Open Tabs with Louise Jones

Open Tabs is a series under The Weekly Scroll where we peek into what a creator or social media pro has open in their browser, saved in their bookmarks, and stuck in their head right now. Each issue, someone new shows us what they're paying attention to.

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Next in our run of Substack writers posting to Notes from Buffer: Louise Jones, who spent a decade across social, brand, and communications in B2B tech (currently at Maze) and writes Messy Tabs, a personal newsletter about brand, voice, creativity, and life online, for marketers and creative people who are interested in the way we work and show up online. You'll find her on Substack and LinkedIn.

So, what’s in your tabs?

Share 3-5 things that are in your tabs, bookmarks, or saved folder right now.

• The Product Marketer by Rory Woodbridge (Newsletter): Working in B2B SaaS, I think a lot about how brand and product marketing can come together to make better work. I’m always keen to learn from other corners of marketing, and Rory’s newsletter gives me a great window into the PMM world.

• Dear Danielle & Dave (Newsletter): I previously worked with Dave, and he recently shared his perspective on research for our latest industry report at Maze. The research community is incredible, and I love reading real perspectives from the people doing the work.

• Headspace (App): For focus! I work best when my home office is quiet, usually with an ambient soundscape or some lo-fi beats playing in the background.

Is there a creator or account you’ve been obsessed with lately?

Vanta! I’ve been following them for a while, and their marketing just keeps getting better. Having previously worked in the security space, it’s refreshing to see the people behind the llama make compliance and security fun without losing sight of the trust that matters in enterprise.

That’s not an easy balance, but they’re not afraid to push the boundaries of what a security brand can look and sound like. With a new VP of Brand on board, I’m excited to see what Brooks Chambers, Jacob Gross, and the rest of the team do next. I’ll be cheering them on!

What’s one thing that’s been shaping your thinking lately that has nothing to do with social media?

Getting away from a screen. I’ve been making a conscious effort to take ideas out of a doc and put pen to paper instead. There’s something about writing by hand that slows my brain down and helps me think more clearly about what I actually want to say.

I’ve also been learning to figure skate for the past eight months, which has become a completely different kind of reset. When I’m on the ice, I have to be fully there. It clears some space in my head, and I return to work with more clarity.

What’s one thing you’re working through or figuring out in your creator journey right now?

How I can use AI agents to get ideas off the ground, while still doing the thinking and writing in my own voice, which should always stay human. Starting Messy Tabs feels like the perfect place to experiment with where AI helps and where I’d rather reach for a pen and paper.

messy tabs Notes on brand, voice, culture, and life online. By Louise Jones

How does Buffer fit into your process when a new post goes out?

I’m still early in building my Substack and processes, but when a new post goes out, I use Buffer to plan and schedule how I share it across social, as well as keep an eye on the conversation afterward. I typically use Buffer as a home for ideas I want to come back to, so having Substack Notes in that workflow is the piece I’d been waiting for.

Insights is definitely a new favorite, while Ideas and Templates are probably my most used. Dark mode was a game changer, Tags save my sanity, and the Buffer streak is such a small but brilliant way to stay consistent. My favorite part of Buffer isn’t a feature, though. It’s the community in Discord.

The biggest result for me is being more intentional about what I share. Having somewhere to capture ideas as they come to me means I’m not starting from a blank page every time I want to post, and I can be much more thoughtful about what I write about.

TRY OUT NOTES IN BUFFER

The time we’ve all been waiting for (or at least the 1.1K+ people who let us know they wanted this feature) has arrived: you can now post to Substack Notes from Buffer 🎉

Try it out (and come back to let me know what you think)!

Schedule Notes in Buffer

That’s it from me.

Until next week,

Tami

Sr. Content Creator