You’re not namedropping enough.
I wasn’t kidding. Curation is probably your best bet for the near future. And it’s been too long since I shared some great links and quotes.
Enjoy! — CJ
You’re not namedropping enough.
I love this. What’s the secret of the most successful local publication ever (grabbing 112% of their target market)? Names. There can never be enough names in your publication. In fact, the publisher stated back in 1978 that he’d hire more typesetters if the reporters could include more names. This is why curation and the “via” win. Via Ethan Brooks and Tim Stoddart.
Why do author newsletters suck?
This applies to everyone’s newsletter, or blog, or social presence. But it only applies with the caveat Josh Spector mentions: your goal must be growth. The full episode gets deeper. There are plenty of examples of creators who started their own thing to sharpen their skills. Growth was a byproduct. But this advice is for the majority. Your newsletter is not (just) for you.
What’s the cozy web?
I don’t care. I love this site’s design and experience so much, it’s brought me back to the 90s when I used to save websites to be inspired. The typefaces, the illustrations, the navigation, and overall reading experience is a knockout here. I don’t even need to care about the topic to read this site and experience absolute joy.
Have you had the AI talk with your kids?
It’s hard to disagree with the challenges stated here, but I don’t think the resolution is likely, given the history of humanity. We will always find a way to avoid leisure — the basis of culture. It’s scary stuff, but it’s coming.
Quotes
“Impatience is an argument with reality.” — Rick Rubin
“I am building a business that will allow me to:
- Have breakfast & dinner with my family every day
- Be at every dance recital & little league game
- Go to every parent/teacher conference
- Take the kids out of school and travel whenever I want
What more do I need?” — Dave Gerhardt (it’s easy to be anti-hustle, but better to be pro-sensible)
“When you first start to study a field, it seems like you have to memorize a zillion things. You don’t. What you need is to identify the core principles – generally three to twelve of them – that govern the field. The million things you thought you had to memorize are simply various combinations of the core principles.” — John T. Reed
“None of the tribes want you. They want you to be tribal. Tribes are boring. Who cares? Read books that are interesting. Read books that are bad. I was once attacked for ‘platforming’ somebody. How did you know that person was ‘bad?’ Because somebody ‘platformed’ them before. We used to call it reporting. Read want you want. Believe what you want. And never call yourself anything. It’s a dead end.” — Journalist Michael Moynihan