When I built Jottings, I imagined it would appeal to a certain type of person: writers tired of algorithmic feeds, creators wanting ownership, thinkers building their own space.

What surprised me wasn't that these people exist. They do. It's how differently they use Jottings.

I've been talking to users over the past few months, and their stories reveal patterns I never expected. This is the first in what I hope becomes a regular series: real people, real use cases, and what they're building.

The Freelancer: Quick Ideas, Zero Friction

Sarah, a freelance journalist, uses Jottings as a "thinking in public" space. She publishes 3-5 quick thoughts per week alongside her longer articles elsewhere.

"I was using Twitter for this," she told me, "but the algorithm would bury things I actually cared about. With Jottings, every thought has the same weight. There's no competition for attention."

What surprised me: She never configured tags. She doesn't use the custom domain. The defaults work for her. She wanted something to exist, not something to maintain.

Her workflow is simple:

• Open Jottings on her phone
• Brain dump a paragraph
• Publish
• Done

The friction of logging into a CMS? Gone. The pressure to write "for the algorithm"? Also gone.

The Academic: Building a Research Archive

James, a postdoc in philosophy, uses Jottings differently. He's publishing ~15 jots per week, heavily tagged, with meticulous formatting.

His site is becoming a research archive. Years from now, someone Googling "philosophy of language" might find his jots. He's optimizing for discoverability, for permanence.

"Academic Twitter is where research goes to die," James said. "I needed a place where my ideas stay findable. Jottings lets me own that."

His setup:

• Custom domain (james-research.com)
• Organized tags (Philosophy, Language, AI Ethics)
• Consistent formatting
• Building toward a searchable knowledge base

What surprised him: The lack of social pressure. "I post things that would get no engagement on Twitter. That's the point. I'm writing for my future self, not for likes."

The Newsletter Writer: The Anti-Algorithm Hub

Marcus publishes a weekly newsletter that's gained 4,000 subscribers. He uses Jottings as the home base—a permanent archive where subscribers can browse past essays.

"Every newsletter goes to Jottings first," Marcus explained. "My subscribers know that jottings.me is the source of truth. If my email list got deleted, all my work is still there."

He's also experimenting with publishing non-newsletter jots on Jottings—quick reactions, random thoughts, ideas still forming. This gives his subscribers insight into his thinking process.

"People are tired of the polished newsletter," he said. "They want to see behind the curtain. Jottings is my thinking curtain."

His use case:

• Long-form essays
• Short reactions and ideas
• Public archive
• No paywall, no gatekeeping

The Pattern: Control Over Engagement

What connects Sarah, James, and Marcus?

None of them care about metrics. Not because they're indifferent to audience, but because they've been burned by metrics before. By algorithms that hide their work. By platforms that change the rules.

They want something simpler: ownership.

When you own your writing, you can:

• Keep it forever (static HTML doesn't break)
• Share it your way (no algorithmic filter)
• Control the design (it's yours)
• Own the audience relationship (it's not mediated by a platform)

What Surprised Users Most

I asked each of them: What's been unexpected about Jottings?

Sarah: "How much I like the simplicity. I kept waiting for a catch. But there's nothing to configure. It just works."

James: "The permanence. I can link to my own jots in essays knowing they'll never disappear. Try that with social media."

Marcus: "My subscribers are actually visiting the site instead of just reading emails. The design makes them want to stay."

Tips from the Power Users

If you're thinking about using Jottings, here's what these users recommend:

Start with the defaults. You don't need a custom domain immediately. Just start writing. Figure out your voice before you optimize for discovery.

Treat tags as a feature, not a burden. If you tag consistently from day one, your archive becomes searchable gold later. If you neglect it, you regret it.

Write for yourself first, audience second. The best writers I've met on Jottings aren't writing for engagement. They're writing because they have something to say. Engagement is a side effect.

Use it as an archive, not a journal. Jottings works best when you think of it as building a permanent collection rather than a daily diary. This shifts how you write.

Your Story Matters

I'm looking for more user stories. If you use Jottings—or if you're thinking about it—I'd love to hear from you.

What would you build? How would independence change your writing?

Email me at hello@jottings.me or reply to this post if you have a Jottings account. Real stories are the best marketing I have.

In the meantime, if you're ready to own your writing, Jottings is free to start. No credit card, no trial period. Just your words, your way.

Vishal is the founder of Jottings. He writes about building indie web projects and the philosophy of writing online.