I’ve seen some people call Notes the new Twitter, but I’m not so sure about that. There are no trending topics, we aren’t constrained to an absurdly small character limit, and unless I’m missing something, there are no DMs to slide into. There are other differences too, but when people say Notes is the new Twitter, I worry that what they’re really saying is: let’s behave like we did on Twitter.
If we spend our time shit-posting and dunking on people, maybe Notes will be the new Twitter. But I hope not. I hope each of us uses Notes to expand the conversation, find context, make meaningful connections, and learn new stuff.
But the thing is, how we behave is on us. Sure, has put a lot of work into setting the table—and that work matters a lot—but the built environment of this social network isn’t its destiny. We are.
To that end, I’m not so interested in gaming Notes to blow up my subscriber count and get a bestseller badge. Those things are nice, but I’m here for different reasons. Here’s a list of what I want to do on Notes.
Thoughts on how I want to use Notes:
Discover interesting writers
Connect with other writers who are writing in the same general areas as me (humor, essays, and fiction)
Lift up other writers, especially the writers who aren’t yet household names
Occasional self-promo (the 80-20 rules feels about right)
Engage in a broader water cooler conversation for a few minutes during each workday because, let’s be honest, writing can get kinda lonely
Gain inspiration from overlapping communities of creative people
Talk about the series finale of Succession
Meet my writing heroes
Contribute what I can to building a better internet
From time to time, share a Note that makes someone laugh
Those are my plans for Notes. I’d love to hear what YOU want to do with Notes! Please leave your ideas in the comments👇