Why Don’t We Link Ourselves in Comments?

Summary

The author discusses the uncommon practice of linking one's own articles in comments on Medium, questioning whether it's frowned upon or against the platform's rules, while also considering the potential benefits and drawbacks of this practice.

Abstract

The article titled "Why Don’t We Link Ourselves in Comments?" delves into the rarity of self-promotion through linking personal articles in comments on the Medium platform. The author admits to having mixed feelings about the practice, having linked their own articles in the past but later removing them due to feeling self-conscious and paranoid about potential repercussions. The piece explores the idea that while everyone on Medium is aware of the self-promotional nature of the platform, there seems to be an unspoken rule against overt self-promotion in comments, likened to defending one's "corner" in a metaphorical red-light district. The author ponders whether this behavior is detrimental to SEO or violates Medium's Terms of Service (TOS), and expresses a desire to understand the definitive rules to avoid jeopardizing their income potential from writing. The article concludes with a call to action for readers to subscribe and support the author, including the option to leave a tip.

Opinions

The author feels that linking one's own articles in comments is an "awesome, extremely easy thing" to do but also notes that it feels "WeIrD" and has removed such links due to paranoia.
There is a concern that self-promotion in comments might be seen as encroaching on others' spaces, akin to soliciting in someone else's "corner."
The author expresses a fear of being penalized by Medium's curation system, referred to as "A P

Would seem to be a good idea…

So why don’t I ever see people doing it? When you make a comment and have a relevant article, you link your article into the comment.

I’ve done this a few times, and maybe about half those times I’ve gone back and pulled the link off because it feels WeIrD. My paranoia kicks in and I’m like “Wtf? Why doesn’t EVERYBODY do this awesome, extremely easy thing?” I’m scared the hammer of Medium will come down on me.

Is it too much article prostitution? Like, we all know we’re whores here, but this is MY corner, and don’t you dare trick out on my corner?

I feel you! I ain’t tryna get cut by “A Pimp Called Curation Content”, so I say I will behave myself in the meantime.

But I make a lot of comments, and this could be MONEY for me, so I just want to know for sure.

Is it bad for SEO or something? Let me know if I missed something in the TOS.

Because a b***ch gotta eat, that’s all I’m saying.

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