I normally post without comments and I’ve not used chat. Is anyone interested in either of these? I normally post to twitter and engage there but that environment is increasingly meh, and notes isn’t really doing it for me.
I may in the minority here, but I don't use Twitter. When I enjoy an article I usually hope that there will be a few comments below as well. Whether they agree or disagree with the content of the article, I find that there can be some really good, thoughtful debates going in the comments section of a Substack, whereas Twitter comments tend to be... well, not that... much of the time.
I sometimes like Substack comments. I generally find it to be a higher caliber and more interesting. It also has fewer trolls, especially if you restrict it to paid subscribers.
Yr stuff strikes me as polished and essay-like in tone; it mines statistics, for instance, which I have no expertise in - i.e., it is a more educative stack than most and a lot of comments are going to be pretty superficial and irrelevant. Keep up the good work.
I don't have a Twitter acount and it would be great to be able to comment, even if it's just to say "Well done, keep up the good work and thank you".
I'd like to mention that not being a paying subscriber doesn't necessarily mean you are a troll, it often means you just don't have any spare cash. There are a lot of us about.
Also, I'm wary of describing folk as trolls, too much othering already going on online IMO. If people repeatedly make a nuisance of themselves without contributing then it's easy enough to block them. I assume that your reason for writing is to raise awareness and present another perspective from the current dominant narrative. Engaging with folk that see things differently is part of that process. In my long experience as an environmental activist I have noticed that simply telling people that they are wrong seldom achieves the result you are aiming for. On the whole, people need to feel heard before they are able to hear others.
Anyway, I for one very much appreciate your efforts and you've certainly raised my awareness of the issues on which you write - thank you!
Im often tempted to respond to your posts, and Twitter doesn't really allow for the depth of response I might like to make and I feel that the responses from others are also a bit thin.
I probably won't comment often, but I really value your analysis, Dave, and I'll definitely check out the comments from time to time.
Separately, I'd love to see your writing get as much exposure as Jesse Singal's. You share a lot of strengths. I know that the amount of vitriol Jesse catches is more than any one human should have to endure, and I would surely respect your wish to keep a lower profile. However, we're seeing a medical scandal of historic proportions, and your work in illuminating this is more important than you may imagine. (I'm speaking as a historian of medicine and as the mother of a young man who recently desisted without taking any steps toward medicalization.)
I don't use social media/Twitter but it would be nice to see other people's comments on your substack. I personally never post anything on substack but do enjoy reading other people's follow-up ideas/links and discussions, which appear to be more grown-up and with less name-calling than other formats
I may in the minority here, but I don't use Twitter. When I enjoy an article I usually hope that there will be a few comments below as well. Whether they agree or disagree with the content of the article, I find that there can be some really good, thoughtful debates going in the comments section of a Substack, whereas Twitter comments tend to be... well, not that... much of the time.
I sometimes like Substack comments. I generally find it to be a higher caliber and more interesting. It also has fewer trolls, especially if you restrict it to paid subscribers.
Yr stuff strikes me as polished and essay-like in tone; it mines statistics, for instance, which I have no expertise in - i.e., it is a more educative stack than most and a lot of comments are going to be pretty superficial and irrelevant. Keep up the good work.
I would like comments.
I never engage on twitter.
BTW, who is "Dave Hewitt"? A real person or another Effie Deans?
Thank you for all the responses, you've convinced me - I've opened up comments on my last few posts as an experiment and will do so going forward.
I don't have a Twitter acount and it would be great to be able to comment, even if it's just to say "Well done, keep up the good work and thank you".
I'd like to mention that not being a paying subscriber doesn't necessarily mean you are a troll, it often means you just don't have any spare cash. There are a lot of us about.
Also, I'm wary of describing folk as trolls, too much othering already going on online IMO. If people repeatedly make a nuisance of themselves without contributing then it's easy enough to block them. I assume that your reason for writing is to raise awareness and present another perspective from the current dominant narrative. Engaging with folk that see things differently is part of that process. In my long experience as an environmental activist I have noticed that simply telling people that they are wrong seldom achieves the result you are aiming for. On the whole, people need to feel heard before they are able to hear others.
Anyway, I for one very much appreciate your efforts and you've certainly raised my awareness of the issues on which you write - thank you!
Im often tempted to respond to your posts, and Twitter doesn't really allow for the depth of response I might like to make and I feel that the responses from others are also a bit thin.
I probably won't comment often, but I really value your analysis, Dave, and I'll definitely check out the comments from time to time.
Separately, I'd love to see your writing get as much exposure as Jesse Singal's. You share a lot of strengths. I know that the amount of vitriol Jesse catches is more than any one human should have to endure, and I would surely respect your wish to keep a lower profile. However, we're seeing a medical scandal of historic proportions, and your work in illuminating this is more important than you may imagine. (I'm speaking as a historian of medicine and as the mother of a young man who recently desisted without taking any steps toward medicalization.)
Would definitely like to see the ability to comment here.
I like comments on substack - like others, I find them higher quality and fewer trolls than comments elsewhere.
I'd like Substack comments enabled.
I'd like comments.
I have a wise friend who says the following re comments: always allow them, but never read them.
Whatever happened to your Twitter, whoops, sorry... I meant X account? It has been locked for weeks.
I don't use social media/Twitter but it would be nice to see other people's comments on your substack. I personally never post anything on substack but do enjoy reading other people's follow-up ideas/links and discussions, which appear to be more grown-up and with less name-calling than other formats