A list of good enough blogging platforms by price if you just want to write
Plus some blog recommendations as a nice side effect.
Latest
App subscriptions and Yoghurt
I recently researched and replaced many paid web app subscriptions I had with free alternatives that either perform the same function or come close enough. Here’s the list of which service I replaced with what. 1. Micro.one → flipboard.social (for the Fediverse) 2. Inoreader Pro → Inoreader Free (second
Newsletter for friends #05: Too many things happened lately
Hi friends, It’s been over three months since I sent out the previous newsletter for friends. Usually I share every month’s key things as a linked list, which includes what I liked reading, professional space writing I published, some non-space thoughts I blogged about, and notable life events.
Realizations about actually avoiding social media
I’ve had or re-had a few realizations lately that have helped me greatly: 1. Crossposting to or across social media is counterproductive if doing so to avoid social media. Applies to POSSE too. 2. Having a domain for micro thoughts, day-to-day photos, comments, and random musings is a waste
An unexpected Moon Monday story
Something unexpected happened recently. I had covered someone’s published research on my Moon Monday blog+newsletter. I don’t know the person but they saw that and so reached out to ask if I would write a recommendation letter for their visa application abroad. After some thought and basic
Places I’ve published Moon Monday editions from
* Airports * Trains * Cafés * Amid conferences * Hostels and Hotels * Recently from a beach * Weddings * When traveling in Europe and China * A hospital How? Since the day is etched in the name, Moon Monday, I plan every week around it. Someday I’d love to publish a Moon Monday from the Moon.
Responding is better than replying
The other day I posed a question on the Web that has (gladly) initiated a string of responses from people. And by that I do not mean comments on social media but entire blog posts. Before sharing a few thoughts on that and making it all meta (the good kind)
I do (not) care
I don’t care if you like or react to my posts on social media. I’ve hunted down and turned off all such notifications everywhere possible so I barely know you liked them anyway. I don’t care if you don’t read my blogs even though my writing
If I was born and brought up in the time of modern social media, would I even blog?
This was the question I asked on the Web yesterday, and people had interesting responses. Imagine you were born and brought up in a time where Twitter and Instagram always existed. Would you still blog? Many said no, which I find to be an interesting conclusion especially for people who
The story of my blogs
I’m the latest guest on the “People and Blogs” series by Manu. Hearing from people in this series has been a great way for me to meet some of their blogs over coffee. And now some of you web humans reading this might like the story of my blogs
Reinventing the wheel
Instagram (I): Stories are not posts. They disappear after 24 hours. People (P): What if I want to retain them? I: Now you can archive stories P: I don’t like some people I: Okay, you can mute their stories too P: I want to organize stories I: Now you
The media and arbitrary ethics
Someone from a legacy Indian media outlet called me recently to ask me to write an article on Indian space within five days, and for free. They expected me to agree to commit to it then and there itself. I said I’d have considered contributing but the timeline is
Social Networks
Social media, where a teaser post about your article gets a better response than your actual article
I’ve seen this recurring theme on Twitter, LinkedIn, and virtually every microblogging social platform I’ve used. Teasing something exciting you’re working on gets better visibility than when you share that work itself. Here’s an example from the Twitter of yore—which people forget wasn’t all
Newsletter for friends
Newsletter for friends #04: Things and thoughts from October
Hello friends, Continuing to embrace a calmer digital life instead of drowning in the slurp—and now slop—of social media, I’m sharing with you via this web letter some notable things I’ve been up to or enjoyed in October. Reading * How to comment on social media * Technology
Pages
Follow my blogs on social media that doesn’t suck!
Look, I hate social networks, especially all mainstream ones like Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and the ilk. And, microblogging is a terribly contextually deprived way to create, absorb, and converse anything. I can’t justify sacrificing my time and efforts on places which degrade my thinking, mental health, and sanity. And
Musings
On the gap between voter turnouts in the US and Indian elections
2024 is a national election year for both the US and India. Some web searching led me to check past voter turnouts in both countries, and I was quite surprised with the numbers: The US (Source) * 2004: 60.1% * 2008: 62.5% * 2012: 58% * 2016: 59.2% * 2020: 66.9%
Life
Trains over planes
I love trains. Why you ask? * I get to spend hours reading without much interruption from humans. * Eating and relaxing is more comfortable in AC coaches and above than being cramped in planes. * With trains you essentially just get in and get out. There’s no fuss of guards, check-ins,
Fun
How to have the most productive Mondays ever?
Just start a newsletter that announces in its name to the whole world that it will go out every Monday: https://jatan.space/tag/moon-monday 🌝
Newsletter for friends
Newsletter for friends #03: Stuff from August & September
Hello friends, Here’s another web letter of notable things I’ve been up to or enjoyed recently. A lot has happened over the last two months, and below are slices from both the spacey and non-spacey parts of my life. Reading * Why research paper DOIs don’t work sometimes
Social Networks
Rules to effectively use social media
* Be outraged about everything * Be woke across all of time * Never bring nuance * Signal disapproval, or you might just cause an existential crisis for many * Get called out for not flicking your fingers in ways prescribed by stranger collectives * Torch your long-built reputation in no time * Assume others aren’t
Blogging
You can now follow my articles on Flipboard, Mastodon and Bluesky
I’m now auto-sharing articles and blog posts from my space blog and Journal J on some non-questionable open social networks that also federate (interoperate): MastodonFlipboardBluesky Follow wherever you like. For a better reading experience, directly subscribe to my blogs via email or RSS. PS: Since both my blogs are
Blogging
LinkedIn Newsletters are spam and a scam
Many people have been suggesting me to start a “LinkedIn Newsletter” for my space articles specifically because it will tap into my existing connections and their networks on the platform. After much reluctance against joining yet another siloed service, I thought perhaps it doesn’t hurt to give it a
Life
A focused phone experience with Archaic Intelligence
I’m sharing with you the simple process I used to customize my phone such that in terms of incentives, it’s now easier to do the things that are good for me versus the things that are better off accessed with some friction. For any kind of serious work,
Newsletter for friends
Newsletter for friends #02: Stuff from mostly July
Hello friends, Thank you for your great response to my first newsletter for friends! Continuing to embrace a calmer digital life against the slurp of social media, I’m sharing with you another web letter of notable things I’ve been up to or enjoyed circa July. Reading * The moving