So I’ve decided to start cross-posting everything I put up on wizardofmonadnock.com on Medium.
(Perhaps it could be argued that the REAL news here is that I’m going to be making posts on a regular basis, AT ALL, anywhere, but that’s another discussion for another day.)
Anyway, why would I put myself through this? Why add another platform to the mix? Isn’t it hard enough to try and manage Facebook, Instagram, the Website, the Patreon, the YouTube and Soundcloud accounts, and whatever else I’m forgetting? Am I just torturing myself?
Here are a few plausible reasons why I may have chosen to go down this questionable path:
- I enjoy torturing myself
- This is the time of year when I usually completely redesign the website, but I’m lazy and cross-posting to Medium is a much easier idea
- I want to be one of the cool kids
- Visiting that platform reminds me of the days when my shirt size was still a medium instead of a large
What do you guys think? Any or all of these could be true. Actually, all of them are at least partially true, without offering any real insight as to my true, full intention here.
The fact is, not only do I plan to begin posting several times per week for the first time since 2014, but I want people to actually see what I write. I want more people to see what I write. Now, I’m not trying to be unrealistic about this; there’s absolutely no guarantee that I won’t get drowned out by (what seems like) the million other voices on here. But people actually do come to Medium and just scroll what’s on here. That’s theoretically a possibility on WordPress as well, I’m just not convinced that anyone actually does that. Medium sends personalized daily digests to people’s emails each morning, and paid members have a dashboard that they can customize according to their tastes and interests.
Maybe with some good old fashioned Horatio Alger gumption and hard work, I can find my way into some of those daily digests and dashboards and feeds. It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?
The big reason I’m saying all of this is that I have become, seemingly against my will and without even realizing it, a habitual reader of Medium. There’s legitimately some really good shit on here. I’m mostly talking about all the independent writers, but you also know there’s something really going on when establishment publications like the NYT and New Yorker (and many others) are also cross-posting on Medium. I’ve come to really look forward to my daily digest email each morning, and often start my day with two or three articles that pop out at me.
Christ, I’ve only been doing this a couple months and they already suckered me into paying the $5 to get all the paywalled content. The only other things I pay to read are The Economist and my local newspaper, so that should tell you something. On Medium, I’m in good company.
Not gonna lie – the simple user interface design is a draw as well. Medium looks good. And I like to look good.
I’ll leave it there for now. For all five of you reading this on Medium, clap your hands and get ready to go on a wild ride together.
Christopher J. DiLoreto 