avatarNoah Nelson

Summary

Noah Nelson, a college student and writer on Medium, reflects on his journey on the platform, expressing his goal to reach 1,000 followers by consistently engaging with the community and honing his craft, while acknowledging the ongoing debate about the importance of followers on Medium.

Abstract

Noah Nelson joined Medium on February 12, 2021, and has since been dedicated to growing his presence on the platform. With an initial boost of confidence from gaining his first follower, John Gruber, Nelson has amassed 369 followers in four months. He remains optimistic about reaching his goal of 1,000 followers, recognizing that it will require continuous effort and interaction with other writers. Nelson discusses the significance of followers on Medium, taking a balanced view that they are important for building a loyal readership but not the sole determinant of a writer's success, as content can also gain visibility through curation, tags, and publications. He invites further discussion on the topic and expresses gratitude to his current followers for their support.

Opinions

  • Followers on Medium are seen as valuable for establishing a dedicated audience that is interested in a writer's work.
  • The number of followers is not the only factor that contributes to a writer's visibility and success on Medium; other mechanisms like curation, tags, and publications play a significant role.
  • Engaging with the Medium community and consistently improving one's writing are key strategies for gaining more followers.
  • There is an ongoing debate within the Medium community about the importance of follower count, with Nelson positioning himself as a moderate who sees value in followers but also acknowledges other paths to success on the platform.
  • Nelson is confident in his ability to reach his goal of 1,000 followers through hard work, dedication, and passion for writing.

I Still Hope to Gain 1,000 Followers

And I think I can achieve it too.

Photo by Ugne Vasyliute on Unsplash

Feb. 12, 2021 was a life changing day for me.

On that day, I joined Medium and began writing. I soon learned everything I could about the platform. Then something amazing happened.

I gained my first follower.

It Changed Everything

He probably doesn’t know he did it, but John Gruber was the first person on Medium to hit the follow button on my profile. And I couldn’t believe it.

I didn’t think anyone would follow a small town college student on a worldwide platform, but he set the precedent of a great journey thus far. As of today, four months later, I have 369 followers. It’s not too shabby if you ask me.

But I’m not done yet.

I still believe I can gain 1,000 followers on this platform. It’s been done before, so why can’t it happen to me too? And I know it’s not just going to happen instantly.

I have to continue working every day on my craft and engaging with fellow writers. This way, I’m making a name for myself and finding my place on Medium, reading others’ work and writing for others too.

Do Followers Matter?

There’s been talk in recent months and years about whether or not followers matter on Medium. I believe they do to some degree.

Some people believe they don’t. Others believe they do. Like most topics in life, I stand right down the middle.

I think followers help in the fact that each writer has a loyal following. People follow you to read more of your writing, and to keep up with you.

I don’t think followers help in the fact that by means of curation, tags and publications, you don’t have to have a great amount of followers to earn views, reads and earnings.

Closing Thoughts

This topic is always up for debate in the world of Medium. And I would be interested in what you have to say about it too.

In the meantime, I’m going to continue to write, engage with other writers, and do everything I can on Medium to gain a loyal following of my own of 1,000 or more.

I believe I can do it. I believe we all can. Like anything else in life, it’ll take hard work, dedication and passion, but it can happen.

I know it can happen for all of us too.

Thank you to everyone who has followed me so far. I wouldn’t be on this platform without your love and support.

You rock!

Noah Nelson is a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign majoring in journalism with minors in political science and history. He serves as a senior columnist for The Daily Illini and a writer on Medium. “Life: A Collection of Short Stories” is his first book available now on Amazon.

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