An Update on #ComplexityThoughts

Sustaining the journey together

Dear readers,

Since the launch of #ComplexityThoughts, my goal has been to make complexity science accessible, insightful and intellectually honest: for students, researchers, and curious minds alike. If you're reading this, you've been part of that journey.

Today, I want to share an important change and invite your feedback and participation as we take this next step.

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Moving to a paid subscription model

After analyzing the data, it became clear that Substack’s algorithm does not favor fully free newsletters. Despite strong engagement, the platform’s design somehow restricts the visibility and growth of publications that do not offer a paid tier. I’ve raised this issue with Substack multiple times, without success.

As a result, I’ve decided to test a paid model to see whether it allows #ComplexityThoughts to reach more readers and become more sustainable.

That said, I remain fully committed to the original free-access mindset.

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What changes (and what doesn’t)

All subscribers – both free and paid – will continue to receive every new post. The core content remains open. Access will differ as follows:

• Free subscribers can read all posts from the most recent 10 weeks

• Paid subscribers receive full archive access and can comment on posts

• Founding members additionally gain access to Substack Chat

Substack imposes a $5/month minimum for paid subscriptions, but I’ve kept the yearly subscription at $49.99, aiming to make it as accessible as possible. Conversions to other currencies are done by Substack, small deviations might apply.

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→ A Gift for Early Supporters

If you subscribed to #ComplexityThoughts before July 31st, 2025, you’ve supported this project from its early days. And I would like to thank you.

You are eligible for a free 1-year gift subscription, with no obligations.
To receive it, please fill out this short form by August 7th.

This is a small gesture of appreciation for your early trust and curiosity.

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→ Discount for Students and Early-Career Researchers

To keep #ComplexityThoughts accessible to the next generation of scientists, I am offering a 50% discount on the yearly subscription for:

• University and college students

• Early-career researchers

If you have an institutional email, you likely qualify:

• General educational access: manlius.substack.com/educational

• University of Padua access: manlius.substack.com/unipd

If your institution is not listed, feel free to reach out and I’ll do my best to support your access manually.

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This is a test with a clear milestone

This change is an experiment, not a final decision. Over the coming months, I will assess whether this shift improves sustainability and reach.

To make the evaluation concrete, I’ve set a milestone:
4,000 total subscribers (of any type) within the next 365 days.

If that goal is not met, I commit to reassessing and potentially returning to a fully free model.

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Your feedback is welcome

I would appreciate your thoughts:

• What do you think about this shift?

• Do you have alternative suggestions?

You can reply directly to this message, leave a comment (open to everyone, for this post), or contact me privately.

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Thank you for being part of #ComplexityThoughts. Whether you've been here from the beginning or joined recently, I’m grateful for your support and engagement.

Let’s continue exploring complexity together, one paper at a time.

Warm regards,
Manlio