Love it! Nothing like learning a new acronym. For those wondering NAAS is Newsletter as a Service.
I have been reading a lot into the 'passion economy' this week, and it seems as though creating a newsletter goes hand-in-hand with pursuing this avenue. Thus far, I have only come across Substack as the primary option, so I am excited to see what Buttondown has to offer.
Buttondown is a (somewhat) recently launched NAAS built by a very engaged developer, beautifully designed, that looks like it might be the new TinyLetter. Subscription integrations forthcoming (eating into Substack territory?). This is probably where I’d start if I were starting a public newsletter today.
Ownership is indeed the point here. It's the point of newsletters as described in the article, but the thought of ownership and email brought another sort of mailing list to mind. Back in the '90s, even back into the '80s, public mailing lists on a given subject were very popular (often called listservs) People could discuss subjects of interest, and the list owner and members owned the service, it was propagated via email, and there were no social media brands to deal with. The cost to set a list up was negligible, anyone with always connected internet access (a given nowadays, but not then) could set up their own listserv, and have at it. In today's world of social media, the openness and level of engagement is just not there. With the rise in social media, listservs, and, in a similar vein, Usenet, have almost faded from the popular consciousness. This is a shame.
It is a shame, although there are still some niche, underground ones. I think they've just dwindled as people have jumped on other social sites. I would love to see them make a resurgance. I'm on one myself for journalists, and another burning man theme camps.
Agh, I was thinking about content ownership ALL weekend, so glad to see this. Craig Mod had a great interview in Offscreen mag a few issues back that was really compelling and got me onto the newsletters he mentions here.
Ownership is the critical point here.
It really, really is. Why do most savvy creators inevitably bounce from social media sites (or at least just automate but not focus on them)? Because you're building a house on someone else's land. A newsletter is a priceless invite into someone's inbox, still to this day there is no better place/method to reach people.
Ownership is the critical point here. Ownership in email in the same way we own a paperback: We recognize that we (largely) control the email subscriber lists, they are portable, they are not governed by unknowable algorithmic timelines.
Wariness is insidious because it breeds weariness. A person can get tired just opening an app these days. Unpredictable is the last thing a publishing platform should be but is exactly what these social networks become. Which can make them great marketing tools, but perhaps less-than-ideal for publishing.
Love it! Nothing like learning a new acronym. For those wondering NAAS is Newsletter as a Service.
I have been reading a lot into the 'passion economy' this week, and it seems as though creating a newsletter goes hand-in-hand with pursuing this avenue. Thus far, I have only come across Substack as the primary option, so I am excited to see what Buttondown has to offer.
Ownership is indeed the point here. It's the point of newsletters as described in the article, but the thought of ownership and email brought another sort of mailing list to mind. Back in the '90s, even back into the '80s, public mailing lists on a given subject were very popular (often called listservs) People could discuss subjects of interest, and the list owner and members owned the service, it was propagated via email, and there were no social media brands to deal with. The cost to set a list up was negligible, anyone with always connected internet access (a given nowadays, but not then) could set up their own listserv, and have at it. In today's world of social media, the openness and level of engagement is just not there. With the rise in social media, listservs, and, in a similar vein, Usenet, have almost faded from the popular consciousness. This is a shame.
It is a shame, although there are still some niche, underground ones. I think they've just dwindled as people have jumped on other social sites. I would love to see them make a resurgance. I'm on one myself for journalists, and another burning man theme camps.
Agh, I was thinking about content ownership ALL weekend, so glad to see this. Craig Mod had a great interview in Offscreen mag a few issues back that was really compelling and got me onto the newsletters he mentions here.
It really, really is. Why do most savvy creators inevitably bounce from social media sites (or at least just automate but not focus on them)? Because you're building a house on someone else's land. A newsletter is a priceless invite into someone's inbox, still to this day there is no better place/method to reach people.