This morning I was at Applebee’s with Mrs. Apple Pie, thinking with some concern about the way I haven’t posted anything on my blog for a while. The trouble was partly that nothing really had been happening worth writing about, but this was really a problem, since I opened my laptop at the restaurant to find I had lost seven subscribers from failing to post steady content.
I don't even try if it after 9pm and it is close. Come back to it as someone else in the morning. Fresh eyes. We're not a newspaper department of subeditors working 24/7
Many years ago, shortly after my engagement to Mrs. Apple Pie, her parents took us to Applebees. I was recovering from a childhood of extreme pickiness, still training myself to eat strange foods like hamburgers and cheesecake, and very, very rarely went out to eat. So when the sprightly waitress turned to me and said "Supersalad!" I was baffled. My only thought was, '...Are they proud to possess a big salad, of the kind coveted by Elaine Benice?' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr8gTkfNu5g
It took a few moment for her to convince me that this was the moment in our brief interaction when protocols dictated that I should select either a soup or a salad as my entree. I didn't care in the slightest, it was all weird food that I was going to be too picky to enjoy, and I probably chose the salad. Why she didn't offer a "saladersoup" is a question for the ages, though Reddit of course is willing to give it a shot: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/73mhco/why_dont_severs_say_salad_or_soup_instead_that/
Seriously, you lose subscribers from NOT posting content? I thought that posting things was the only thing that made people unsubscribe. I subscribe to about 20 blogs that are almost never updated and only to about 3 blogs where people actually write things. The 20 unwriters do not disturb me at all.
Edit: Ah, no, I see you begun with the dream. I'm a bad reader.
I would like to put some pressure on you to reveal what you are actually doing at work. For us outside the white-collar workforce the "look at ethical issues in emerging technologies" task appears to be on the same level of absurdity as the reast of the article.
> For us outside the white-collar workforce the "look at ethical issues in emerging technologies" task appears to be on the same level of absurdity as the reast of the article.
ROFL yes exactly, my life is surreal! So far as I know, this is just what happens in the workaday world: people come up to me and tell me strange things, and I'm frequently instructed to take actions that bring no clear benefit to anybody. At least my new workplace is friendly. People often tell me how lucky they are that I came by or how grateful they are that I made the switch. Even Zach was pretty cool to me when it came down to it.
As for substack, my experience is somewhat different from yours in that my climb up the subscriber ladder has been steady, but slow and laborious. I don't lose subscribers from posting (or anything else), but I really don't gain any unless I post, or make unsubtle pleas for attention at more popular blogs.
I think your lack of success in attracting subscribers says something unfortunate about Substack: Small bloggers are totally dependent on bigger players. In theory, people can promote their own blogs through commenting on other, bigger blogs. I understand why that strategy didn't work for Anders and me, because we are simply bad at writing comments (I'm a slow writer, so I can't say many intelligent things quickly). But you are one of the best commenters on Substack. If you don't succeed more than very moderately, that is a sad sign that new bloggers need to be endorsed by the social media establishment in order to grow.
I appreciate your compliment, Tove! But I don't know if it's that bad. Mrs. Apple Pie often reminds me that starting this blog wasn't exactly a wise move financially. Rather than positioning myself within a trend, or even focusing on one or two popular issues, I choose to write about my personal and eclectic interests from the fairly unpopular position of an anti-woke leftist.
For instance, if I acted as though I were a God & Guns conservative and vented about wokeness even more than I do now, I'd probably have all the followers I could wish for right now. Or, if I wanted to be outraged about Israel all the time, hey, that's a lovely niche that just opened up for any left-wing blogger who wants to build a few hundred subscribers. But that's not what I'm trying to do; I want to meet people who are fun to talk to.
"going on in my lie right now." all your typos are belong da best
That was the most egregious. It doesn't matter how hard I try, I can never put out a post with zero typos
I don't even try if it after 9pm and it is close. Come back to it as someone else in the morning. Fresh eyes. We're not a newspaper department of subeditors working 24/7
This made me realize that Applebee's, in fact, has nothing to do with apples! At least Chili's sells chili.
Many years ago, shortly after my engagement to Mrs. Apple Pie, her parents took us to Applebees. I was recovering from a childhood of extreme pickiness, still training myself to eat strange foods like hamburgers and cheesecake, and very, very rarely went out to eat. So when the sprightly waitress turned to me and said "Supersalad!" I was baffled. My only thought was, '...Are they proud to possess a big salad, of the kind coveted by Elaine Benice?' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr8gTkfNu5g
It took a few moment for her to convince me that this was the moment in our brief interaction when protocols dictated that I should select either a soup or a salad as my entree. I didn't care in the slightest, it was all weird food that I was going to be too picky to enjoy, and I probably chose the salad. Why she didn't offer a "saladersoup" is a question for the ages, though Reddit of course is willing to give it a shot: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/73mhco/why_dont_severs_say_salad_or_soup_instead_that/
I guess that's why waiters stopped asking this question.
Or maybe I just shout "CHICKEN TENDERS" at them before they're even able to ask...
Are you really that exuberant when you go out? You give me the impression of being rather more sensitive and reserved.
It depends on if I’m with my siblings or not. I can get a bit rambunctious with them! But on my own, I’m way calmer.
Seriously, you lose subscribers from NOT posting content? I thought that posting things was the only thing that made people unsubscribe. I subscribe to about 20 blogs that are almost never updated and only to about 3 blogs where people actually write things. The 20 unwriters do not disturb me at all.
Edit: Ah, no, I see you begun with the dream. I'm a bad reader.
I would like to put some pressure on you to reveal what you are actually doing at work. For us outside the white-collar workforce the "look at ethical issues in emerging technologies" task appears to be on the same level of absurdity as the reast of the article.
> For us outside the white-collar workforce the "look at ethical issues in emerging technologies" task appears to be on the same level of absurdity as the reast of the article.
ROFL yes exactly, my life is surreal! So far as I know, this is just what happens in the workaday world: people come up to me and tell me strange things, and I'm frequently instructed to take actions that bring no clear benefit to anybody. At least my new workplace is friendly. People often tell me how lucky they are that I came by or how grateful they are that I made the switch. Even Zach was pretty cool to me when it came down to it.
As for substack, my experience is somewhat different from yours in that my climb up the subscriber ladder has been steady, but slow and laborious. I don't lose subscribers from posting (or anything else), but I really don't gain any unless I post, or make unsubtle pleas for attention at more popular blogs.
I think your lack of success in attracting subscribers says something unfortunate about Substack: Small bloggers are totally dependent on bigger players. In theory, people can promote their own blogs through commenting on other, bigger blogs. I understand why that strategy didn't work for Anders and me, because we are simply bad at writing comments (I'm a slow writer, so I can't say many intelligent things quickly). But you are one of the best commenters on Substack. If you don't succeed more than very moderately, that is a sad sign that new bloggers need to be endorsed by the social media establishment in order to grow.
I appreciate your compliment, Tove! But I don't know if it's that bad. Mrs. Apple Pie often reminds me that starting this blog wasn't exactly a wise move financially. Rather than positioning myself within a trend, or even focusing on one or two popular issues, I choose to write about my personal and eclectic interests from the fairly unpopular position of an anti-woke leftist.
For instance, if I acted as though I were a God & Guns conservative and vented about wokeness even more than I do now, I'd probably have all the followers I could wish for right now. Or, if I wanted to be outraged about Israel all the time, hey, that's a lovely niche that just opened up for any left-wing blogger who wants to build a few hundred subscribers. But that's not what I'm trying to do; I want to meet people who are fun to talk to.