This week’s piece is very meta, If I do say so myself. So be warned…I am writing about a platform that you post your writing on. Is this writing-ception? Probably not, it is just an article about a great website on which you can post any sort of writing you have for the world to see!
This site is called Medium. I stumbled upon [side note: funnily enough stumble upon is not only a great saying, but it is another pretty cool website I might cover at a later date] Medium one day from one of my favorite content creators Philip Defranco! Since then, he hasn’t really used it but I thought it was a pretty interesting idea. Basically, it is a social network that facilitates your access to writing from your favorite content creators and also allows you to compile all your writing in one place. For an aspiring writer this can be a simple way to make your works look professional, even if they aren’t yet, and if they are you can send a potential employer to one place instead of 1000 different links.
For someone who is just starting to write, this site automatically gives your writing credibility just with the sleek look and formatting options. Say you were writing about your favorite presidential candidate and you were to post your link from this site on Facebook. Lets be honest most people would think, “wow, you’re writing for Medium.com”. Is this trickery fair? Sure, because you’re not purposefully misleading people. Its just bound to happen and honestly if your writing is good enough it shouldn’t matter what site posted it. It should speak for itself. It just helps to have a professional format and look.
📷SLXLM📷
You can also import work from other sites you’ve been published on with full credit to the other site. The post also retains most of its formatting when it crosses from site to site. If you are an established writer it also gives you a place to post your thoughts and writing without the red-tape of going through another outlet. You can take control of the output of your own writing. These tools for aspiring and more professional writers are huge.
Another great aspect of the service is the fact that it is its own social network. When you start the service they let you choose different categories you’re interested in. Some of these include technology, social justice, politics and many more options. Basically, anything you can think of you can follow it. Plus, you can also follow your favorite news sources and writers. Medium has Twitter integration as well, so whoever you follow on twitter you will also be able to follow.
Overall, if you’re an aspiring writer or even a more established one, Medium.com is a valuable tool to create a portfolio or even build a following behind your writing. Having to worry less about how your piece will be presented and focus more on your work makes your life as a writer a whole lot easier.