avatarBurk

Summary

The article critiques Medium's current state, contrasting it with Substack's rising popularity among writers.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses a critical view of Medium's platform, suggesting that it is failing and has been surpassed by Substack. The piece satirically declares Medium "dead" and questions the value of community-driven platforms that pay writers without relying on advertising revenue. It lists several reasons for Medium's perceived downfall, including an overabundance of listicles, a disfavored algorithm, and the rise of alternative platforms like Substack, which offers a more straightforward business model and additional features like podcasts and potential video content. The author also touches on the migration of prominent writers to Substack and the challenges Medium faces in retaining its user base and relevance in the face of competition.

Opinions

  • Medium is criticized for being outdated and less favorable compared to Substack.
  • The author ridicules the idea of community-driven platforms that compensate writers without ads.
  • Listicles are seen as a negative aspect of Medium's content strategy.
  • The article suggests that Medium's algorithm is ineffective and unpopular among writers.
  • Substack is portrayed as a superior platform due to its direct writer-to-reader model and lack of an algorithm.
  • The author implies that Medium's efforts to innovate, such as adding email lists, are too little, too late.
  • There is skepticism about Medium's ability to compete with Substack's expansion into podcasts and potential video content.
  • The departure of influential writers to Substack is seen as a significant blow to Medium.
  • The author uses sarcasm to convey their points, indicating a strong personal opinion on the matter.
  • Despite the overall negative tone towards Medium, the author acknowledges a fondness for the platform and expresses uncertainty about the future of online writing and content consumption.

Medium Dug Its Own Grave And Substack Is Dancing On It

Alternative headline: Medium is dead (and we all know it), inspired by Jared A. Brock

Death photo created by mdjaff — www.freepik.com

It’s not 2019 anymore. The sweet teens are over. Medium is dead.

Who needs social blogging anyway?

We’re not social. We are writers. We prefer a big black box of solitude where nobody will ever find us. You know, like WordPress blogging. The good old days.

Medium

This community-driven platform was always meant to fail.

I mean, paying writers without selling their soul to and through ads.

Ridiculous.

Who needs that? Not me. Not you. Certainly not Google.

Here’s Medium's downfall in listicle form:

  1. First of all, listicles are evil. Obviously. Medium is full of them.
  2. The algorithm hates us all. And especially writers. They’re the worst.
  3. Elon is going to buy this place next anyway. Because free speech… duh.
  4. Writing on the go?! Totally overrated. This smartphone thing is just a phase. Like feminism. Or veganism. Or abortions. I blame those damn millennials.
  5. Lastly, $5 a month to read tens of thousands of stories. You crazy?!?!?! I’d rather pay $50 a month to see nipples on OnlyFans. (Might have been male nipples. Damn scammers. Can’t trust anyone online anymore)

Let’s compare this to the clear winner and king of the future. Substack. Queen, sorry.

The deal:

I’ll send you an email, you give me $5 per month. Or $10, or $15.

Genius!!!

Problem solved. No algorithm. People just do their own recommendations. Why pay for an algorithm? Let the writers do the work. They’d do anything for money. Or for free, really.

Algorithm sounds way too complicated anyway. An email list is all you need.

But wait!

Didn’t Medium add email lists to their repertoire? Well, yes they did.

Too little, too late though. You can’t just copy stuff. That’s not how the internet works.

Anything else?

Oh yea, Substack does podcasts now too. How about that, Medium? What do you have? Oh, we can listen to stories.

Great

I heard the computer-generated voices yawn.

Substack is conquering video next. I smell YouTube killer. Any plans on that, Ev? No? Didn’t think so. Why start now, right? It’s already too late.

The biggest gurus have left the building. They write on Substack. And they’re selling LinkedIn courses now.

Can’t even make a buck with luring in new Medium writers anymore.

Uh wait, forgot about referrals. Perfect timing. Here, use mine!

But back to LinkedIn. No, Substack. Wait. What was I talking about?

Ah, right. Medium, you suck!

Substack wins. And LinkedIn. Everybody knows that. Stop pretending.

And take that offer from Elon Musk. He’ll make Medium great again. A wall might help.

Peace out ✌️

Hi, I’m Burk, a millennial, vegan meat eating feminist (but male, of course) who likes to write about self-help, politics, and life lessons. And I hate abortions, goes without saying, really.

From time to time, I lend some virgin male tears to Katie Jgln. David Perlmutter is always there to help out with those.

I write on Medium and Substack. I LOVE LinkedIn. I’m so famous, someone was pretending to be me recently.

You can find me on Tinder, OnlyFans, and Twitter, once Elon has established free speech there.

Oh, and buy my course! I almost know what I’m talking about. $$$

In case you didn’t get it, that was sarcasm. All of it. Well, most of it. I won’t tell you what wasn’t.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know how I feel about Medium. It’s my favorite place to write. I do like Substack as well. I enjoy Twitter and I’m looking into LinkedIn. Sorry, no Tinder or OnlyFans. I’m not that cool (or sexy). Also, my wife is already out of my league. Maybe I’ll try TikTok. I guess my kids will teach me soon enough. After all, TikTok is now the most searched website, beating Google search. Crazy ass world we live in. I fear for the next generation.

P.S.: If you enjoy sarcasm, you might want to follow the sarcasm queen on Medium, Katie Jgln.

P.P.S.: First, you should get my posts in your inbox. Do that here! Secondly, if you like to experience Medium yourself, consider supporting me and thousands of other writers by signing up for a membership. It only costs $5 per month, and you have the chance to make money with your writing as well. When I started, I made $3000 in 6 months. By signing up with this link, you’ll support me directly with a portion of your fee, it won’t cost you more. If you do so, thank you a million times! Lastly, I create freebies all the time. Subscribe for more.
Medium
Substack
LinkedIn
Humor
Writing
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