Who’s Really Out Here Writing on Medium in 2020?

I feel like I’m ALWAYS reminiscing on Medium and what it used to be. I probably sound like a broken record, but, for many reasons, it was way better years ago.

It was before the big pubs, before curation, before the hefty Partner Program regulations —but the thing I miss the most is the communal aspect writers had with each other on Medium. I used to interact with members on a weekly basis. It was cool, like I’d see their story pop up and I’d go “Oo, I wonder what she’s gonna say this time!” Like I’d read from them before, I knew who they were, and I was happy to read from them again.

These people genuinely felt like friends, like real people I knew and liked. And it felt like we were really reaching one another. That’s back when clapping was a thing people did on here. I remember holding down the button, getting up to 27 claps and being like “You know, I think 42 is more like it. He deserves this.”

Today, I guess Medium is flourishing?

Which isn’t a bad. But that charm of exclusivity is gone. That sweet feeling of “oh this is special” has vanished. The same down-to-earth, genuine writers don’t cross my radar as much. Now it’s a bunch of business mogul journalist type-heads explaining some scientifically proven, well-researched information I don’t care about. And I’ve even divulged into that myself, which is equally — if not more — disappointing.

I guess I miss the stories, the ideas, the real emotion and heart that seemed to go into Medium.

I suppose now it’s just a different landscape. Like those same connections are available and possible, maybe it’s just more work to seek them out and establish them — my intentions are to seek them out and establish them.

I got laid off from work.

The abundance of time I’ll soon have has really got me thinking about how I could use it to remain a sane, productive member of society. Writing is definitely something that helps me and is good for me. Even if I write and throw it all in a dumpster, that’s better than not writing anything at all. Right?

So, my intentions are to write. Not shocking and not new. But I also want to connect. There’s this deep desire inside of me to connect and be enveloped in what other people are thinking, sharing, and going through in their lives. It’s so cool.

So yeah, I’m gonna do this and take it semi-serious for the month of May. I really like this style better than the polished, finalized product type writing that’s become the norm on Medium. Hopefully this resonates and I can encourage you to do the same if you’re reading.

If you publish frequently on Medium, drop a comment and I’ll be sure to keep your writing on tab for the next few weeks.