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Abstract

://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*ybXL8TT665WCZQXMrr8iuQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="1450">Reflection: This was my first article, which some of the dodgy formatting makes obvious (it was written on an old phone). The writing came from the heart but it was also well sourced, so perhaps these help toward curation.</p><h2 id="bf75">Merthyr’s March for Independence</h2><p id="b6a6">Topic(s): World Publication: None Date published: Sep 15, 2019 Read Time: 7 minutes</p><div id="a84e" class="link-block"> <a href="https://boxcymru.medium.com/merthyrs-march-for-independence-906c653d718b"> <div> <div> <h2>Merthyr’s March for Independence</h2> <div><h3>An account of an afternoon in the ‘crucible of protest’</h3></div> <div><p>boxcymru.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*p5t8IgN4VPwF4bfZeYQlWw.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="9531">Reflection: On the same subject, but this time with a more personal recollection of a particular event. I guessed at this point that maybe the topic <i>World </i>is a Medium synonym for <i>not America</i>!</p><h2 id="7f05">If You Tolerate This</h2><p id="bf3a">Topic(s): Music Publication: None Date published: Nov 14, 2019 Read Time: 4 minutes</p><div id="8879" class="link-block"> <a href="https://boxcymru.medium.com/if-you-tolerate-this-1bab1da60d8c"> <div> <div> <h2>If You Tolerate This</h2> <div><h3>A look at the classic anti-fascist anthem by Manic Street Preachers, and its continued relevance</h3></div> <div><p>boxcymru.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*UFCcw3ss0oDtY8ry8-djAA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="4f1a">Reflection: On a different topic, but broader than a just music review and again, from the heart with plenty of research. This has been my best performing article in terms of views, with 1.6k views so far. However, this seems to be because it ranks highly in Google searches for some reason, so it hasn’t translated to member reading time/earnings.</p><h2 id="f945">The Challenges of Learning a Language</h2><p id="b8c4">Topic(s): Language, Education Publication: Swap Language Date published: Sep 18, 2019 Read Time: 7 minutes</p><div id="9498" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-challenges-of-learning-a-language-fd2a9498e26c"> <div> <div> <h2>The Challenges of Learning a Language</h2> <div><h3>How I finally got over the obstacles to learning my own tongue</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readme

Options

dium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*Td4_kSmMALw5P3Jl)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="50e0">Reflection: Again, a personal story with research. This is the first time a story of mine has been in a publication, however it was curated beforehand. I published the story first, and Swap Language approached me. Unfortunately, the publication doesn’t seem very active, despite containing a lot of high quality stories.</p><h2 id="afc6">How to Raise a Child with Empathy</h2><p id="7b73">Topic(s): Parenting Publication: None Date published: Nov 25, 2019 Read Time: 7 minutes</p><div id="a8f1" class="link-block"> <a href="https://boxcymru.medium.com/how-to-raise-a-child-with-empathy-60df3526dc64"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Raise a Child with Empathy</h2> <div><h3>A difficult lesson all children should learn</h3></div> <div><p>boxcymru.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*KhlXl00yDQtnjUK-MXB9yA.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="b8b0">Reflection: This was the first time I wrote about my children on here, but it seems like the curators like a personal touch. I tried to make it ‘more’ than just a story though, with a number of tangents I found interesting, so maybe that helped too.</p><h2 id="ee4a">What Next for The UK?</h2><p id="766c">Topic(s): Politics, World Publication: None Date published: Dec 17, 2019 Read Time: 7 minutes</p><div id="410e" class="link-block"> <a href="https://boxcymru.medium.com/what-next-for-the-uk-103c5c0fc9da"> <div> <div> <h2>What Next for the UK?</h2> <div><h3>A right-wing future looms large — but there is hope</h3></div> <div><p>boxcymru.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*A9O7xtE_AZrgvpQL)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="8a17">Reflection: After a general election I wrote about politics again. This one was in the aftermath of a General Election in the UK, but I tried to include personal stories in the analysis as well as some sort of hopeful take-away.</p><h2 id="a499">Conclusion</h2><p id="4c06">The curators seem to prefer my writing when it’s personal, well-researched and not rushed. Most of these articles were planned through days or even weeks of day dreaming before I even began writing. That doesn’t help with the article I’m about to start after this one and hope to complete today, but it’s worth bearing in mind.</p><p id="80d5">One last point that’s contrary to what others seem to have found, but not getting into a big publication doesn’t seem to harm your changes of being curated — at least it didn’t when I joined. When I get a chance to look over the rest of my stats, it will be interesting to see whether that trend still holds.</p></article></body>

My First Year On Medium

Exploring a surprisingly high curation rate

Photo by J. Kelly Brito on Unsplash

When I joined Medium in early 2019, it’s safe to say I didn’t really know much about the platform. I had ideas I wanted to share that were simply too long for conventional social media, and thought that this was essentially all Medium was good for.

It wasn’t long before I learned about the Partner Program, so I joined that too. Imagine my delight when I received an email telling me that my first article, because of its quality, had be curated! Surely it was time to pack in my job — I was going viral!

It didn’t quite work out like that, of course. But I was really happy to see that over 200 people had read my work, especially as I didn’t have a single follower at the time. (I also made $2.50, which isn’t to be knocked).

As the months went by, I got more emails and finished the year with an 85% curation rate. That sounds impressive until I point out I only published 13 stories.

I think one of the reasons for the high percentage of curations is the amount of time and effort I put into each article — too much, if I’m honest. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my first ‘failure’ came when I increased my output from one to five articles in a month — perhaps they weren’t quite as polished.

Clearly, not getting curated isn’t really a failure; the quality of our writing is subjective. In fact, some of what I consider to be my best work has since been overlooked. But if putting in a little effort to figure out what makes the curators tick can help get more eyes on our work, I reckon it’s worth a go.

I’ve come to realise that Medium can offer writers a whole lot more than what I had originally thought, providing we put in the hours. But that requires a big change in approach from me. The general advice seems to be to write more often, and so more quickly, so it will be interesting to see how that affects curation!

Anyway, here’s a selection of my articles that were curated in 2019:

Why Independence?

Topic(s): Politics, World Publication: None Date published: May 5, 2019 Read Time: 6 minutes

Reflection: This was my first article, which some of the dodgy formatting makes obvious (it was written on an old phone). The writing came from the heart but it was also well sourced, so perhaps these help toward curation.

Merthyr’s March for Independence

Topic(s): World Publication: None Date published: Sep 15, 2019 Read Time: 7 minutes

Reflection: On the same subject, but this time with a more personal recollection of a particular event. I guessed at this point that maybe the topic World is a Medium synonym for not America!

If You Tolerate This

Topic(s): Music Publication: None Date published: Nov 14, 2019 Read Time: 4 minutes

Reflection: On a different topic, but broader than a just music review and again, from the heart with plenty of research. This has been my best performing article in terms of views, with 1.6k views so far. However, this seems to be because it ranks highly in Google searches for some reason, so it hasn’t translated to member reading time/earnings.

The Challenges of Learning a Language

Topic(s): Language, Education Publication: Swap Language Date published: Sep 18, 2019 Read Time: 7 minutes

Reflection: Again, a personal story with research. This is the first time a story of mine has been in a publication, however it was curated beforehand. I published the story first, and Swap Language approached me. Unfortunately, the publication doesn’t seem very active, despite containing a lot of high quality stories.

How to Raise a Child with Empathy

Topic(s): Parenting Publication: None Date published: Nov 25, 2019 Read Time: 7 minutes

Reflection: This was the first time I wrote about my children on here, but it seems like the curators like a personal touch. I tried to make it ‘more’ than just a story though, with a number of tangents I found interesting, so maybe that helped too.

What Next for The UK?

Topic(s): Politics, World Publication: None Date published: Dec 17, 2019 Read Time: 7 minutes

Reflection: After a general election I wrote about politics again. This one was in the aftermath of a General Election in the UK, but I tried to include personal stories in the analysis as well as some sort of hopeful take-away.

Conclusion

The curators seem to prefer my writing when it’s personal, well-researched and not rushed. Most of these articles were planned through days or even weeks of day dreaming before I even began writing. That doesn’t help with the article I’m about to start after this one and hope to complete today, but it’s worth bearing in mind.

One last point that’s contrary to what others seem to have found, but not getting into a big publication doesn’t seem to harm your changes of being curated — at least it didn’t when I joined. When I get a chance to look over the rest of my stats, it will be interesting to see whether that trend still holds.

Curation
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Writing
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