Is Medium in danger of turning into another Wordpress?

There are a few worrying signs and it would be a mistake for Medium to ignore them.

Robert Turner
Nov 5 · 4 min read
Image courtesy of Unsplash

I started blogging on Wordpress about four years ago. Two years after I’d launched my blog, I had a brief flirtation with Medium. I think what drove me back to Wordpress after a few days was the UI on Medium.

For non-techies, that’s the User Interface. I just found it awkward to use and it lacked much of the functionality offered by Wordpress. A little background to clarify.

I’ve been travelling through Asia for close on three years now and my only writing tool is my iPhone. I don’t have the luxury of my Mac, it’s just too cumbersome and power hungry, so it stayed home.

As a consequence, all my writing was and still is via a platforms App. Mediums sucked big time. I went back to Wordpress, despite my concerns over the deterioration in content on the platform.

Last month, finally unable to bring myself to open the Wordpress Reader for fear of bursting a blood vessel, I decided it was time to move. Wordpress had been hijacked.

That’s a screenshot from a feed on Wordpress. Dr. Roy clearly missed the Rules of Grammar lecture. It’s his twentieth post in as many minutes and this is the most sensible one. I’ve spared you the others.

So how does all this relate to Medium. To bring the two together, let me briefly describe my experience here in the last few weeks.

I still find the App sucky. Some very simple things could be done to dramatically improve it. The biggest drawback is not being able to submit drafts to publications directly from within the App.

I have to scale mountains and swim rivers now just to find an Internet cafe with a desktop computer. Come on Medium. If I fall from a cliff or drown, expect a call from my lawyers.

I’ve now written a few posts on Medium, acquired a follower or two, applauded a few great pieces I’ve happened across and generally worked out where everything goes or rather, shouldn’t go.

I’ve also noticed a few things that have struck me as odd. Quality content is obviously key to Medium’s continued success. A Paywall is only viable if people are sufficiently tempted by the taster articles on offer.

A few very influential writers use Medium which lends it a certain gravitas and I would expect to see these writers given prominence. Instead I’ve been inundated with rubbish.

Rubbish is perhaps a little harsh, but my idea of literary talent that I’d be tempted to pay for does not include lists (I refuse to use the word listicle) on every topic known to man. It does not include regurgitated self aggrandising self help articles and endless posts on how to game the Medium platform.

By the way, as an aside the word listicle was derived from the combination of two words, list and testicle. Listicle, or as I like to call it, bollocks. Bet you didn’t know that.

I have zero interest in 30 day challenges or the more insane 365 day version. I don’t need endless prompts to write and when I am not writing, I love to read. Meaningful, creative and intelligent pieces from talented writers.

What I see in my Medium feed is worryingly reminiscent of the feeds from Wordpress two years ago. The slide is gradual, slowly gaining momentum and unless addressed early, becomes unstoppable.

All this noise distorts what the platform stands for. It threatens the Paywall business model and dilutes the income of talented writers trying to earn a living on Medium.

Writers either have to compromise their standards and produce this mainstream fodder or run the risk of being marginalised and demonetised. Hardly, I would suggest conducive to a creative environment.

I think Medium is better than this and I am certain your original objective was quality rather than quantity. Your homepage should showcase all the best of what Medium has to offer and it has plenty.

Just keep an eye on the noise and for heavens sake stop suggesting I need self help every time I open the app. People will start to talk.

Thanks for an interesting few weeks Medium. I like the neighbourhood and I’ve decided to move in.

Robert Turner

Written by

Opinionated humour to lighten the load. Accepting the inevitability of our regression and now actively seeking my tribe. Hope you’ll be there.

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