HSEP Weekly Update: 5/26/23
Sharing some publication improvements and an updated look at the Heretic Speculator Equity Portfolio. Orders that have been open for weeks are filling!
Hey before we dive into the HSEP for this week, I wanted to let all of you know about some cool cosmetic changes to Heretic Speculator. I assume most of you probably read these posts either through your email or through the Substack app shortly after they’re sent. But just in case you weren’t already aware, this publication has a desktop browser-based front end that I think looks pretty slick. Beyond what I view as aesthetic appeal, the desktop version of Heretic Speculator has some added benefits pertaining to sorting and utility.
If there has been any doubt about what Substack is quietly building behind the scenes, this recent tagging ability should make it clearer. Substack isn’t just trying to disrupt freelance writing models. Substack truly is making the kind of moves that will set it up to be the kind of “everything platform” that Elon Musk wants Twitter to be. Notes is just the social media aspect. The email list structure is coming after things like Mailchimp. And this new tagging feature diminishes the need for building websites through something like Wordpress if you’re operating a smaller to medium-sized publication.
The desktop version of the publication now gives writers the ability to add additional tabs to the top line of the homepage. On the top navigation row of Heretic Speculator, I’ve added frequently used tags like “gold,” “crypto,” “podcasts,” and “stock ideas” to the standard tabs that already existed. But we can now also do grouping of topics as well when you scroll down through the main page:
I’ve spent quite a bit of time going back through my posts and updating the tagging associated with each. It’s a bit tedious so I’m not quite done yet but I’ve decided to separate my content topics as follows:
Alternative Investments
Business & Economics
Culture & Society
Elitist Grift (my personal favorite)
Freedom, Privacy, & Censorship
Investing
Music, NFTs, & Web3
Politics & Regulations
I’ve opted to run through them in alphabetical order as you scroll through on the website. It’s my hope that this new ability to tag posts will help you find things in Heretic Speculator that share a common vibe or coverage theme. If you haven’t seen the desktop version before, check it out! faybomb.substack.com
Something else Substack recently enabled is archive paywall defaulting. I’ve opted to use this feature. The post archive automatically puts up a paywall after two weeks from distribution. So this is probably a feature that paid members will be able to enjoy more than free readers. It doesn’t change anything with the email version of free posts - free readers will still be able to read everything that has been distributed directly to their inboxes. You just might not be able to read everything within the Substack app or on the desktop version as a result of this change. Consider it a nudge to treat your subscription like a beer money donation ;)
Since most of you won’t see the rest of this post, I hope all of you have a wonderful Memorial Day and nice long weekend!
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