Medium, happy Valentine’s but…

Dear Medium,

I loved you when I first met you. You made me a better person. Thanks to you, I am writing again. You helped me reach audiences in a way I never thought was possible. I love your simplicity, and lack of drama. It makes me want to write every day. I love some of your words. They inspire me to live better.

But things have gotten rough lately. I feel less excited to hang out and read together. I wonder if you are in it for the long term. You don’t seem to care as much about how I feel. Or even ask me about my feelings? am I just another one of your conquests and you are ready to move on?

Sometimes, I think of leaving you too. But I don’t want to. Because I believe things can get better. If we talked about them.

Here are 6 suggestions to make me stay, make us work:

1

Monetize my content:

as an independent writer, I wonder why not make money through the platform? What if Medium is the YouTube for writers? One idea is to have a donation button at the end of the post. The days of writers earning nothing, and not be valued should end. And medium can bring sexy back to written content.

Another idea is to connect content creators with brands to co create.

Bottom line is if I don’t monetize I am not sticking, and will move back to my ex (my blog).

2

Unmerging articles from comments:

I hate how comments show up in the same place as my articles on my page. I put so much time and effort in my articles, and I want to be responsive to the commentators, but 10 “thank you” comments take center stage and it becomes impossible to see all the content I wrote on my page. Separate comments from actual articles / stories.

3

Bring the community together in person:

Or let’s get poly ;)

I want to be a better writer. And you medium have the ability to bring us together, to learn from each other. To offer us workshops. There is nothing more sticky then an in person community. When I was at Airbnb, I was responsible for the Airbnb host conference. It was one of the best initiatives we have done for our community. Now it’s an annual event that keeps growing and growing. A Medium writers’ conference? Would love to help with that.

4

Expand your reach:

I have yet to tell a non Silicon Valley engineer / PM about medium and they know what it is. No one knows about Medium. And the market for writers and those seeking good content is HUGE. Especially with older crowds. Which means less tech content, because truthfully, humans want more than lists and startup stories. And shit this is a list I am writing but you get the point.

5

Curate content:

or improve your algorithm. No need to say more, but more curation is needed to not turn this into Quora. Also Hillary Clinton posting on Medium does not mean good content. I don’t need to read PR fabricated content for celebrities, I want real I want truth. I want to read content that pushes status quo. Even break it. Content can start revolutions!

6

More social norms:

One of my favorite reasons why I like to write on Medium, is that the community is respectful. I would ensure that the product is designed around some Medium social norms that everyone respects. Or a manifesto. Code of Mediuming.

Happy Valentine’s day Medium. I know we can do this.

Love,

Jessica