Ah yes, Tad! A terrifically helpful clarification. To add to that... :
1. Substack have told us (after extensive queries into the Ask a Question bot in your writer or publisher dashboard) that the platform algorithms use the tags you add to your post to how to bubble it up readers or in response to searches. This is one reason I routinely include not only tags relevant to my articles, like "My Sixteen" but also simply the word "Genealogy."
2. In our MissionGenealogy.Substack.com/s/office-hours discussions we've glossed over difference between a section and a tag and why you might want to use each. I think it may be time to circle back to that. In my own Forum, or Projectkin.Substack.com, I use both tags and sections. The key benefits to me for sections are:
a) With sections, unlike tags, I get options in how the resulting pages are arranged. See the difference between /s/ pages and /t/ pages. That means I can refer readers/viewers to a section about a given topic with the confidence that the served page will be presented nicely, notice mouseovers trigger video plays, for example. Here are two examples for you: Projectkin.Substack.com/s/forget-me-not (Projectkin's new series with Jane Hutcheon) on the other hand, though you get a page for tags, like Projectkin.Substack.com/t/genealogy, you get a laundry list of posts I've tagged with "genealogy."*
b) Sections are created by what Substack calls "Newsletters." That means that one "publication" can have multiple newsletters and people can optionally subscribe to some newsletters and not others. I have the full list of my own at the bottom of Projectkin.Substack.com, though I auto-subscribe everyone to all newsletters, every subscriber can selectively opt-out to some and not others. Oh, and by the way... Anyone can do this on ANY Substack. See Projectkin.Substack.com/newsletters, for example.
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*(And Tad's caution about case (Genealogy vs. genealogy) is very important. That's because the protocol is case-sensitive to all entries after the "/," though it ignores capitalization for the subdomain.domain.TLD (or top-level domain). My advice is to be very consistent and save yourself grief. I use all lowercase.)
🤔 NOTE to self: If you need to do a footnote on a note, maybe you need to make a post. 😉
Can you do these things whether it is a publication or not. I Can't seem to find the screen views that Mightier acorns referred to. Would I be better off converting to a publication ? I would like to have my family history separating from my one place study.
Ah yes, Tad! A terrifically helpful clarification. To add to that... :
1. Substack have told us (after extensive queries into the Ask a Question bot in your writer or publisher dashboard) that the platform algorithms use the tags you add to your post to how to bubble it up readers or in response to searches. This is one reason I routinely include not only tags relevant to my articles, like "My Sixteen" but also simply the word "Genealogy."
2. In our MissionGenealogy.Substack.com/s/office-hours discussions we've glossed over difference between a section and a tag and why you might want to use each. I think it may be time to circle back to that. In my own Forum, or Projectkin.Substack.com, I use both tags and sections. The key benefits to me for sections are:
a) With sections, unlike tags, I get options in how the resulting pages are arranged. See the difference between /s/ pages and /t/ pages. That means I can refer readers/viewers to a section about a given topic with the confidence that the served page will be presented nicely, notice mouseovers trigger video plays, for example. Here are two examples for you: Projectkin.Substack.com/s/forget-me-not (Projectkin's new series with Jane Hutcheon) on the other hand, though you get a page for tags, like Projectkin.Substack.com/t/genealogy, you get a laundry list of posts I've tagged with "genealogy."*
b) Sections are created by what Substack calls "Newsletters." That means that one "publication" can have multiple newsletters and people can optionally subscribe to some newsletters and not others. I have the full list of my own at the bottom of Projectkin.Substack.com, though I auto-subscribe everyone to all newsletters, every subscriber can selectively opt-out to some and not others. Oh, and by the way... Anyone can do this on ANY Substack. See Projectkin.Substack.com/newsletters, for example.
----
*(And Tad's caution about case (Genealogy vs. genealogy) is very important. That's because the protocol is case-sensitive to all entries after the "/," though it ignores capitalization for the subdomain.domain.TLD (or top-level domain). My advice is to be very consistent and save yourself grief. I use all lowercase.)
🤔 NOTE to self: If you need to do a footnote on a note, maybe you need to make a post. 😉
Excellent reminders for me! I printed this to have on hand. Thank you!
Thanks. I've been using tags, but adding my ancestors link to the Navigation bar is something I've not done. Thanks!
Important information. I am 1 year into Substack and still figuring out how to use it.
Since they continue updating the features, we will still be learning next year, too!
Thank you that was so helpful. I had no idea the navigation bar could be used like that.
super helpful tips and reminders! Thanks!
Great tips and something I'm all over. I've bookmarked this so I can find it again.
Tad, this is great info! And thanks for the shout-out on my SEO post. 😀
I’ve overhauled my tagging strategy more than once and with some of the great suggestions you’ve noted, I see that I will be doing so again!
Can you do these things whether it is a publication or not. I Can't seem to find the screen views that Mightier acorns referred to. Would I be better off converting to a publication ? I would like to have my family history separating from my one place study.