the man of the year
I sometimes realize that if I was a man at a VC-funded company and put my main blog on Substack, I’d be invited to podcasts and interviews and get quoted like Naval probably and it’s so fucking odd to think about.
I’m not comparing quality or content here - we are different. What I mean is it would be comically easy to reach a higher “status” for me then, a status like that but for my realm. It is too easy to be quoted as an expert and be admired by other men when you’re a man; you can see this in the alpha male content too. They know nothing about these coaches’ life but believe them anyway.
Despite more or less different topics, writing styles, connections, opinions etc. I read their stuff and it is also written how I write my main blog; but personal opinions, assumptions/predictions, judgements and critical analysis of some current developments and mainstream stuff, in away that it isn’t super deep - just writing down thoughts to share and remember. But it’s treated as gospel.
It’s really nothing that special, but a lot of factors around the blog and where it is hosted affect whether you’re a just a blogger in someone’s linkroll, or if others write blog posts of their own about you and your work like some school presentation. I might be wrong but I also simply think there is a gender issue at play - the only person to transcend this in a way I have noticed is Molly White. She gets talked about “like one of the guys”. She had to work thrice as hard for that.
On one hand, it is selfmade. I am not on Substack. I don’t use my full name. I’m not Fullname from Popular Company. Self help criticism hits harder when it’s Al&x D&nco from Sh&opify than Firstname from Bearblog. Unfortunately I am not a LinkedIn lunatic (and the equivalent of that for Substack) and I don’t bring in more momey for a VC tech company, so it will stay that way. On the other hand, doesn’t it work for Naval? Maybe they just love mysterious, anonymous men. Lets you project anything onto them.
People tend to project positives onto men they don’t know, but negatives onto women. I think most people think if you’re a man and don’t post pictures of yourself, it’s normal and understandable because you’re just some guy, and it probably has a good reason. When women do that, people think they must be ugly and cowards. If you do post though and you happen to be hot, people think that’s the only reason for your success.