve used Twitter in the past for thinking out loud and clarifying my thoughts, but I find free form journaling in substack even better for that.
Conclusion - Was it a successful experiment?
Of course that’s the wrong question to ask! Experiments can’t be successful or unsuccessful. The purpose of an experiment is to learn something you couldn’t know otherwise. From my first post, I stated, “… the only way I’ll find out what I want to do with a newsletter is by starting one.” I still don’t know exactly what I want to do with the newsletter, but overall it’s been a rewarding and enjoyable experience so I’m going to continue, with more or less the same structure - posting about twice a month to reflect and share all the many things I’m learning about and getting into.
On to some of the things.
As always, here are some of the things I’ve been getting into:
Work
Reading The Visual MBA as part of my research into a paper I’m working on based on a thesis that technology leaders should develop more business literacy skills to stay effective as they advance into senior leadership.
What if Crunch Was a Good Thing? Latest blog my new company published is all about embracing failure. If you’re inclined to help, you can give us a boost by retweeting or reposting.
Starting research into different payroll and ops tools as I get closer to hiring our first employees. Rippling looks interesting.
Other Things
Screenshots of every game from the original Nintendo Entertainment System.
Bleedingedge.ai - a feed of notable developments in AI. The pace of innovation is so staggering we’re all sure to be left behind, but a nice list for those trying to keep up.
A comparison of Farcaster vs. Lens Protocols - two decentralized social networks.
An 8 year old Mongolian boy born in US was just identified as the reincarnation of the third most important spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism.
I’ve been employed in tech for years, but I’ve almost never worked. A scathing report on the bloat of big tech. “It seems to me that most tech companies optimize for the wrong thing. They optimize for compliance with methodologies, for the adoption of trendy technology, for having a billion-dollar valuation, and so on, but they’ve forgotten about their clients. However, thinking about clients is what makes a business successful and a team truly productive.”
A note to my subscribers:
If you’ve read this far, thank you for supporting my writing and journey. As much as I started this substack for myself, it’s nice to think of real people around the world hearing these words. Please feel free to share it with anyone you think might also enjoy it, reach out and say hello, and of course unsubscribe anytime.
Until next time, keep putting good into the world. —adrienne🌏❤️