I Tried Medium Audio Reading Feature, Here Is My Review

Summary

The author reviews Medium's new audio reading feature, expressing enthusiasm for its potential to increase reading efficiency and accessibility.

Abstract

Medium's introduction of an audio reading feature is seen as a significant enhancement by the author, who appreciates the ability to consume articles while multitasking on a laptop. The feature offers compensation for writers under the Medium Partner Program, customizable voice options, and adjustable reading speeds. Although the robotic voice may be a limitation, the author believes the feature will be particularly beneficial for older articles that might be included later. The author also notes the potential for increased discoverability for writers through audio content, aligning with the trend of audio consumption exemplified by podcasts.

Opinions

The author finds the audio reading feature to be a "game-changer" for personal productivity and reading habits.
They appreciate the ability to select the gender and accent of the reading voice, as well as the adjustable reading speed.
The author acknowledges the voice as robotic but does not consider this a significant drawback.
They believe that the feature will be more beneficial once it includes older stories.
The author suggests that the audio feature could enhance writer discoverability, especially in light of Google's moves to incorporate podcasts directly into search results.
There is an expressed preference for listening to content over reading from a screen, indicating a personal inclination towards audio consumption.

Medium recently announced adding audio reading experience, here is my review.

Medium has announced that they are going to add an Audio reading experience to the platform. Personally, It would really help me read more articles on Medium. I read stuff from my mobile app but most of the time I worked on Laptop so I don’t open Medium at that time or most of the time when I visit Medium, it is because I want to see the stats. I am addicted.

Here are some of the things I learned while using the Audio reading feature;

You will be compensated for your Medium partner program because the feature goes from word to word like someone is reading it for you.

You can choose the gender voice based on your likings.

You can read it in an American or British accent. Both the options are available for you.

The program will read you everything in an article. So if someone embeds a Medium link, the program will go through it too.

The voice indeed looks robotic.

You can change the word-per-minute (WPM) according to your likings.

Let me share a screenshot with you of what it looks like;

Medium audio reading feature.

My Thoughts about this feature:

It is a game-changer for me. I can now read more than ever and at the same time do other tasks. The good thing is you have a range of options. I think stories that were published months ago aren’t covered or they might be covered later this year as the feature isn’t available for older stories.

I think a lot of people would just prefer to listen to someone’s thoughts then look to the screen, me included.

Medium is long making changes to make audio part of the system especially when podcasts are taken over.

Google announced in previous years that they would create a special section for podcasts on their search page and I think Medium adding an audio feature could help writers a lot getting discovered in the audio section.

So, what do you think about this feature?