Moving to Substack

“It’s happening.”

I still chuckle when I say that. I hear Martin Short in his hilarious 1994 movie Clifford. He plays a deranged little boy and warns his dad that he’s going to have a stroke every time he gets mad by muttering, “It’s happening.” Charlies Grodin (passed away in 2021) co-starred with Short in the movie. It’s one of my all-time favorite dumb comedies.

“It’s happening”

If you’re a regular, you’ll remember I’ve been deliberating for months about moving my blog to a subscription-based format. I shared on my post Input & output – channels for growth that:

“I want to transition this blog to be a subscription-based newsletter/blog on Substack. You can already check it out there at journeyguy.substack.com.”

The time has come!

By the end of May, you will still continue to be able to access old posts here. HOWEVER, if you want to keep up with me and new content, you’ll need to visit new URL which will be the Substack site and subscribe there. (see below for your opportunity to help me pick the new URL)

Why Substack

I subscribe to several writers at Substack and have appreciated the community there. Also, Substack has refused to cave and blacklist authors in this time of ridiculous cancel culture and censorship. This hasn’t been because people haven’t tried to shame them into censorship.

1. One reason is monetization. I have worked hard over the years writing for my blog. All for free. I spend a lot of time researching for some of my more substantive posts. Eventually, I’d love to be able to write – if not for a living – then at least to be supported by readers’ generosity to the point that I feel like I’m making a contribution back through excellent writing and thoughtfulness. Substack has a subscription model that will allow me to continue to write some posts for all readers while reserving more significant writing for those subscribers who are willing to invest in me.
2. Another reason is community. I have never been able to develop the interaction and commenting here at journeyguy.com. It’s a self-hosted WordPress blog, and I hope that Substack will provide more conversation and dialogue.
3. Finally, moving to a subscription-based platform allows me to prevent internet trolls from breathing down my neck when I post something “offensive.”

But Jeff, won’t you miss this WordPress-based blog?

Yes. Yes. Yes. I have loved the ability to customize, design and experiment with my blog’s look and layout. I love tweaking its features. However, most people don’t read blogs on their computer screens anymore. People read content on their phones/tablets. This transition of screen size prevents people from seeing and enjoying the beauty of blog layout and enjoying its features.

So why would I (at this time) continue pouring energy into a website/blog design that won’t ever be appreciated on a phone screen? It’s the content that matters in the long run, and so Substack with its clean look and interface will encourage me to focus more on writing than the presentation.

Make your suggestion about URL

I’d love your thoughts about what URL/domain my Substack becomes. Right now, you can access it at journeyguy.substack.com. I’m torn between biblebeltman.com or jeffnoble.net. I’m also open to suggestions for another URL, provided that the domain name is available.

Take the quick survey below to give me your first impressions between the two, or leave a comment about possible other URLs.

What do you do?

Please subscribe to my Substack and consider becoming a supporter for access to more substantive posts.

Survey: