We Are Moving to Substack: What You Need to Know
Hello everyone, I have some exciting news to share about the future of the Cyberkite Blog.
To provide you with a better reading experience and more robust features, we are moving the blog to a new home on Substack.
Effective over the coming weeks, we will be decommissioning the old blog address (cyberkite.com.au/blog) and we have already shifted all content to our new dedicated blog address:
Why the Move to Substack?
Big question is why are we moving to Substack? Well, Substack allows me to focus entirely on writing high-quality content without the technical overhead. It also gives me better tools to build a community where we can discuss the challenges of modern technology together.
What Does This Mean for You?
The core mission of Cyberkite remains the same: helping small businesses make technology useful (as a servant) rather than dangerous (as a master). We want you to stay safe, effective, and technologically nimble in a hyper-changing world, just like a Cyberkite gliding online.
Here is how the new subscriber access plan works
Free Forever: The majority of my blog posts will continue to be free for everyone. You do not need to pay to read my standard advice and updates.
New Paid Tier: I have introduced a Paid Subscriber option for those who want deeper value. This will include exclusive in-depth articles, access to a private subscriber-only chat, and other special content. You can also choose to become a Paid Subscriber simply to support my technology writing work.
No Account Needed: You do not need to be a Substack member to view the blog. When you visit the new site, you will see a Welcome screen. See screenshot below.
You can simply enter your email address to Subscribe for free updates immediately.
Or, if you prefer to browse first, just click “Let me read it first” to skip the screen and go straight to the articles.
A Quick Tour of the New Cyberkite Blog
The new platform is designed to be cleaner and easier to navigate. Here is a guide to what you will see on your computer and mobile phone.
The Desktop Experience (Web Browser)
When you visit the site on your computer, you will find everything organized for quick access.
[NEW DESKTOP BLOG HOME PAGE: see screenshot below]
Top Menu: You can quickly filter articles by topic, such as AI & Robots, Cybersecurity, Future, IT and Marketing.
Top Menu: You can quickly filter articles by topic, such as AI & Robots, Cybersecurity, Future, IT and Marketing.
Most Popular: A sliding showcase of our most-read articles, so you can catch up on important topics like SS7 vulnerabilities or AI Agents.
Sidebar Resources: On the right, you will find quick links to the main Cyberkite Website, a button to Book an Appointment, and links to our social media profiles.
Subscribe & Search: You can subscribe or search for specific keywords using the buttons at the top right.
[NEW DESKTOP BLOG POST VIEW: see below screenshot]
Blog Table of Contents: When reading long articles on a desktop, you will see a handy Table of Contents on the left to jump straight to the section you need.
Interaction: You can Like, Comment, or Share the article using the buttons above and below the post.
The Mobile App Experience
For the best experience, I recommend the Substack App. It is cleaner, faster, and has special features for busy business owners.
[NEW SUBSTACK APP BLOG HOME PAGE VIEW: see screenshot below]
Easy Tabs: Navigate between Posts (articles), Notes (short updates), and Chat using the simple tabs.
Clean Feed: Scroll through the latest insights without distractions.
[NEW SUBSTACK APP BLOG POST PAGE VIEW: see screenshot below]
Audio Play Button: This is my favorite feature. Tap the Play icon (headphones) at the top right to listen to the article like a podcast while you drive or commute.
Social Bar: Easily like or discuss the article using the floating bar at the bottom.
Reasons why we switched
The short answer is yes, the “AdSense-only” era is ending, but the world isn’t switching entirely to paid subscriptions either. We are shifting from an “Ad-Injected” economy (where you paste code and hope for clicks) to a “Direct-to-Audience” economy (where you own the relationship and monetize it in multiple ways).
For those asking about the switch: I’ve realized that the old ‘ad-heavy’ blog model is broken as you know due to 3 reason:
AI Search (SGE/Gemini/ChatGPT): Users now get answers directly in the search results or via chatbots.
Ad Blindness & Blockers: Users ignore sidebar ads, and modern browsers block third-party cookies
Programmatic Rates: To make a living wage solely on display ads today, you need millions of views a month. Small-to-medium creators literally cannot survive on it anymore.
I was tired of chasing algorithms and cluttering my content with pop-up ads just to keep the lights on. It ruins the reading experience for you, and it forces creators to focus on ‘clicks’ rather than quality.
I wanted a place where I could write directly to you, no noise, no clickbait, and no middleman. Platforms like Substack, Beehiiv, and Patreon exploded because they solved the “middleman” problem.
Ownership: You own the email list. If the platform dies, you take your audience with you.
Economics: You only need ~1,000 true fans paying $5/month to make a living ($5k/month). To make that same $5k with ads, you might need 200,000+ visitors.
Incentives: You write for the reader, not for the Google SEO algorithm.
The current winning strategy (used by top creators) which we are embracing is Hybrid:
Free Tier (Ad-Supported): Content is free to attract a wide audience. Instead of ugly “injected” ads, creators use Sponsorships (e.g., “This newsletter is brought to you by...”). These pay much better than AdSense.
Paid Tier (Premium): Super-fans pay for community access, special exclusive blog posts, Q&As, or deep-dive content.
High-Ticket Items: The creator sells a course, consulting, or a physical product.
Substack allows me to do exactly that. It’s going to be a mix of free public posts and deeper dives for the community. If you’ve enjoyed my content so far, I’d love for you to join me over there where we can actually connect properly.
So then...
Next Steps
Please head over to the new site blog.cyberkite.com.au, bookmark it, and subscribe today!
I also highly recommend downloading the Substack App. It offers a much better reading experience and includes a dedicated Audio Play button for every article. This allows you to listen to my blog posts like a podcast while you are busy or travelling (provided it is safe to do so!). Download the app today on Android or Apple.
If you are already a Substack member or wish to sign up for an account, you can follow my personal profile here: https://substack.com/@michaelplis
Thank you for your continued support. I hope my efforts to simplify technology for your business will continue to help you glide safely through the digital world.
See you on the new site!
Happy computing,
Michael Plis Founder, Cyberkite