When the articles are announced here, I'm assuming that there will be a link to pelican. Will this link take paid subscribers past the pelican paywall?
Thanks, Mary. There will always be a link here that leads over there. However, as I've tried to explain a few times in recent months, people who want to access my articles in full will need to subscribe to Pelican. This is priced at the same rate (actually, one penny less) than the standard rate here at the T&S Substack (i.e., $7.99 vs. $8.00). They would stop their subscription here and start one over there.
Someone who is an annual subscriber here will receive a voucher that can be applied to Pelican+. Someone who's a monthly subscriber here can simply cancel and resubscribe over there.
Thank you! I’m so excited. I don't like the Hollow app because of the celebrities. This way, I’ve read so much of y'all, that I’m going to feel right at home.
I've been a reader and supporter of yourself and Kennedy Hall (and fan of Nicholas Cavazos and Timothy Flanders) for sometime. I find myself only cautiously optimistic about Pelican Plus (though I am THIS close to joining the Founder's Club, as I believe in the mission).
The issue is that I don't see that it conforms to my use case very well. In particular, I like to read your articles and listen (just audio!) to podcasts of interest. Substack is nice (though they take a fee!) as I read other authors on the same platform. I have no time or interest in the video podcasts or the prayers, useful though they may be to some -- I find it vastly preferable to pray with non-digital supports.
It would be helpful if there were an audio-only download option for the relevant podcasts: this would aid in my use case (listening in the car while commuting) and might make it worth the inconvenience of using another app (as opposed to a standard podcast app, where I currently can get all of the podcasts of interest, including Kennedy's).
I think this has been launched with a noble aim, but find myself a bit skeptical that it is going to achieve critical mass for takeoff. I think the benefit of having all of your voices on platforms like YouTube and Substack is that you are able to gradually attract a wider audience (cream rises to the top!). I am not sure how rapid or sustained the growth will (or can) be on an insular platform.
By all means, please talk me out of my concerns and convince me to join the Founder's Club!
Hi Andrew, thanks for your thoughts. Allow me to respond.
1. One of the most popular apps of all time is Hallow, which mainly exists to read prayers, meditations, and the Bible. We are doing the same, except better (more traditional, more personal, better graphics, etc.). So the potential for huge adoption is certainly there.
2. We are creating an online platform that can serve various types of users. For example, I don't own a smartphone, so the phone-app angle isn't why I would log in to Pelican+. Instead, I'm a reader, so I read the articles in the forum. But as it happens, most users prefer the streaming of podcasts, so naturally we are meeting that need.
3. All of us are maintaining our presence on other platforms such as Substack and YouTube, so that people can find out about us, our work, and Pelican+. But of course we would like to create an alternative that is thoroughly Catholic, where none of the revenue is going to bad causes, and where huge cuts are not being taken by corporations that do not align with our values. This is not "insular"; it's just an application of Catholic Social Teaching. Let's call it the tech world version of the "Benedict Option."
4. We have already achieved "critical mass for takeoff" with thousands of subscribers, so the thing is actually working. Skepticism is not only unwarranted, it's already implausible.
5. As you know, I make voiceovers for most of my articles at Tradition & Sanity, and this feature has carried over to Pelican+. Thus, if you have your phone in your car, you can play the voiceover, just as you did here at Substack.
I'm not sure if the foregoing is sufficiently convincing to make you take the step of joining the Founder's Club, but know that my colleagues and I would be grateful to have your support at that level.
Thanks for the thorough reply and glad to hear things are going well so far. I do wish every success for the venture!
Still, downloading audio-only of the podcasts would be a very welcome feature for me (and as far as I can tell, is not yet available). Would be great for audio books too!
If you are a Pelican+ subscriber, you can download any ebook, audiobook, or voiceover into your account, and then you can listen to it from the app regardless of whether or not you are connected to the internet, e.g., even in airplane mode.
Hi Andrew! We joined and are very impressed with Pelican +! They add new stuff almost daily, including new features. We’re also happy to be supporting traditional Catholic content with real Catholics, not celebrities.
It's not uncharitable. To begin with, it's something of a gimmick to hire celebrities to recite prayers. But I'm sure you must be aware of some of the controversy surrounding this. As one source reports:
"Skepticism about celebrities praying on the Hallow app stems from concerns about commercialism, conflicting public actions, and the perceived inauthenticity of celebrity endorsements. Critics question the motivations of celebrities like Mark Wahlberg who are also investors, find it jarring when celebrities with past controversial behavior, like Russell Brand, are featured, or disagree with their broader public stances on social issues. The partnerships are also seen by some as a form of "paid-to-pray" rather than a genuine outreach of faith."
I was not aware of any of this except one article mocking ‘pay to pray’. I suppose we generally have to pay to get anything at a Catholic bookstore so not sure why this is any different. As for the investors, I suppose one could take a dim view but the app has to be financed somehow, either with paying to pray (not seen this yet) or the celebrity/investors earnings from entertainment and other endeavors. Personally I was just enjoying it since I live somewhere where there are few other resources.
Yes, you're right, there are good things on Hallow. I'm sorry if I seemed to be dismissing the whole platform. And of course, Pelican+ also needs paying subscribers in order to flourish. But I do think there is an important difference in spirit and content, and I hope you'll explore Pelican enough to experience that for yourself.
When the articles are announced here, I'm assuming that there will be a link to pelican. Will this link take paid subscribers past the pelican paywall?
Thanks, Mary. There will always be a link here that leads over there. However, as I've tried to explain a few times in recent months, people who want to access my articles in full will need to subscribe to Pelican. This is priced at the same rate (actually, one penny less) than the standard rate here at the T&S Substack (i.e., $7.99 vs. $8.00). They would stop their subscription here and start one over there.
Someone who is an annual subscriber here will receive a voucher that can be applied to Pelican+. Someone who's a monthly subscriber here can simply cancel and resubscribe over there.
Thank you! I’m so excited. I don't like the Hollow app because of the celebrities. This way, I’ve read so much of y'all, that I’m going to feel right at home.
I've been a reader and supporter of yourself and Kennedy Hall (and fan of Nicholas Cavazos and Timothy Flanders) for sometime. I find myself only cautiously optimistic about Pelican Plus (though I am THIS close to joining the Founder's Club, as I believe in the mission).
The issue is that I don't see that it conforms to my use case very well. In particular, I like to read your articles and listen (just audio!) to podcasts of interest. Substack is nice (though they take a fee!) as I read other authors on the same platform. I have no time or interest in the video podcasts or the prayers, useful though they may be to some -- I find it vastly preferable to pray with non-digital supports.
It would be helpful if there were an audio-only download option for the relevant podcasts: this would aid in my use case (listening in the car while commuting) and might make it worth the inconvenience of using another app (as opposed to a standard podcast app, where I currently can get all of the podcasts of interest, including Kennedy's).
I think this has been launched with a noble aim, but find myself a bit skeptical that it is going to achieve critical mass for takeoff. I think the benefit of having all of your voices on platforms like YouTube and Substack is that you are able to gradually attract a wider audience (cream rises to the top!). I am not sure how rapid or sustained the growth will (or can) be on an insular platform.
By all means, please talk me out of my concerns and convince me to join the Founder's Club!
Hi Andrew, thanks for your thoughts. Allow me to respond.
1. One of the most popular apps of all time is Hallow, which mainly exists to read prayers, meditations, and the Bible. We are doing the same, except better (more traditional, more personal, better graphics, etc.). So the potential for huge adoption is certainly there.
2. We are creating an online platform that can serve various types of users. For example, I don't own a smartphone, so the phone-app angle isn't why I would log in to Pelican+. Instead, I'm a reader, so I read the articles in the forum. But as it happens, most users prefer the streaming of podcasts, so naturally we are meeting that need.
3. All of us are maintaining our presence on other platforms such as Substack and YouTube, so that people can find out about us, our work, and Pelican+. But of course we would like to create an alternative that is thoroughly Catholic, where none of the revenue is going to bad causes, and where huge cuts are not being taken by corporations that do not align with our values. This is not "insular"; it's just an application of Catholic Social Teaching. Let's call it the tech world version of the "Benedict Option."
4. We have already achieved "critical mass for takeoff" with thousands of subscribers, so the thing is actually working. Skepticism is not only unwarranted, it's already implausible.
5. As you know, I make voiceovers for most of my articles at Tradition & Sanity, and this feature has carried over to Pelican+. Thus, if you have your phone in your car, you can play the voiceover, just as you did here at Substack.
I'm not sure if the foregoing is sufficiently convincing to make you take the step of joining the Founder's Club, but know that my colleagues and I would be grateful to have your support at that level.
God bless,
Dr. K
Thanks for the thorough reply and glad to hear things are going well so far. I do wish every success for the venture!
Still, downloading audio-only of the podcasts would be a very welcome feature for me (and as far as I can tell, is not yet available). Would be great for audio books too!
Actually, here's what I forgot to say:
If you are a Pelican+ subscriber, you can download any ebook, audiobook, or voiceover into your account, and then you can listen to it from the app regardless of whether or not you are connected to the internet, e.g., even in airplane mode.
Hi Andrew! We joined and are very impressed with Pelican +! They add new stuff almost daily, including new features. We’re also happy to be supporting traditional Catholic content with real Catholics, not celebrities.
Why are the celebrities on Hallow dodgy? That seems rather uncharitable.
It's not uncharitable. To begin with, it's something of a gimmick to hire celebrities to recite prayers. But I'm sure you must be aware of some of the controversy surrounding this. As one source reports:
"Skepticism about celebrities praying on the Hallow app stems from concerns about commercialism, conflicting public actions, and the perceived inauthenticity of celebrity endorsements. Critics question the motivations of celebrities like Mark Wahlberg who are also investors, find it jarring when celebrities with past controversial behavior, like Russell Brand, are featured, or disagree with their broader public stances on social issues. The partnerships are also seen by some as a form of "paid-to-pray" rather than a genuine outreach of faith."
See:
https://www.catholic365.com/article/32625/the-false-propaganda-machine-hallow-joins-the-club.html
https://wherepeteris.com/the-hallow-app-and-the-scandal-ridden-internet-guru/
There are many other such articles out there. This is what I was referring to.
I was not aware of any of this except one article mocking ‘pay to pray’. I suppose we generally have to pay to get anything at a Catholic bookstore so not sure why this is any different. As for the investors, I suppose one could take a dim view but the app has to be financed somehow, either with paying to pray (not seen this yet) or the celebrity/investors earnings from entertainment and other endeavors. Personally I was just enjoying it since I live somewhere where there are few other resources.
Yes, you're right, there are good things on Hallow. I'm sorry if I seemed to be dismissing the whole platform. And of course, Pelican+ also needs paying subscribers in order to flourish. But I do think there is an important difference in spirit and content, and I hope you'll explore Pelican enough to experience that for yourself.
I intend to look. I just hope I don’t then read someone else telling me it’s dodgy too and have to find yet another … it’s discouraging.
I understand. The sedevacantists dislike Pelican very much, but otherwise, there's nothing but traditional Catholic piety there.
Well, squabbles are inevitable. As a wobbly believer I get a bit too crushed by it. Anyway, I will check Pelican!
Hi Peter — looks like some of the features are still locked, like Prime and Compline, and the ordos?
This was after you subscribed (for free)? Or before? It's necessary to sign in to have access to them.
Yes, I am signed in, but they still appear locked.
Turns out a couple of things were still locked (by oversight). Now they are open to the public. Thanks for your inquiry!
Will prayers continue to be added? I was sad to find some other traditional devotions like the Te Deum were not yet featured.
Oh, yes, of course. We are adding things every week. Rome wasn't built in a day...
How or where do I create an account?
Just click on any of the links given in the article, or go here:
http://app.pelicanplus.com/