I'm Unable to Use Notes (Fixed!)
A small update for my subscribers, followers, and the record.
Author’s note: Please make sure to read the updates in comments. It appears I discovered a bug and Substack fixed it. Put the pitchforks and torches away!
Good evening, everyone!
I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. I’m writing this to let all my subscribers and followers know I’m unable to use Notes at this time. I’m not sure why.
At some point yesterday I stopped receiving any likes, comments, or restacks on Notes. They appear to me when I’m logged in looking at my own profile. They do not appear in “incognito” browser mode. I’ve also confirmed with several friends they don’t appear for them as well.
I have not heard anything from Substack regarding this. After following the recommendations of the chat support bot to rectify the problem, I’ll send a follow up report with what I’ve discovered.
My educated guess is I’ve been banned from Notes. Likely a mass report action that triggered some kind of automatic function. I imagine my Notes are being reviewed by a human which will obviously (and rightfully) be delayed due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.
While my Notes are often combative, insulting, and/or hilariously spicy I don’t believe I’ve violated the letter or the spirit of Substack’s Terms of Service. Obviously, if Substack disagrees, I’d happily talk it over with them to learn what I did. If correction on my part is required, so be it. Not a big deal.
If and when I hear news, I’ll update you all!
Should you be so inclined, kindly spread the word around Substack.
Thanks,
-P.
EDIT: This was my last entry before Notes stopped posting for me.
Somewhat humorous, I think.
Update:
Went through the process with the Support chat bot. At this stage, there's nothing to be done but wait. I'll try to post Notes on occasion and see what resolves.
Thanks for your patience, everyone!
Update #3: I'm in contact with Substack and they are working to address the issue. Mills Baker has been a great help already. It seems something was broken in a recent update and they're working to fix it.
I worked for a few years at a tech start up and this experience feels a lot like that one. I had a knack for finding broken things to the point I was a minor folk hero with the programmers.
In any case, all seems to be in order at this stage. I'll update this space with anything interesting. Presuming all goes well, I'll do a post mortem on Sunday.