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Seems like not many commenters are giving a perspective on why people might like Medium more than going to a personal blog. Here’s mine. As a reader, I usually

Seems like not many commenters are giving a perspective on why people might like Medium more than going to a personal blog. Here’s mine. As a reader, I usually don’t care who wrote the post I’m reading. I also don’t care about seeing more content from the same person, which is all I would get on a personal blog; in fact, I would prefer to see related content but different viewpoints from other people, which is what Medium shows me. I want to read them all in the same format, not hop between different blog layouts. I want them all to have consistent like/comment mechanics. As a reader, sorry, I just don’t care about your personal brand or platform. I want to easily read a lot of stuff by different people on a topic. Never used it as a writer, but why should individuals have to set up their own SEO, comment system, blog system, etc just to post an article? Because they think that they’re so important or controversial that they need a personal space/brand? For most writers I think you get a lot for free with Medium.

kgraves 7y ago
Agreed, given the choice between Medium and a custom blog if I am a publisher, Medium is much faster to get up and running with a blog and has a larger reach than me setting it all up myself. Many people who aren't technical don't want to have to manage rolling their own comments system, custom SEO, analytics and all of that stuff.
- marc_io 7y ago
  This can also be done either with a free WordPress.com account or with a simple shared hosting that supports WP (if you are willing to pay). Medium has no exclusivity on this.
jesseschalken 7y ago
> I want them all to have consistent like/comment mechanics. As a reader, sorry, I just don’t care about your personal brand or platform. This is an important point. There is a small mental burden users face every time they see a new website and have to understand how it has been laid out and where things are and what they mean. Medium gives users "just the content" in the same familiar layout to streamline the process. Not to mention the sites that have silly disorienting scrolling effects, with things moving around while they slowly load, or are barely even functional on mobile. Although these tend not to be problems for the average blog.
- rchaud 7y ago
  > Medium gives users "just the content" in the same familiar layout to streamline the process. minus the login prompts, the persistent top and bottom dickbars and the full-screen interstitial blocking the page if you've dared to open more than 5 links in a month.

kgraves 7y ago

Agreed, given the choice between Medium and a custom blog if I am a publisher, Medium is much faster to get up and running with a blog and has a larger reach than me setting it all up myself. Many people who aren't technical don't want to have to manage rolling their own comments system, custom SEO, analytics and all of that stuff.

marc_io 7y ago
This can also be done either with a free WordPress.com account or with a simple shared hosting that supports WP (if you are willing to pay). Medium has no exclusivity on this.

jesseschalken 7y ago

> I want them all to have consistent like/comment mechanics. As a reader, sorry, I just don’t care about your personal brand or platform. This is an important point. There is a small mental burden users face every time they see a new website and have to understand how it has been laid out and where things are and what they mean. Medium gives users "just the content" in the same familiar layout to streamline the process. Not to mention the sites that have silly disorienting scrolling effects, with things moving around while they slowly load, or are barely even functional on mobile. Although these tend not to be problems for the average blog.

rchaud 7y ago
> Medium gives users "just the content" in the same familiar layout to streamline the process. minus the login prompts, the persistent top and bottom dickbars and the full-screen interstitial blocking the page if you've dared to open more than 5 links in a month.