Yet Another Quora vs Substack comparison.
I was running through Substack Notes with very little pleasure. Most of the items were either partisan political hackery or quotes from the usual boring quotables. Bible, Constitution, CS Lewis, GK Chesterton, JRR Tolkien. What’s the point of quoting if you aren’t saying anything?
Then I went to Quora and found far more satisfaction. STORIES of real experience. No quotes at all.
Old thought: In high school when a teacher assigned a book report or research paper she pounded into our heads DON’T QUOTE. SAY IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS. It’s excellent advice. First, you avoid copyright problems. Second, you’re less likely to bore the reader when your own personality comes through. (Especially when the reader is the teacher who has to read dozens of reports on the same subject!) Third, you learn more by translating. You learn nothing by copying.
New thought: When I make courseware I’m translating the text into my own words AND my own pictures and animations. Two levels of learning.
Polistra's Mill 