Howdy, Strangers!

Mea culpa; I went AWOL

Well, after spending a ton of time here during Twitter exile, I shamefully admit I abandoned this place almost entirely once they let me back in. I shouldn’t have, and I want to correct that now. Some thoughts on my plans moving forward…

I created this Substack long ago solely as an email list in case I got zapped on Twitter (at Theo_TJ_Jordan), back when I could tell my account was being throttled and likely watched. I didn’t use it to write until October of 2022, when I felt a growing desire to do something beyond the confines of just posts on the Bird. One of my last tweets before they silenced me there in January for a ridiculous reason was re my plans for the new year and how I intended to use Substack more. A week or two later and I was banished from using Twitter at all. That led to me really diving into this platform and I was actually really enjoying the new angle. I had gotten a bit over-saturated feeling on Twitter. It was rewarding to work on something that was all my own, and neat to see the daily traffic growing as I was. I even received a few payment requests though I didn’t have a payment option turned on. I was floored and honored by that and thank those of you who nudged me at that time, and those who have created a paid account since. I’ve felt guilty that I have nothing to offer paid subscribers that is not available for free. But that had not been in the plans. And then right as I began to settle in here, they let me back in the Bird. And I won’t lie, I got swept away! :-/

I shamefully admit I’ve barely returned to Substack at all. I’ve felt guilty about that too. I started two pieces (one on the whole masking story up through Cochrane and the other titled “Queer as Political”) and didn’t finish or publish either. Big change from my significant writing here in January. There was a lot of energy behind me when I got back to Twitter and a lot of things happening in our world at once. I got caught up in that and do feel the impact there and see it as important. But even though there still is a lot going on, I feel ready to shift focus back here. I miss this place now instead of that one. I’m burned out somewhat screaming into the wind on Twitter. I won’t be stopping posting there, but I’m ready to pour my energy elsewhere.

I’d really like to see if I can build something that is permanently mine. I feel like it’s time to shit or get off the pot. I have some new ideas for this medium and want to expand it in several ways. I’m also going to finally implement some ways to thank and give back to those who have supported me; both those who subscribed vs unsubscribed readers and most importantly those who have now paid for a subscription. I plan to start doing a lot of with audio. I want to build short clips on some key topics (hopefully with visuals to go along with them), a new way of spreading some of the same message. Not long clips requiring a time commitment, but shorts ones to convey my thoughts on new issues. I’ve already begun working on a few re older COVID topics. I may also record some conversations as I’ve really enjoyed using this new mic and speaking live to some of my favorite brains who used to only be text. I may try and put some of those together more podcast-style and post all of this in the audio/podcast sections here. I am going to make all of the audio work for subscribers only, and likely most of it behind the paywall. That is a tangible way I can give back to those who supported me so kindly when I was offering nothing in return. I’m also playing around with the idea of live chats or get-togethers for subscribers only. I do intend to keep my writings on this site accessible by everyone, however. I don’t have the time write substantially both here and on Twitter, so moving more time here means moving the primary goal here too, and that’s getting a message out and not self-promotion. I’ve even been thinking about diversifying Logical Reasoning beyond just me, and using it as a platform to share voices I respect and as a gathering place for shared thoughts and values and spit-balling. I’ve been sent some fantastic pieces from writers who don’t have a large platform, and they are words that deserve to be heard! Perhaps this place can be bigger than just me. Those are the kind of thoughts that excite me, the opposite of burnout on the Bird. It’s an interesting time in media, our landscape is undergoing seismic shifts. I no longer trust what the big satellite dishes are blasting at us, and I know I’m in excellent company there. I trust the stuff I learn in the conversations with my digital family… with you. It’s an endless treasure trove of knowledge, wisdom, and chops! I want to see if I can bring some of that magic here. Thanks for coming along for the ride! I appreciate your support more than you know.