Happy Friday, Man, I am so glad writers don’t run Medium. They’d run it right into the ground with good intentions. They say the path to hell is paved with good intentions and I don’t know who “they” are, but they’re right on that one. Humans have a tendency to see a problem, misunderstand what caused it, solve it wrong and make everything worse.
The Internet Experience declined on a near-90-degree angle when algorithms were introduced on all the big sites. I could not agree with you more in getting rid of Recommended. At the very *very* least, make "show less like this" actually do something. Additionally, I went in to tailor my recommendations and yet I still see articles on topics I explicitly removed because I'm sick of them. It's broken! Get rid of it!
Just because you call yourself a "writer" does not make you one. I do a lot of my preliminary work in public places, coffee shops, truck stops, malls, and frequently get asked(when noticed) if I am a writer. My answer is, that I write what I like. Whether I am a writer or not is for editors and readers to judge.
It's a funny word, isn't it? I have read about so many people struggling to give themselves permission to call themselves a writer. I have never called myself that. I don't think of myself as a writer at all. Writing is something I do, not something I am. We humans make everything so complicated. I wrote about that, too. lol
Nice to have your company . . . LOL Yes! Over complication is the bane of human existence. I write because I have to, like breathing. I do not think about whether anyone else will like it or not. I suppose it is a form of therapy or perhaps a touchstone to my own reality, not the world's. If others find enjoyment in it, wow, that is even better but I never write with that as my guide. Probably why I still have a "day job"
I LOVE THIS: Medium needs to stop shoving content in our faces. If you go to the homepage on a desktop, you see two tabs. Following and recommended. Recommended is the default. On mobile, I’m not sure readers have the choice. Some just see recommended.
Is he the new CEO? I listened to some of the interview with Zulie Rane and it was painful, as if he wasn't really prepared to speak.
Substack seems like a more efficient way to read what I want to read. I confess I hadn't spent much time trying to fix Medium. I have something like 500 followers and yet [aside from money] I have only contributed snarky comments. This alone has made me wary of their 'model'.
Yup, he sure is. I haven't listened to the full audio with Zulie yet, but I listened to the one with Sinem. Will listen to the other, too. I think the site has a ton of potential to grow yet, but not with the feedback they're getting. Obviously, given this post. lol
I hope Medium restores more paid support for editors at top publications. Editors who put a lot of hours into publications makes them so much better, I've seen it myself, and the only way to make that more consistent is to pay them. (Plus good editors earn it). That will bring more readers back into publications (now I'm mostly following individual writers, but I preferred it when Medium's publications were stronger and I followed publications more than individual writers). Paying for more editors at publications would also benefit new writers (since they can submit to them to gain attention, and better curation means more readers will follow publications). That's gatekeeping, but not censorship, since writers will still be free to self-publish whatever doesn't violate Medium's rules.
I have mixed feelings on that, Sara. Best analogy I can think of is a class of students is working on projects for the science fair. The teacher offers to help 5 kids and pay for their supplies. The other 25 kids are on their own. That would not be okay. lol.
I don't see it as gatekeeping so much as a tiered system. First tier publications are where editors get paid and second-tier where schmucks like me bust their buns to try build a publication but don't get paid. It doesn't create incentive for people to build a publication in their spare time, for free.
I see that. If only they could find a mechanism to pay editors at self-built publications which become popular.
For a while, someone floated the idea that if a publication referred new Medium members, the revenue would go to the publication's editors, which is the only idea I've seen for how to reward editors which is based on reader choice rather than Medium staffers' choice.
I'm glad we agree on the Censorship approach. While the "make money on medium" articles are annoying, they apparently still generate traffic enough to be worthwhile.
I'm torn on the quality issue. All great publications got there because of great editors. Books from a publishing house are measurably better than self-published. While I agree that readers get to vote with their claps or attention, in the long run I fear they will just get tired and start asking "why don't they have editors?" Publications within Medium do get some editing and may be a partial solution.
What about an Editor's tab? Give the editors value (i.e. let them make money) from editing work. Stop making editing a "labor of love". As you note, eliminate the "recommended" feed and have a Selected Editor feed-allowing a writer/editor pair to profit from producing the highest quality work?
I hate the "make money on Medium" articles as much as anyone else. When I flip to the "following" tag, there's none of that crap. If someone I follow starts writing crap, I unfollow. Solved.
Because the thing is, some people don't WANT to learn to write. Doesn't matter if they brought all the best publications that exist to Medium, some folk aren't there to learn to write. They're just there to throw crap at the wall and see what pays.
The other day, I had someone submit a 1 minute read to my book review pub. It was the description of a book pasted off Amazon and an affiliate link. I told her that's not a book review and asked if she wants to rewrite it, if not I will reject. She said la di da, then remove it. Those people are on Medium, too. If the only people who see our work are those that follow us, that's the only way some people will learn anything. lol
The Internet Experience declined on a near-90-degree angle when algorithms were introduced on all the big sites. I could not agree with you more in getting rid of Recommended. At the very *very* least, make "show less like this" actually do something. Additionally, I went in to tailor my recommendations and yet I still see articles on topics I explicitly removed because I'm sick of them. It's broken! Get rid of it!
Yup, you are so right about "show less" -- it doesn't do squat. They need to flush their recommendations.
What excellent insights. Sure hope Stubblebine has equal smarts.
I hope so, too. Might write about it over there.
I hope you do. Very good points.
Thanks, Karen.
Just because you call yourself a "writer" does not make you one. I do a lot of my preliminary work in public places, coffee shops, truck stops, malls, and frequently get asked(when noticed) if I am a writer. My answer is, that I write what I like. Whether I am a writer or not is for editors and readers to judge.
It's a funny word, isn't it? I have read about so many people struggling to give themselves permission to call themselves a writer. I have never called myself that. I don't think of myself as a writer at all. Writing is something I do, not something I am. We humans make everything so complicated. I wrote about that, too. lol
Nice to have your company . . . LOL Yes! Over complication is the bane of human existence. I write because I have to, like breathing. I do not think about whether anyone else will like it or not. I suppose it is a form of therapy or perhaps a touchstone to my own reality, not the world's. If others find enjoyment in it, wow, that is even better but I never write with that as my guide. Probably why I still have a "day job"
Good observations. One little quibble: It should be "Yay, fewer sales," not less. (Retired copy editors can't help it.)
lol. That made me laugh. Indeed, it should have.
I LOVE THIS: Medium needs to stop shoving content in our faces. If you go to the homepage on a desktop, you see two tabs. Following and recommended. Recommended is the default. On mobile, I’m not sure readers have the choice. Some just see recommended.
Jen, the librarian at my library knows what I like to read better than Medium. lol
Is he the new CEO? I listened to some of the interview with Zulie Rane and it was painful, as if he wasn't really prepared to speak.
Substack seems like a more efficient way to read what I want to read. I confess I hadn't spent much time trying to fix Medium. I have something like 500 followers and yet [aside from money] I have only contributed snarky comments. This alone has made me wary of their 'model'.
Yup, he sure is. I haven't listened to the full audio with Zulie yet, but I listened to the one with Sinem. Will listen to the other, too. I think the site has a ton of potential to grow yet, but not with the feedback they're getting. Obviously, given this post. lol
I hope Medium restores more paid support for editors at top publications. Editors who put a lot of hours into publications makes them so much better, I've seen it myself, and the only way to make that more consistent is to pay them. (Plus good editors earn it). That will bring more readers back into publications (now I'm mostly following individual writers, but I preferred it when Medium's publications were stronger and I followed publications more than individual writers). Paying for more editors at publications would also benefit new writers (since they can submit to them to gain attention, and better curation means more readers will follow publications). That's gatekeeping, but not censorship, since writers will still be free to self-publish whatever doesn't violate Medium's rules.
I have mixed feelings on that, Sara. Best analogy I can think of is a class of students is working on projects for the science fair. The teacher offers to help 5 kids and pay for their supplies. The other 25 kids are on their own. That would not be okay. lol.
I don't see it as gatekeeping so much as a tiered system. First tier publications are where editors get paid and second-tier where schmucks like me bust their buns to try build a publication but don't get paid. It doesn't create incentive for people to build a publication in their spare time, for free.
I see that. If only they could find a mechanism to pay editors at self-built publications which become popular.
For a while, someone floated the idea that if a publication referred new Medium members, the revenue would go to the publication's editors, which is the only idea I've seen for how to reward editors which is based on reader choice rather than Medium staffers' choice.
I'm glad we agree on the Censorship approach. While the "make money on medium" articles are annoying, they apparently still generate traffic enough to be worthwhile.
I'm torn on the quality issue. All great publications got there because of great editors. Books from a publishing house are measurably better than self-published. While I agree that readers get to vote with their claps or attention, in the long run I fear they will just get tired and start asking "why don't they have editors?" Publications within Medium do get some editing and may be a partial solution.
What about an Editor's tab? Give the editors value (i.e. let them make money) from editing work. Stop making editing a "labor of love". As you note, eliminate the "recommended" feed and have a Selected Editor feed-allowing a writer/editor pair to profit from producing the highest quality work?
I hate the "make money on Medium" articles as much as anyone else. When I flip to the "following" tag, there's none of that crap. If someone I follow starts writing crap, I unfollow. Solved.
Because the thing is, some people don't WANT to learn to write. Doesn't matter if they brought all the best publications that exist to Medium, some folk aren't there to learn to write. They're just there to throw crap at the wall and see what pays.
The other day, I had someone submit a 1 minute read to my book review pub. It was the description of a book pasted off Amazon and an affiliate link. I told her that's not a book review and asked if she wants to rewrite it, if not I will reject. She said la di da, then remove it. Those people are on Medium, too. If the only people who see our work are those that follow us, that's the only way some people will learn anything. lol
Oh wow! How cheeky some Writers can get 😊
Sadé Tolani ☀️
Sasha’s Chronicles
It was kind of funny. lol.
I know, right??? Omg. Yes, she sure did. Lmao