UPDATE: From March 5th-March 10th I’m gifting my new and free members with ONE month of free access to my Story Access Tier so everyone can learn the ropes of how Flickr and Patreon work! Claim your one month of free access here.
To My Wonderful Fans,
Hi everyone. For the past three years, I have been thrilled to share these stories with you all on Facebook and bring you all on the journey to follow my sims through their chaotic lives. Over the years, I’ve expanded with over 100 short stories, spoilers, Youtube videos, and more. I’ve had so much fun getting to share my creativity with you all!
What you don’t know though, is that throughout that time, I’ve faced immense pressure from Facebook’s systems to continuously post and stretch myself thin just to keep up and stay present on people’s feeds. It’s been truly exhausting. Originally, I was accepted into the Facebook Creator Program, which made it worth the challenge, as my platform was constantly growing from the perk of being a member, and I was earning not a huge amount, but a respectable amount per month for what I considered a fun hobby. Unfortunately, the program has changed significantly and that’s no longer the case. Amongst other things, the program’s earnings system has changed dramatically. While I used to make around $5-$8 per post back in 2023, I now make that in total for the entire month of posts.
Trying to work with the algorithm has also become far more intense. Facebook now punishes creators reach significantly for taking any break, sharing external links, and using words such as “kill” or “death”, etc. For example, If I post about my Patreon short stories, the post is shown to only 170 of my 8,000 followers, because Facebook doesn’t want anyone to leave the website to read external content. My stories used to reach between 3,000 and 12,000 people at a time when the program began. Now, even though my base has grown by thousands over the years, I’m lucky if my posts ever reach 500. I spent a lot of time feeling devastated and wondering if my followers just weren’t enjoying the stories anymore, as my viewership dropped. I realized however that it’s not my followers losing interest, it’s the platform. I tried to increase my posts but every time I took a break between seasons, my reach would drop significantly more. For my own mental health though, taking breaks in between seasons is vital and important for me to continue to provide everyone with quality content.
So what does this all mean for the future of the story?
Compiled with other issues while using Facebook including the chapters showing out of order for some people on their timelines, or the time consuming process of uploading the chapters, I’ve decided to switch the series to Flickr for future seasons. The remaining chapters of this season will release on Facebook, with the season ending March 5th.
I love continuing to share this story with everyone and I don’t want that to change. However, I’ve been trying to focus on managing my time and prioritizing how I spend it. This has become a full time job, while most of the content has remained free, because I couldn’t bear to charge for something that brings so much joy to everyone. The generous part of me wants to continue to do that but after three years and 17 seasons, it has become unsustainable for me to keep up with that platform model. I’m running myself ragged trying to keep up. Outside of the series, I have a book I’m working on writing, as well as my wonderful family and household duties that I need to prioritize.
With that said, this series, and my fans, are still incredibly important to me. Going forward, I’m going to shift my attention towards my Patreon members and growing this community, instead of Facebook, which will relieve a lot of pressure from me.
The Patreon Tier perks will be slightly adjusted, as I find a better balance for my time.
Do I need to join Patreon to continue reading the series?
The new seasons will be released via Flickr links here on Patreon originally for all paying members. However, once the season concludes they will be released for the public to binge.
For example, if Season 18 begins in late March for subscribers, the public will receive access to the chapter links in late May, once it’s finished.
If you can’t afford a subscription, I highly suggest following my Patreon for free to be alerted by email when the new season is made public.
Follow for Free or Subscribe Now
Do I need to join Flickr?
No, although you are welcome to follow me on there if you’d like to! By joining for FREE and following me, you will be able to leave comments on the photos similarly to how you already do on Facebook. However, you don’t need to join in order to read the chapters, so the decision is completely up to you!
Flickr is a photo hosting service and anyone with the link can access the chapters, whether they’re a member or not.
You also do not need to download the Flickr app either to read the chapters or leave comments.
Please click on this link for an example on how the Flickr chapters work! *When viewing through the website, click on the photo to see and read the caption. If viewing on the app, you will need to swipe up to see the captions (which is why I recommend the website instead of the app)
What about Facebook?
I will also continue to post promos and announcements on Facebook, but as mentioned above, it’s not the most reliable way to get any information. By posting less frequently, I really can’t say how that will affect the algorithm and the information reaching you!
What will the new Patreon Membership Tier Perks be?
Here are the proposed tier perks, as follows. I may still fine tune this over the next few weeks but I wanted to get everyone’s input first before I finalize. I’ve put in bold the changes being made:
Free Members/Public
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Access to complete season episode guide with Flickr links once season is finished – essentially this means that the entire season will run for my patrons before it’s released eventually for everyone. Non-members will have to wait a few months between seasons.
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SLC custom content
Season Access
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Chapters will release 3 times a week on Flickr, based on the season’s schedule, similar to what I currently do on Facebook. Members will receive the private links in Patreon posts to read the chapters.Please click on this link for an example on how the Flickr chapters work!
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Any behind the scenes details and gallery information will be shared in these posts,(instead of being made for public access like they are currently)
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Access to select short stories from the season
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Access to the “Suggestion Box Community Chat” to make suggestions for future short stories
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Access to the “Community Chat” to discuss the latest chapters and story arcs with other fans
Story Access
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Access to other exclusive series including future seasons of “Cindy Sour” and “The Teenage Diary of Hannah McCoy”
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Access to all short stories from the season and previous seasons. I’m going to drop the two stories a week format and write whenever additional short stories are fitting, to preserve quality!
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Early access to season premieres and season finales
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Sneak peeks at the first 5 pictures & captions from the next week of chapters
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Deleted storyline photos & any additional behind the scenes content
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Early access to SLC custom content
Spoiler Access
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Spoilers released throughout the season
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Ask me for ONE spoiler of your choice Q&A between seasons
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Ask me for ONE spoiler of your choice Q&A during current season
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Monthly spoiler episode guide
Creator Access
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Early access to the entire week of upcoming chapters
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Behind the scenes of creating the stories
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Story arc plans and ideas
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Gameplay logs
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Sneak peeks from future seasons
I love getting to share my series with you all and am so thankful for all of the support you have shown me over the past few years. I’m excited to continue in a more mentally sustainable way for myself. If you have any questions or comments, please drop them below!
From,
Justine
