Add to the Conversation, Not the Noise
Aug 20, 2025 2:45 pm
Good morning, ,
I've been having quite a few conversations about the noise on LinkedIn and how frustrating it is to navigate that platform right now. Some of the noise — ads, old posts that resurface because someone you follow liked it, and LinkedIn recommended posts that miss the mark — simply clutters the feed.
But some of the noise stems from hurt and anger and fear. Here are two stories from the last two weeks:
The Substack Content Moderation Debate
Last week, a friend drew my attention to this post by Claire Wasserman, who was harshly criticized for choosing to start a newsletter on Substack. Why? Because Substack permits, promotes, and profits from hate speech.
All platforms host conspiracy theorists, hatemongers, and bigots, but Substack has an especially lax content moderation policy that is applauded by some, disparaged by others, and abused by quite a few. It also has a built-in social network and recommendation engine. Those two features can be incredibly beneficial to Substackers. They are also at the heart of the debate on content moderation.
The debate came to light on November 28, 2023, when Jonathan M. Katz published "Substack Has a Nazi Problem" in The Atlantic. That article launched the Substackers Against Nazis campaign, and on December 14, more than 200 Substackers published an open letter to the platform's founders.
One week later, Hamish McKenzie, one of the co-founders of Substack, responded in a note, stating that Substack will "stick to our decentralized approach to content moderation, which gives power to readers and writers."
The following month, several of those who joined the Substackers Against Nazis campaign left the platform, including Casey Newton of Platformer. An independent journalist who spent a decade covering Silicon Valley for The Verge, CNET, and the San Francisco Chronicle launched Platformer on Substack in 2020 after being offered a year of healthcare subsidies and ongoing legal support. Over three years, Platformer grew to more than 170,000 subscribers. On January 11, 2024, Newton shared how and why he decided to leave Substack.
More recently, Substack accidentally sent a push alert promoting one of the pro-Nazi publications on its platform. In a July 30, 2025, article on Engadget, Substack apologized for the error and noted that the relevant system was taken offline until the problems were addressed. The next day, Casey Newton of Platformer responded to the story, noting that "because the platform invests heavily in social media-style growth hacks, it was inevitable that Substack would actively promote Nazi blogs across various surfaces."
The same day, Mother Jones published "How a Nazi-Obsessed Amateur Historian Went from Obscurity to the Top of Substack." A week later, Jonathan M. Katz, the journalist who first reported on the issue and then left Substack, wrote about how Substack has evolved since 2023.
I don't share this because I think everyone should leave Substack. I share this because it is incumbent upon each of us to be aware of the policies of our platforms of choice, to recognize that those policies or the interpretations of those policies change over time, and to consistently weigh the platform's positives against its negatives so we can reach a decision that works for us.
If you would like to explore a few alternatives to Substack, take a look at Ghost, beehiiv, and Patreon. (You may also be familiar with Medium, but it has a very different business model and doesn't allow for paid subscriptions.) If paid subscriptions are not essential to your business model, you can always stick with a traditional email newsletter service like SendFox, MailChimp, or Kit.
The AI Usage Accusations
Yesterday a friend drew my attention to this post by Véronique Froment, who was asked if a piece of content she submitted for review was AI-generated.
There is a lot of shame around generative AI.
If you choose not to use it, you're criticized as a dinosaur who is out of touch and behind the times. If you choose to use it, you're accused of cheating and being nowhere near as smart as your writing makes you seem.
Neither of these is true.
One of the reasons every newsletter I write now includes an AI Disclosure Statement with a link to my AI Usage Policy is because I think it's past time we normalize the discussion around generative AI.
If you're asked if you used generative AI to create something you've shared with the person asking, you don't have to take it as an accusation (even if it was meant to be taken that way).
Just provide a simple answer.
If you didn't use generative AI, you can take a page out of Véronique Froment's book and let them know that it is 100% HI (human intelligence) generated. If you did use generative AI, say so and then share how you used it. Because how you use generative AI is much more important than whether you use generative AI.
The Bit on Kindness
It's noisy out there on those internet streets. There's a lot of uncertainty, fear, anger, and hurt, and that makes it difficult to show up as our best selves. Let's give one another the benefit of the doubt and look for opportunities where we can extend a bit of kindness.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on these issues. I've been thinking about them a lot lately, and I'm sure I have a few blind spots. If you'd like to continue the conversation, reply to this email.
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Join the Conversation
Writing for high-visibility publications is a complete waste of time. Or is it?
A lot of the noise online implies that writing a piece for a high-visibility publication will have the hordes of humans knocking down your doors. In this LinkedIn post, I dispel that myth and share a few ideas for how to unlock the full value of published articles. Join the conversation.
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Recommended Resource
Published Articles Are Business Assets. Put Them To Work.
In this piece published by the Society for Professional Consultants, I share how to use published articles as tools to build awareness, increase visibility, establish trust, and differentiate yourself from your peers. Read the article.
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Featured Appearance
This month, I joined Susan Tatum to talk about turning published articles into assets that build trust, start conversations, and bring in opportunities long after publication. Take a listen!
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Upcoming Events
Pitched to Published™
Interested in learning how to write, pitch, and publish articles for high-visibility publications? Join me on Wednesday, September 10, at 11:55 AM Eastern for a mini-training on how to structure articles for publication. The mini-training will be followed by a Q+A. There is no cost to attend this monthly event. Register here.
Master Class: How to Write for High-Visibility Publications
In this 60-minute master class, I will share the SILVA Method™ and walk you through the process I use to help my clients secure bylines in publications like Harvard Business Review, Inc., and TD Magazine. Join me at 2 PM Eastern on Tuesday, September 2, or Wednesday, September 10. Free. Register here.
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That's it for today!
Next month, I'll be sharing more information about Pathway to Publication, my hybrid private and small-group intensive for consultants looking to build their authority by writing for high-visibility publications. Meanwhile, if you have any questions or would like to explore working together, please book a call. I'd love to learn more about your business and how I might be of service.
Take good care,
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AI Disclosure Statement: I used Claude to help me refine the section on AI accusations. I uploaded a shitty first draft and prompted Claude to identify the most salient points, strengths, and areas in need of improvement. I used LanguageTool, an AI-based grammar checker, to review this email newsletter. To learn more about how (and when) I use AI, review my AI Usage Policy.
