Medium Is Not Facebook
Medium Is Not Facebook
Writing is difficult enough.
Writing is difficult enough.
I’m not sure if anyone else is encountering an influx of new followers. On the one hand, cool. Great. On the other, if your name looks like an eye chart and you only have 3 followers, odds are strong I’m not going to return the favor. Not out of malice mind you, it just appears suspect.
At the same time, if your name just appears to be a string of consonants, again, thanks for the follow, but I won’t follow back…again not out of malice.
That’s not to say some of these names aren’t legitimate, they may be. But I don’t have the time, or desire, to do a background check to figure it out.
Also, if you haven’t posted since 2016, consider a post about why you haven’t posted since 2016 and I may follow you back. However, it’s cool if you just want to poke around and read stuff, no one says you have to write. If that’s the case, drop a note.
While we’re at it. . . comments are great, thank you. But don’t be a dick about it. Save the snark or venom for Reddit (not that you’ll see my writing there). Or flex those muscles on Facebook (where you may see my writing). Try to consider Medium as a constructive environment.
If you’ve ever had a writing (or any creative) workshop, think of it like that. You can be critical, of course, but you can also be constructive. It’s perfectly normal to not like something. But if you’re going to comment define why you don’t. Simply saying “You’re wrong” or “This sucks.” isn’t constructive…it’s you being a dick.
It’s not that I, or others, can’t handle it — if you’re creative, the first thing you get used to is rejection and negativity. It’s just Medium isn’t, or shouldn’t be, the forum for that sort of shit.
Medium appears to be growing and that’s great for them and for the writers. BUT with that comes some unwelcome malarky like trolls and weirdos.
That’s the beauty and the curse of the internet.
Now, perhaps this is coming across as pissy. I don’t mean it to. I’m just afraid that Medium is becoming less of healthy/creative writing and sharing ecosystem and turning into a place for holier than thou know-it-alls and trolls. It’s a challenge to write and express yourself effectively...and then it’s a challenge to get your writing curated to be seen and read…and trying to get into a Medium publication can prove Sisyphean.
It’s really up to us as writers, and editors of lesser publications, to support one another.
The trolls and jack-asses can bugger off.
Facebook is a fine platform for those that enjoy it. I don’t. I use it, sure. You have to, but I am not an active participant outside of the Medium pages I follow. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram give me anxiety. I use them all, but sparingly. And on each of those platforms, you run a real risk of being harassed by some half-wit. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Let’s do what we can to keep them there and away from Medium.
To be fair, I’ve not had that many bad interactions on Medium. Honestly, maybe four…and they weren’t that bad at all.
As Medium seems to be growing, I think it’s imperative to keep the half-wits at bay…as best we can. And the best way I can think of, for me, is to be more selective in who I follow and who I choose to interact with on Medium.
Advanced apologies if that rubs people the wrong way. I appreciate the follows and I appreciate the comments and the feedback…but this isn’t Facebook or Twitter, so you’re not always going to get a follow in return or a response.