Hey there—
In a world dominated by tweets, sound bites, and quick updates, long-form writing is starting to feel like a thing of the past. But expanding your thoughts beyond five bullets on a slide, or 140 characters, gives you power and opportunity. With complete sentences, and paragraphs, and even chapters, you can explain complex ideas, develop nuanced arguments, and engage deeply with readers. And it isn’t just about length—it’s about depth.
When you write long, you can examine a topic, presenting it from multiple angles. You can build an entire world or story. You create more and share more.
We believe in the power of thoughtful writing. That’s why we created HEY World, and now Writebook. Whether you’re drafting an in-depth article, creating comprehensive guides, or documenting detailed processes, Writebook is your partner in producing high-quality content and publishing it online for free!
Some things you might create:
- Comprehensive Guides and Tutorials: Use Writebook to create step-by-step instructions that help users fully understand and utilize your products or services.
- Research Papers and Case Studies: Academics and professionals can use Writebook to organize and present their research, and focus on that instead of navigating a complex online web publishing tool.
- Company Documentation: Internal documents, like the 37signals Employee Handbook, training materials, and project reports, are easy to find and share.
- Personal Projects: Whether it’s drafting a novel, compiling a memoir, or collaborating on a family history, Writebook lets you and your co-authors publish together.
How will you use it?
If you’re curious about some of the decisions behind the scenes, here’s some of the thinking behind Writebook, why it’s a place to publish, not just a place to write.
Also, the original name was Workbook, but how did we get to Writebook? (Or any of our product names?)
In the meantime, here are a few things you might have missed…
Thoughts We’ve Shared
Decisions are hard
Making decisions can be a huge burden—exhausting, isolating, anxiety-inducing. This dynamic plays out at even at home. After a long day at work, my wife and I negotiate not so much what we’re having for dinner, but who has to decide. I’ll cook, but you have to pick… One of my favorite bits of advice about decision making comes from the late Clayton Christensen, who once wrote, “It’s easier to do something 100% of the time, than 98% of the time.” Making the decision ahead of time means you don’t have to decide again every time you face that decision.
— Jason Zimdars, 37signals principal designer
Listener Questions: HR Edition
How do we approach people management and performance reviews? Do we use AI to screen applications for open jobs? What do we look for in hiring? You had questions, we have answers. Andrea LaRowe, Head of People Operations at 37signals, joins host Kimberly Rhodes in this episode of the REWORK Podcast.
By the way, if you want a little more REWORK in your life, stop by the new merch store. (The notepad is my personal favorite!)
Things We’re Excited About
It’s been a big summer for HEY
We’ve added new features, new account plans and an iPad app for HEY Calendar! Here’s some of the latest:
Since HEY launched, we’ve heard from many of you who want to share all the goodness of HEY with the people in your family. We get it! We have partners, kids, and parents who would benefit from HEY, too. Introducing HEY for Families — add up to 4 additional HEY accounts for just $179/year total! One person pays and invites everyone, but the accounts remain separate and private.
From multiple reminders to mobile updates, you need to see what’s new in HEY email, calendar and the new iPad app. And, if you have multiple external email addresses, now you can add name tags to keep it clear. It’s been a popular request!
Until next time,
Elaine, COO of 37signals