MEDIUM FANS
6 Reasons Why I Write on Medium
HINT: It’s not all about the money
You have many choices when deciding on a forum for your words or cartoons. You could grab a URL and learn a platform. You could use a free platform and hope to attract attention. Or you could reach out to publications and wait to see if they accept your babies.
Or, you could choose Medium.
I’ve got six reasons why Medium is the forum for you to take your genius to the world. And seven if you count that I’d totally be into reading your contributions — bonus!
1. The Money
I know I said it’s not the money. But hear me out.
Running a website was infinitely more expensive than the $5/month for being a Medium member. Medium functionality is less than my own website, but it’s clean and easy to use. Plus, you get access to thousands of articles or amusements for that cost.
It’s like getting a magazine subscription and a website in one. That is value!
And there are no ads except for suggestions for other great writing. Everyone loves great writing.
I spent almost $1000 on a website last year between themes, URLs, SSL certificates, storage, and design. With Medium, I aim to break even. If I make money, that feels like gravy with a side of validation.
2. Shared Struggles
No Facebook group or blogging platform is better at making fun of themselves in their shared struggles than the writers, editors, funny-makers, and readers on Medium.
Do you dislike over-highlighted content? You’ll find someone else who’s already talking about it.
Do you love swearing? Fear not. You will find your friends here.
Do you dislike the new upgrade? Stand in line behind me!
3. Publication Variety
I can talk about fake news, reading, rants, and McDonalds. You can talk about gaming, business, and [insert a topic I’m not familiar with here].
We can all find a home.
There are pubs willing to take a chance on me for whatever brand of crazy my mind serves after my second coffee of the day. And people will read my words because the publication helps promote articles through newsletters and social media.
That is remarkable!
Readers can find their niche too. You don’t need to follow thousands or have thousands of followers to feel welcome, heard, and supported here. We are all represented.
Even people who understand Bitcoin and NFTs can find a voice and a following here. That’s saying something!
4. Supportive Editors Volunteering Their Time
What? You didn’t know the majority of editors on Medium are unpaid geniuses? Plus, they are good at their fake jobs!
Editors make your work better and ask nothing in return. I’m so grateful they are there to catch my typos, meandering thoughts, and unnecessary references to Wordle. Running my own website meant I was the only one catching those missteps.
Besides, I haven’t found one editor I would throw in a river!
5. Ease of Use
If adding an image in Medium is not the easiest platform you’ve used, I want to know your secret. The same goes with tags. Medium limits them so you have to think.
Thinking is good before you hit publish.
Simily is hard for images, tags, organization, and presentation. It relies on the author to adequately understand tags, and most of them don’t. Then it randomly takes a tag and tapes it to the image you choose. Not to mention the strange invitations to groups. I am not a magician or a finance expert. Stop asking me to join your group!
Vocal is a little better but it’s easy to get lost. And, it serves me the same content each time I log in. If you’re into fiction, you can make Vocal work with a bit of effort, but I was looking for easy.
WordPress is a slog. I still use it for my personal domain, but it has many more glitches than even the new Medium upgrade.
The difference with Medium? Publications! Publications help group like-minded souls together and similar articles are made easier to find. It really has made the difference for me as a writer, and reader. Bravo Medium.
6. The Community & The Quality
I have met some of the funniest and most talented writers while on Medium. I was on WordPress for 6 years and didn’t have the same sense of camaraderie or loyalty that I have built in a year here (with only a month where I’ve been making an effort).
Warning: Unusually corny outpouring coming — I love all the fuckers here!
Now, I need to stop or I’ll lose my composure, which I’m totally known for. That and my made-for-kindergarten language use.
The Stuff That Sucks
The money. I’d love to make some cash like they say I should, but it’s not really a dream anymore. I wish there was some compensation for external reads. My most-read article at 1.95K views made me $1.31 because those views came from an external link.
The clapping. I’d love a slider for clapping instead of holding down the button. Lazy wins most often when I get to about 20 claps.
Curated for Further Distribution. The ultimate in dreams for a Medium writer. Most of the articles I’ve had curated were not the ones I thought would hit the mark. So, I’m left wondering and unable to please the curation Gods even when I flatter them. Hey Curators, did you do something different with your hair? Spectacular!
No strikeout font. It’s a little thing, but satirists love to use the strikeout feature for misdirection and humor.
Missing tags. The new upgrade removed the tags at the bottom of our articles. This helped us communicate, “I really don’t think being in love with a Pufferfish is newsworthy,” without saying it. It also allowed us to click on a tag at the bottom of an article for Read More potential if it is NFTs that make your heart happy.
Even with the negatives, the support on this platform is truly remarkable. From the publication owners, editors, readers, and fellow writers, you could not find a better place for your words.
While I have issues with some of the changes made and wish there were other features on Medium, I think it is definitely value for money. I’ll stick around and hope you stay too. If you stay, drop a comment on this post and I’ll look you up. If you are not talking about Bitcoin or NFTs, I might even follow you along for the ride ;)
