Newsletter #32

The first issue of one of my all-time favourite comics, Saga, ends with this:

New comic series don’t have fans, they have families, small groups of diverse people who band together to help keep alive some weird thing that matters only to them. So to those of you who finished this issue and think you might want more space helicopters and naked robots in your future… welcome to the tribe.

Brian K. Vaughan, Saga

Sidenote: Erm, if the phrase “naked robots” wasn’t a big enough hint, let me spell it out for you: Saga is a very graphic graphic novel. So, don’t read it unless naked robots, intergalatic manhunts and interspecies intercourse is your cup of tea. Consider yourself warned.

This quote is pretty much how I feel about Newsletter Glue and the journey so far.

We’re still at the very beginning. And, like a baby tomato, this thing could very easily, wither and die on the vine if I don’t take excellent care of it.

But, despite all this, magically, strangers from all over the world saw something in this little plugin and decided to give it a go.

And more than just giving it a go, they’ve tweeted, written, and commented about it across the Internet.

Now, I’d like to reiterate: We’re still at the very very beginning. And I’m not prematurely celebrating. In fact, mathematically speaking, death is still the more likely outcome.

But that’s exactly why it’s special that people care and bother about this little plugin in the first place. So thank you to everyone who’s encouraged and supported us along the way. It’s what keeps us moving forward.

If you’re feeling kindly…
And are in WordPress, tech or newsletter-writer circles… I’d be forever grateful if you tweeted about Newsletter Glue.
Click to tweet.

🔥 Highlights from this week

• Our first total stranger left us a 5-star review.

💔 Lowlights from this week

• We’re encountering a bug we can’t replicate – Some segment/tags don’t show up for Mailchimp users.

✅ Completed this week

• Released v.1.0.1: Fixed a bug preventing multiple audiences from showing up for Mailchimp users.
• Created a bunch of polls on Twitter, Indiehackers and Facebook asking people what they wanted for the pro version. This has helped us find out what people actually want and given us more confidence in what we’re building.

🎯 Goals for next week

• Finalise and create product designs for new features for free v.1.0.2 and paid v.1.0.0
• More outreach

Product thought for the week
Building plugins is like designing fashion accessories. You have zero control over a person’s outfit, but you’re still expected to perfectly match a gazillion different fashion choices and body types. And if you don’t, you’re the first thing people remove.

🍕Hot and Fresh From the Interwebz

It was Singapore’s birthday last Saturday. I’m a little late but here’s a list of Singapore articles and writers I enjoy.

55 Money Tips For Singapore’s 55th Birthday

These tips were wide-ranging and very helpful. Here’s a sample of one of the many I liked:

16. Understand our invisible money scripts. All of us feel strongly about money in our own ways. Some of us believe that having more money will solve every problem life throws at us. Others believe that money is the root of all evil. We end up acting in ways to sabo our own financial health. To maintain a truly healthy relationship with money, we need to understand and eradicate our benign money scripts.

Link to article →

Learn about racism in Singapore

If there’s one thing you should read, it’s this one. If there was a way to wave a magic wand and make all Singaporeans to read something, it would be Race Tuition Centre. Unfortunately and ironically, it got shut down because the author’s attempts to educate about racism in Singapore, was perceived as inciting racism. A clear case for the importance of reading it in the first place.

Link to article →

Here are all the anti-LGBTQ regulations in Singapore

I don’t understand how this dude is able to create a line of merch, write and draw comics, while also producing in depth and thoughtful articles like this. Here’s an excerpt: With awareness of LGBTQ+ issues rising across the country, opponents switched from sowing outright disapproval to seeding indifference. Just as mounting scientific evidence debunked their claim that people choose their orientations and identities, opponents came up with a new argument: LGBTQ+ people aren’t that much worse off than us, so why should they even complain? 

Link to article →

Here’s some boomer advice you need to stop following

I enjoy the Woke Salaryman. Here, they explore some out of date advice such as “Stay in one job for as long as you can”, “You must be successful and buy a car”, and “Buy the biggest house you can afford”. All their other stuff is great too.

Link to article →

Share with me
I don’t read or know of many good Singaporean online writers. If you know any, please share them with me.