Do You Get Lost on Medium? Or is it Just Me?
7 Top Tips to Help Navigate Your Way Around
As a newcomer to Medium, I have been blown away by the volume of skilled writers and the variety of topics that are on the platform.
I start with good intentions (after, of course, checking my stats and seeing how many cents I have racked up…) and am learning so much from some great aficionados who have track records in high earnings, being curated, writing regularly for publications, etc.
This is a whole new language but in my short time on here, I have picked up some incredibly useful and helpful information. Like how important publications are and how to get on their list of writers. (Too many articles to reference here, but there is a ton of helpful info on what you need to do). Like everything here, do your research. It takes time but will pay dividends (I have just been told that I have been accepted for the first publication I approached!)
I digress. Getting lost. So, once I have had my early morning fix of morale-boosting, (from small acorns…) I click on a headline that has been selected according to my reading list. I read away (usually to the end, and that’s the truth because I am genuinely interested in what the writer has to say) and as a paying member, I know that that author has benefited from my diligence.
Having clicked on an article that intrigues me, inevitably I click on a link within that story that is yet another nugget of learning that I must absorb, and then I find another, and so on. Eventually, I end up with dozens of tabs open and I am so ‘lost’ in learning that I forget which article I was reading in the first place. But I do go back and finish reading it because it piqued my interest.
Yes, I know. I’ve discovered the ‘save story’ symbol at the top of the page. My reading list is so long already but I am determined to read my way through it.
Headlines and Formatting are mentioned a lot. It all has to do with the way we read (apparently mostly on our phones) which means that if an article is formatted correctly, it will keep people reading. Which is the whole point. Once your headline has drawn the reader in, as the writer, we must keep them reading.
I regularly use the headline analyser: isitwp It’s a great tool but you can spend so much time on it. Again, getting ‘lost’.
Gaining followers and connecting are two different things, from what I have gleaned so far. Clapping an article and then clicking on the clap symbol to see who has clapped and then following like-minded writers was given as a top tip by a very successful writer. Hands up, I did that. However, when somebody claps an article I have written, I would like to think it is because they have enjoyed it. So now, I think before I click the ‘follow’ tab and only follow those I am interested in following. Don’t get me wrong, I check the number of followers regularly too. Doesn’t everybody?
I have dipped my toe into the ‘respond’ arena when I have felt moved to write something meaningful and genuine. Call me naive, but garnering followers and connecting with your fellow writers are two different things, right? Yes, I understand the importance of people following me and I love watching my numbers grow, (another morale booster), but I would like to think that it’s because people like what I write and not because they want me to ‘follow’ them back. (I do if I like what I read).
Great Masters
I ‘followed’ Barack Obama, having listened to him narrating his book, The Promised Land, as he is such a beautiful storyteller and craftsman of words. I am a huge fan and hope to learn from a great master in more ways than one, as he is a wonderful human being. I also think he did a great job as President. Imagine my excitement when I woke up one morning and thought Mr. Obama was following me! Damn, it was just a dream. Talk about aiming high!
Another great master of words is Sir David Attenborough. I love watching his programmes and am hooked on A Perfect Planet, not only because the cinematography is stunning, but because the narration is succinct, humorous, and extremely interesting. We not only learn some amazing facts about the planet we all inhabit, but we absorb the information because of the way that he has presented it.
Curation
This is another new term that I have learnt and whilst I aspire to my article(s) being curated, I don’t worry when they’re not. After all, the joy of writing and sharing is the reason I joined Medium. Yes, turning cents into dollars would be great and that is my long-term goal — to eventually be able to give up my day job and earn a living from writing. Like so many others. Millions of others, I’m guessing. But not being curated is not going to stop me from tapping out stories day after day, week after week, month after month.
Perseverance is also something else that I have read a lot about. If my new-found hobby can be turned into an income stream, that would be amazing. If not, I will keep writing because I love it and I do it for the joy it brings me (and hopefully others too).
My Top Tips for any Newcomer to Medium:
- Make lots of notes as you find those nuggets of information, links to follow up on or subjects that inspire you for new story ideas
- Save articles to your reading list
- Do your research before submitting a story to any publication
- Learn from all the information that is on the platform (again, copious notes)
- Try to become a better writer (I installed Grammarly early on)
- Share your first few stories with a mentor or good friend — somebody who will tell you as it is. A fresh pair of eyes can be very useful
- Keep writing! If you are writing for the joy and pleasure it brings you, then don’t stop.
I have found so much joy on Medium — it has changed my life
I have never seen so many interesting, insightful and inspirational articles or stories anywhere before. I always leave the platform feeling positive, thoughtful, and uplifted. A beautiful poem can touch me one day, a heart-wrenching story the next but always peppered along the way are informative and intriguing articles.
Getting lost has never been so much fun and neither has learning. So go on, lose yourself today. You never know where you will end up.