Member-only story
New Stats Mean New Worries
Don’t let yourself fall into that anxiety trap.
From the beginning (and, by the beginning, I mean about a week and a half ago when Medium announced their changes), I’ve been excited about the potential for change — unlike most of the other poets on this platform.
On one hand, I totally understand that. People get into their rhythms, and come to learn how to use a platform one way. And then, all of a sudden, it gets shaken up. How many times have people freaked out over changes made on Facebook, Twitter, and even Tumblr in my lifetime?
And with Medium, it’s harder. Because Medium means money for so much of us. There are a number of writers on this platform who make our living — or at least a good chunk of our living — off of the platform.
This money is our life and death. And messing around with that is kind of scary.
But the floor isn’t falling beneath our feet.
I’ve been optimistic about this whole thing. Maybe because that read time is honestly a better metric than clapping for determining whether or not someone is really engaged with what they’re reading.
It’s an understandable change. And I can roll with it. I’m happy to roll with it.
