I’ve been running Christian Lindke’s Geekerati Media Newsletter since November of 2022. The first post I ever published here was the one I updated and reposted two weeks ago discussing a different Alternate Combat System for the Original Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. My second post was one on the Gambler’s Fallacy and how to use that in adventure design. I’ll likely repost that one soon as well, with some major revisions based on new thoughts.
In the three years since publishing those entries, the original posts have received fewer than 50 views each. Of course my subscriber base was much smaller then, so I was actually proud when they got the 25 or so views they got at the time. The “From the Archives” reprint of the first article got over 500 views and had a good opening rate for recent posts. Where my original articles got more views than I had subscribers, my recently published articles get viewer views than I have subscribers.
Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to read everything I publish. I understand, and really like, that with growth comes a mix of audiences, especially when you don’t have a focused brand for your publication. After all, “an article on whatever pop culture topic strikes my fancy today” isn’t as focused as “deep dives into horror stories.” I write articles expressing my diverse interests and different articles connect with different people. That’s my goal and I like my results so far. I’m not making millions (or even thousands) a year doing this, but none of my content is behind a paywall so I don’t expect do. That does mean that I have a great appreciation for those who are paid subscribers and I do think I have a way to thank you personally, but I’ll have to email the subscribers individually about that.
This Substack has grown, but I’d like it to grow more because I am trying to do more than just share my thoughts and throw them into the ether. I am trying to build a community, or a couple communities, who discuss and share their thoughts on things they love.
That is my personal fan hub community goal, but I also want to make sure to provide content that is interesting to my readership so that we can build a great community and share our thoughts on a variety of geeky topics. I’d love for this to be a modern version of the old White Dwarf and Dragon Magazines of the 1980s, professional in content but free from the industrial restrictions of larger publications.
To keep in line with my desire to continually improve the website, I’d like to ask you to take this brief survey covering the many aspects of this blog and your thoughts about them.
The Geekerati Name: Should I “Rebrand?”
I am thinking about renaming my Substack. I came up with the Geekerati name back in 2008 as the name of the podcast I did with my friends Shawna Benson, Bill Cunningham, and Eric Lytle. We recorded over 200 episodes and covered a wide variety of topics and we even had some really cool interviews.
It was a play on my Cinerati Blogger site and it fit what we were aiming at which was Geeks talking about Geeky things.
The thing is, I’m not sure that it is a great fit for my site now. I mean, I still talk about a lot of Geeky things, but I’m not sure that people understand what the site is about from the name alone.
So I’m calling on those of you who have read my Substack, and those of you who haven’t because the name isn’t catching your eye, to give me a hand.
What should I call my Geekerati Substack?
Yes, you can say “keep the name.”
If you vote yes, please give your recommendations for a new name. I will collect these names and offer them up in a future post for all of you to select from and the person who proposed the winning name (should one be necessary), that individual will win a copy of Issue #13 of Tales from the Magician’s Skull. If it turns out to not be necessary, I will randomly select a subscriber to receive the copy and mail it to them.
Film Reviews and Film Lists
I’ve published my own film reviews as well as some by
(Luke Y Thompson), who is a professional film critic who has his own site which includes reviews for the public as well as subscriber only reviews.
In addition to film reviews, I’ve done seasonal film lists such as the current “Scary Season” recommendations list.
Weekly Geekly Rundown
Though it’s more of a Biweekly Geekly Rundown, I really enjoy putting these together because they are central to my vision of how this site works. They are where I highlight all the cool stuff I encounter in my reading and life and share it with you.
Role Playing Game and Table Top Game Reviews
Jody Lindke Cartoons!
Free Playable Game Content
5 Foot Geekshelf
I recently started writing a series of articles I call the Five Foot Geekshelf that will include lists of what I consider to be 13 important entries in various genre media ranging from books to games to films. I recently posted one on Martial Arts films and wanted to get your thoughts.
I know that’s a lot of questions, but your answers will really help me out in managing my weekly content. My hope is to keep writing/publishing one or two posts a week in addition to the Weekly Geekly Rundown.
While those questions are aimed at how well my own content goals align with the preferences of my audience, I’d also like to take a moment to ask you to share what you’d like to see. What should I write about that I’m overlooking?
Please share your thoughts on that in the comments below.
I like how you laid out the survey with links to examples.
Lots of grist for the mill. Hope you can sort it out somewhat.