Summary

Sheldon Cooper, a character from "The Big Bang Theory," is exploring the Medium blogging platform with aspirations to make money and prepare for Elon Musk's Mars colonization, but faces challenges due to his complex writing style.

Abstract

Sheldon Cooper, known for his previous endeavor "Fun with Flags," is now experimenting with the blogging platform Medium, attracted by its potential for monetization. He is motivated by the prospect of funding a trip to Mars, as he anticipates the need for substantial savings for the journey. Despite his enthusiasm, Sheldon's blog post is rejected by a Medium publication for being too dense with scientific jargon, which does not align with the platform's preference for accessible content. His friend Leonard advises him to provide value through simpler, more relatable topics, and Sheldon realizes he might need a readership as intellectually advanced as Stephen Hawking to succeed on Medium. Meanwhile, Sheldon's friend Raj achieves popularity on the platform with a trending article on dating, which frustrates Sheldon and prompts him to consider writing about unrelated topics like fitness to gain traction.

Opinions

Sheldon views Medium as a lucrative opportunity, in contrast to his experience with Google Adsense, which he feels undervalued his "Fun with Flags" content.
Sheldon is skeptical of the scientific credibility of Medium's publications, particularly after his article is rejected for being too complex.
Leonard believes that Medium's audience seeks simplicity and practical value, which Sheldon's scientifically dense writing does not provide.
Sheldon is critical of the content that gains popularity on Medium, such as Raj's article on dating, which he perceives as less substantive compared to scientific discourse.
Sheldon is concerned about the direction Medium is heading, fearing that it may become dominated by what he considers "fake gurus" and superficial content.
Despite his initial optimism, Sheldon's experience with Medium leaves him disillusioned, leading him to abandon the platform and consider reaching out to the platform's co-founder, Ev Williams, to express his concerns.

Sheldon Writes on Medium

Bazzinga!

On a bright sunny day in Pasadena.

Leonard: You seem to be in a bright mood. What you doing there?

Sheldon: (Without taking his eyes off the computer) Oh, I have been working on this blogging platform called Medium. I am exfoliating its algorithmic brain.

Leonard: Blogging? You already have more than one medium to torture people. What happened to your Fun with Flags?

Sheldon: Well, for starters, this one has a credible method to make money. Unlike Google Adsense, which couldn’t see the genius behind FWF. It’s a shame for a company that claims to be farsighted.

Leonard: The proverbial sour grape, huh?

Sheldon: Sour grape? I spent countless hours sharing treasured wisdom about colorful flags worldwide and its unique peculiarities.

Leonard: And yet didn’t cross 1000 subscribers.

Sheldon: I was short by just 648. Besides, I bought my mother a Pixel slate; I think Google owes me more.

Leonard: You didn’t meet the stipulations, Sheldon. And why would you want extra money now?

Sheldon: Don’t you know, Leonard? Elon Musk is going to colonize Mars. I now have a realistic shot at building an empire from scratch. I want a window seat on that first trip to the red planet. I can’t predict how much a ticket is going to cost.

Leonard: Hmm. That’s one adventure Mr Musk is going to regret.

Sheldon: Mock me if you want, but I need to engage every source and find steady savings per month. Based on Mr Musk’s pedigree and the technology available, I think this would take close to a decade to materialize. I am racing against time here.

Leonard: Musk said an Earth-based government would not rule Mars.

Sheldon: Which is precisely why he needs my help to build a planet of rules and orders. Trust me, he will appreciate it. Hey, look! Someone just replied to my blog post.

Leonard: What does he say?

Sheldon: “OMG, Sheldon, as if spoiling Youtube was not enough!” It’s from Raj. I can’t believe he is here too.

Leonard: Why would he be? It can’t be for money.

Sheldon: Look! There is another update in my profile. (Sheldon looks at it curiously) Damn! My piece got rejected. I had submitted it to a publication that claims to talk about ‘science.’ Guess they mean ‘moon landing hoax’ by science.

Leonard: I think they left a side note. See what it’s about.

Sheldon: It says, ‘please talk in English.’ I don’t understand. It was in English. Did I accidentally do a google translation?

Leonard:(After looking at the article) Yeah, I don’t understand either.

Sheldon: It’s baffling.

Leonard: No, I mean, I didn’t understand your post. I know why it was rejected. You poured a complicated scientific jargon soup into a platform where people seek simplicity and straightforwardness.

Sheldon: You mean I should write about why eggs float on water?

Leonard: Probably, if you don’t want rotten eggs. Listen, from whatever little I have seen; I guess this platform is about providing value to people. Be it useful information or entertainment; it has to add value to their life. Only 1 percent of people on this planet can probably understand what you have written, and I don’t think they are on Medium.

Sheldon: Maybe you are right. I need an army of Stephen Hawkings’ on Medium to earn more.

Leonard: If you want some pointers, I guess you can look at the ‘Trending on Medium’ section.

Hey! Check this one. Raj’s article is trending now.

Sheldon: What’s it about? I bet they are about the moon landing being a hoax.

Leonard: No, it says, “How to talk to girls with confidence.” OMG, it got 50k claps. What the hell!

Sheldon: Incredible! From a man who needs alcohol to even look in the eyes of a girl. I guess I am qualified to write a piece on building abs in 40 days.

Leonard: Look, he says drinking alcohol on your first date will leave a wrong impression on the girl.

Sheldon: Oh, what, treachery! I might as well start drafting an email to Ev Williams.

Leonard: why?

Sheldon: I need to let him know that fake gurus are taking over the platform. If we don’t arrest this trend here, five years down the lane, I may have to read Penny babbling about quantum mechanics.

Leonard: Guess this will be another website that will see Mr Cooper’s aggressive mail writing campaign.

Sheldon: It bothers me. And thank you.

Sheldon starts typing his long email.

He never heard from Medium.

He never wrote on Medium again.