Starting Over In Content Creation/Blogging/Influencing

This article describes how social media (and other Internet giants) corrupt over time. I recently wrote about the decline in blogging, and I've mused about what creating a digital garden would entail - especially if I could migrate content over from my old blog and other @apkussma" target="_blank">sites.

It might not be the most sensible, but I started to consider what it would be like to recapture the spirit that I had in the 2010s, and doing that might mean not being tethered to the old content and networks...

1. New Identity

It's always been tricky balancing privacy with what I put out online. Much of what I've written and posted about has been informed by my status as a family man, and some with other parts of my identity (career, nationality/ethnicity,) in addition to the topics I'm interested in exploring and writing about.

If I started over, I wouldn't tie into any existing personal accounts - no anonymity is guaranteed, but I guess I'd want some divorce from my more personal facts and information.

2. Platform: BlueSky

Jack Dorsey's latest project may go the way of Twitter on a long enough timeline, but it looks promising in the short term by virtue of its adoption rate. If I understand correctly, the protocol will be open, preventing the 'walled garden' nature of data on other social networks and user content can travel with them if they leave this platform for greener pastures.

3. Platform: Mastodon

Seems to have less adoption and having people spread across different instances isn't a great way to build an audience.

4. Platform: Threads

A Twitter competitor by Meta/Facebook. Colour me skeptical - if I wanted to keep using these giants with nothing to lose, I wouldn't have started this list.

5. Tool: Glasp

I haven't started with this one, but not only is it a way to bookmark/highlight material you come across on the web, but I believe I could put together a community of like minded people and start building not only a reading list, but a potential audience.

6. Topic List

"Favourite topics include but are not limited to... Wireless Communications, Special Needs Parenting, Movies/TV/Music/Books, Career Trends/Employment, Bullet Journalling, Mental Health and Writing" - this might need to be refined or expanded. On the other hand, do I need limits?

7. Platform: Substack

I just downloaded the app and subscribed to my first newsletter. I have seen that there are serious journalists and their ilk trying to get paid through this platform - and more power to them - but I know I couldn't/wouldn't produce content worth the $5/month minimum subscription. I like that it uses Stripe since I already have an account that is used for Premium Lists on NotePD and...

8. Platform: Medium

I was going to expand/improve my existing page on Medium, but I gave up on improving the aesthetics or finding someone to do it for me.

9. Platform: Notion

I fear this would be a rabbit-hole of effort where I spend time monkeying with parameters to make things look good or work better rather than the act of creation. I do like that it's versatile - and has a direct path to a digital garden.

10. Education: Typeshare

When I've poked around the web on these kinds of topics, I've seen courses like Ship30For30 and others that are leveraged by Typeshare. Maybe I would invest in one of these to devise a more coherent picture and strategy on how to get into content creation in today's web.