Tag Archives: social media

My Weekly Substack Reading

Posted on March 7, 2026 by Robert Basil

Danielle, “Grief Casseroles” (‘grief literacy’) David Scherer Water (Olympia, Washington) Kristi Coulter, “Loose Cannon” (on film) Tina Brown, “Fresh Hell” (‘news dumpster fire’) Lawrence Weschler, “Wonder Cabinet” (arts and culture) Sarah Kendzior, “Newsletter” (it’s worse than you thought …) Kathy … Continue reading →

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Amtrak’s social-media marketing

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Robert Basil

My favourite way to travel is by train, so I follow all of Amtrak’s accounts. They are very witty: When Southwest Airlines announced they were charging for bags, Amtrak posted on X, “Guess we’re the only ones doing free baggage now.” … Continue reading →

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Happy Public Domain Day!

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Robert Basil

From The Public Domain Review: Another year dawns… and another bevy of works dust off their copyright and emerge fresh-faced, full of hope, into the elysian plains of the public domain! On this year’s Public Domain Day (which falls each January … Continue reading →

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“If you have any tips and tricks for evading censors, please contact us.”

Posted on August 18, 2024 by Robert Basil

This sentiment, published in The Economist by Gabriel Crossley, has made my Sunday. Crossley notes that in China VPNs (“software which makes it appear as if a computer or mobile phone is located in another country”) have been “getting slower” … Continue reading →

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“Time is of the essence.”

Posted on June 3, 2024 by Robert Basil

This story is from the online news publication “Jolt: The Journal of Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater” [in Washington State]: Starting Monday, June 17, Intercity Transit will cease posting rider alerts on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).  This decision comes in response … Continue reading →

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Leaving Substack …

Posted on January 2, 2024 by Robert Basil

One of my favourite authors, Talia Lavin, has moved her blog, “The Sword and the Sandwich,” from Substack to the Buttondown platform. That’s because [Substack] founders stated, in no uncertain terms, that they’re not just OK with, but in principle supportive … Continue reading →

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Threads and news reporting

Posted on October 14, 2023 by Robert Basil

In part as a consequence of the Israel-Hamas war, more journalists are posting news and analysis on Meta’s Threads platform. From QZ’s Ananya Bhattacharya: Since its inception, Threads has decided to steer clear of handling hard news—and the Israel-Hamas war … Continue reading →

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Google Bard

Posted on September 3, 2023 by Robert Basil

Sorry, Canada!

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Twitter alternatives

Posted on July 4, 2023 by Robert Basil

This is a clear picture from The Evening Standard. I think that, looking back, Twitter will be regarded as an unnecessary calamity rather than as a necessary community.

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Hootsuite blog

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Robert Basil

Hootsuite, Vancouver’s vaunted social media management company, has helpfully updated the design of its already excellent blog. There are fewer listicles and more how-to cheat sheets (a favourite genre of mine, as my students know). A couple of days ago … Continue reading →

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