Illuminating Collaborations and Creating Strength in Connections

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t this same person was causing the same problems at a Sister Publication, Fearless She Wrote. I write for them on occasion. They are known for supremely good writing, and I have openly praised <a href="undefined">Jessica Lovejoy</a> for her kind and competent editing on those pieces of mine she has printed.However. The party had apparently stepped over the lines, and was dis-invited. Gillian wrote me about their issues through a PM on a recent article. I strongly urged her to take this seriously and to document, document, document.They did. Gillian and Jessica have a contact inside Medium to whom they wrote directly.I notified Dr. Y about this but didn’t want to go public until first, Fearless got an answer (they did) and I had permission to share some of it(I do).Suffice it to say that Medium is well aware, and the issue has been forwarded to the appropriate internal departments. One publication, one complaint is an incident. Two are a pattern.Several things come out of this for me. First, that we were hardly alone, a fact which is both unfortunate but also validating in that our complaint was backed up by the experience of another trusted and high-profile publication.Second, that Gillian was kind enough to share a very real concern about what had happened to us, and not only that, that she and Fearless were having the same issues. I hope I provided proper guidance to avoid what we had been through.Third, that they took the steps to ensure that the person in question was removed so that their writers would no longer be subjected to the same behaviors.Fearless wants good writing on their publication just as we do. In that way, you could argue that we’re all in competition for the best talent. For my part, this is the per

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fect example of what happens when we work together for the entire community, not just our publication. I write for perhaps four or five, but the bulk goes to Illumination. I think it’s quite a statement that our disappearance, and our re-emergence, were not only noticed but applauded by a lot of folks.I read, tag, link to and very much enjoy Gillian’s work. She and I have shared a number of conversations that have led me to really appreciate who she is and what she has to say well beyond just the Medium connection. I would argue that those personal investments in who people are tend to bond us far more than clapping and liking; they open up many new connections for friendship, appreciation, and in this case, support at the larger level.Dr. Y encouraged me to write this piece to emphasize that part of what we stand for at Illumination is about synergy. The sum of our parts is greater than our whole when we collaborate, and that shines even more brightly when we shoulder up next to our Sister Publications on Medium.I want to thank <a href="undefined">P.G. Barnett</a> for shouting out Gillian for having our back. She’s made it clear that the offer stands at any time. And I believe we have hers, too, should she and Fearless find themselves needing to make a case.My heartfelt thanks to Gillian and Jessica and Maggie over at the peerless Fearless, and we look forward to future connections, collaborations, and cross-pollinations wherever possible.<figure id="12ad"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*2NOS1Y726_Atz6de"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@perrygrone?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Perry Grone</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></article></body>

A shout out to a fellow Medium publication

P.G. Barnett hauled off and outed me today (thass’ okay, no prob), about something that was going on behind the scenes between myself and fellow Medium peep Gillian Sisley. I have her permission to tell you about this so here goes:

Last week most of us were well aware that we went dark and very nearly lost both our publication and our founder, Dr Mehmet Yildiz. We fought hard to bring both back, and succeeded.

More recent members of this lively and energetic community may not know that we had a history of some problems which escalated rather badly. An editor lost their privileges as a result, but the behavior didn’t stop.

Day by day, week by week, the problem kept getting worse, the comments and accusations increasing both in severity and volume. A few days ago I reached out to Medium privately and reported the issue. It became very clear to me that I was lacking any proof, which I have written about elsewhere. Then, suddenly, we went black.

Most of you know what happened. The Illumination community effectively circled the wagons and requested reinstatement. We got it. Not a small achievement.

However what most of you probably didn’t know was that this same person was causing the same problems at a Sister Publication, Fearless She Wrote. I write for them on occasion. They are known for supremely good writing, and I have openly praised Jessica Lovejoy for her kind and competent editing on those pieces of mine she has printed.

However. The party had apparently stepped over the lines, and was dis-invited. Gillian wrote me about their issues through a PM on a recent article. I strongly urged her to take this seriously and to document, document, document.

They did. Gillian and Jessica have a contact inside Medium to whom they wrote directly.

I notified Dr. Y about this but didn’t want to go public until first, Fearless got an answer (they did) and I had permission to share some of it(I do).

Suffice it to say that Medium is well aware, and the issue has been forwarded to the appropriate internal departments. One publication, one complaint is an incident. Two are a pattern.

Several things come out of this for me. First, that we were hardly alone, a fact which is both unfortunate but also validating in that our complaint was backed up by the experience of another trusted and high-profile publication.

Second, that Gillian was kind enough to share a very real concern about what had happened to us, and not only that, that she and Fearless were having the same issues. I hope I provided proper guidance to avoid what we had been through.

Third, that they took the steps to ensure that the person in question was removed so that their writers would no longer be subjected to the same behaviors.

Fearless wants good writing on their publication just as we do. In that way, you could argue that we’re all in competition for the best talent. For my part, this is the perfect example of what happens when we work together for the entire community, not just our publication. I write for perhaps four or five, but the bulk goes to Illumination. I think it’s quite a statement that our disappearance, and our re-emergence, were not only noticed but applauded by a lot of folks.

I read, tag, link to and very much enjoy Gillian’s work. She and I have shared a number of conversations that have led me to really appreciate who she is and what she has to say well beyond just the Medium connection. I would argue that those personal investments in who people are tend to bond us far more than clapping and liking; they open up many new connections for friendship, appreciation, and in this case, support at the larger level.

Dr. Y encouraged me to write this piece to emphasize that part of what we stand for at Illumination is about synergy. The sum of our parts is greater than our whole when we collaborate, and that shines even more brightly when we shoulder up next to our Sister Publications on Medium.

I want to thank P.G. Barnett for shouting out Gillian for having our back. She’s made it clear that the offer stands at any time. And I believe we have hers, too, should she and Fearless find themselves needing to make a case.

My heartfelt thanks to Gillian and Jessica and Maggie over at the peerless Fearless, and we look forward to future connections, collaborations, and cross-pollinations wherever possible.