Do you have a writing passion but are unsure where to share your work? Or are you seeking a platform that offers high-quality content, moving beyond mere sensationalism and clickbait articles? If so, Medium may provide the space you need. This article will delve into the essence of Medium, its key features, and the reasons behind its popularity among writers and readers worldwide.
What is Medium?
Medium is an online publishing platform where anyone can write and read insightful stories and ideas. It was founded in 2012 by Evan Williams, the same person who co-founded Twitter (now known as X). It was created to give people a space to share meaningful thoughts beyond the quick posts typical of social media.
The platform features a wide range of topics, including opinion pieces, essays, tech articles, personal stories, and in-depth reports. All written by people from diverse backgrounds, including software developers, designers, CEOs, students, and even professional writers alike.
What makes Medium stand out is that it’s different from traditional blogging platforms like Blogger, where you have to manage your own blog design, layouts, and widgets. On Medium, you can skip the technical hassle. The focus is entirely on content.
Plus, you don’t have to worry about building an audience from scratch. Medium’s algorithm helps connect your writing with readers who are genuinely interested in your topics. And it’s not just a one-way street, because you can follow other writers, leave comments, and build a supportive creative community.
Top Features of Medium
Whether you’re a reader or a writer, Medium offers a ton of features to enhance your experience:
1. Publications
You can create your own “digital magazine” by curating a collection of articles based on your favorite topics.
2. Content Embeds
Make your stories more engaging by embedding videos, tweets, Instagram posts, GitHub gists, and more.
3. Tags
You can add up to three tags when publishing an article. This simple feature massively increases your article’s discoverability to readers interested in similar topics.
4. Share Drafts
Want feedback before you publish? Medium lets you share a draft link with friends, even if they don’t have a Medium account!
5. Note URLs
You can leave notes on specific parts of an article, and each note gets its own unique URL for easy sharing. It’s perfect for quoting or referencing.
6. Clap
Instead of a typical “like” button, Medium uses “claps.” Readers can give up to 50 claps to show appreciation for an article they enjoyed.
7. Bookmark
Found an interesting article, but short on time? Just bookmark it to return and read later easily.
8. Share
Medium makes it super easy to share articles across X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, or by simply copying the link to share via email or messaging apps.
9. Highlights
Both writers and readers can highlight powerful lines or paragraphs to draw attention to key points.
10. Listen Stories & Offline Reading
For premium members, Medium offers audio versions of articles so you do dont need to read it. Also, offline reading let you enjoy great content anytime, even without an internet connection.
What Makes Medium So Popular?
Today, Medium has over 100 million monthly active users. Beyond its cool features, here are some reasons for its global appeal:
- User-Friendly: With its intuitive interface, Medium makes writing and reading incredibly straightforward. Just sign up, write, and publish, it’s that simple.
- Content-First Focus: Medium keeps its layout clean and ad-free so that readers can enjoy articles without distractions.
- Smart Distribution: Medium’s algorithm recommends articles based on readers’ interests, helping writers reach more people.
- Active Community: Instead of building your own blog audience from scratch, you can tap into Medium’s massive, engaged community. Plus, you can join discussions, give feedback, and even participate in creative workshops.
- Monetization: Through the Medium Partner Program, writers can earn money based on member engagement with their articles.
- No Design Hassle: Say goodbye to complicated blog setups. With Medium, you can focus on writing and sharing your ideas.
Why Consider a Medium Membership?
Basically, you can use Medium for free! You can publish articles, read stories, and access basic features like bookmarks and highlights without paying a dime.
But for the full experience, Medium offers a membership plan that unlocks:
- Unlimited access to all premium content
- Audio versions of articles
- Offline reading via the Medium app
- Connect your Medium account to a custom domain
- The ability to create or collaborate on publications
Plus, subscribing helps support the writers you love. A portion of your membership fee is shared with the authors whose stories you read, clap for, or share the most.
Membership plans include:
- Medium Member: $5/month or $60/year
- Friend of Medium: $15/month or $150/year
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