Dear, Negative Turds of Medium. Does it Hurt to See the Bright Side of this Platform?

If not, quit complaining.

I do not make posts like this very often. However, when I do, it’s because I have reached my threshold for jackassery, or I think some folks need a virtual backhanded reality check. Let’s cut to the chase:

In the past six months that I’ve been on Medium, I have seen the following shitty comments day, after day, after day…

• “Medium is dying.”
• “Ev Williams is not doing enough.”
• “The algorithm is broken.”
• “I’ve had a drop in my views and earnings.”

For now, I’m just going to stop at this shortlist because I can feel the rest of my being slowly dying bit by bit. I want to take this moment and humbly remind some of the pessimistic soul suckers on Medium of the following reality checks:

“Medium is Dying.”

Writers (and readers) are slowly bouncing back from the holiday season, the slowest time of the year. Calm your tits, get some writing done, and before you know it, all will be well again in the world of Medium.

By the way, no one is forcing you to stay, and no one is forcing you to write or read. If you really feel that Medium is ‘dying,’ then go someplace else.

If you choose to leave, then I sincerely wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do and will accept you with open arms should you return. Otherwise, take a break. People do it all the time, and it doesn’t mean that you quit or have given up.

“Ev Williams is not doing enough.”

If you feel this is the case, please, bless him with your genius.

Ev Williams was the CEO of Twitter, Blogger, and Medium’s Daddy. He has a proven track record of being on the front lines of change and improving platforms for writers everywhere. What have you done lately?

I’m gonna go out on a limb, but I’m going to assume that the majority of us jizz our pants at first sight that a single article has been curated.

Cut the man some slack.

Ummm… Have I mentioned that he is a billionaire? Most of us have heart palpitations seeing a single comma in our checking account. Is it really going to kill you to support this man and his process? It is his company, after all. Not yours.

“The algorithm is broken.”

I like to think of algorithms as a part of the digital nature of things. You can’t fix it, you can’t change it, and you are bidding to its doings. In some months, you might find yourself in the $100 club. In other months, you may be wondering WTF is going on and if you’re wondering if your writing took a sudden turn down the shitter.

At the end of the day, it might be the algorithm. Stop worrying about what’s happening with the man behind the curtain and just write or read. That is what you were here for, isn’t it? Some months, the algorithm will favor you. Other months, you’ll question your existence as a writer.

Algorithms change, folks! Stop sweating it, get back to the keyboard, and churn out the next great article.

“I’ve had a drop in my views and earnings.”

Myself and others have said this before: Medium can change its policy any day and keep every cent of your subscription. However, it doesn’t.

Instead, subscribers like you and I pay $5 a month to help support each other. This is a place to help build confidence, have a voice, and assemble an audience. If you are bitching about earning enough money a month to pay for a single cup of coffee, then I will be a bitch in return and say that you are ungrateful.

I have absolute respect and admiration for those of you who make a full-time living off of Medium. You are living a dream that the majority of us would kill for. Unfortunately, there can only be so many Cinderella’s in the world, and the rest of us are left filling roles of the ugly step-sisters or stepmother.

Out of all the realizations I have given thus far, this one is probably the hardest to accept: Don’t quit your day job.

This concludes today’s episode of Tough Love. If you like when I had to say, let me know in the comments! If you don’t, by all means, still leave a comment! Disagreement is healthy as long as we respect each other. (Note: I said ‘respect’ and not ‘accept.’)