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The pictures are spectacular and I'm glad the weather was good for your visit. Congratulations on your one year on Substack!πŸŽ‰πŸŽ‰πŸŽ‰

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Thank you! I started this project 6 months into my time on Substack so it’s actually my 18 month anniversary, haha!

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I've actually been on Substack longer than my year mark suggests, too! Cheers to us!

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Thank you for sharing these, I really do appreciate them, even when I don't have time to comment I love them still.

I shall keep my fingers crossed for the big interview, and that makes me realise we should certainly try to meet up at some point, I have no idea where the last year has gone, to be honest!

I hope you are over the virus now, too?

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Thanks Alex! Yes we should, it’s crazy how time has sped up the longer I’ve been here…

I’m over that particular virus though there always seems to be another around the corner :/

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I was about to repeat Alex's words Anne, he saved me a few minutes typing but I will just say, I agree with everything he said and also what you say about there always being another virus lurking around the corner! I'm glad you're feeling better though and I hope the interview has a positive outcome.

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Thank you so much Susie! (I just found out my flatmate has a bad cold, oh well!)

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Its never ending isn’t it… My classes of 7 to 11’s love sharing their little germs with me!

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Bless you and them!

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Oh tell me about it! Poor Ailsa has had a fever (and cough) for nearly two weeks now. Every time I think she’s back to her normal self, she crashes and her temperature spikes. I suspect it might be the dreaded C word, but the doctor wasn’t willing to commit to that diagnosis. So many other children are sick, too. I keep eating and drinking my nettle seeds, red clover, calendula and several other things, and hoping that makes a difference!

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Oh noo, I hope you're all well soon!

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Thanks! I think (touch wood!) Ailsa is on the mend, but still coughingβ€”it’s been a long process though. I’m currently eating all the vitamin C I can get my hands on, to try and ward off this tickling throat/cough which is trying to appear. Honestly, children just bring the most delightful things home when they go to school… We had a message about poux/head lice the other day, so we’ve now got that joy to look forward to, too. Sigh!

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Beautiful photos. A detail diary is such a good idea.

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Thank you! I would be delighted if I inspired anyone to start their own…

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I'm so glad I saved this for the weekend and took the time to go back and read your first Substack post. I did not realize that you started out with a very clear concept of how you were going to use Notes -- one you've stuck with admirably -- and only later started your newsletter. Congratulations on your first year of Substack -- you're certainly doing a lovely job!

Best wishes for the job interview, as well.

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Thanks so much Betty, and thanks for taking the time to read! Actually, I did start my newsletter before starting the Detail Diary project--about 6 months before--but this idea came around the time I started actively using the Substack network and Notes, rather than just emailing. It's been very rewarding!

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Oh I see! When I started, only 4 months ago, some fairly established newsletter writers were still talking about β€œjust getting started on Notes.” I don’t see that any longer.

You must have been something of a pioneer. Have you noticed changes on the Notes platform?

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I think Notes started just after I started my newsletter, and I saw some little ripples coming from that but it took me a bit longer to invest. Starting out on Notes was an interesting challenge with only one or two connections, and at first I thought I would be shouting into the void indefinitely even though the others in my feed seemed to have traction already. But connections did grow as I sought them.

As a platform Notes has definitely been developing. It feels more diverse now, although it's hard to know how much of that is just my own network growing! The functionality has improved, and you've probably seen in just the last month or two how they keep trying new ways to categorize and create exploration opportunities. Interesting to observe waves of discourse about where the platform is going, whether it's becoming too much like other social media, etc. That doesn't worry me too much as of now; I've enjoyed what I've been able to curate and I connect much more with people here than anywhere else.

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One thing I’ve noticed is that Notes referring to or recommending other writers’ long-form content don’t seem to get much traction nor visibility, although the result may be indirect in the form of people clicking on the link and even subscribing without liking or responding to the Note. (Forgive me if we’ve discussed this because I know I’ve discussed it with someone and I can’t remember who!)

It seems like I saw more of that type of Note when I started, but I’m not sure if that was because the algorithm had identified me as a newbie, because there are simply fewer of them, or perhaps also because writers have figured out that those Notes don’t get much visibility.

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Yes, I've noticed this! I think it's inevitable that the scrolling function of Notes will cater to shorter attention spans, which is why I use it the way I do. I still share long form stuff, but without a lot of expectation for engagement. (Though I think you're right about not always seeing the evidence on the Note. But either way it's a shame that the aversion to interacting with long-form stuff on Notes keeps it from making the rounds long enough to catch the receptive eye.)

In my view, Notes is mostly about creating other kinds of connections that will hopefully lead to the right audience finding you and thus subscriptions/buy-in to the longer form writing outside of Notes. I still sometimes immediately read or "save" long-form pieces I see shared on Notes (and some of these have been real gems with 2 likes!) but it's a scattershot thing compared to those I subscribe to (which is still a bit scattered given the volume of my list...). If people in my feed and range of interest are using Notes effectively, I eventually see enough of them to be drawn in, try out their long form more deliberately, and make a decision about subscribing. Others I have a consistent relationship with on Notes and will dip into their long form occasionally without subscribing.

Interesting about the change in your feed's pattern!

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