The best of 2022 on Medium and Substack
Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering ‘it will be happier’
― Alfred Lord Tennyson
Tennyson is the ninth most quoted person in the The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Despite being the Poet Laureate during most of Queen Victoria’s reign his friends teased him mercilessly for being overly sentimental.
Oh Alfred. So sentimental. Such a romantic.
But think about it.
Isn’t it what we wish for, somewhere in our hearts?
Just to be happier.
Who doesn’t want that?
Tomorrow is New Years Eve and in the blink of an eye, another New Year begins. So I thought I’d wrap up with a roundup and some thoughts for the new year.
In the past year, I’ve written 154 posts. It’s not a ton, but it’s a lot. Three per week on average. As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, I’ve sent a newsletter every Friday. So that’s 52 here. Plus, 102 posts on Medium.
It was interesting to see the 5 that rose to the top on each platform…
Top 5 posts on Substack
Interesting, no? Two about Medium, one about Substack and one about author websites. Out of 52 posts, these are the 5 that rose to the top. Are you surprised at #1?
5. 5 things you might not know about Substack
. . . . .
Top 5 on Medium
My top 5 on Medium is a bittersweet list. The top two are a book review and a post about writing. The other three are historical pieces originally published in the publication that divorced Medium. (See #4 in the list above)
Out with the old, in with the new…
December was my worst month in the last two years at Medium. It made me stop and think. It circles back around to my top Substack post, which basically said writers can’t count on anyone else to build their audience. That applies to me, too.
In the New Year, I’d like to put a more work into growing this newsletter. I’d like to get to know you (and all my readers) a little more so I can create content that helps you with whatever you’re struggling with. Web is what I do for a living. Makes sense to share more of that. In what capacity, I’m not sure yet.
It’s been a rough holiday season with personal loss so I don’t have the firm plans I’d hoped to have. But I do know in the New Year, I’d like to learn more about the features Substack offers and how to use this platform to grow. Maybe make up for some of the nosedive at Medium. Maybe you’d like to do that, too?
I’d love to know your thoughts going into 2023.
Happy New Year!
New on Medium…
Philip Roth Was A Jerk, But His Advice For Writers Is Dead On
Emily’s House Is A Delightful Read And It’s Not Even About Her
Thanks for reading. Scroll down a bit to leave a heart or comment. :)
xo
Linda
This time last year, my writing was split roughly 80/20 in favor of Medium. Now it's 80/20 in favor of Substack. Simply put, Substack has become everything I'd hope Medium could be.
The relationships here are nowhere near as transactional as they can be on Medium.
The team here is proactive and constantly iterating. It doesn't always work, but I love that they're at least trying new stuff.
The Recommendation feature being user driven instead of via algorithm was brilliant. If I'm honest, I'm surprised that Medium hasn't ever followed suit.
Bottom line: from my observer's perch, it feels like Substack values writers while Medium merely tolerates them. I get that the former's revenue model depends on writer success, but still...
I'll be your first subscriber!