But Why Substack Though?

A recent incident serves as a poignant explanation

The night of April 9-10 provided me another example of why I love Substack as a platform… though it did not start out that way.

I was working on a potential article (seriously, my ‘Drafts’ folder looks like an apocalyptic scene in a bad Syfy Network movie, with random items scattered hither and to), and was attempting to create a cover photo using Substack’s free AI Image Generation Tool. The prompt I started with was “Female news reader, long black hair, serious expression” and the filter applied was ‘Epic.’

This… is what was generated.

My first reaction was astonishment; Substack must have seriously upgraded their AI tool, because this image was stunning beyond anything I had ever generated before. I also liked the fact it translated her hair as long but up, which I assume was due to her being a ‘news reader’; I thought that was a nice touch.

After seeing it, I got excited about the potential for higher-quality cover photos, when I suddenly realized something: While images in the past were created in landscape mode, this picture was square.

“Wait, that is not going to work.”

As many of you undoubtedly know, cover photos on Substack are automatically displayed in landscape mode when they appear on the home page of your site. As such, the overall aesthetic quality of your page is much easier to manage when said-pictures are generated in the same mode.

I did try ‘cropping’ the square creations, to see how that would translate… but nein. The reason it does not work is because cropping a ‘square’ down to ‘landscape’ alters and corrupts whatever imagery is initially rendered.

It is similar to how they would - when television was in 4.3 ratio - take a letterbox format video and ‘edit’ it into 4.3 mode to fit on those TV screens. Sure, you could see the movie, but without the incidentals happening in the cropped-out portions you could not experience the movie as intended; the overall vibe was oft ruined.

Needless to say, I was frustrated… so I went on Notes to vent said-frustration…

Yes, in retrospect I can see that it sounded ‘bitchy’; I was in a bitchy mood, so it is what it was.

While I received a couple of supporting comments from individuals on my page, in the grand scheme I figured that was the end of that - I was going to have to make ‘square’ work somehow, even if it degraded my perception of the visual quality. I mean, how frequently do the Powers-That-Be even notice what users are saying about their platform, much less actually take the time to respond?

I forgot, however, that this is Substack…

To be honest, the reply did not shock me as much as one might imagine. I have posted several suggestions to the Substack brass in Notes over the past few months, with some being acknowledged and others not; as such, I appreciate and value the fact they even go that far when they do.

The truth is - having inhabited Internet platforms for over 30 years - I’ve been around long enough to expect the people in charge to ignore me (after all, my numbers are such that I do not fit into the ‘big deal’ category). Therefore I expressed my gratitude to Mike for reaching out… then continued to explore how I was going to work with ‘square’ images.

So no, the response did not - in of itself - shock me. What happened the next day, however, did…

And just like that… the issue was fixed. And he actually took the time to let me know it was fixed.

Do you appreciate how rare this is?

I do, which is why if people ask me why I spend a majority of my time on Substack, when the potential for bigger audiences is allegedly ‘bigger’ elsewhere? My answer to them is easy to articulate. Now… I have another reason to add to the growing list.

A list which includes…
the work they are putting in to manifest new features for us to explore…
and that other platforms’ algorithms are driven to cater to the ‘already-established’…
and that links to other sites are not suppressed (not that I have need for that any longer)…
and the overall community vibe created and fostered here…
and the Notes feature, which is being upgraded regularly (and NOW has video)…

and that this is a platform which gives long-form writing the respect it deserves…
and that Substack stood up to the anti-free-speech mob when the pitchforks were being shaken in self-righteous anger…
and the fact other platforms are saturated with click-bait garbage…
and its ad-free policies…
and the truth that, with the algorithms utilized by the other platforms, the supposed potential for a ‘bigger audience’ is a merely an illusion…

… AND the fact Substack gives us the opportunity to make money doing what we love WITHOUT having to already be in the ‘big deal’ category?!

I mean, really, why would I want to be anywhere else?

So thanks to the entire crew here at Substack - especially, in this case,

Mike from Substack

- for making this platform what it is, and thanks to you - the valued Members, subscribers, and readers - for making The Stone Age what it is; without you, I’m just an occasionally ‘bitchy’ voice yammering into a void.

Which is, in reality, what the other platforms have become for many folks like us…

Voids.

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Mini-Album

Here are a few examples of the apparently-upgraded (and still free) AI Image Generator; seriously, this might actually be (to utilize an oft over-utilized phrase) a real ‘game changer.’

Even if not, however? I am going to have some major fun with it…

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Notes…
-- Unless otherwise credited, all images were created by the author, using Substack’s AI Image Generator.