This argument makes sense to me. Occasionally I might really want to comment on an article that is closed to unpaid subscribers. However, if I REALLY wanted to comment that bad I would probably at least check to see if I could do a monthly subscription to try it out. I cannot subscribe to every writer that I like. I wish that I could. I am reading some really good Substack for free. I am so grateful to be able to partake. I do not mind if I cannot comment. Just getting the experience of reading so much good stuff is exhilarating! Thank you to all Substack writers. You are appreciated!
Well, if money is a serious issue, you can always approach the writer to see if he or she will comp you. I have done that for people in the past, and I don't mind doing it. It's a way of including people who might not be able to afford a paid sub. Times are tough for many people, so sometimes it's good to help out, and some comped subscribers are also great contributors to discussions.
I find your argument for pay-to-comment eminently reasonable. It's not something I personally like, and it's not something I ever want to do, but if my articles start getting overwhelmed with trolls, I can see myself doing exactly the same thing.
One thing I never see myself doing is making the articles themselves pay-to-READ. I am no well-known journalist like Matt Taibbi and I will most likely always have another source of income, even it is just a measly pension and diluted Social Security benefits.
So far I can handle the trolls--my experience as a moderator on a now-defunct political discussion forum actually lets me ENJOY taunting or banning them for the now--and will let free comments continue, but I do promise to stop judging Substackers who have a comment paywall.
Well, with the paid article thing, you can also choose to make it available to paid subscribers for a limited time, then have it automatically unlock for free subscribers. You can choose the time you want it to be locked for, then have it automatically unlock after that time expires.
I see some authors do this, and I experimented with it once. It's sort of neat as it gives your paid subs access to the content first, then everybody else afterward. I don't know if it gets you more paid subs or just annoys the free readers. I don't see myself using it though as I'd rather just have everybody get it at the same time.
That’s the same thing The Gray Zone does. It mainly annoys me for a couple of weeks, and then I’ll read the articles for free anyway. But that’s me. I don’t know how other people react to that.
I do not know, I think it's supposed to encourage more paid subs, but I'd like to see some numbers to back that idea up. Seems like it's more likely to piss people off.
I always tell people that I feel happy that I can even read the articles that have closed comments. They didn't have to have it open to everyone!
The only time I get frustrated is when it's echo chamber stuff - and that's more for the state of our country than for me as a person. Closed comments simply guarantees it continues for most people, as I feel like you're rare.
But, I'm one of the few in these parts that DOESN'T want a civil war and look forward to the violence or over throw of the powers that we see coming. I just acknowledge that it will come anyways, whether I want it to or not.
Well, I think the difference is that if it is a paid article, then you can't see the comments. But if it is a free article, with comments set to paid-only, then you can see the article but you can't comment unless you are a paid subscriber.
Thanks for adding the bit about commenting via Notes. That is what I have done if I really wanted to comment but didn't have a paid sub. Also, with the sharing features (that some on Substack have turned on, like myself) people can EARN a "paid" sub by sharing articles and recommending the Substack to people.
I forgot about that sharing and recommending thing, thanks for reminding me, Barbara. For those who are not familiar with what Barbara is talking about, see this page:
I see absolutely no problem with your reasoning there. It's very fair and as you say, gives a small perk to people who can financially support the writer, while streamlining the work of the writer who has to do other stuff to pay the bills. I certainly don't agree on everything with content creators I support financially on Substack and elsewhere on independent media, and would hope that is representative of most free-thinkers who do similar. Echo chambers are just poison for all involved in my view and are what got Western societies to the riven state they are all in. Rock on, Morg. I hope you don't mind the familiarity of the abbreviation. I think that should be another perk of paid or complimentaries haha :) :)
Ha, ha. Morg is fine, no worries. Good morning to you, RL. I am just having coffee now and becoming somewhat awake. ☕️
I am enjoying having comments on paid, it makes it so much easier to focus on the people who post comments now. I am not inundated with comments to the point where I do not have time to respond.
I’m fine leaving that decision up to the author, but I’m more inclined to comment where it’s limited to subscribers. I might disagree with the comment (assuming no trolls) but at least I can assume we’ve both read the same essay. With some drive-by commenters, I’m not confident that they know the subject, let alone have a worthwhile opinion.
Yes, that is part of the benefits of being a paid or comped subscriber. You don’t have to wade through a lot of drive-by comments. It is a smaller, more intimate community and that can sometimes make it a better experience.
This argument makes sense to me. Occasionally I might really want to comment on an article that is closed to unpaid subscribers. However, if I REALLY wanted to comment that bad I would probably at least check to see if I could do a monthly subscription to try it out. I cannot subscribe to every writer that I like. I wish that I could. I am reading some really good Substack for free. I am so grateful to be able to partake. I do not mind if I cannot comment. Just getting the experience of reading so much good stuff is exhilarating! Thank you to all Substack writers. You are appreciated!
Well, if money is a serious issue, you can always approach the writer to see if he or she will comp you. I have done that for people in the past, and I don't mind doing it. It's a way of including people who might not be able to afford a paid sub. Times are tough for many people, so sometimes it's good to help out, and some comped subscribers are also great contributors to discussions.
I find your argument for pay-to-comment eminently reasonable. It's not something I personally like, and it's not something I ever want to do, but if my articles start getting overwhelmed with trolls, I can see myself doing exactly the same thing.
One thing I never see myself doing is making the articles themselves pay-to-READ. I am no well-known journalist like Matt Taibbi and I will most likely always have another source of income, even it is just a measly pension and diluted Social Security benefits.
So far I can handle the trolls--my experience as a moderator on a now-defunct political discussion forum actually lets me ENJOY taunting or banning them for the now--and will let free comments continue, but I do promise to stop judging Substackers who have a comment paywall.
Well, with the paid article thing, you can also choose to make it available to paid subscribers for a limited time, then have it automatically unlock for free subscribers. You can choose the time you want it to be locked for, then have it automatically unlock after that time expires.
I see some authors do this, and I experimented with it once. It's sort of neat as it gives your paid subs access to the content first, then everybody else afterward. I don't know if it gets you more paid subs or just annoys the free readers. I don't see myself using it though as I'd rather just have everybody get it at the same time.
That’s the same thing The Gray Zone does. It mainly annoys me for a couple of weeks, and then I’ll read the articles for free anyway. But that’s me. I don’t know how other people react to that.
I do not know, I think it's supposed to encourage more paid subs, but I'd like to see some numbers to back that idea up. Seems like it's more likely to piss people off.
I always tell people that I feel happy that I can even read the articles that have closed comments. They didn't have to have it open to everyone!
The only time I get frustrated is when it's echo chamber stuff - and that's more for the state of our country than for me as a person. Closed comments simply guarantees it continues for most people, as I feel like you're rare.
But, I'm one of the few in these parts that DOESN'T want a civil war and look forward to the violence or over throw of the powers that we see coming. I just acknowledge that it will come anyways, whether I want it to or not.
Well, I think the difference is that if it is a paid article, then you can't see the comments. But if it is a free article, with comments set to paid-only, then you can see the article but you can't comment unless you are a paid subscriber.
Thanks for adding the bit about commenting via Notes. That is what I have done if I really wanted to comment but didn't have a paid sub. Also, with the sharing features (that some on Substack have turned on, like myself) people can EARN a "paid" sub by sharing articles and recommending the Substack to people.
I forgot about that sharing and recommending thing, thanks for reminding me, Barbara. For those who are not familiar with what Barbara is talking about, see this page:
https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/16142857300372-What-are-subscriber-referrals-on-Substack
I see absolutely no problem with your reasoning there. It's very fair and as you say, gives a small perk to people who can financially support the writer, while streamlining the work of the writer who has to do other stuff to pay the bills. I certainly don't agree on everything with content creators I support financially on Substack and elsewhere on independent media, and would hope that is representative of most free-thinkers who do similar. Echo chambers are just poison for all involved in my view and are what got Western societies to the riven state they are all in. Rock on, Morg. I hope you don't mind the familiarity of the abbreviation. I think that should be another perk of paid or complimentaries haha :) :)
Ha, ha. Morg is fine, no worries. Good morning to you, RL. I am just having coffee now and becoming somewhat awake. ☕️
I am enjoying having comments on paid, it makes it so much easier to focus on the people who post comments now. I am not inundated with comments to the point where I do not have time to respond.
I’m fine leaving that decision up to the author, but I’m more inclined to comment where it’s limited to subscribers. I might disagree with the comment (assuming no trolls) but at least I can assume we’ve both read the same essay. With some drive-by commenters, I’m not confident that they know the subject, let alone have a worthwhile opinion.
Good morning Cindy,
Yes, that is part of the benefits of being a paid or comped subscriber. You don’t have to wade through a lot of drive-by comments. It is a smaller, more intimate community and that can sometimes make it a better experience.