The problem at hand:
How best to inform interested parties (friends, family, associates) scattered across the internet that I have babbled at length on my blog … in a way that irritates neither them nor myself, as well as not requiring an onerous amount of labor on my part.
Possible solutions:
1. Crossposting links to blog posts on Facebook/Twitter/Mastodon without actually having to put my eyeballs on Facebook/Twitter/Mastodon.
Twitter works fine and was how I’d actually always used that account. In light of current events over there though, not inclined to provide it any content. Facebook has become even more of a hellscape since I was last there, and now they don’t allow any posting to feeds from anywhere other than Facebook. My jury is still out on the usefulness of Mastodon.
2. Letting people sign up and subscribe to my WordPress install.
I don’t want anyone’s email address or other personal data in my database. Then I feel responsible to care for it and keep it safe. I mean, I do keep my database safe, but stuff can happen, and if it does, I’d rather it only be me that suffers for it. Also, I sometimes lost a LOT of times a day, and it could begin to feel spammy in people’s inboxes to get an email every time I post.
3. A newsletter.
This had been my very first thought on the matter, but I tossed it aside for three reasons: could be a lot of work for me, might require me to store other people’s personal data, felt too old school internet and like not a thing that’s done anymore by normal human beings.
End result:
I spent entirely too many hours last week exploring these three options, as well as a slew of others, and after asking around amongst the folks who have requested being informed of updates at my blog, it looks like my first thought was the correct one. A newsletter it is! Probably a weekly one, though with me that may be quite variable. I’ve never done a newsletter for myself before, but I have helped other people set them up. The biggest problem for me will likely be remembering to do it.
The first problem though is finding a service to use that’s reasonably easy for me and subscribers to use while also being worthy of trust. I already have a shortlist, due to having helped others with this before, so it shouldn’t take long for me to sort out the details. Guess that’s what I’ll work on this week.
But now I’m tired of thinking about internet stuff. I spent all day yesterday working on blog problems, and I’d like to spend at least some of my weekend having fun and being extremely lazy. So I’m off to thaw something for dinner and play some video games. Also cuddling with cats. We’re having nasty winter weather, and the cats are extra cuddly today. Bring on the pile of furry, purring pillows!
That’s something that’s already built into WordPress, and how I manage to see your posts. It requires the user to be a bit more tech savvy, so it may not be right for you: RSS feed. Just point an RSS reader at `https://justorb.com/feed`, and they’ll be kept up to date. I use Feedly, so nothing installed on my computer and I almost always keep a browser pointed at it or use the Android app. I assume they have an iOS one too.
I was wondering about the reverse problem. What’s the best way to poke you with a URL or a news article you might be interested in? I would just @ you on Twitter, but I don’t know what to do here, and e-mail doesn’t seem right either. No facebook (ever), waiting a bit on Mastodon until things settle down and I decide on the appropriate server.
Well yes, I use RSS a lot myself. I’m trying to make it easy for people who aren’t you and me, and which doesn’t involve me having to be on Facebook. Best to stick with things they know and already use, so email it is because I’m a big no to Facebook.
And you’ve brought up the other main problem I need to solve … how someone can quickly and easily message me. I will eventually end up with a presence on the fediverse, but it’s getting so slammed right now. Pure chaos. In the meantime, you can still @ me on Twitter. I’m technically not there anymore, but I am scraping some data from there, because I can’t completely ignore it either. Or email. I mean, I’d prefer email, and I’m more likely to see it more quickly, but probably more of a bother for you. Whichever.
Have been considering spinning up a private mastodon federated instance for me and adult humans I know who won’t cause me legal woes or need moderating. But that’s a whole other kettle of fish, and I’m not doing that during the holiday season. Have enough stress right now. 🤣