The Apostrophe and the Paperclip

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Abstract

place to pursue an online livelihood.</p><p id="454b">Some content providers extolled Medium as a bona fide breadwinner while others mocked it as a gamed scheme of cliques swarming their followers with claps and reads regardless of content quality.</p><p id="8eae">These exchanges led to some memorable blog posts. One was a hard slap at Medium members who were trying to build their following on content that was, shall we say, a little lacking. Just what was the content of the post in question?</p><figure id="21be"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*ohGUf8bTJ18JzidhO-uK_Q.png"><figcaption>courtesy <a href="https://www.cleanpng.com/">https://www.cleanpng.com/</a></figcaption></figure><p id="d3bc">Why nothing more than an apostrophe. I remember laughing my guts out at this “article” and clapped vigorously. It was very audacious but the writer had a point. Some Medium writers were putting out drivel and counting on some phantom clapping to vindicate this as the writing equivalent of a modern art splatter painting.</p><p id="4da8">I would like to see one of the greater marketing minds on Medium go to work on promoting a one character blog post like the apostrophe. Can they mobilize their following to make it go viral? Would they put up on social media? It would be the ultimate Medium case study that would be our version of the Red Paperclip trade.</p><p id="7faf">If they can turn the apostrophe into a house or a down payment for one, I will personally nominate the writer for a spot on Ted Talks. Perhaps like the modern painting with nothing but three parallel stripes, it will inspire us to great creations and take on a legend of its own.</p><h2 id="63ba">SOURCES</h2><div id="0ffa" class="link-block">

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      <a href="https://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/">
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            <h2>one red paperclip - Kyle MacDonald</h2>
            <div><h3>one red paperclip is Kyle MacDonald's website. He's the guy who traded a red paperclip for a house.</h3></div>
            <div><p>oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com</p></div>
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            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*SIzcHfYTWQ_mO3A_)"></div>
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            <h2>A Grant Funding proposal is a contract</h2>
            <div><h3>Establishing trust between two parties</h3></div>
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            <div><h3>A visitation</h3></div>
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Turning minutiae into substance

As my journey as a content (cough, cough…meaningless twaddle) creator evolves, I am reminded of some of the internet age’s most enduring success stories. Some can surely light a path to our creative and commercial evolution, if only we are willing to humble ourselves to their lessons, right?

One such legend is that of Kyle McDonald of One Red Paperclip fame. For the uninitiated, Kyle became an online sensation when he traded a red paperclip on Craigslist for a pen. Through the next fourteen trading transactions he received successively more valuable items. The last trade in the series was for a house.

Kyle has parlayed his Red Paperclip legend into a one person industry. He has appeared as a Ted Talks speaker and written a book about the Red Paperclip trades that has been translated into fourteen languages. He has had many other notable accolades and media appearances.

So what takeaways from the likes of the Red Paperclip can we apply to our own creative careers or Medium portfolios?

When I first joined Medium a year ago, I read everything from the serious to the banal. There was much discussion and exchange about where Medium sits on the literary quality spectrum and whether this was the best place to pursue an online livelihood.

Some content providers extolled Medium as a bona fide breadwinner while others mocked it as a gamed scheme of cliques swarming their followers with claps and reads regardless of content quality.

These exchanges led to some memorable blog posts. One was a hard slap at Medium members who were trying to build their following on content that was, shall we say, a little lacking. Just what was the content of the post in question?

Why nothing more than an apostrophe. I remember laughing my guts out at this “article” and clapped vigorously. It was very audacious but the writer had a point. Some Medium writers were putting out drivel and counting on some phantom clapping to vindicate this as the writing equivalent of a modern art splatter painting.

I would like to see one of the greater marketing minds on Medium go to work on promoting a one character blog post like the apostrophe. Can they mobilize their following to make it go viral? Would they put up on social media? It would be the ultimate Medium case study that would be our version of the Red Paperclip trade.

If they can turn the apostrophe into a house or a down payment for one, I will personally nominate the writer for a spot on Ted Talks. Perhaps like the modern painting with nothing but three parallel stripes, it will inspire us to great creations and take on a legend of its own.