Substack launches Notes, Twitter competitor – 04/11/2023 – Tech

The newsletter platform Substack launched this Tuesday (11) the Notes tool, a space for publishing short texts similar to Twitter.

The launch comes days after Elon Musk’s social network restricted tweets related to Substack, a move seen as a punishment for the publishing startup, which had just announced its competing service.

Notes allows users to post texts and for others to like, share, or reply to them. In the publication box, it is possible to edit the contents in bold, italic and highlight quotes.

The Notes feed is also reminiscent of Twitter’s, with two tabs: “Home” and “Subscribed”. In the “Home” tab, the user can check texts by writers he follows, in addition to other recommendations from these authors. In the “Subscribed” tab, in turn, only the texts of the followed writers are displayed.

In a statement, Substack said Notes marks the next step in the company’s efforts to build a subscription network. “Notes is a long-term project, and its success will be determined by the trust given by writers and readers over the years. We don’t take that trust for granted.”

On Thursday (6), the day after the Notes announcement, Twitter prevented Substack writers from including tweets in their newsletters. On Friday (7), the social network prevented Substack newsletters from being shared. On Sunday (9), Substack reported that the suppression of Substack posts on Twitter appeared to be over.

Twitter’s decision generated reaction including supporters of Elon Musk. Writers who use Twitter and Substack to distribute their work said the move contradicted their statements about allowing free speech on the social network.

Substack founders Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie and Jairaj Sethi said in a statement that they were “disappointed” by the social network’s decision to stifle engagement with any tweet that featured a Substack link.

“Writers deserve the freedom to share links to Substack or anywhere else,” they said. “This sudden shift is a reminder why writers deserve a model that puts them in charge, rewards good work with money, and protects freedom of the press and expression.”