avatarRoz Warren, Writing Coach

Summary

The article discusses the author's exploration of Medium's content distribution algorithm and encourages reader interaction to better understand its effectiveness.

Abstract

The author, a seasoned Medium user, reflects on their attempts to decipher Medium's content delivery mechanisms, citing previous investigations into features like the "Panhandling Plug-in" and statistical anomalies. Despite being on the platform for three years, the author admits to still being perplexed by Medium's inner workings. The article focuses on the unpredictability of the Medium feed, which sometimes suggests highly relevant content but often includes posts that seem entirely off-target. To gather data on the feed's effectiveness, the author suggests that readers comment on whether Medium's algorithm successfully included a post in their feed. This interactive approach aims to collect insights on the platform's content curation performance, which could benefit the Medium community at large.

Opinions

  • The author expresses skepticism about the reliability of Medium's content recommendation system, noting that it often fails to deliver expected results.
  • There is a belief that reader feedback on how content is surfaced can provide valuable insights into the algorithm's functionality and its shortcomings.
  • The author values the contributions of readers in sharing their experiences with the Medium feed, viewing it as a collaborative effort to understand the platform.
  • The article implies that Medium's algorithm, nicknamed "Al Gorithm," plays a significant role in a writer's visibility and success on the platform.
  • The author encourages a sense of community engagement by inviting writers to adopt a similar approach of sharing when their content has been included in a reader's feed.
  • The author is open about the potential disappointment in learning that their content may not be reaching intended audiences, yet they stress the importance of this information for the sake of improving the system.
  • The article concludes with a call to action for readers to share their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the content presented in their Medium feed, emphasizing the importance of collective knowledge in addressing the platform's mysteries.

MEDIUM SCHMEDIUM

Did Medium Include This Post in your Feed Today?

I didn’t think so

Photo by Camylla Battani on Unsplash

In my ceaseless quest to figure out how this platform actually works, I’ve explored a lot of things, from the Panhandling Plug-in to the mystery of Skyrocketing Stats to the shocking secret behind the Medium algorithm:

Although I’ve been on Medium for three years, I can’t say that I truly understand it. But I know a lot more about it than if I hadn’t poked around under the hood with posts like those, and if readers hadn’t generously shared what they know about this place when responding to those posts.

Which brings me to the topic of My Medium Feed and What Turns Up In It.

I’m not the only Medium reader who is mystified by what shows up in my feed — and what consistently fails to show up, no matter how much I’d like it to.

Medium has gotten pretty good at choosing which writers to include in that little march of profiles along the top of the page that lets me know, for instance, when Roxanne Hale or Jack Herlocker has written something new.

But the posts they include in my feed? Sometimes they’re exactly what I want to read — but just as often these suggestions are so thoroughly misguided that I figure the algorithm must have been really really drunk that day.

And so? In the interests of Exploring This Issue, I’ve begun making a practice of telling writers when I’m reading a post because it turned up in my feed, by posting a comment that includes something along the lines of “I’m glad Medium put this post in my feed today.”

What good does this do?

Well it tells you, the writer, that Medium is actually working. At least for you. At least for today. If your stuff is good, and I like reading it, the fact that Medium is actually showing it to me is a plus.

And if I read your work all the time but never mention when I respond that Medium put it in my feed? That tells you something too. Medium is broken! At least when it comes to you and me.

I’d encourage my fellow writers to start doing the same. Let folks know when Medium has included them in your Feed. You can start with this post. In fact, here’s your chance to take place in a Medium Experiment!

If you’re reading this post because Medium fed it to you? Tell me!

If this post wasn’t in your feed — or if I’m never in your feed —please let me know that too. Yeah, sure, that’ll probably plunge me into despair. But — it’s still useful data.

Are you happy with what Medium puts in your feed? Unhappy? Mystified? Outraged? Please take a moment to share your Medium Feed Insights as a response to this post. The more we can learn about how this place actually works — and fails to work — the better off we’ll all be.

Writing Coach and editor-for-hire Roz Warren, who writes for everyone from the Funny Times to the New York Times, can help you improve and publish your work. Drop her a line at [email protected]. (That’s Ros with an “s,” not a “z.”)

Writing On Medium
Writing
Algorithms
Malarkey
Roz Warren
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