A story in Issue #1633 brought several comments from readers. Let’s start with the story:
The Secret to True’s Success
It’s not “because of” a grumpy unsubscribe, but despite it.
Marketing
The Evolution of True’s Logo
This post was inspired by a question from Premium reader James in Toronto, who asked about the logo after he read an old post about how the This is True title came about:
The Spammer (A Christmas Tale)
It’s absolutely possible to fight back against spammers …if you think about what would actually work. Pull up a chair by the fire and I’ll tell a story about how I did it this Christmas week, and turned The Grinch into a reformed marketer.
Kup-pa Ko-fi
True has had a presence on Patreon for a few years now. Patreon is one of several sites that helps “creators” get support from patrons. In late 2017, Patreon made a bone-headed decision that resulted in well over half of True’s patrons bailing, mostly for my own home-rolled alternative. The downside of both: having to create yet another “account” on yet another site. At least using my shopping cart there’s no 5 percent fee scraped off the top for Patreon.
We’re On It
A story in this week’s newsletter is already being discussed intently online, so let’s jump in. Let’s start with True’s version of the story, from the 24 November 2019 issue:
LinkMoses: Goodbye Eric Ward
Last weekend, I saw someone post that Eric Ward was dead. The name rang a bell for me — someone from my past in online circles — but I couldn’t quite connect it, and asked an online friend from the 90s if he knew him. The name didn’t connect for him. Still, it was really familiar, but I couldn’t quite figure it out.
The Pomplamoose Problem
An Interesting Article on the site Artist Empathy (yeah, I hadn’t heard of it before either) discusses “The Pomplamoose Problem”…
Shooters Grill
A reader seemed a bit dubious about the lead story last week (6 July 2014, Issue 1047). So let’s start with the story, and then the comment by John in the U.K.:
Civic Pride
There were several cranky responses to a story in last week’s issue. Let’s start with the story, from the edition dated 5 July 2009:
TANSTAAFL, Baby
Very often readers ask me for advice about starting an online business — when I started in 1994, there wasn’t anyone to ask, and I’ve learned a lot in the nearly 15 years since. Obviously one can learn some things by watching what I do, but there are others who are in the business of teaching such things, and that’s faster (and more generic).
What’s Your I.Q.?
I got a note from a Premium subscriber saying he had clicked on an ad on my Jumbo Joke site. He noted, “I used a throwaway email address to access the site and now get between 100 and 300 spam messages per day (my ‘real’ email gets 5-10 spam messages per day). I’m so glad it’s not my primary email address, but how many of your readers don’t know any better?”
Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business
Hey, look at this! Only 14 years after I put it into practice, WIRED magazine’s Chris Anderson (author of The Long Tail) has fully grasped my business model: making money by giving away something of value for free.
Lolita Midsleeper Combi
I thought many readers would like to see the photos that go with a story from the 10 February 2008 issue, and maybe you will have examples of other “inappropriate” products, especially for children. First, the story:
Another Empty Suit
Another fun story that’s made even more fun by seeing the photos involved:
Coming Attractions
I’ve been working on an idea since last Fall, and it’s finally just about ready. It would have been ready this evening, except this is a holiday weekend. But I can’t wait to let you know about what it is:
The Story of Billy
The holiday book sale was over, so I came up with a slightly different way to keep book sales going — with a short story….
First Newspaper Client
The second income stream called out in my business plan gels with my first newspaper client carrying TJI as a newspaper column.