My Experiences on Medium
My Medium Experience: From Mass Tagging to Personalized Mentions
I am going to tell you a little about my experience on Medium to help you better understand the context of who I am, my ambitions, and my purposes.
I started writing on Medium in January of this year without a clear idea of how to approach it and without a definite direction.
- I imagine that this is something normal that can happen to everyone in the beginning.
At the beginning of March, I saw several posts discussing what is called mass tagging. At that time, I did not understand the real context and why people could be upset by something like that.
Now I understand it, and I also feel that way when someone puts me down the page along with other authors.
However, there are people whom I don’t mind being mentioned alongside with other writers, even if it’s further down the page. I also tend to recognize other writers who are next to me.
And as I was writing these lines René Beauchemin - [he/him] mentioned me
We do not deserve something like that.
In fact, I wrote a post giving my reasons why Medium should give us control over the people who mention us, the times they can do it, as well as more options.
Here, I wouldn’t have minded mentioning all Medium writers, but there are millions, so it’s not an easy task (me and impossible challenges).
However, to date, it has not had more than 20 hits, and I think that anyone here on Medium would be in favor of these changes.
At least, I see that they would protect us from intentions to get hits in exchange for generating no value.
I even think that instead of scolding them, it is better to set an example and convince them that there are much better ways to do it.
It’s amazing sometimes how subtlety works.
As I was saying in the beginning of March, I saw several posts where I was mentioned, and I started to do the same.
I created the first edition of my top 5 must-reads of the day, which was very different from how it is today. I used to mention 50 to 100 people in each edition; however, as they are my followers, I always received very good responses.
Lessons Learned on Medium: Moving Beyond Mass Tagging
Until in edition 8, I mentioned people who did not know me, and one of those people wrote a post about me calling me names.
I think it was a disproportionate reaction because there are always more polite and classy ways to provide hate for free.
- I chose to approach the topic in a calm and composed manner, despite feeling a mix of emotions including sadness, anger, and helplessness. Nonetheless, I made the right decision and kept my emotions in check.
However, from this experience, I was able to create something that, for me, is unique. That is, instead of making normal mentions or mass tags, I converted these mentions into personalized text.
The magic of this is that all the text is in green, and each letter is a mention. In fact, I called this article “Article Written by More Than a Thousand of the Best Writers Here on Medium,” where I made about a thousand mentions.
- I have to admit I was well inspired.
For me, this article was not written by me alone, but by each mention that was part of the whole article, and for me, it is a priceless feeling.
Now, I would like to talk to you about why I decided to put together the top 5 must-reads of the day with articles from other editions and their respective authors
- For me, the first approach is something wonderful to think about being a link for other writers to know each other in a natural way.
I must admit that it is not easy, but that not only does not stop me but motivates me even more.
Besides putting a link to each article and naming the author continuously, I think it gives exposure in a way that could be beneficial because it increases the chances that the article will be exposed more times in the Medium feed.
- Imagine a hundred writers mentioning your article.
- Your article would get more hits and more exposure.
However, you would get a notification of 100 mentions which could be annoying. Here, it would make much more sense to have full control over who mentions us and how many times we allow them to do so.
This way, we could prevent spamming and ensure that our notifications are not flooded with unnecessary tags.
Additionally, it would give us the power to choose who we want to associate with and who we don’t.
I understand that Medium is a platform for writers to express their ideas and get exposure, but I believe that this should not come at the cost of spamming and disrespecting other writers.
We should be able to promote our work in a meaningful way, and that means having control over who can mention us and how they do it.
Moreover, having control over mentions can also help writers build a more personal and meaningful relationship with their audience.
For example, if I receive a mention from a reader who enjoyed my article and wants to share their thoughts, I would be more likely to engage with them if the mention is genuine and personalized.
In conclusion, I believe that giving writers control over mentions is an essential step towards creating a more respectful and meaningful community on Medium.
It would not only prevent spamming and ensure that notifications are not flooded but also help writers build more personal relationships with their audience.
I hope that Medium takes this issue seriously and considers implementing changes to their mention system.
Writing Together: Building a Community on Medium
However, I have met many excellent writers who have written articles mentioning me in a totally unexpected way and this is when I love to receive mentions.
Taryn Ariel BloggingMyWay Yvonne Laframboise Christopher Robin Sharon Meyers, Ed.D.
Taryn Ariel — A Reflection on the Power of Support from Fellow Writers
Sharon Meyers, Ed.D. — 350+ Followers and 15 Helpful Tips to Build an Audience Read these tips to gain followers and build your readership quickly.
Yvonne Laframboise — The wonderful feeling of being featured on Medium! Thanks to Francisco Iglesias
Dranéa wrote this comment on Yvonne Laframboise’s article about me :
Congrats on the boost and the success of your story! 🥳
Francisco writes some of the best Medium reviews!
I was casually reading one writer’s piece and I realized one of my stories was added towards the end — I was surprised and excited. That same writer shared a few stories of mine in their other stories.
Love the overall community on here. ♥️
Happy Writing!
Christopher Robin — On Complaining, Expectations, and the Energy We Put Into the World Good vibes only
Thank You
Respectful dialogue works wonders in settling misunderstandings, and thanks to the help of Gerald (The Sturg), Christopher Robin, Melissa Gray, and Susie Kearley, we were able to come to a reasonable conclusion. Kudos to you for being awesome!
BloggingMyWay — Learn how mentioning Medium works.
BloggingMyWay — How to Make Your Article Irresistible | The Power of Mentions
BloggingMyWay — From Mention to Attention: A Recipe for Writing Success
How every experience on Medium has helped shape me
Have you ever felt like giving up on something that you were passionate about?
Maybe you felt like you weren’t making any progress, or like your work wasn’t being appreciated. It’s a feeling that many of us have experienced, and it can be discouraging.
But here’s the thing: setbacks are not the end of the world.
In fact, they can be opportunities for growth and learning. When we face challenges, we have a chance to reflect on our work and ourselves, and to figure out how we can improve.
- This is something that I have experienced first-hand in my time on Medium.
I’ve had some amazing experiences, connecting with readers and other writers in ways that I never thought possible. But I’ve also had some tough times, where I felt like I wasn’t getting the recognition or feedback that I wanted.
- But instead of giving up, I used those experiences to push myself further.
I took a step back and thought about what I could do differently, how I could improve my writing, and how I could engage with my audience in a more meaningful way.
- And you know what? It worked.
By focusing on my own growth and development, I was able to make my writing more impactful and more meaningful to the people who read it.
So if you’re feeling discouraged or stuck, remember this: setbacks are not the end.
They are opportunities for growth and learning.
Embrace them, reflect on them, and use them to push yourself forward. You never know what amazing things you might be able to accomplish if you just keep pushing yourself to be better, or just am I wrong?
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- Your kindness will help me keep up the good work and bring you more valuable insights and inspirations.
- As a special thank you for your generous support, you will be featured in our Monthly Special Edition alongside the Top Best 3 contributions from each writer who has tipped.
Top Supporters Of the Month Edition 1
Top Supporters Of the Month Edition 2
I truly appreciate your contribution and can’t wait to showcase your amazing work to our readers.
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