Substack Syndicates

rules and organization

1. The point of Substack Syndicates is to increase intentional reading and critical\constructive commenting on Substack.

2. As a means toward this end, Substack Syndicates promote collaborative literary friendship via norms for reciprocal reading and commenting.

3. Substack Syndicates are self-selecting communities on Substack that operate according to self-defined norms that promote and guide reciprocity within the syndicate.

4. The point of this post is to commend a bare minimum of formality to foster the idea of Substack Syndicates so others can join in. Also to outline best practices.

   1. These formal recommendations are:

      1. Each Syndicate has a Home Post that is public with the title “X Syndicate” which

         1. gives a specific protocol for commenting;

         2. lists any other Syndicate rules;

         3. lists Syndicate members;

         4. links back to this very post at the top of the page.

      2. Each syndicate is listed in this post as a Substack Syndicate.

      3. Comments according to the protocol always explicitly name X syndicate and link to the Home Post outlining the specific x syndicate protocol being used in the comment.

   2. Best Practices

      1. People can try to join the syndicate by commenting according to the public protocol. If a syndicate member reciprocates then the person is a syndicate member and possesses whatever privileges therein. If they dont reciprocate, you don´t get in. Others may be invitation only.

      2. The Home Post indicates whether the Syndicate is open to new members. Members can appeal directly to the organizer for admittance as well.

      3. If members do not engage in reciprocal reading and commenting according to the rule they may be removed by the organizer of the group.

      4. Syndicate members seek to encourage and promote other members of their syndicate and they are also generous to Substack users who are apart of other Substack Syndicates.

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A Sample Syndicate Rule

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Peter Maurin Syndicate (open to new members)

1. Mandatory Rules

   1. All comments writing according to Syndicate Protocol link to the Home Page of Peter Maurin Syndicate.

   2. All posts of members of the Peter Maurin Syndicate identify the author as a syndicate member and link to the Home Page.

   3. Syndicate Comments have the following Protocol:

      1. assessment of the perceived aim for the intended audience of the post

      2. assessment of how well the post achieved the aim for the audience.

      3. the thing about the post that most creatively or brilliantly supported the aim

      4. the thing about the post, either present or absent, that detracted from the aim.

      5. one suggested edit at the level of general form or structure.

      6. one suggested paragraph level edit

      7. one suggested sentence edit.

      8. personal reaction to the post

      9. link to a post that the commentor wants the author to reciprocally read and comment on.

   4. People may join the syndicate if they, first commenting on the text of a member of the Peter Maurin Syndicate according to the Peter Maurin Syndicate Protocol, are given a response according to the same protocol.

   5. People may be removed from the syndicate according to the wishes of the Syndicate Organizer

   6. Syndicate members have 7 days to reciprocally respond to a comment.

   7. A Syndicate member may choose to cease to respond to another syndicate member but only after letting them know following a reciprocal comment according to the protocol.

Peter Maurin Syndicate Members

Organizer: Stephen Weller

Joseph Edward Kalinski

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