The Value Add of Medium to How-To Articles
Never underestimate the power of social proof.
Like everyone else that wants to get things done — especially in the development world — I look at two things when I’m scanning the internet for help.
- The date it was written.
- How much it was upvoted/clapped.
The reason Medium is so popular and useful for how-to guides is the social proof that’s baked into its foundation. When you like something (agree that it works) you clap.¹ Much like you would upvote something on Stack Overflow.
Then when the next article you see is highly-clapped you’ll be more likely to read it. If and when that one works, you will again clap. Wash, rinse, repeat.
In the “how-to” article market this feedback loop is a critical boon to both writer and reader. Unlike other forms of writing there is a measurable failure/success outcome. The writer knows people are going to publicly judge the outcome of their work; what they write must work. The reader can see this public judgment. In effect, the writer is forced to play to the market, write things that work or be poorly judged. If the writer is poorly judged the reader moves on.
This is counter to most other tutorial websites where there is no ability to vote or clap. And…
