Seriously?
Yeah, I’ve got another social media site. I really can’t fully explain why, except the title pretty much covers it. If I was 17 instead of 71 I’d be posting videos on TikTok or maybe pics on Instagram (wait…if I was 37, maybe…what the hell are the kids doing nowadays?), but I’m a word guy, so a word-oriented site is for me.
I’ve always been a word guy. That’s why I did radio over TV as a career (well, one of my careers, anyway). I’m a very-word guy now; since retiring I’ve written several books, published some of them, and a few of them have even been purchased. And for a dozen years I maintained a blog over at Blogspot (https://mexinger.blogspot.com/) called “Damned Old Crank” though I haven’t posted much lately (the last one was in August) and it’s been spotty for the last three years (when I started writing fiction - that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it). Also, Blogspot doesn’t seem to work well for people reading my posts on phones (I don’t own a smartphone so I take them at their word), so there’s that, too.
Truthfully, I have no idea how much I’ll write here, though the goal is a couple of times per week, maybe more depending on mood (mine, not yours). I don’t plan to charge anything, ever, to read my scribbles here. Just buy the damn books.
And for those of you already on Substack - yes, I am following their “first post” guidelines, somewhat. Which means I still need to tell you a couple of things…
1. Why this, why now
The guidelines call this first post a “mini personal manifesto.” Good lord, we don’t have time for that, but I do see myself posting about anything and everything. Politics is not off-limits, and I’ll talk about writing for certain (my next post is all about the new book), and hey, if people subscribe and say, “Why don’t you talk about XYZ?” I probably will. And I will talk about “X” for as long as it lasts (get it? Full disclosure: Elon is an ass).
2. What kind of community are you looking to build here
Community? C’mon, man. While it’s true I have no close friends (seriously), I have TONS of close acquaintances gathered from those 71 years of mine. School chums, work friends from radio, banking, marketing research, ice cream, the gambling/poker community (some of which fall into the first two categories), progressives, writers, gardeners, and geez…that about covers it. Since I don’t get out much, this is my way of keeping in touch. I wish we could share a cup of coffee or a glass of wine (a sweet white would be nice) over the Internet, but since we can’t, we can talk. I’m going first.
3. Be specific
Substack says “Readers love clarity,” and this is where I’m supposed to tell you how often I’ll write (I already did - a couple of times per week) and since it’s free I can’t tell you what you’ll get extra when you subscribe because there ain’t no extras. This is it.
4. Use an image and “subscribe” buttons
Here’s what I CAN tell you about images and “subscribe” buttons. You’ll only ever get nagged about subscribing once per post (is that what they call these?) and they say images help when this is shared on other media (Facebook, etc.) so yeah, one of those, too. They provided this one, and it’s nice, so…
5. Ignore our advice
NOW WE’RE SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE. I’ve always been a rule breaker (not a lawbreaker - there’s a diff). This is an experiment, and I have no idea what’s gonna happen. But I’m curious to find out.
6. I created my own header to tell you about the next post!
Whoo-hoo! I can learn new stuff (see above). Not bad for an old guy. Anyway, the next post will be about the new novel I just finished and is in the Beta Reader stage (which means I’m looking for readers). I have a few, but the more the merrier. See you then.
I know it looks weird to comment on your own post, but I wanted to see how this works.
Or IF it works.