Thank you for sharing your valuable thoughts and experiences, Deirdre. I am glad you took personal responsibility and joined Substack, which is an innovative, ethical, and creator-friendly platform.
As a beginner on medium with only a few articles published, I thought I was just a terrible writer not even making it to the minimum payment threshold for withdrawal 😂
Finding out the algorithm was broken algorithm saved me from disappointment.
It is a terrible injustice on writers. On the brighter side, there seems to be a lot more opportunity and genuine connections on Substack.
I can put up with some glitch in the algorithm. These things happen.
We've been kept in the dark, lied to, hoodwinked, scammed too long. With honesty, this is now an abusive relationship. It's not just the money; it's the lack of trust.
Once Medium was a great supportive environment for readers and writers. No longer I'm sick of being recommended stories instead of my regular favourites. If I follow someone, I expect that Medium will feed me their stories, you know?
Yes, it's all completely absurd Britni. I cancelled my FOM, and got a generic "welcome" email from Tony today, thanking me for becoming a FOM. Time to give up on any hope of integrity or seamless behaviour. It's a farce! 😆
"This is Tony Stubblebine, CEO of Medium. I’m writing to thank you for becoming a Friend of Medium. I’d like to share a clearer sense of what we’re trying to do, why it matters, and how to make the most of your membership."
Yes, I got the same. WTF? How insensitive, how out of touch is that?
Yes, it is very out of touch and a form of gaslighting. Like we will doubt our own perceptions "did I really just unsubscribe from FOM a moment ago?". Or to make us feel guilty or rethink unsubscribing. It's manipulative. I don't believe it's a glitch, and if it was they've no interest in fixing it. Yes, I read Liberty's story. It drew some realistic parallels, between what Medium says and what it does. Also impression management, as they want to give a good impression about the 'healthy' state of the company. I see they have am open day soon for academics, professors etc.
Thanks for this post. I feel as disillusioned and let down as you Deirde. I had already diversified my writing to other platforms, but I stayed loyal to Medium.
For a time I sensed a community there - and I value the readers & writers I have met (honestly most of my readers are fellow writers) but things had changed irrevocably since I first joined.
Ive been an editor (still am for a smaller publication) and there s no thanks from medium. Now they are adding more pressure with how the boost is managed.
The latest fiasco has me packing my bags & setting my sights on new horizons.
You're right about everything. I've been too focused on Medium only for too long. I neglected my novels, my other writing plans. It was a wake-up call.
It really is! I've been putting substack on the long finger, as I know it can be daunting. Many are addicted to Medium. There is a lot of support for subtack and although there isn't a ready made audience, we're so much more free to create as we wish, without vanity metrics, etc. I also want to write books, etc, but can't do everything together! Lol.
I've always had the feeling on Medium it was a time sucker, and for me anyway, the cost outweighed the benefits in many ways. The hours and hours sitting writing, researching, etc, and so little return and just the whole metric thing was difficult.
Thanks for sharing what many are now feeling. For me, I will still repost articles that were first published on my now revived blog, but after they downgraded me due to a tech glitch and can't fix that was when I realized I was fighting a losing battle. The trust is gone, and it seems like the one thing they are fighting is the one thing taking them down.
Thank you for sharing your valuable thoughts and experiences, Deirdre. I am glad you took personal responsibility and joined Substack, which is an innovative, ethical, and creator-friendly platform.
Thank you Dr Mehmet. Substack is the best. There are truly genuine opportunities to grow. Thank you so much for your wonderful support.
As a beginner on medium with only a few articles published, I thought I was just a terrible writer not even making it to the minimum payment threshold for withdrawal 😂
Finding out the algorithm was broken algorithm saved me from disappointment.
It is a terrible injustice on writers. On the brighter side, there seems to be a lot more opportunity and genuine connections on Substack.
Could it have been a blessing in disguise?
Yes, maybe it was a blessing in disguise, but I agree it's just awful and unjust. There are certainly more opportunities on Substack.
I can put up with some glitch in the algorithm. These things happen.
We've been kept in the dark, lied to, hoodwinked, scammed too long. With honesty, this is now an abusive relationship. It's not just the money; it's the lack of trust.
Once Medium was a great supportive environment for readers and writers. No longer I'm sick of being recommended stories instead of my regular favourites. If I follow someone, I expect that Medium will feed me their stories, you know?
Substack gets it right.
Yes, it's all completely absurd Britni. I cancelled my FOM, and got a generic "welcome" email from Tony today, thanking me for becoming a FOM. Time to give up on any hope of integrity or seamless behaviour. It's a farce! 😆
"This is Tony Stubblebine, CEO of Medium. I’m writing to thank you for becoming a Friend of Medium. I’d like to share a clearer sense of what we’re trying to do, why it matters, and how to make the most of your membership."
Yes, I got the same. WTF? How insensitive, how out of touch is that?
Did you see this story from Liberty Forrest: https://medium.com/illumination/almost-no-money-for-us-but-theres-this-medium-job-posting-7208f3dace2c
Unbelievable.
Yes, it is very out of touch and a form of gaslighting. Like we will doubt our own perceptions "did I really just unsubscribe from FOM a moment ago?". Or to make us feel guilty or rethink unsubscribing. It's manipulative. I don't believe it's a glitch, and if it was they've no interest in fixing it. Yes, I read Liberty's story. It drew some realistic parallels, between what Medium says and what it does. Also impression management, as they want to give a good impression about the 'healthy' state of the company. I see they have am open day soon for academics, professors etc.
yes i agree - it is a form of gaslighting
I am raking this medium time as an opportunity to expand on here and get a novella on amazon - I am having fun :-D
Glad to hear May! It could be a blessing in disguise urging us to realise our true calling.
indeed!
Thanks for this post. I feel as disillusioned and let down as you Deirde. I had already diversified my writing to other platforms, but I stayed loyal to Medium.
For a time I sensed a community there - and I value the readers & writers I have met (honestly most of my readers are fellow writers) but things had changed irrevocably since I first joined.
Ive been an editor (still am for a smaller publication) and there s no thanks from medium. Now they are adding more pressure with how the boost is managed.
The latest fiasco has me packing my bags & setting my sights on new horizons.
You're right about everything. I've been too focused on Medium only for too long. I neglected my novels, my other writing plans. It was a wake-up call.
It really is! I've been putting substack on the long finger, as I know it can be daunting. Many are addicted to Medium. There is a lot of support for subtack and although there isn't a ready made audience, we're so much more free to create as we wish, without vanity metrics, etc. I also want to write books, etc, but can't do everything together! Lol.
I've always had the feeling on Medium it was a time sucker, and for me anyway, the cost outweighed the benefits in many ways. The hours and hours sitting writing, researching, etc, and so little return and just the whole metric thing was difficult.
Exactly...
True…
Thanks for sharing what many are now feeling. For me, I will still repost articles that were first published on my now revived blog, but after they downgraded me due to a tech glitch and can't fix that was when I realized I was fighting a losing battle. The trust is gone, and it seems like the one thing they are fighting is the one thing taking them down.