Jeffery Hicks goes behind-the-scenes in his newsletter

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

I've been an IT Pro for about 35 years, specializing in Microsoft servers and infrastructure. I was a Microsoft Trainer for several years as well. My career has also included work as an author, courseware developer, and public speaker. I have been a Microsoft MVP for 19 years. My area of expertise and interest is in automation and efficiency, which, since 2006, has been focused on PowerShell.

What do you write about in your newsletter?

I like to think of my newsletter as a 'newsletter' in name only. I publish about 8 issues a month, and each issue is devoted to a single PowerShell topic. I focus not only on PowerShell syntax and scripting, but also on the hidden and soft elements that one should consider when writing PowerShell scripts and tools. The official documentation is great for teaching and explaining the mechanics, but I want to dive into the best way to apply those mechanics based on my nearly 20 years of experience using and teaching PowerShell. As the name of my newsletter implies, I want to go behind the scenes and explore areas that most people don't consider, but should.

Where did you first learn of Buttondown, and what made you decide to give it a try?

I started my newsletter on Substack, and I used MailChimp to manage mailing lists. I wasn't happy with the Substack publishing interface, which forced me to do everything online. I prefer to work offline whenever possible. I also didn't feel I was getting value for the expenses of MailChimp and Substack. I'm not sure where I first learned of Buttondown; it might have been a social media post. During my research, I discovered how easy it would be to migrate from Substack and MailChimp and decided to make the leap. Buttondown staff were especially helpful in getting my Stripe billing and payment plans migrated.

In a way, Buttondown has helped by staying out of the way; however, when I need them, they are there.

What are some ways Buttondown has helped you run your email?

I definitely enjoy the support for native Markdown and the ability to work offline. I also like the API. My workflow is to write an issue in Markdown using Visual Studio Code. I use PowerShell and the Buttondown API to upload images and then paste the link code in my document. When finished, all I need to do is copy and paste into the web interface and schedule the newsletter.

Earlier this year, I started taking advantage of social media platform integrations. I'm not sure I can attribute any specific increase in my subscriber base from it yet, but it doesn't hurt to publicize.

In a way, Buttondown has helped by staying out of the way; however, when I need them, they are there. I've always received prompt attention to my help desk queries.