Blog updates
A cool custom domain, and paid subscription option
Two minor updates:
(1) As you may have noticed, I’ve shifted this blog to the much cooler, more memorable, and easier-to-say URL: goodthoughts.blog. Next time a friend asks you for a blog recommendation (that happens all the time, right?), you can more easily point them in this direction :-)
(2) Inspired by Matthew’s arguments and early signs of success, I’ve added a “paid subscription” option for any readers who want to show their appreciation this way. The paid subscription is $8/month or $80/year. I currently write ~50 posts a year, many containing novel ideas and analysis you won’t find anywhere else, so I hope many will consider this excellent value.1 I appreciate all my free readers, and am still happy you’re here even if you don’t think my writing is worth paying for.2 But I’m sure I’ll appreciate any paying subscribers even more. :-)
To be clear: I don’t expect to paywall many posts—my main motivation for blogging is that I want people to see and engage with my ideas, and that isn’t about to change. But I may paywall: (i) any “spicy” takes that I don’t necessarily want to be too widely read; (ii) especially theoretical or niche posts that wouldn’t be that valuable to a wider audience anyway; or (iii) posts offering “early access” to some ideas or works in-progress, just to provide a special extra to those who support my work.
If you have other ideas for making a paid subscription more worthwhile (while leaving the bulk of my work open-access), feel free to leave a comment!3
What’s the point? It probably goes without saying, but it’s nice to earn money! (Having blogged entirely for free for over 20 years now, I’m obviously not in this for the money. But it could still be a welcome bonus!) For one thing, it would let me donate more. And also spend some on myself. Both sound nice. :-)
There’s also the possibility, if I’m pleasantly surprised by the level of uptake, that I’ll be inspired to spend more of my free time on this hobby relative to other ones. It’s always nice to feel appreciated, after all! So, if you’d like to see more Good Thoughts, and can comfortably afford the paid option, why not…
There’s also an extra-generous “Patron” option available, for any aristocrats in the audience.
By default, I gather that Substack may automatically reach out to high-engagement free subscribers to encourage them to upgrade. I like the idea in moderation (if you’re getting lots of value out of the blog, why not consider supporting it?), but let me know if it gets too spammy and I should be able to disable it.
I know some bloggers do subscriber-only open threads. Others do occasional link-posts to signal-boost subscribers’ writings. I’m not sure whether there would be much demand for either of those here, or for some other idea along these lines. But if there is, let me know.
Just a suggestion but maybe it makes sense to make an option for a subscription option that goes straight to charity (perhaps for more than $8 because then you don’t get the benefit money).