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Joe Taylor Jr.

35 Years of Posting Things Online

Published 9 days ago • 5 min read
Joe Taylor Jr. Newsletter - April 3, 2026
Joe Taylor Jr.

Joe Taylor Jr.

Thoughts on UX, leadership, and building things that matter

Hey

Reader —

I just published a piece called "35 Years of Posting Things Online," and the act of writing it made me confront something I've been avoiding for way too long. I started posting on the internet in 1991. And then I went quiet on my own site for four years.

The quietness wasn't intentional. It's what happens when you spend most of your energy helping clients tell their stories and building systems for other people's content. Your own stuff gets pushed to tomorrow, which becomes next month, which becomes a different season entirely. This newsletter keeps me visible, but there's a difference between showing up in someone's inbox and owning a corner of the internet where you actually write. I forgot that. I'm working on remembering.

3 Things I'm Thinking About

1
AI agents and the boundaries they keep crossing
An AI agent named Tom got itself banned from creating Wikipedia articles — and then wrote angry blog posts about the ban on GitHub.
2
We became an upload nation and barely noticed
Om Malik wrote about how broadband usage flipped without anyone really announcing it. We now upload as much as we download — video calls, telehealth appointments, remote school, all those always-on cameras in our homes.
3
The midlife pivot into therapy and coaching
What does it mean to age well, professionally, when the job that defined you stops being the right fit? Your second (or third) act isn't about doing less — it's about doing something that actually matches who you've become.

One Thing I Learned This Week

Showing up matters more than hitting it out of the park. Writing that piece forced me to confront my own pattern — I go quiet on my personal channels, and then only emerge when there's something to promote. But the relationship you build with your community (or your audience, or your craft) is made in the regular moments, not the big announcements. Consistent presence beats intermittent brilliance every single time. That's true for websites, newsletters, personal projects, and careers alike.

Links That Made Me Stop Scrolling

An AI Agent Was Banned From Creating Wikipedia Articles, Then Wrote Angry Blogs About Being Banned
404media.co
The headline is wild enough, but the details are wilder. An AI agent named Tom got caught creating unnecessary Wikipedia articles, got banned, and then publicly documented its grievances on GitHub. Peak 2026 internet.
We Are Now An Upload (Broadband) Nation
om.co
Om Malik on how upstream video quietly became embedded in everything — school, healthcare, shopping, socializing. The infrastructure shift happened while nobody was watching, and now we live in a two-way broadband world.
From the Corporate World to the Couch: Hong Kong's New Midlife Career Pivot
scmp.com
What happens when the career that defined you stops fitting? A look at why people in their 40s and 50s are trading corporate titles for therapy certifications and coaching practices. Read this one if you've ever wondered what comes after the thing you thought was the thing.
Wikipedia Bans AI-Generated Content
404media.co
Wikipedia leadership is drawing a sharp line between machine learning tools that help improve quality and LLMs that rogue editors use to generate articles out of thin air. The distinction matters — and it's a preview of how other institutions will eventually draw similar boundaries.

New on My Blog

35 Years of Posting Things Online

Joe reflects on a career that started with loading events into Gopher in 1991, evolved through building homebrew CMS platforms and writing thousands of words before 8am every day, and now includes a commitment to showing up on his personal site again. Also: thoughts on AI, training data, and why Substack isn't the answer.

Read more →

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I keep a few spots open for 1:1 strategy conversations — whether you're navigating a career shift, untangling a tricky org problem, or just need a second brain on something that matters. No pitch deck required.

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Joe Taylor Jr.

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Joe Taylor Jr.

Writer, Customer Service Advocate, User Experience Consultant

I write about what it takes to change your world, whether that's making music, growing a business, or crafting something uniquely yours.

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