19 Comments
User's avatar
Peggy's avatar

Very helpful post for us. I've been trying to figure out how to present a better 'main page'. I'll follow up on your suggestions.

Expand full comment
Jayshree Gururaj's avatar

Great to hear. Thanks.

Expand full comment
Anshul Kumar's avatar

Jayshree, thanks for the post. Helpful for sure. Just as an intro, I have been writing on Medium for the last 2 years now. Very new to Substack. Let's stay connected.

Expand full comment
Jayshree Gururaj's avatar

Thank you. I am on Medium too @jayshreegurururaj

Expand full comment
Anshul Kumar's avatar

This is great. Just started following you also. Here's my medium profile: https://medium.com/@wordsmithwriter

Expand full comment
Matthew Long's avatar

Great information. I wish I had this when I originally set up my stuff, would have helped a lot!

Expand full comment
Jayshree Gururaj's avatar

Thanks for the feedback, Matthew. It helps me to know that as I try and simplify it to the bare essentials.

Expand full comment
alexia spalding's avatar

Thanks Jayshree, super helpful! Just a quick add on re navigation - you now need to scroll down to 'branding' in settings and then hit 'theme' ;) It's probably been changed since this post was published.

Expand full comment
Jayshree Gururaj's avatar

Glad to hear it, Alexia! Yes, the settings are moving, and design is now split into base and advanced. Appreciate the update for other readers as well. You may like this post on the moving features ;-) - https://open.substack.com/pub/techmadesimpleguide/p/substack-the-downward-slope-of-user?r=1si0oc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Expand full comment
alexia spalding's avatar

Thank you Jayshree; will check it out. Every bit of intel helps!

Expand full comment
Wendy's avatar

This was a very helpful post! Appreciate it as I begin my journey on Substack!

Expand full comment
Jayshree Gururaj's avatar

Glad to hear it, Wendy! Thanks.

Expand full comment
Anouk Visser's avatar

This does not work? There is no layout option, at basics it does not say 'site design'

Expand full comment
Jayshree Gururaj's avatar

They changed stuff around in the last couple of months, and added new advanced options. Site layout options are now under 'Branding'!

Expand full comment
Dave Karpowicz's avatar

Thanks Jayshree - great tips. D

Expand full comment
Jayshree Gururaj's avatar

Great! Thanks for the feedback, it helps me a lot.

Expand full comment
Alessandro Magionami's avatar

This is the third post of yours I bookmark, 😃

Expand full comment
Jayshree Gururaj's avatar

Thank you for that! Glad it is useful! :-)

Expand full comment
Thomas D’Arcy O’Donnell's avatar

.. as always - thanks !

Key for Me is first & foremost ‘ noticeability / visibility ie ‘Presence’ - ‘i exist’

All else flows from that .. or else no transaction occurs

thus ‘Notes’ is my flag a flyin & my ‘one hand waving free’

.. the ‘salamander Brand’ migrated here from Twitter

& my eclectic ‘Content’ aside from various ‘Spotlighting’

of others’ various ‘Media’ that wows, inspires, informs or stuns me

is a personal blend from WordPress endeavours - Docu and/or Fiction

plus hundreds of Short Fiction & what I call ‘Memoir Stylings’

which I currently write via the app called Bear

rather than misc earlier text apps reaching back to

the era of Command Line Interface & usenet

I figure people have differing ‘goals or ambitions’ here eh !

zero interest myself re pen pals, fan clubs, cult followers

& at 72 can make more in one day house painting or deck staining

than 99% of us will ever earn here..

Your assistance is precious..

& since my bag is ‘Culture & Technology’ & weighted ‘Culture’

& your bag is seemingly weighted re Technology’

we meet at the ‘meridian’ .. most intriguing!

Expand full comment