Improving Content
Ok, so far I have only used Medium to publish finished pieces. By that, I mean poems, prose or verse, that I had written before I even knew about Medium. It just seemed the perfect platform for it. But for some time now I have been toying with the idea about writing IN Medium, to make some kind of stream-of-consciousness piece about what I can use this platform for.
What can I write, IN Medium and specifically FOR Medium?
Since I am not in “tech” (whatever that means), I do not want to make some superficial listicle (again, whatever that is) or some guide helping you to start self-helping yourself into being more creative/productive/active/innovative/inventive or selective with your life or your time or the people you surround you with, and I also do not want to beat my own drum about some personal story which I think has relevance for everybody, I start to wonder what is left. Because I feel that pieces like the ones I mentioned are dominating right now, in a lowest-common-denominator kind of way. I guess they just prompt the most idle “I-guess-I-can-recommend-that”-recommends.
I almost can’t believe some of the stuff I read here on Medium. It seems like many posts are mostly for the writers own sake, disguised as a list or self-help advice. Now, this is just a personal theory, but I believe that people who write self-help-y, advice-filled-life-hack lists and “inspirational” (you all know exactly what I mean here) pieces… They are often writing for themselves. Why else would you publish it? If it helps me, it might help others; this seems to be the logic behind these posts. But just because it helps YOU does not mean it helps ME. Just to be clear, there is lots of wisdom and help to be found in the way others handle their problems. But IF I should ever become a serious reader of this kind of writing, I would rather read a personal story about how someone improved their life/productivity/creativity/innovativity(?), instead of a list of advice. Because no way I am gonna believe, when I see a title like “33 Life-hacks that will change your life”, that there will be a detailed story or discussion of each piece of advice. Why not start with “3 ways to happiness”, or something like that? Still sounds terribly simple and self-directed, and not very reader-oriented, but still… I am more inclined to think that it’s a serious piece, just from the number in the title.
But in the end I would love to see less self-help/whatever-articles, and more actual writing. I want to stress the point that I made, that these kind of articles come across as loosely disguised SELF-help, for the writer. NOT for the reader. Publishing it may just be some way of trying to hammer it home for yourself. Hell, maybe even just writing it may be about convincing one self about the content of these articles.
I don’t know, but MY advice to these “writers”…:
Think twice about what you are doing and writing, think twice about who its directed at, and think twice before hitting “Publish”.
Because it may end up coming across as pathetic, shallow or simply stupid.
My intentions are not to discourage, but hopefully just do my part in improving content here on Medium. Take it as friendly advice.
And now I should stop because this is now dangerously close to stinking like a guide to self-help.
:)
