In Search of Medium’s ‘Je Ne Sais Quoi’

Only “Once in a Lifetime”? How did I get here?

A wise friend of mine once quipped that the point of social media is to prove your cleverness to your friends and other people you don’t know. The same is true for Medium.

Conquering the art and science of this platform comes down to finding as the French say that “je ne sais quoi,” meaning an appeal that cannot be adequately described or expressed. (By the way, when David Byrne sang in the menacing-sounding “Psycho Killer” “qu’est-ce que c’est” all that it meant was the harmless “What’s this? What’s it?”)

I just surpassed 500 followers, collecting more than 150 “fans” in the past six weeks.

It seems that the hard work paid off, as I picked up the pace of publishing articles on Medium after my semester wrapped in mid-December. Since New Year’s Eve, three stories were boosted in three different Medium publications (Prism & Pen; Fourth Wave; and The Riff), a terrific way to close 2003 and kickstart 2024. Yesterday I learned $286.38 was sent to my Stripe account.

Even though college is back in session, the muse struck again. Over the last two weeks, I published three stories in 10 days.

The best thing about getting boosted is that it presents your older pieces to interested readers who previously were unaware of your existence. They usually turn out to be the best kind of follower.

Seeing my Bowie piece hit overnight $100 in earnings blew my mind, exceeding not even half of the collective earnings of my 22 other pieces since last May. Previously, my most lucrative article wouldn’t even pay for a cheeseburger deluxe in any Manhattan diner.

Three weeks later, my reflection of a 1966 encounter with a slightly younger African-American boy who lived down the street blew past Ziggy Stardust and is still generating earnings.

The third boosted piece dealing with Conde Nast’s mishandling of Pitchfork appears to be a slow burner, achieving a third of the Thin White Duke, but steadily grows a bit every day. Patience is a virtue in Medium-land.

This must be the place

Since November, editors also nominated two other of my stories for boost, but were rejected by the Medium powers-that-be. I was a little disappointed when both editors broke the news. But as baseball fans know 3 hits in 5 at-bats is a damn pretty good batting average, and I must trust my managers.

Other pieces like “The Sex Books My Mom Left Behind” I thought was a sure winner based on the title alone, although the editor didn’t think it would past boost muster. I’ve learned not to take such decisions personally. After all, some of the stories that make me the proudest performed miserably.

The best thing about getting boosted is that it presents your older pieces to interested readers who previously were unaware of your existence. They usually turn out to be the best kind of follower. My musings cover eclectic topics — gender, identity, family, worry about the government, life during wartime, and music — and appear to resonate with like-minded peeps.

Artists only, slippery people

Obviously escalating views and reads are nice bonuses, but the cynic/over-thinker in me questions the modus operandi of some of these new followers. At the risk of biting the hand that feeds me, I wonder if they have figured out a way to work the Medium algorithm to their financial advantage that has nothing to do with writing ability.

Any decent journalist can immediately spot AI-generated articles, and some of the people who have followed me clearly use ChatGPT for their “list” stories. That’s not the kind of prose that will prompt me to follow them back.

Others accumulate a thousand or more followers without writing at all. They automate claps to generate 50 even though you intended only one. And how do certain writers overnight manage to publish dozens of articles obviously plucked from elsewhere? I wish I had time to republish the thousands of articles I’ve published elsewhere during my 40-plus career.

On a positive note, at least a third of my followers — maybe more — are writers with whom I’ve engaged by registering comments and/or read their work over the past two years. Those are my favorite Medium members. They understand the specialness of this community. We learn from each other.

A wise friend of mine once quipped that the point of social media is to prove your cleverness to your friends and other people you don’t know. The same is true for Medium.

The dregs of our society masquerade as popular writers and leave a comment to join their writer’s group on WhatsApp or some other social media platform. It’s clearly phishing for nefarious reasons, and I’ve reported at least three individuals, who suddenly disappear and strangely only had four followers.

Others use Medium for marketing purposes, trying to sell you for example, financial services/real estate, beauty tips, etc. I’ll pass, thank you. Some write about subjects that have nothing to do with my interests. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that everyone can be curious about anything, Some just like to read not write like a lurker in an orgy. No judgment from me.

Stop making sense

I wish I can go behind the Medium curtain, and get Toto to drag out The Wizard of Oz (Tony?) and find out how the money is doled out. To wit, my latest two articles (#s as of Feb. 7): How a CBGB shirt ruined my marriage garnered 32 reads from 35 members (78% read ratio) and $3.15, while the future of U.S. government received 47 reads from 60 members and 11 non-members (59% read ratio) but only $2.37.

Oh my God, what have I done?

While I questioned the motives of people who follow me, you’re probably asking, “So what’s your deal?” Fair question.

My objective for baring my soul to strangers on Medium is accumulating enough quality material that I can piece together a memoir. After all, memories can’t wait to quote the Heads. Perhaps I’ll find an audience who might want to buy the book I read (wrote). In a few months, I’ll figure out how it all fits together. By the fall, more than half of the manuscript will be written, and I can pitch agents and/or publishers.

Only thrice in a lifetime?

To summarize, the first time I was boosted, it was a mental rush to see reads and earnings exponentially multiply in a few days. I wrote it not intending for that kind of reaction. In hindsight, I must have hit that special formula that resonated with othe Bowie fans, thanks to an intriguing headline but delivered the goods.

I thought I had a good story with what turned out to be the second boost. But it probably wouldn’t have happened without my brilliant editor (Patsy Fergusson) pushing me to improve it, especially the ending. Almost three weeks later, it’s still generating far more than Aladdin Sane. The verdict is still out on Pitchfork (#3 boost).

At the end of the day, I write for me and hopefully my Medium foray is not a road to nowhere. Sure, reader reaction is great validation. But if the big B happens yay; if not, thank you for sending me an angel.

By the way, if you haven’t already picked up on it, Talking Heads was my favorite band of the first half of the 1980s. I’m glad they made happy families to promote the re-release of the Stop Making Sense film a few months ago. I understand they turned down an obscene amount of money to do a reunion tour, so kudos to David, Chris, Tina & Jerry.