So with regards to what I said about how Fark won't survive this year without more TF subscribers, I wrote up a longer explanation about what we're all up against. Not just Fark, all of digital media.
Fark NotNewsletter: Not Ready to go on the cart
www.fark.comJul 29, 2026 at 2:31 AM
Opinion | The Rich Are Crazier Than You and Me (Published 2023)
Why does Silicon Valley love RFK Jr.?
It's Time to End our Subscription Addiction
Can the media survive the inevitable horrors of 2025?
Substack Writers Concerned as Subscriptions ‘Plummet’ Due to Follow Feature
Substack writers are expressing their concerns about the platform’s following feature on social media, which some argue is suppressing their subscription growth.
Will McGugan on Twitter / X
I'm writing up a blog post about Markdown streaming, because I think it is an interesting topic.I reckon there will be almost a dozen people who agree with me! pic.twitter.com/T4VhTwvoma— Will McGugan (@willmcgugan) July 22, 2025
The Press Release Is Dead — Use This Instead – Mike Butcher
I’m QUITE TIRED of dealing with MILLIONS of tech entrepreneurs (these days there are a HELL of a lot of you) and (some) PR people who have ZERO clue how to pitch me/TechCrunch/the media. Their pitches are long-winded and rambling. They ask if they could ‘send some more information’. Listen, I have no idea if it’s interesting or not until you send it! Many just ask me out to lunch or coffee. (Thanks, but I prefer hanging out with my *actual friends*). Even worse, they haven’t read this post or seen my presentation on how to deal with tech media. [2021 update: This is a basic outline for super-early startups. If you want something for Post Series A / later stage startups go here].
John Battelle's Search Blog Predictions 2024: It’s All About The Data
Let’s talk 2024. 2023 was a down year on the predictions front, but at least I’ve learned to sidestep distractions like Trump, crypto, and Musk. If I can avoid talking about the joys of…
The Curious About Everything Newsletter #60
The many interesting things I read in February 2026
Signal v. Noise moves to Medium
When Jason Fried a few months ago suggested that we should start posting articles on Medium, I was skeptical. What possible gain could we have from sharing our stories on someone else’s platform ra…
The Increasing Problem With the Misinformed - Baekdal
Baekdal is your premium site for media reports and trend analysis. Subscribe from €7.55/month
Has Substack’s subscription model really “maxed out?”
Scott Carney and Taylor Lorenz posted on Substack about downward subscriber trends they’re seeing. Carney pins it on subscription fatigue and feeling like “The only way to grow is to pillage the paid subscribers from other creators.” Lorenz questions Substack’s direction, saying “more and more like this app is becoming another social media feed.” When we recently wrote about writers who are leaving Substack, they mentioned control, pricing, and the social feature creep among their reasons for choosing competitors like Ghost and Behiiv. [Link: Writers are fleeing the Substack Tax | https://www.theverge.com/tech/927294/substack-tax-ghost-beehiiv | The Verge]
The Curious About Everything Newsletter #65
The many interesting things I read in July 2026
The Substackerati
Did a newsletter company create a more equitable media system—or replicate the flaws of the old one?
Digital News Report 2026
As the world changes at accelerating speed, news media report and update on these events around the clock, jostling for a share of the four to five hours each day that people devote to their smartphones. For some, this means new opportunities to stay close to news stories as they unfold; for others, it risks creating a sense of overload.
The Curious About Everything Newsletter #48
The many interesting things I read in February 2025
The new Farcaster channel moderation system is exactly what we need
Farcaster recently embarked on the first step towards decentralized channels, and this move has caused a lot of consternation and confusion. Multiple...
