Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

1782

Abstract

urrently looks like — and this changes and shows 6 of the 90-odd people that I follow.</p><figure id="cf3d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*1k6Sa99TnzuMlEQrBJphvg.png"><figcaption>Snapshot of my homepage currently</figcaption></figure><p id="b4a8">Now each of these writers is absolutely high-quality and they write great stuff that I actually want to read and enjoy reading. The other great bit is that the little pop up shows the number of new stories from these writers, but the only way for me to read those stories is by clicking this and going to their profile.</p><p id="e159">This naturally takes me to their profile page — which means I don’t just see the latest but a list of other stories as well. This ensures that I get to visit some of the stories I may have missed from my favorite writers, and have a chance to read them — which also gives these writers more of a chance of showcasing slightly older pieces.</p><p id="4373">The shelf-life of each story increases from the traditional 24–48 hrs to a bit longer. And so if you hadn’t had a chance to get on Medium for some reading pleasures for a few days, you’d still get to catch up on all the content you missed.</p><h1 id="28c8">How Does This Spam You?</h1><p id="1e42">There are a ton of people on Medium who follow others for the sake of it or in the hope that they’d be followed back.</p><p id="900f">Now picture a scenario where you follow 2,000 people, some of those you genuinely enjoyed reading, but others were followed in the hope they’d follow you back. Or because they clapped on your story and you felt obliged to follow them.</p><p id="deac"><b>My simple suggestion is to stop that behavior while you can, unless you don’t care about what your homepage looks like.</b

Options

</p><p id="7153">Because this will mean that your “eight” showcased people could be writers who write nothing that genuinely interests you, and will mean you won’t get to see writers who truly write stories of your interest.</p><h1 id="1752">What Else Determines Your Reading Suggestions?</h1><p id="c634">Well, the other sections I think are a mix of your reading habits, what’s popular on Medium (trending section), and potentially the mysterious new “curated” pieces.</p><p id="b6c2">While it is much more of a black box on what really shows up on your reading list, I think the one variable you can control is the folks you follow — so that you genuinely get to see stories you want to see.</p><p id="fcca">Read some more on that by one of the other writers, <a href="undefined">Steve QJ</a>, who wrote on Illumination and had some similar complaints about what the latest Medium interface throws at you:</p><div id="5799" class="link-block">

      <a href="https://readmedium.com/if-this-is-what-life-after-curation-looks-like-i-might-lose-my-mind-3f8e376d549c">

        <div>
          <div>
            <h2>If This Is What Life After Curation Looks Like I Might Lose My Mind.</h2>
            <div><h3>Just a little rant</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
          </div>
          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*9_tilanxujq04wdyfdRV4A.jpeg)"></div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </a>
    </div><p id="99af"><i>The rest will throw up some good stuff and some absolute sh*t but a lot of it is really in the hands of Medium and not you. So, control the variables that you can, while you can control them!</i></p></article></body>

Following the Wrong People Will Now Cost You Dearly

Blindly hitting the “Follow” button means spamming yourself

I’ve written in detail about my disagreements with the latest Medium update on its curation changes — which can be found below.

Dear Medium — With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

The latest updates raise some questions that need answering

medium.com

However, one must give credit where credit is due.

Who You Follow Influences the Quality of Your Reading List

In the quest for making Medium more “relational”, the most interesting and useful feature is probably the prominent positioning of a selection of writers who you follow. Below is what mine currently looks like — and this changes and shows 6 of the 90-odd people that I follow.

Now each of these writers is absolutely high-quality and they write great stuff that I actually want to read and enjoy reading. The other great bit is that the little pop up shows the number of new stories from these writers, but the only way for me to read those stories is by clicking this and going to their profile.

This naturally takes me to their profile page — which means I don’t just see the latest but a list of other stories as well. This ensures that I get to visit some of the stories I may have missed from my favorite writers, and have a chance to read them — which also gives these writers more of a chance of showcasing slightly older pieces.

The shelf-life of each story increases from the traditional 24–48 hrs to a bit longer. And so if you hadn’t had a chance to get on Medium for some reading pleasures for a few days, you’d still get to catch up on all the content you missed.

How Does This Spam You?

There are a ton of people on Medium who follow others for the sake of it or in the hope that they’d be followed back.

Now picture a scenario where you follow 2,000 people, some of those you genuinely enjoyed reading, but others were followed in the hope they’d follow you back. Or because they clapped on your story and you felt obliged to follow them.

My simple suggestion is to stop that behavior while you can, unless you don’t care about what your homepage looks like.

Because this will mean that your “eight” showcased people could be writers who write nothing that genuinely interests you, and will mean you won’t get to see writers who truly write stories of your interest.

What Else Determines Your Reading Suggestions?

Well, the other sections I think are a mix of your reading habits, what’s popular on Medium (trending section), and potentially the mysterious new “curated” pieces.

While it is much more of a black box on what really shows up on your reading list, I think the one variable you can control is the folks you follow — so that you genuinely get to see stories you want to see.

Read some more on that by one of the other writers, Steve QJ, who wrote on Illumination and had some similar complaints about what the latest Medium interface throws at you:

If This Is What Life After Curation Looks Like I Might Lose My Mind.

Just a little rant

medium.com

The rest will throw up some good stuff and some absolute sh*t but a lot of it is really in the hands of Medium and not you. So, control the variables that you can, while you can control them!