resources
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Platform Dependency: What happens if the platform changes its algorithm, shutters its services, or bans your account? In 2024 alone, over 60% of creators reported revenue losses due to algorithm changes.
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Monetization Barriers: Platforms often take a significant cut of your earnings. For instance, YouTube takes up to 45% of ad revenue, and Instagram’s monetization options are pay-to-play.
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Data Ownership: The data you’re generating—your audience insights, contact lists, and engagement metrics—belongs to the platform, not you. They profit from it while you’re left in the dark.
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Censorship and Restrictions: Platforms can impose restrictions on what you publish, often limiting creativity and expression. If your content doesn’t align with their guidelines, it can be removed or suppressed.
I have Tailscale up and running on the Synology NAS. There is very good step-by-step instruction here. It’s pretty cool to be able to use the Sharesheet and send whatever you need to it from any device.
PSA: Tomorrow is the cutoff to download your Amazon books. How To Do Stuff walks you through step by step how to do it with automation. Easy Peazy.
I did 1,157 books the old fashioned way, with lots and lots and lots of clicking. Don’t be like me, be smart. Follow this 👇
‘How to bulk download Kindle files, while you can’ 🔗 Jason Snell / sixcolors.com
Bringing a Little Joy Into My Day and Weekly Planning
There are endless blog posts about the latest to-do apps and systems. My goal is not to proclaim from the rooftops that I’ve found the secret to daily planning success but to share some thoughts on a few options that I have found very rewarding.
I have a constant struggle with Analog vs Digital; it perturbs me how much I think about this. I’ve given up worrying about which type of system it is, and I do what feels right and what keeps me on track. And, if that system brings a little joy to the process, even better.
KIWIX - A User Report
I’ve seen this posted about Mastodon a lot, and then @amerpie posted about it yesterday, and I thought, why the heck not? Let’s check it out; I’ve got some time to kill.
So, yeah, this KIWIX is really cool. I’m not a Super Bowl kind of guy, so I downloaded Kiwix and then proceeded to download the entire Wikipedia, then iFixit, then Gutenberg. Sheesh, why not? I have a Synology with ample space, so why not lock some of this stuff in and have it on local storage?
Carl Griffith’s 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter
Want a Sourdough Starter that’s been active since 1847? I can’t verify that the offer is still active, but we did it several years ago. Follow the directions exactly, or they won’t send it to you.
‘Source’ 🔗 Griffith / carlsfriends.net
Digital Sovereignty - Own Your Content Reason Number 429
I used to write/publish photo stories at Exposure.co. It’s a nice website, and it’s a great place to see other people’s work, but it locks your content and locks you into paying every year to have access to your content. I’ve had a good engagement over there. I only have four stories there, but they each have 33,000+ views, which is a lot for my work. With that being said, I don’t do the things that I do for views, clicks, or money.
I’ve been moving my digital life to cliff538.com and have downloaded my data for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Today, I focused on Exposure. How much does it cost a year? Can I download my stories? Do I want this anymore? Keep or delete.
Over the years at Exposure I’ve been paying $99/year, the lowest tier now is $149/year. I decided to export my content and move it to cliff538.com. Well, guess what, you can’t. The only export option is a PDF, only if you pay for Pro Plus, which is $319/year. If I want to export PDFs of my photo stories, I’ll have to upgrade my account, download the PDFs, and close my account. But, they throw in some nice warnings; if your stories are over a specific size, you have to be on the business plan at $999/year to export your PDFs. Two, they warn you that the PDFs may not even look good due to pagination issues and that they are working on it.
PDF exports don’t help me much because I need to build a web page to recreate my photo stories. This makes me unhappy and reinforces why I’m making this move. Own your content, control where it is, and have full backups. Don’t be locked into price increases, a lack of export options, or business failures.
So what to do? Well, I’m stuck; luckily, there are only four medium-sized stories. I have all the photos; I used Obsidian Web Clipper to clip the pages, which gives me the text between the pictures. Reimagining the stories into web pages for my blog will be time-consuming, but the beauty is that it will be the last time. I’ll control how it looks and where it lives.
I thought about just deleting it but the stories really do have meaning for me. They are from a different time in my life. I wouldnt write the stories the same way today or use the same pictures (some of the HDR makes me cringe) but back then I did, and sometimes it’s good to see where you came from.
Note: below, you will read A.I. taking a crack at giving you reasons and risks. It’s polished, clean, and well done, but it feels soulless and generic, like reading a technical manual. I may be a lousy writer, but at least it’s real; it tells my story. I’m leaving the A.I. stuff just because it’s good info, a little novel, and maybe just a little bit for posterity.
(warning A.I. written text below)
The Risks of Relying on Third-Party Platforms
If you’re publishing your work exclusively on platforms like Instagram, Medium, or Facebook, you’re playing by someone else’s rules. While these platforms provide convenience and exposure, they come with significant risks:
The Benefits of Owning Your Platform
By running your blog or website, you remove the middleman and take full control of your content and audience. Here’s what you gain: 1. **Full Creative Control**: Publish what you want, how you want, without fear of censorship. 2. **Data Ownership**: Collect and control your audience data directly, enabling better relationships and monetization strategies. 3. **Longevity**: Platforms come and go, but your self-hosted blog can remain online indefinitely, ensuring your creations outlive any trend or corporate decision. 4. **Custom Branding**: Unlike third-party platforms, your blog reflects your unique identity, free from distracting ads or conflicting branding.Debunking the Technical Barrier Myth
Many creators hesitate to start their blog because they fear it’s too technical or expensive. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Modern tools like WordPress, Hugo, and Micro.blog make self-hosting more accessible than ever. Here’s a simple roadmap to get started: 1. **Buy a Domain**: Use a registrar like Hover.com to purchase a custom domain for as little as $10/year. 2. **Choose a Hosting Platform**: Services like SiteGround, Micro.blog, or Netlify offer affordable options. 3. **Start Writing**: With pre-built templates and easy-to-use tools, you can be up and running in a matter of hours.The Numbers Don’t Lie
The shift toward self-hosting is gaining momentum: - **45% of creators** plan to invest in self-hosted platforms by 2026. - **70% of internet users** express concerns about how platforms handle their data. - **Domain registrations for personal websites** rose by 30% in 2023.Call to Action: Own Your Digital Future
Owning your content isn’t just about control; it’s about building a digital future that belongs to you. Stop renting your ideas on platforms that profit from your creativity. Start your own blog today, and take the first step toward true creative independence.Here are some resources to get started:
Your creations deserve a permanent home. Give them one.
Where Do You find Books To Read
This has been a struggle for me in the past. I often found myself running out of books and searching for something new to read, which led me to browse bookstores. Each visit is a wonderful experience; independent shops have a unique charm, often showcasing local authors, and the smell of books is irreplaceable. However, there were times when I left empty-handed, without anything that sparked my interest.
To tackle this, having a collection of online tools for discovering books is essential. Here are some ideas that may inspire you.
Now, I face a new challenge: a to-read list that keeps expanding, which is, in fact, a wonderful problem to have. I used to feel overwhelmed by this, but I’ve learned to embrace the reality that countless books will always remain out of reach. That’s why it’s so important to focus on reading what you love. Don’t linger on a book that feels just okay; there are countless extraordinary stories waiting for you. And don’t let that ever-growing pile of unread books weigh you down; it’s always there with your next book!
I will continue to add to this list with your suggestions and any helpful resources I come across. Please email or comment with your favorites, and I’ll include them.
Updated January 23, 2025 from Somewhere in Arizona
Major Platforms
Five Books - They ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview. This site has an archive of more than 1700 interviews and 8000 book recommendations. They publish at least two new interviews per week.
The Millions - A great online publication devoted to books. Check out The Great Fall 2024 Book Preview as a good place to start.
100 Best Books of the 21st Century - NYT Gift Article
The Best Books of 2024 - The New Yorker
NYR Of Books - The New York Review Magazine is over my head and usually out of my wheelhouse, yet I still enjoy it and find it helpful. Although I usually only read one or two articles, the ads are mostly for books, and It’s been a great place to find new books that I would never have ordinarily seen.
New Books To Read in 2025 - Penguin Random House. It also has a good weekly newsletter about their books.
Red Pen Reviews - Expert nutrition book reviews that sort fact from fiction
GoodReads - Amazon company
StoryGraph - A fully-featured Amazon-free alternative to Goodreads
Personal Sites & Blogs
Derek Silvers - He does a good job blogging about the books he’s read.
Trey Hunner - Has a great 2024 recap on his books and audiobooks.
The Library of Alexandra - I just found this via microblog and am looking forward to exploring it.
Social Media
For myself, this is just Mastodon and the newly found Micro.blog. After you acquire a group of people you enjoy following, it can be a great place to see what they are reading and why.
Micro.blog - Really is amazing for book ideas and reviews. In your Discovery feed, you can filter by books and see what everybody is reading and their book reviews. I’m new to it, but it looks like a gold mine!
Podcasts
It’s a great place to hear interviews with authors, or you can search your podcast player for book review podcasts.
If Books Could Kill - I haven’t listened to many of them, so I’m unfamiliar with their general theme and structure, but it might be worth checking out.
Friends and Family
I reached out to a small group of friends and said let’s have a texting group where we text about the books we enjoyed and recommend. This has been an excellent source.
Community Driven
Literature Map - Type in an author, and it will show you other similar authors.
BookWyrm - BookWyrm is a social network for tracking your reading, discussing books, writing reviews, and discovering what to read next. Federation allows BookWyrm users to join small, trusted communities that can connect with one another and with other ActivityPub services like Mastodon.
Library Thing - A Home For Your Books, LibraryThing is a free, library-quality catalog to track reading progress or your whole library.
What Should I Read Next - Enter a book you like, and the site will analyze the huge database of real readers' favorite books to provide book recommendations and suggestions for what to read next.
r/books - Reddit
Literal* - Track what you’re reading, follow friends, and join clubs to collectively explore the ideas of the world’s greatest authors. I don’t use this site because the same features are built into Micro Blog, but it looks excellent for tracking your lists: Currently Reading, To Read, and Read, making custom Bookshelves, and reading other people’s book reviews. If I didn’t have Micro Blog, I’d be here.
Library Tools
OverDrive/Libby - Free ebooks, audiobooks & magazines from your local library.
You only need a public library card or access through your workplace or university. Always free - no fees or subscriptions.
Free EBook Sources
Standard EBooks - Standard Ebooks is a volunteer-driven effort to produce a collection of high quality, carefully formatted, accessible, open source, and free public domain ebooks that meet or exceed the quality of commercially produced ebooks. The text and cover art in our ebooks are already believed to be in the U.S. public domain, and Standard Ebooks dedicates its own work to the public domain, thus releasing the entirety of each ebook file into the public domain. All the ebooks we produce are distributed free of cost and free of U.S. copyright restrictions.
Soon, you’ll have a huge To-Read Pile!