The Algorithmic Bridge is about to enter the top 30 in the technology category. It still feels surreal to me. This achievement (yet to be fulfilled—we are number 31!) is ours to celebrate. I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you for that!
The ranking is not my focus today, though. I want to emphasize instead that I got here despite being no one by Internet standards.
I’m just a random Spanish guy who decided to write online from scratch, without having a big following (I brought with me 700 crazy souls who decided to subscribe to my earlier work on Medium, but that’s not much on the internet nowadays).
Somehow, that handicap didn’t prevent TAB from getting an overwhelming amount of support and interest: Almost 18,000 subscribers and 800+ paid subs!
I know most successful writers here were popular before Substack—that might be discouraging. How can a nobody (like me) create a hit newsletter? Many of you either already write on Substack or want to give it a chance but I also know most of you lack an existing audience and may not know what you can do to improve your odds.
That’s what this AMA is for.
I want to give you—my subscribers, my community of AI enthusiasts—the space to ask me anything about this: Any questions on how I got here, what I did, where and how I started, what I’d do differently, what advice I think could be extrapolated out of my particular circumstances, etc. Anything.
I will ask you two favors: 1) Be concise. It’s better for everyone if the questions are not too open-ended or broad. Please, make the effort to be specific. 2) Stay on topic so that we can create a conversation around this and perhaps other Substack writers want to share their experience, etc. (If you absolutely must, you can ask me, well, anything. I will read it all.)
I will spend today and the coming days checking this thread to answer your questions. So, don’t be shy and ask away!
Huge congrats on this well deserved milestone! You're an inspiration for technical writers all over but especially for those of us in the Latin world.
I wanted to ask you a very specific question about your process. How do choose what to write about? Do you have like many open ideas and work on different drafts at the same time or do you rather focus on one specific article from idea to publication?
Also, I'd be honored if you let us interview you for the Tech Writers Stack (https://techwriters.substack.com). It's a small community of technical writers not unlike you a few years ago and I'm sure everyone would benefit from hearing your origin story.
I have been enjoying reading your insightful articles for over a year. Your English and the flow of your writing is excellent. But what I admire most is your coverage and linking to various domains of science, philosophy and even literature, a wholesome human's view of the problem you discuss. I have just two questions:
1. Where do you get such insight about what's going on in the Top AI companies, and in AI generally, if you do not work for none of these companies.
2. I understand you are an optimist rewarding humans' ability to control AI. I am also an optimist in general but on that matter I am almost a pessimist. What are then your grounds for being an optimist? This is a very relevant question in the context of the Global AI Safety Summit in London, where I live.
I’m really happy for you Alberto. I look forward to seeing you keep rising up the leaderboard and inspiring other outsiders like me to pursue a writing career.
I would love to learn about the nuts and bolts of your writing process:
1) What practices do you follow to generate essay ideas?
2) What kind of note taking systems have you built for yourself? Apps? Tools? Methods? Zettelkastens?
3) Do you use any frameworks or templates to convert raw notes into first drafts?
4) Do you have any mentors or writing heroes whom you try to emulate while writing?
5) How do you edit your first drafts and get them ready for publication? Do you have friends or editors to help you?
6) How did you solve for distribution and built a big audience ? Any growth hacks?
7) Top five books that every tech writer must read - about writing, tech, or anything else?
8) When is the best time to go paid ? Any strategies for what content to paywall ? Where should the paywall begin?
9) Have you consciously tried to think of your writing like a startup thinks about products? Any content or business strategy lessons for writers?
Oct 13, 2023·edited Oct 13, 2023Liked by Alberto Romero
From a fresh conversation: The "core" of the AI space (in SF especially) is very analytic, confident, and risk tolerant. As a Tokyoite, I have to work with a much more intuitive, humble, and cautious view. Does your Spanish location give you an analogous “periphery” perspective? How is the same or different?
I'm very happy for you. Congrats Alberto. Thank you too for such a great source of information.
Huge congrats on this well deserved milestone! You're an inspiration for technical writers all over but especially for those of us in the Latin world.
I wanted to ask you a very specific question about your process. How do choose what to write about? Do you have like many open ideas and work on different drafts at the same time or do you rather focus on one specific article from idea to publication?
Also, I'd be honored if you let us interview you for the Tech Writers Stack (https://techwriters.substack.com). It's a small community of technical writers not unlike you a few years ago and I'm sure everyone would benefit from hearing your origin story.
Congrarts well deserved! Love this newsletter. Look forward to it. =)
Alberto, you are far, far from being a nobody in the eyes of those who read it and appreciate you.
I have been enjoying reading your insightful articles for over a year. Your English and the flow of your writing is excellent. But what I admire most is your coverage and linking to various domains of science, philosophy and even literature, a wholesome human's view of the problem you discuss. I have just two questions:
1. Where do you get such insight about what's going on in the Top AI companies, and in AI generally, if you do not work for none of these companies.
2. I understand you are an optimist rewarding humans' ability to control AI. I am also an optimist in general but on that matter I am almost a pessimist. What are then your grounds for being an optimist? This is a very relevant question in the context of the Global AI Safety Summit in London, where I live.
I’m really happy for you Alberto. I look forward to seeing you keep rising up the leaderboard and inspiring other outsiders like me to pursue a writing career.
I would love to learn about the nuts and bolts of your writing process:
1) What practices do you follow to generate essay ideas?
2) What kind of note taking systems have you built for yourself? Apps? Tools? Methods? Zettelkastens?
3) Do you use any frameworks or templates to convert raw notes into first drafts?
4) Do you have any mentors or writing heroes whom you try to emulate while writing?
5) How do you edit your first drafts and get them ready for publication? Do you have friends or editors to help you?
6) How did you solve for distribution and built a big audience ? Any growth hacks?
7) Top five books that every tech writer must read - about writing, tech, or anything else?
8) When is the best time to go paid ? Any strategies for what content to paywall ? Where should the paywall begin?
9) Have you consciously tried to think of your writing like a startup thinks about products? Any content or business strategy lessons for writers?
10) Have you devised any brand strategy?
First of all, Congrats Alberto on your fast growth! Here is my question:
1) What is the biggest (or in a lighter tone, most memorable) mistake you made in this journey of yours and TAB?
2) What (according to you) is the biggest success factor that lead to TAB in the Top-30?
How do you view Product Management in AI? Do you find that PMs need to adapt or change anything they currently do?
Q1: a brief comparison of experience as a writer, Medium vs. Substack
Q2: As 'just a Spanish guy', what led you to write on the topic area?
Q3: What factors do you think are important to your success so far (and congratulations on that!)?
From a fresh conversation: The "core" of the AI space (in SF especially) is very analytic, confident, and risk tolerant. As a Tokyoite, I have to work with a much more intuitive, humble, and cautious view. Does your Spanish location give you an analogous “periphery” perspective? How is the same or different?
What is your current prediction for AGI being achieved by a tech firm or country ?