There's a fair bit of chatter about RSS readers and web logs last few days with the realization that some of the big newsletter apps/companies are happy to give a voice to the bad people (not sees and those kind of intolerant fucks) but forbidding trans and SW voices. The work around and admission is that newsletters are a lot of work for very little return and also more discussion about web logs.
Micro-blogging killed the blogosphere, no question. Twitter and then whatever else moved in. Mostly twitter (I'm gonna dead name that place because it deserves to be esp since the 'owner' likes to dead name other people but not have his stuff dead named and well fuck him and his racists bigoted self).
One phenomenon I have NEVER understood are newsletters. Maybe because email is all but dead and we're overloaded with inadvertent subscriptions and capitalistic marketing noise. The only emails I really actually read at from people. And those are pretty far and few between. I do have a couple people I know, okay maybe one or two, one. That uses email as a chat tool. A few people that use text as an email tool. Tracking purchases, receipts, that kind of thing, yeah it is used for that too. Ok, email is not dead it just is kind of like the regular mail now. Has uses but not the same as in the past. But newsletters? I have subscribed to a few, they are good at reminding me of why i subscribed but i'm not very good at reading them. I see the subject and move on.
I still do the open tab thing. On this new laptop it is screaming fast, it is also blazing at exporting and dealing with large image files, which is why I got it, so that's at least good.
Writing a newsletter, really just seems like writing a blog post and then emailing it to people. Why not just write the post, put it up and let people come to it? Sure, you might get MORE than zero engagement with a newsletter which is what some people find with blogs. We're are near zero engagement here. And I'm okay with that.
The whole photographing sharing pictures image hosting so people can see them thing is something I'm wrestling with, and a newsletter isn't good for that. I think about the few regular posting places, Stevil's for example. That's a weekly newsletter of sorts that is still a blog on his page and it looks like a web page (not me here slumming with a blogger account because that's what I've started with and it is still here this many years later).
Techbro white dudes trying to monetize this scene seems to be another factor in killing the web logs, monetizing the traffic, providing 'service' for a fee. I dunno, now I feel like I'm just rambling.
To the point though, bring back web logs, make hosting and publishing your own again. or something.
I think there's still a place for the 'gram, and for bluesky (I have invites if you want to try that place out). But I'd like to see newsletters move back to blogs maybe? maybe it is just me. I'm really happy to add more links to the open tabs, even a new folder. I'm also not a very good consumer, I've been buying stuff but that's an agonizing process and lately has been kind of hyper focused on camera stuff, or bikes but that is the one constant through my life. I suppose camera stuff has been too to be honest.
Here I am, how many years old, high functioning autism probably, mild maybe adhd, hyper aware of some stuff, blind to others, always feeling left out, afraid to go into social situations... it is brutal but that whole time taking pictures and riding bikes. Maybe it was the pocket Olympus Stylus Tough, or the previous ones before it. Or the various film cameras prior, or the SP but now here I am a million years late, with a modern sophisticated DSLR. Sort of the same with bikes. Way way back the SP was one of the best. Then the Olympus Digital, one of the best point and shoot digital cameras. Sort of like that point when I got the Kleins. Then I sort of surfed around with mid-level stuff. The DLSR is kind of like the Madone and the Top Fuel. finally have stuff that is 'good' uncompromising. Although both make a unique compromise. Not perfect and not what works for most people. Much like the monochrome DSLR. Most people would have gone with color. There's a few 'influencer' youtubers that do lots of black and white but claim it is best to shoot in color only since you have choice. Ah, right. The Youtubers. The video bloggers. The people who spend thousands of dollars to record themselves talking about shit. OH FUCK ME HOW DID I FORGET ABOUT PODCASTS. FUCK those have a serious impact on blogs too. It is easy for many people to sit down and talk into thousands of dollars of equipment with people and hey feel important. Audio is easy to consume, people do it mindlessly while doing other stuff.
Sigh. The world is fucked, we're a problem, and there are not good or easy solutions.
I have been wondering if I should take the Nanoscape name over with the black and white stuff... or not, really don't know. Buying a 3rd domain seems silly but maybe it is the answer. Funny thing, there's a geoffrey l williams on smug mug, i really hope we don't share our middle name, that would be too funny. But there aren't many others. Hmm.
I'm absolutely procrastinating. I do NOT want to drive down tomorrow. I think that's part of the layer of dread hanging over me. But there's a lot to do today and I really need to get moving on it all. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.
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