I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, especially with all the AI/platform nonsense.
I was chatting with my brother a lot this weekend. Kim, my brother, is doing really well with his social media marketing business in the Caribbean, and he doesn’t even have a LinkedIn account. No Facebook. No Instagram. He hates putting himself out there, but his business is built on referrals and handshakes, which is pretty much how I’ve built my consulting business too.
I love writing. I love the people here, but these platforms are a piece of work, and I am no longer encouraged to build here.
And I laughed at the lotus flowers because… yep. 😂
The community makes me forget the whole point 10 hours later.
I could go on about this stuff for hours, but I would be rambling.
That’s fabulous about your brother! I love that he doesn’t have social media accounts but runs a social media business! It’s proof you don’t need to be “everywhere” and perform for the algorithms.
I went all in with all of them when I was early in my business. I religiously shared, engaged, posted… now, outside of Substack, all I do is push content to platforms (which doesn’t really help when I don’t want to log in and engage, lol).
Way back in the day, it was easy to get clients through content…which led to referrals.
I definitely wouldn’t stick around here if it weren’t for the people.
What can I say? I like my lotus flowers too, lol.
Weekend was lovely! Plenty of pool time.
How was yours? Have you seen the baby squirrels yet?
I’m sorry you’re feeling so anxious this week, Neela.
Curious about the discussion re the platforms. None of them seem to have a spine or care about the users (for a long time now). This is what happens when you let them buy the government to avoid regulation.
Sergey Brin has spent 100M to fight California’s Proposition 40 (one time 5% wealth tax on billionaires in the state) and moved to Nevada (Lake Tahoe…and please, I doubt he’s moved everything).
He’d owe approx 13B (of his estimated 260-280B).
I told my aunt the other night I don’t trust anyone in charge of anything anywhere. 🙄
But then I see people like Abdul El-Sayed and Mamdani and feel hope again.
Fanny is probably just keeping herself & her babies cool!
Thank you, Kim. ❤️ I’m with you on the platforms. It’s hard not to become cynical when the incentives are so obviously misaligned. Then someone comes along and reminds you there are still people trying to build something better. I’m hanging onto that. Ryan texted me that he saw her this morning. That made me feel better during the day. I will go looking for her soon.
I think you and I could talk about this stuff forever! So many great truths in this piece, some of which I've unfortunately forgotten.
To answer your question, I don't know what I have- probably jack shit because I don't know what value I have anymore other than personal stories. Everything I learned, knew, and taught is now at the mercy of AI and the 10-second response, and in so many ways, I don't even care. It's an existential crisis at the moment.
And happy to chat about it, lol. I feel a bit ranty these days 😂
I so get the “I don’t even care” element. I think we know enough and simply need to tune out the noise.
My guess is the value of what you have is outside of the 10-second response. Look how long my content is… I get comments and engagement on most of what I write. We need unique voices, perspectives, and content.
I refuse to believe that everyone wants quick sound bites and skimmable content. The people who don’t have an attention span aren’t my audience.
Hey Kim! A good rant is healthy. Get it out there.
The lack of care stems from the belief that no matter what I do, almost everything is beyond my control, so it's hard to even plan or consider what the options could be, which is rare because I've always been proactive and not reactive. And with so much changing so quickly, it feels like a wild chase for survival. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
When knowledge and experience are so readily available, along with the tools to build whatever it is you want to build, for free, It's hard to find that value.
Though I do believe people want unique voices, perspectives, and stories, along with more meaningful relationships. I think you definitely have that, but you also have the skills and talents to help them navigate this new world we're in. That's priceless.
If you're ever bored and want to talk shop, I'll be the first to call or message.
*I think the sweet spot (as corny as it may sound), is the piece that is “YOU”… you know that Dr. Seuss quote, “No one is youer than you.” Not the easiest thing to productize, but it’s possible.
I’d love to talk shop! Just DM me and we’ll set it up!
Kim, this is why I love your writing, you always cut through the noise to what matters 🙌🏻. The reminder that the platform was never the point, just a container for connection, is so true. I love Substack, but after a few months you have to figure out how you distribute your energy and what you get out of it, and honestly that really depends on the kind of business you're running to begin with.
The energy distribution is everything! Too many people don’t know what kind of business they’re running (or want to run), find a community, and start mimicking what they’re being told works.
But the echo chamber of ‘make money doing X on X platform’ is hardly a sustainable business model (IMO).
Great point and piece, Kim! I have been thinking about this more and more as I gain experience here. I think distinguishing your cheer squad from who might pay for your product/service is such an important nuance.
Things are changing so quickly… I see a glimpse into where things are heading and it’s not the way it’s been done on the platforms for the last 20 years.
How is Berlin? I’m sure it’s hard to be away from your family.
Hi Kim! I’m scheduled to fly home next Wednesday and I am looking forward to it. This was not easy but it was so good! I’m glad I could do it and my husband and daughter facilitated it. It wouldn’t have been possible without them, especially him.
Berlin in summer is definitely a city after my heart. I have so many valuable takeaways not only from the fellowship but beyond that. I am going back updated! 😀
Lovely to hear that your daughter is here. I would encourage you to visit especially if you love history, literature, art and a vibrant cityscape 😊
Experiencing different places & cultures is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.
I was going to visit during a short break she had, but the timing didn’t work out. She will also be off to Morocco and Croatia, home in Dec. She’s applying to grad school in Ireland for next year, so I’ll be making plenty of trips over to the EU to visit her - and everything is so close. After her experience in Berlin I def want to visit.
I’d love to catch up when you’re home and settled, and back into the swing of things.
Wow, sounds like an exciting Fall for her! I’m glad to hear she’s starting grad school. What will she study? You will definitely have many EU visits coming up and it will be fantastic. I don’t regret any time I have taken for traveling anywhere in India or outside.
I’m looking forward to catching up with you once I’m back! Have a great weekend!
Kim, this feels so timely for right now. Substack has been so strange for me the last few weeks - like I'm in a literal ghost town. If notes get shown to zero or extremely few unconnected accounts (which many of mine are right now), we are really just in a giant echo chamber we simply can't escape. I love the community here and the wonderful learning, but it's changed a lot and it does leave me curious about how to change and grow with this.
I found Finn's post really thought provoking too. I'm not sure where that leaves a platform if the main readers become agents!
"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again." Robert Jordan
Platforms always go into the next cycle. Same happened to every big place. What we can do? Export my list frequently 😂
But yes, it's quite disheartening to think about. What other ways you have to find your people? Will you read Google patents in order to be cited by LLMs? (Don't do that, I have done it lol)
Some weeks ago I have listened to a podcast where an economist talked about a world taken over by AI. He forecasted that those jobs will be in demand where the human intervention just can't be dismissed. Like masseurs, hairdressers, cosmetics, etc.. maybe I'm better off to build my muscles for massaging others.
I love reading your perspectives Kim, thank you! ❤️
Ps. I have searched for Volcano and found the St george hotel too. Nice small place, full of history. One day maybe I get to visit it 🙂
I get that it feels disheartening. Unfortunately, it’s kind of the nature of the internet. At the same time, I have friends I’ve made online all over the world, many for years.
It’s kind of like a home. It’s not the four walls of a house that make it a home, it’s the people and energy inside it.
The only organic I’ll do is Substack & YouTube (I paused YouTube because I didn’t want to be another noisy AI voice spewing garbage, lol. I needed to get some clarity, which I’ve found. Now it’s go time!).
The rest will be paid ads… and I’m starting at $5 a day to refine the strategy. It might take a while, but that’s fine.
I love that you looked up Volcano, haha… I’m in ‘Pioneer’… it’s so pretty up here.
Could not agree more that we need to protect our livelihood. Algo changes, shifting rules, and sudden feature pivots can derail any business built on rented land overnight. Owning the list...and building a real backend rather than just feeding the feed is the only way to keep the ball in our court.
The Volcano story is such a good way into this.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, especially with all the AI/platform nonsense.
I was chatting with my brother a lot this weekend. Kim, my brother, is doing really well with his social media marketing business in the Caribbean, and he doesn’t even have a LinkedIn account. No Facebook. No Instagram. He hates putting himself out there, but his business is built on referrals and handshakes, which is pretty much how I’ve built my consulting business too.
I love writing. I love the people here, but these platforms are a piece of work, and I am no longer encouraged to build here.
And I laughed at the lotus flowers because… yep. 😂
The community makes me forget the whole point 10 hours later.
I could go on about this stuff for hours, but I would be rambling.
Happy Monday, Kim.
How was your weekend otherwise?
Thanks, Neela,
That’s fabulous about your brother! I love that he doesn’t have social media accounts but runs a social media business! It’s proof you don’t need to be “everywhere” and perform for the algorithms.
I went all in with all of them when I was early in my business. I religiously shared, engaged, posted… now, outside of Substack, all I do is push content to platforms (which doesn’t really help when I don’t want to log in and engage, lol).
Way back in the day, it was easy to get clients through content…which led to referrals.
I definitely wouldn’t stick around here if it weren’t for the people.
What can I say? I like my lotus flowers too, lol.
Weekend was lovely! Plenty of pool time.
How was yours? Have you seen the baby squirrels yet?
Happy Tuesday Kim
I am back and forth in San Diego this week, so I decided not to publish today.
There was a huge discussion about the state of platforms, and I gotta tell you I am not excited to support any platform at the moment.
I am so happy you had a good weekend.
I am so anxious this week.
I have not seen Fanny since Saturday afternoon, and it's making me nervous.
She always comes around for her food every evening.
4 females have babies somewhere - I will probably see the first signs of them mid-September.
I will definitely take pics.
I’m sorry you’re feeling so anxious this week, Neela.
Curious about the discussion re the platforms. None of them seem to have a spine or care about the users (for a long time now). This is what happens when you let them buy the government to avoid regulation.
Sergey Brin has spent 100M to fight California’s Proposition 40 (one time 5% wealth tax on billionaires in the state) and moved to Nevada (Lake Tahoe…and please, I doubt he’s moved everything).
He’d owe approx 13B (of his estimated 260-280B).
I told my aunt the other night I don’t trust anyone in charge of anything anywhere. 🙄
But then I see people like Abdul El-Sayed and Mamdani and feel hope again.
Fanny is probably just keeping herself & her babies cool!
Sending a big hug, my friend. ♥️
Thank you, Kim. ❤️ I’m with you on the platforms. It’s hard not to become cynical when the incentives are so obviously misaligned. Then someone comes along and reminds you there are still people trying to build something better. I’m hanging onto that. Ryan texted me that he saw her this morning. That made me feel better during the day. I will go looking for her soon.
Have a wonderful evening.
YAY! Fanny is ok!
You too, Neela.
And thanks for the reminder, too (people trying to build something better).
I think you and I could talk about this stuff forever! So many great truths in this piece, some of which I've unfortunately forgotten.
To answer your question, I don't know what I have- probably jack shit because I don't know what value I have anymore other than personal stories. Everything I learned, knew, and taught is now at the mercy of AI and the 10-second response, and in so many ways, I don't even care. It's an existential crisis at the moment.
Thanks, James,
And happy to chat about it, lol. I feel a bit ranty these days 😂
I so get the “I don’t even care” element. I think we know enough and simply need to tune out the noise.
My guess is the value of what you have is outside of the 10-second response. Look how long my content is… I get comments and engagement on most of what I write. We need unique voices, perspectives, and content.
I refuse to believe that everyone wants quick sound bites and skimmable content. The people who don’t have an attention span aren’t my audience.
Happy Monday!
Hey Kim! A good rant is healthy. Get it out there.
The lack of care stems from the belief that no matter what I do, almost everything is beyond my control, so it's hard to even plan or consider what the options could be, which is rare because I've always been proactive and not reactive. And with so much changing so quickly, it feels like a wild chase for survival. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
When knowledge and experience are so readily available, along with the tools to build whatever it is you want to build, for free, It's hard to find that value.
Though I do believe people want unique voices, perspectives, and stories, along with more meaningful relationships. I think you definitely have that, but you also have the skills and talents to help them navigate this new world we're in. That's priceless.
If you're ever bored and want to talk shop, I'll be the first to call or message.
Thank you, James,
And… at this stage in my life I DNGAF, lol…
*I think the sweet spot (as corny as it may sound), is the piece that is “YOU”… you know that Dr. Seuss quote, “No one is youer than you.” Not the easiest thing to productize, but it’s possible.
I’d love to talk shop! Just DM me and we’ll set it up!
You're welcome. Love that you don't care. I think we spend too much worrying about shit that doesn't matter. I'll send you a DM. Thanks!
We really do.
Life is way too short!
Looking forward to it!
Kim, this is why I love your writing, you always cut through the noise to what matters 🙌🏻. The reminder that the platform was never the point, just a container for connection, is so true. I love Substack, but after a few months you have to figure out how you distribute your energy and what you get out of it, and honestly that really depends on the kind of business you're running to begin with.
Thanks, Anna,
The energy distribution is everything! Too many people don’t know what kind of business they’re running (or want to run), find a community, and start mimicking what they’re being told works.
But the echo chamber of ‘make money doing X on X platform’ is hardly a sustainable business model (IMO).
Interesting times to say the least.
Great point and piece, Kim! I have been thinking about this more and more as I gain experience here. I think distinguishing your cheer squad from who might pay for your product/service is such an important nuance.
Thank you so much, Priyanka,
Things are changing so quickly… I see a glimpse into where things are heading and it’s not the way it’s been done on the platforms for the last 20 years.
How is Berlin? I’m sure it’s hard to be away from your family.
My daughter is actually working there right now!
Hi Kim! I’m scheduled to fly home next Wednesday and I am looking forward to it. This was not easy but it was so good! I’m glad I could do it and my husband and daughter facilitated it. It wouldn’t have been possible without them, especially him.
Berlin in summer is definitely a city after my heart. I have so many valuable takeaways not only from the fellowship but beyond that. I am going back updated! 😀
Lovely to hear that your daughter is here. I would encourage you to visit especially if you love history, literature, art and a vibrant cityscape 😊
I’m so happy to hear that, Priyanka,
Experiencing different places & cultures is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.
I was going to visit during a short break she had, but the timing didn’t work out. She will also be off to Morocco and Croatia, home in Dec. She’s applying to grad school in Ireland for next year, so I’ll be making plenty of trips over to the EU to visit her - and everything is so close. After her experience in Berlin I def want to visit.
I’d love to catch up when you’re home and settled, and back into the swing of things.
Wow, sounds like an exciting Fall for her! I’m glad to hear she’s starting grad school. What will she study? You will definitely have many EU visits coming up and it will be fantastic. I don’t regret any time I have taken for traveling anywhere in India or outside.
I’m looking forward to catching up with you once I’m back! Have a great weekend!
I’m set up in many ghost towns.
Me too… and my profile is the lonely saloon, lol
Kim, this feels so timely for right now. Substack has been so strange for me the last few weeks - like I'm in a literal ghost town. If notes get shown to zero or extremely few unconnected accounts (which many of mine are right now), we are really just in a giant echo chamber we simply can't escape. I love the community here and the wonderful learning, but it's changed a lot and it does leave me curious about how to change and grow with this.
I found Finn's post really thought provoking too. I'm not sure where that leaves a platform if the main readers become agents!
Thanks, Dallas,
It feels the same for me. Although I haven’t been super active on notes the last couple of weeks.
it’s kind of crazy how much it’s changed over the last couple of months. Summertime can be slow, but something about this feels different.
I thought the same thing re: Finn’s article.
Strange times my friend!
We’ll figure out a way forward.
"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again." Robert Jordan
Platforms always go into the next cycle. Same happened to every big place. What we can do? Export my list frequently 😂
But yes, it's quite disheartening to think about. What other ways you have to find your people? Will you read Google patents in order to be cited by LLMs? (Don't do that, I have done it lol)
Some weeks ago I have listened to a podcast where an economist talked about a world taken over by AI. He forecasted that those jobs will be in demand where the human intervention just can't be dismissed. Like masseurs, hairdressers, cosmetics, etc.. maybe I'm better off to build my muscles for massaging others.
I love reading your perspectives Kim, thank you! ❤️
Ps. I have searched for Volcano and found the St george hotel too. Nice small place, full of history. One day maybe I get to visit it 🙂
Haha, love the ‘don’t do that’…
I get that it feels disheartening. Unfortunately, it’s kind of the nature of the internet. At the same time, I have friends I’ve made online all over the world, many for years.
It’s kind of like a home. It’s not the four walls of a house that make it a home, it’s the people and energy inside it.
The only organic I’ll do is Substack & YouTube (I paused YouTube because I didn’t want to be another noisy AI voice spewing garbage, lol. I needed to get some clarity, which I’ve found. Now it’s go time!).
The rest will be paid ads… and I’m starting at $5 a day to refine the strategy. It might take a while, but that’s fine.
I love that you looked up Volcano, haha… I’m in ‘Pioneer’… it’s so pretty up here.
Could not agree more that we need to protect our livelihood. Algo changes, shifting rules, and sudden feature pivots can derail any business built on rented land overnight. Owning the list...and building a real backend rather than just feeding the feed is the only way to keep the ball in our court.