It’s not just that visibility is restricted for non-paying X users, the algorithm has been changed so you won’t see ‘too’ many posts from the same account. I know several ‘events’ on X, organised for pet owners (as a way to have some fun away from the harsh reality of the day), or posts by charities that won’t reach the people they’re posted for.
Not to mention that for non-payers every 2-3 posts are followed by ads.
By now X is posting a 3-tier system for users, everyone will have to pay. 🙄
Try an ad blocker, might get rid of them. Not surprised about the algo, seems to be a mess over there with that crap happening to a lot of people. Elon is shooting himself in the foot, he is so focused on mega-accounts that he is forgetting the little people and driving them away with stupid decisions.
The ad blocker doesn’t get rid of them. I asked several friends involved in those events, everyone trying to communicate during one of those is having the same problem. And they’re all using something different.
Plus all DMs are monitored and sonetimes withheld.
I’m not going to pay for it, top tier for no ads would be €25 a month. Just to pay the interest on those huge loans.
Good advice from the author, Joyce. Just wanted to say that if you are using the free Avast anti-virus (still the best rated av software out there, I think), the free Avast Secure Browser is a no-brainer, comes with an ad-blocker, and the world's most private search engine, Startpage.
If you use Safari, check the content blockers in the app store. There should be some good ad blockers you can get there that might remove the ads on X and other sites.
I’m using Firefox, set to High. But my ipad can’t handle more apps, my dictionaries take up much space, not to mention about 20,000 photos/videos 🙈. This is an old ipad and there isn’t much I can do with us right now.
Notes is a doorway to creativity and imagination. X is a storefront window . A certain kind of individual will step through the door , as opposed to gawking at the shiny toys on display. I like the doorway.
I backed Elon with a premium subscription when his politically-motivated advertisers pressured him to be more censorious. In exchange Elon limits my reach because I tend to reciprocate following credible followers, and he deboosts my promotion of my long form writing on Substack.
He really is foolish to do such things. Substack was no threat to X, and he should have know that and behaved accordingly. Your story is exactly what he should have taken care not to have happen. If he let you promote your Substack writing, you likely might have kept the subscription going.
I think he lets his emotions control him too much, and it leads to bad decisions about X. X is not Tesla or Space X, it requires a different kind of management thinking. I bet he has run a lot of other people off the service with this stupidity too.
The subscriber model (as on Substack) puts the audience ultimately in control.
The advertiser model, however, is required in order to shove undesired narratives down the audience's throats. Elite influencers will always favor advertiser models and try to lure you in with the promise that it's "free."
Yes, that is one of X's biggest problems. That service is dominated by such influencers, but new accounts must pay to grow and thus it seems to be stagnating. New people cannot get a foothold there and start to build followings without paying Elon $16 per month.
And even then, as your situation demonstrates, the paying subscribers don't get what they are paying for, their reach is still limited according to Elon's whims. Do they even have a product manager over there that is aware of this? I wonder who is supposed to be in control of their product offerings?
Over time, all of this is going to scuttle attempts to continue to grow X's user base.
"I didn't need all these great reasons to prefer Substack, which gives me plenty of its own, starting with a readership that remembers how to read. But thanks."
I assume Elon not being a friend to Substack, in the way of high tech competition, he thinks himself an enemy of Substack, which makes him dangerous. I also assume whether I paid him or not, a lot of the stuff I write would be censored there.
Also, if you write anything on Twitter, Twitter users seem to read it, whatever the actual word, as meaning ‘Please take this opportunity to call me a c*nt’. It’s such an unpleasant space I genuinely don’t understand why anyone bothers.
Agreed, it is not known for its high quality discussions. But then again historically it has always been a place of snark and one-liner sniping, and it hasn't changed much over the years.
My biggest gripe with Twitter is that even when you do get engagement, 80% of the time its fake. I’ve banned more followers than I actually have because they were just obvious bot accounts. I’ve gotten more traction on Substack in the last few months alone.
it's not only account fees for exposure that drives me away from Tweeter.
as I don't have an account login there (requiring a phone number for a free account is absolutely unacceptable to me,) I can't even read comments on Twits. I can only see the top level post.
I did briefly open an account when there was the bruhaha about "free speech" now being allowed, but it didn't take much testing to verify that was a lie. anything 911 related and a lot of konvid into were still censored, and not even the WEF-woman's "speech not reach" parameters applied.
I had an older unused account but they had locked it and wouldn't allow me access even to delete it until I gave them a burner phone number.
They should not have the right to keep you from deleting an old account. That data belongs to you and you should be able to remove it without giving them your phone number.
their excuse was "identity verification" to access the account, even though neither that email address nor the burner phone number are directly tied to my government issued identity.
I'm sure the MegaNarc™ government AI is capable of linking them to me, but I think Tweeter is still only mostly controlled by the feds and may not have direct access to MegaNarc™
I agree - Substack is the place to be for all the reasons you list. I don't know why I didn't start using notes when it was released. Now that I use it, I am gaining readers nearly every day.
Twitter/X is still trying to rebrand but I don't think that's possible for many reasons. I didn't buy PRO but I did go for the in-between but I haven't gained at all - so far. I suspect my IP is still black-listed.
Yes, Notes is well worth spending time on, unlike Twitter. It's a big help to get people to discover your work.
Who knows what's going on with X, that's part of the problem. You never know where you stand with them and if you are being shadowbanned or whatever. It's a pain in the ass.
X seems to be snarkier, less informative and more flippant than Substack notes. As a long form platform, I far prefer Substack to X (and the threads which can go on forever). And you only pay Substack if you have subscribers.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of the long form on Twitter. Because of my dyslexia, its kind of hard to read it on there. Its hard enough with short form text. Then get met with a wall of text. No thank you.
“In order to have your comments and posts seen, you have to cough up the money to Big Daddy Elon. If you don't, then you can languish in obscurity on X.”
I have noticed exactly this. Almost no one actually sees any original post I make on X, and I supposedly had 130 followers or so. No telling how many of those followers already abandoned X, and so I had a few IRL friends who would even bother responding. And my replies would go unengaged with most of the time. I was shouting into a coffee can and so I just recently started a new account, posted my farewells, then switched names and closed the original account. Just so anyone curious could find me and know where I went.
I would argue substack has demonstrated that subscription models can work. I view substack as a proof of concept only.
I don't think it will last. If the regime can use Substack to keep many dissidents in one place it may be allowed to survive. I strongly suspect if it starts to derail their narratives, which it may do, then it will be purchased by another Elon Musk type and quietly destroyed.
My own view is Musk was allowed to buy Twitter because the previous harsh measures chased the dissident right. The people they actually fear. We then saw things like Gab and Rumble take up the slack. They didn't like that. The better strategy is have them inside the reservation where they can give the appearance of the dissidents publishing, but limit their reach. This is precisely what Twitter has admitted to doing.
It is all a circus. And for now substack is outside the circus. If it ever becomes an actual threat it will be destroyed.
I hope you are wrong, but we shall see. Substack is big enough now to be on their radar, and you can tell by the FBI posting fake nahtzee crap in people's comments.
I'm not really an X user, but Notes is definitely a different vibe. Having said that, I honestly haven't seen a lot of engagement on Notes outside the big writers. I'm not sure the algorithm shares much for the smaller accounts.
I'm not a big writer, and I get good engagement. Are you posting regularly on Notes? Not sure how the Notes algo works exactly compared to X, but my posts usually draw some comments, restacks, etc. Maybe post more and see what happens?
I post daily so I restack each day's post with a note. I've been testing different angles on the notes to see if I can find something that sparks. I've also tried posting unrelated comments, stories, etc. but haven't gotten much engagement from anything.
Could simply be that it's not good content. But without under how the algorithm is determining what to share I have no way of knowing if it's only going to my followers or if it's using keywords or just randomly sharing or not sharing at all. It's all pretty hit or miss.
It is not just Notes but all of Substack which is vastly superior to Twitter in every way.
Yes, I enjoy posting on Notes and I always get great engagement. Not so with X, I feel like I'm shouting into a void.
Agreed
I’m finding Notes clunky, but I’m not going back to Twitter or Facebook…
It will get better, I think DM is the next big thing for it.
I think I’d integrate Notes and Comments…
It’s not just that visibility is restricted for non-paying X users, the algorithm has been changed so you won’t see ‘too’ many posts from the same account. I know several ‘events’ on X, organised for pet owners (as a way to have some fun away from the harsh reality of the day), or posts by charities that won’t reach the people they’re posted for.
Not to mention that for non-payers every 2-3 posts are followed by ads.
By now X is posting a 3-tier system for users, everyone will have to pay. 🙄
Are you using an ad blocker? That sucks that the algo is messing with events like that, what a pain in the ass for all concerned.
No, and all the people I have asked (many are friends) are experiencing the same.
Then read an article from a book about Musk/X, that the algoritm had been changed.
Try an ad blocker, might get rid of them. Not surprised about the algo, seems to be a mess over there with that crap happening to a lot of people. Elon is shooting himself in the foot, he is so focused on mega-accounts that he is forgetting the little people and driving them away with stupid decisions.
The ad blocker doesn’t get rid of them. I asked several friends involved in those events, everyone trying to communicate during one of those is having the same problem. And they’re all using something different.
Plus all DMs are monitored and sonetimes withheld.
I’m not going to pay for it, top tier for no ads would be €25 a month. Just to pay the interest on those huge loans.
You are right Morg, little people are driven away
Good advice from the author, Joyce. Just wanted to say that if you are using the free Avast anti-virus (still the best rated av software out there, I think), the free Avast Secure Browser is a no-brainer, comes with an ad-blocker, and the world's most private search engine, Startpage.
Thanks Alan, but I’m using my ipad for X (need new laptop… had GData on it) and I’m using DuckDuck for search engine.
If you use Safari, check the content blockers in the app store. There should be some good ad blockers you can get there that might remove the ads on X and other sites.
But thanks Morg, you always offer good advice. Much appreciated
I’m using Firefox, set to High. But my ipad can’t handle more apps, my dictionaries take up much space, not to mention about 20,000 photos/videos 🙈. This is an old ipad and there isn’t much I can do with us right now.
Notes is a doorway to creativity and imagination. X is a storefront window . A certain kind of individual will step through the door , as opposed to gawking at the shiny toys on display. I like the doorway.
I backed Elon with a premium subscription when his politically-motivated advertisers pressured him to be more censorious. In exchange Elon limits my reach because I tend to reciprocate following credible followers, and he deboosts my promotion of my long form writing on Substack.
No thank you. Lesson learned. Premium cancelled.
https://twitter.com/AetherCzar/status/1759954289806471413
He really is foolish to do such things. Substack was no threat to X, and he should have know that and behaved accordingly. Your story is exactly what he should have taken care not to have happen. If he let you promote your Substack writing, you likely might have kept the subscription going.
I think he lets his emotions control him too much, and it leads to bad decisions about X. X is not Tesla or Space X, it requires a different kind of management thinking. I bet he has run a lot of other people off the service with this stupidity too.
The subscriber model (as on Substack) puts the audience ultimately in control.
The advertiser model, however, is required in order to shove undesired narratives down the audience's throats. Elite influencers will always favor advertiser models and try to lure you in with the promise that it's "free."
Yes, that is one of X's biggest problems. That service is dominated by such influencers, but new accounts must pay to grow and thus it seems to be stagnating. New people cannot get a foothold there and start to build followings without paying Elon $16 per month.
And even then, as your situation demonstrates, the paying subscribers don't get what they are paying for, their reach is still limited according to Elon's whims. Do they even have a product manager over there that is aware of this? I wonder who is supposed to be in control of their product offerings?
Over time, all of this is going to scuttle attempts to continue to grow X's user base.
I replied to the linked tweet-list with--
"I didn't need all these great reasons to prefer Substack, which gives me plenty of its own, starting with a readership that remembers how to read. But thanks."
Reckon that will up my engagement there?
Platforms are fluid and their execs are fickle. One never knows what the future holds for either X or Substack
"Execs are fickle.." Oh, so true.
you see it all the time! . . . just when you like the place, they rearrange the furniture!
I assume Elon not being a friend to Substack, in the way of high tech competition, he thinks himself an enemy of Substack, which makes him dangerous. I also assume whether I paid him or not, a lot of the stuff I write would be censored there.
Also, if you write anything on Twitter, Twitter users seem to read it, whatever the actual word, as meaning ‘Please take this opportunity to call me a c*nt’. It’s such an unpleasant space I genuinely don’t understand why anyone bothers.
Agreed, it is not known for its high quality discussions. But then again historically it has always been a place of snark and one-liner sniping, and it hasn't changed much over the years.
My biggest gripe with Twitter is that even when you do get engagement, 80% of the time its fake. I’ve banned more followers than I actually have because they were just obvious bot accounts. I’ve gotten more traction on Substack in the last few months alone.
Sssssh! Don't say that too loudly or the bots will find their way over here! 😉
it's not only account fees for exposure that drives me away from Tweeter.
as I don't have an account login there (requiring a phone number for a free account is absolutely unacceptable to me,) I can't even read comments on Twits. I can only see the top level post.
I did briefly open an account when there was the bruhaha about "free speech" now being allowed, but it didn't take much testing to verify that was a lie. anything 911 related and a lot of konvid into were still censored, and not even the WEF-woman's "speech not reach" parameters applied.
I had an older unused account but they had locked it and wouldn't allow me access even to delete it until I gave them a burner phone number.
They should not have the right to keep you from deleting an old account. That data belongs to you and you should be able to remove it without giving them your phone number.
their excuse was "identity verification" to access the account, even though neither that email address nor the burner phone number are directly tied to my government issued identity.
I'm sure the MegaNarc™ government AI is capable of linking them to me, but I think Tweeter is still only mostly controlled by the feds and may not have direct access to MegaNarc™
I agree - Substack is the place to be for all the reasons you list. I don't know why I didn't start using notes when it was released. Now that I use it, I am gaining readers nearly every day.
Twitter/X is still trying to rebrand but I don't think that's possible for many reasons. I didn't buy PRO but I did go for the in-between but I haven't gained at all - so far. I suspect my IP is still black-listed.
Yes, Notes is well worth spending time on, unlike Twitter. It's a big help to get people to discover your work.
Who knows what's going on with X, that's part of the problem. You never know where you stand with them and if you are being shadowbanned or whatever. It's a pain in the ass.
X seems to be snarkier, less informative and more flippant than Substack notes. As a long form platform, I far prefer Substack to X (and the threads which can go on forever). And you only pay Substack if you have subscribers.
Very true, X has a legacy culture from Twitter's early days, and it has never gotten past it. I don't think it ever will.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of the long form on Twitter. Because of my dyslexia, its kind of hard to read it on there. Its hard enough with short form text. Then get met with a wall of text. No thank you.
On Notes is easier somehow.
Different environment and interface. Less busy, slower-paced.
“In order to have your comments and posts seen, you have to cough up the money to Big Daddy Elon. If you don't, then you can languish in obscurity on X.”
I have noticed exactly this. Almost no one actually sees any original post I make on X, and I supposedly had 130 followers or so. No telling how many of those followers already abandoned X, and so I had a few IRL friends who would even bother responding. And my replies would go unengaged with most of the time. I was shouting into a coffee can and so I just recently started a new account, posted my farewells, then switched names and closed the original account. Just so anyone curious could find me and know where I went.
Agreed. It's one thing if it's bots, but if it's IRL friends then likely your posts weren't reaching them. Big Daddy Elon wants that sweet Pro cash.
Even if you up for Premium Elon still deboosts you. No thank you.
I would argue substack has demonstrated that subscription models can work. I view substack as a proof of concept only.
I don't think it will last. If the regime can use Substack to keep many dissidents in one place it may be allowed to survive. I strongly suspect if it starts to derail their narratives, which it may do, then it will be purchased by another Elon Musk type and quietly destroyed.
My own view is Musk was allowed to buy Twitter because the previous harsh measures chased the dissident right. The people they actually fear. We then saw things like Gab and Rumble take up the slack. They didn't like that. The better strategy is have them inside the reservation where they can give the appearance of the dissidents publishing, but limit their reach. This is precisely what Twitter has admitted to doing.
It is all a circus. And for now substack is outside the circus. If it ever becomes an actual threat it will be destroyed.
I hope you are wrong, but we shall see. Substack is big enough now to be on their radar, and you can tell by the FBI posting fake nahtzee crap in people's comments.
That is evidence they have it on their radar. Likely fodder for their agitators to point to later.
If that fails then it will be bought out. The people running our world print the money, so they can offer any amount.
There is that too. What a circus we live in.
I'm not really an X user, but Notes is definitely a different vibe. Having said that, I honestly haven't seen a lot of engagement on Notes outside the big writers. I'm not sure the algorithm shares much for the smaller accounts.
I'm not a big writer, and I get good engagement. Are you posting regularly on Notes? Not sure how the Notes algo works exactly compared to X, but my posts usually draw some comments, restacks, etc. Maybe post more and see what happens?
I post daily so I restack each day's post with a note. I've been testing different angles on the notes to see if I can find something that sparks. I've also tried posting unrelated comments, stories, etc. but haven't gotten much engagement from anything.
Could simply be that it's not good content. But without under how the algorithm is determining what to share I have no way of knowing if it's only going to my followers or if it's using keywords or just randomly sharing or not sharing at all. It's all pretty hit or miss.
Well maybe the substack people can clarify? Maybe try posting a note to Betty on Notes?
https://substack.com/@bettysubstack