Newsletter Update Q4 - 2023
Ending the year on a good note
📌Check out the previous newsletter update if you’ve missed it:
Newsletter Update: Q2-3 2023:
All Newsletter Updates:
Before 2023 ends, for transparency’s sake and as part of the quarterly newsletter update series, I am delighted to bring you the Q4 Newsletter Update, a culmination of the highlights and achievements that have marked the final quarter of 2023. This edition serves as a reflection on the progress we've made together and a glimpse into what lies ahead.
I hope you’re as excited for next year as I am! Without further ado, let’s dive right into a glimpse of the future!
📝Part I: Content Changes:
a) Writer Collaborations:
I am happy to report that writer collaborations have been going fantastically well! I have been closely working with
from Critical Consent to bring you an exiting series of posts about Political Microtargeting (new post coming soon :) )Robert has been fantastic to work with, he consistently puts in a tremendous amount of effort into the posts we create and has shown his dedication and love for what he does. He’s also a good friend, check him out!
There are also exciting plans brewing with
from Psyvacy to cover the intersection between privacy and psychology. This collaboration is expected to unfold once I complete my whole microtargeting thing with Robert, as I usually prefer taking one collaboration at a time.Alan’s posts have been stimulating and intriguing to read, he knows how to make a seemingly complicated topic easy to understand for the average person who doesn’t have the time to drown in philosophy books. I hope we can bring his expertise along with his good explaining skills to ShieldMe.
Expect to hopefully see these two more often on this newsletter, let’s also give them some well-deserved love and attention!
If you’re a writer/creator and you're interested in collaborating or sharing ideas, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at ShieldMe@substack.com or just reply to this post.
Feel free to suggest any other writers you believe would be a fantastic fit for collaboration with us!
b) Switching to a Weekly Publication:
As mentioned in the previous newsletter update, I have decided to switch from a bi-weekly to a weekly publication. This switch has fully taken place and has allowed me to be able to put out better quality content at a much better pace, as expected.
c) Posting more beginner-aimed content:
I have been explicitly focusing on beginner content for the past quarter, to be able to lay a good foundation for the other, more complex ideas I am going to share later. I understand that a portion of my subscribers are more or less “advanced” in the field of privacy and security, and I hope these posts can act as a reminder for you to implement and not neglect the basics, as these usually offer the most bang for your buck on this long journey.
I will keep going with the beginner phase until I feel comfortable that the array of posts we have is able to successfully guide a newcomer through the confusing maze of privacy and security. Don’t worry though, intermediate and advanced articles will continue to be published.
⚙️Part II: New Features:
a) Referral Program:
I have officially completed making the ShieldMe referral program, however I have taken the reversable decision of not implementing it until paid subscriptions are taken care of (which might take a while). If for some reason you would like me to implement it anyway before that happens, please leave a comment or reach out to me directly.
b) Threat Model Tab:
I have introduced the threat model tab to roughly categorize my posts between beginner, intermediate and expert-aimed writing. This will help you with choosing what to focus on according to where you are in your privacy journey. This is a great resource to have especially for newcomers/new subscribers who might feel (rightfully) overwhelmed and unable to pinpoint where to focus their efforts.
c) Post Tags (Smart Search):
Post tags have been successfully implemented as promised in the previous newsletter update. Post tags (or as I called it: Smart Search) are an easy way to focus your search of our posts for topics you are interested in. Let’s say that you want to learn more about how to create good passwords or how to keep your passwords safe , you’ll have all our password-related posts on one page for you to choose between, instead of having to manually search the archive. You can find Smart Search on the bottom-right of our home page if you’re on PC, or directly on the bottom of the home page if you’re on mobile. Keep in mind that the effectiveness and the reach of smart search will exponentially improve with the increased quantity and variety of posts I publish.
d) Feedback Program:
The Feedback Program is live on ShieldMe in the time of writing this article, as a way to involve more community feedback into the decisions we make. This survey-like program allows you to help me customize ShieldMe according to your likes and needs, and gives me a broad idea of the kind of content you would expect from my publication.
You can find out more about the Feedback Program by reading our dedicated post about it below:
You can also contribute to the program by clicking the link below or by finding it manually on the top of the home page.
🎯Part III: Future Plans:
a) Video & Audio content:
I am particularly excited about this part of next year’s plans. 2024’s main focus will be on bringing video and/or audio content to ShieldMe, to be able to reach a broader audience. This might include using other platforms to expand our reach, which plays nicely into the Content Mirroring idea I touched upon in the previous update.
The weekly articles will continue to be published consistently, maintaining the same - or hopefully improved - quality, but there might be some bonus videos and/or podcast-style audio content coming down the line for visual and auditory learners to benefit from. I'll keep you posted on my progress through dedicated updates.
To channel my focus and attention exclusively towards writing, as well as video and audio production, I won't be introducing any additional goals for this year. I've been actively experimenting and researching the production and editing processes, and you'll be the first to know when I successfully launch any of these new content styles.
I will still be working on minor improvements to the publication in the background, so feel free to pitch in any idea you might have down below!
— That’s it for this year, I hope to be able to achieve the highly demanding goals I have set for this publication, and I hope you will be there to witness it all: the good, the bad and the embarrassing.
I hope 2024 treats you well, goodbye!
Thanks a lot for the kind words, Tony! It's been a pleasure to work with you as well. To many more collabs!