We need to talk (further)
What was initially known as Substack Threads is now Substack Chat ... and I hope you'll meet me there to discuss the NBA (and more)
Two important messages for subscribers to The Stein Line:
1. First of all, as always, I am hugely grateful for your readership and support.
2. I am pleased to announce that a new, dedicated and private meeting place for our community to hang out and talk hoops is fully up and running.
Substack Chat officially launched Thursday. The formal description terms it "a new space for writers and creators to host conversations with their subscribers."
You might remember that, starting in August, I was among a small number of publications chosen to participate in a pilot of what was initially known as Substack Threads. It has since been rebranded as Substack Chat, but the core idea remains unchanged.
The Stein Line now has its very own chat room ... its very own Slack channel ... its very own exclusive option to detour from NBA Twitter, even, if you are game to see it that way.
How does it work? All you need is the Substack app on your phone. Full instructions are enclosed below, but basically all you need to know is that you click the chat icon — second from the left at the bottom as pictured below — and you can join these discussions that will be an exclusive benefit for paid subscribers here.
I'll give you an example of how it functions. On Wednesday night, after the Lakers escaped with a badly needed overtime victory at home over the Pelicans when a loss seemed certain, Lakers fan extraordinaire Koby Boyd posted a couple triumphant comments in an older thread from the test days. Next thing you knew, we had some robust hoops chat going after midnight just because some of us were in the mood to talk hoops at that hour.
In these crazy times, when no one except maybe Elon Musk knows what will happen to NBA Twitter, our subscribers will have the option to bypass traditional social media platforms to hang out with their friends in a sphere that will be rife with civility.
Consider this a dedicated zone, furthermore, for us to go back and forth on NBA matters — and occasionally developments in the worlds of soccer, tennis, travel, food, etc. — in an environment devoid of ads and algorithms.
I am always looking for ways to ensure that fully fledged subscribers to The Stein Line are getting as much as possible in return for their investment to support my work covering #thisleague as an independent journalist. My hope is that these live (and sometimes instantaneous) Chats can provide a fun and deeper level of discussion beyond the comment section at the bottom of my posts or the original thread functionality we've used to gather round-by-round playoff predictions.
Substack Chat, for now, is available only to iOS users, but access is coming soon to Android users of the Substack app. Just download the app and please consider turning on push notifications so you won't miss any conversations as they happen.
Further instructions courtesy of Substack:
Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Chat is only on iOS for now, but Chat is coming to the Android app soon.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.
That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.
For starters as I get ready to cover Raptors at Mavericks tonight in some inclement Dallas weather: Please check out the introductory Chat that gives everyone an opportunity to say hello and tell the group a bit more about yourself.
