I started this site as a non-blogging platform, just a place where I’d post my music, my poetry, my thoughts. I wish I could be an absolute non-blogger, but the truth is I often still write like a blogger. But what is blogging today? Medium? SubStack?
Is independent blogging even a thing anymore? I’m not so sure.
Yes, there are still thousands of blogs out there, but more and more writers seem to be moving to sites like Medium and SubStack. I’ve written at Medium off and on for several years. I’m exploring the possibility of writing at SubStack. But something is disturbing me.
Are Medium and SubStack simply the Walmart and Target of writing? Are SoundCloud and BandCamp the equivalent for music creators?
I’ll admit that these sites make sharing your writing and music easier than ever. But just like Walmart kills the “ma and pa” store, Medium and SubStack may, in the end, kill the independent blogger. Does everything have to be based upon large corporate models?
If I had to choose, I’d stay with my own WordPress site, and I will. But I have the freedom to do more than one thing. I love that. It’s not all bad. BandCamp has allowed me a lot of freedom as a music creator. I can create a personalized page and sell my music directly to customers. It’s simple.
I see that SubStack may offer similar freedom to BandCamp. Instead of creating a blog and a newsletter and an email list, etc., in separate places, I can do it all from one dashboard. Perhaps that’s a fair model. Although I’m hesitant, I might give it a try. Slowly. – dse
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