A Brief History of Medium
Well, maybe not brief…
“In the beginning Ev created the platform and the publisher.
And the page was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Ev moved upon the face of the waters.
And Ev said, Let there be whitespace: and there was whitespace.”
Blogging Guide 1:1
In all seriousness, many of the current writers on Medium don’t understand the platform’s origin and evolution.
While it is possible that a new user could post their first article, strike gold and go viral, this is the exception, not the rule.
If you want to succeed on any digital publishing platform, it is essential that you understand how the platform evolved over time, what triggered these changes, and why certain changes affected writers differently.
Medium has a long and confusing history. While not every minute detail from the past 8 years is needed to succeed as a writer, understanding Medium’s evolution allows writers to better anticipate future platform changes, and adjust their content accordingly.