Should You Use Medium?

It is Thanksgiving afternoon and I am stealing a few minutes to do some writing and to flip through some of the online ads about Black Friday.

Even though you won’t see me fighting the hordes of shoppers on a day devoted to commercial consumption you will find me running a quick search to see if there are good deals on things I want/need.

Bright and shiny toys and gadgets warm a boy’s heart but they can also take up valuable real estate in closet, garage and home so I try to be careful about what I do or do not buy.

But today instead of buying something new I took a moment to grab something I have owned for a while but haven’t used much.

My Medium account.

Yeah, I am on another platform and yeah, it might be one too many.

Should You Use Medium?

I haven’t decided yet if it is going to be a standard part of my writing/social media routine yet.

My time is divided between too many projects already so if I do choose to take it on I’ll have to let go of something else.

If you ask me if you should use Medium and I’ll say maybe.

Ask me why I joined and I’ll tell you the gadget guy likes trying things out and I’ll mention something about how I like what they said on their About page:

Medium is a different kind of place to read and write on the internet. A place where the measure of success isn’t views, but viewpoints. Where the quality of the idea matters, not the author’s qualifications. A place where conversation pushes ideas forward and words still matter.

I like their writing editor and the idea that words have meaning, that community is important and the push for discourse.

That is a big part of what I want to have happen here and why I agree with Danny about the importance of blog comments.

The only real question I have is whether it is going to add to or subtract from what I am working on here.

I am not going to give this place up because I don’t want to become a digital sharecropper. I like owning my name on the web and having a digital hub that I have some control over.

This probably didn’t provide you with any specific reasons why you should or shouldn’t use Medium, but it should give you some insight as to why I am.

And sometimes my friends that is all you get from an online review, a brief snippet of opinion and nothing more which is why I tell my children you need to take some time to try to figure out what questions you have to have answers to so that you can make an educated decision.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it.

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By Joshua Wilner

Hi, I am Josh Wilner and I am happy that you have decided to visit my corner of cyberspace. I am a writer/marketer/friend and family man. My professional background includes more than twenty years in working with businesses to help them do a better job of connecting with their existing and prospective customers. More specifically I have worked with companies of all sizes from the Fortune 500 to the new start up to help them build, develop and grow their social media and marketing plans. I love spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy music, reading, writing, playing sports and laughing.

4 comments

  1. I haven’t tried Medium out yet Josh. It’s something on my long list of things to try. Maybe one day…

    I like owning my name on the web too. I wish I could pick up the domain without a hyphen but it seems I’d have to pay almost $900 for the privilege!

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Joshua Wilner says:

      Hey Tim,

      I think I got lucky with the name and not having a hyphen.

      You’ll like Medium and how easy it is to use. The big question is whether you find it adds to your online experience or leaves you feeling over extended.

      Reply

  2. Hi mate,

    I have a Medium account, had it for about three years or so, I think. I’ve posted now and again on it, and I first started using it mainly for the reasons you mention (awesome editor, focus on content, inline comments).

    I’ve primarily used it as a testing ground for older posts to test traction, as well as design features and tricks I want to use on my own blog (hence my move to the kind of design I use on my blog).

    Still undecided about it, though I think it’ll be a place for secondary content, where I might want to test an idea and then move to my main blog.
    We’ll see.

    I have to say, though, their mobile app is outstanding. I published a post via the app last night, and the writing and design UI is perfect. The desktop/web version of WordPress could learn a thing or two from it.

    Happy Thanksgiving, mate!

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Joshua Wilner says:

      Hey Danny,

      I haven’t tried the mobile app yet, but I have heard from a couple of other people too that it is pretty good. I figured I would use it as a tool for testing too and see if it served as a good way to drive additional traffic.

      That editor is nice, simple and clean. I like that. Thank you for the Thanksgiving wishes, I am enjoying the break.

      Hope you are having a great day.

      Reply

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