Happy Wednesday folks! In todayโs issue, youโll learnโฆ
๐ Why I am returning to Substack starting today
๐ How we can fix car-centric strouds before itโs too late
Let's get right into it!
The Rose That Grew from Concrete
Knocking off the dust and cobwebs over here as Iโm more excited than ever to be diving into some aspects of the built environment like never before with some newly acquired skills from my fellowship.
As most of you know Iโve spent the last six months in a reporting role fine-tuning voiceovers, interviewing and fact-checking. I want to take Density Dad beyond anecdotical thoughts and into solving and speaking to those who have solutions.
The hope is that we can influence change through reports, interviews and more rather than just complaining about the way things are.
Moving over to Ghost put this incredible thing we built into a silo and has been quite the strain to maintain financially. Weโve got work to do.
Here are 10 reasons we are back on Substack:
Growth - the algorithm and recommendations via other urbanism-based Substacks allow the platform to grow organically here on Substack.
Visibility - In the last six months, Substack has worked to help bring visibility to search engines like Google.
Analytics - Believe it or not, Ghost just recently added the ability to allow me to see which of my subscribers even opened or read the latest newsletter sent. Data helps me understand what you all prefer to engage with and it is imperative when it comes to subject matter and format.
Guest Columns and Collaborations - No more having to find ways to ensure the hardworking โdensity dadsโ visibly receive credit for their work.
Community - Substackโs comment section and chat feature have made it easier to engage directly with each newsletter. I donโt believe anyone has used the same feature on Ghost due to the platformโs complexities.
Investment - Ghost is $30 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers whether they or free or paid. While Substack takes 10% Iโd need to make 300 in monthly revenue to pay that much in fees. Since leaving Substack, the platform went from making roughly $200 a month to losing money. With my fellowship ending soon and an extra mouth to feed, Iโd like to think this platform will one day support me full-time. This shift is necessary to make sure the platform doesn't go under.
Early Adoption - Substack is still very much in its infancy as a platform provider for creatives such as myself. Being a writer on the platform for two years already has helped be a part of Substackโs growth, leading to future opportunities.
Social Media - While X (read:Twitter) doesnโt care much for enabling links to be read properly over there, each post comes with pre-made graphics that are perfect to share on Instagram and other sites. They are free and having them generated automatically saves me so much time.
Video - While YouTube will still be the primary platform we use for our investigative videos and vlogging, the implementation of video makes for the perfect opportunity for paid-subscriber-only videos adding more value to our model.
Substack Needs Me: I left Substack due to their decision to side with free speech when hate groups decided to use the platform to well, spread hate. Iโm learning to not shy away and understand while people will always use beautiful things for evil, itโs creatives such as myself that are necessary to show the world its positive potential when utilized properly.
What This Means for You
Free Subscribers:
You'll continue to receive all free content seamlessly. No action needed.
Paid Subscribers:
For those who subscribed to Ghost, Ghost will be disabled automatically now the site is closing. Substack subscriptions will be toggled back on starting today but you will not be charged. Due to Substackโs minimum $5 a month model, prices will rise from $3 to $5.
Our Commitment
With the support of my current fellowship, Iโm committed to posting more regularly and delivering fresh insights from the dads you know and some special guests.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at barry@density.dad.
What To Read:
Express Routes:
The People Who Design our Roads and Cars Are Both Telling the Same Deadly Lie: It's time to remake the U.S.โs allegedly data-driven approach to road safety by reinventing our understanding of the crash data that informs it all. (Streetsblog USA)
Why humans are drawn to the ends of the Earth: Despite the risks, costs and environmental concerns of extreme tourism, people are still drawn to potentially dangerous trips โ but why? (BBC)
Pulse check: Richmondโs transit success: I sat down with the good folks at Southern Environmental Law Center. (Read Here)
What To Watch:
Recent Vlog Update from Yours Truly
City Beautiful Delivers Once Again on Bringing Life To Stroads
Til, next time cut loose.
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