Goodbye Medium — hello Substack
As early users of Medium, we were excited by, well, the medium. And yet, as is so often the case with new technology publishing ventures, the money led Medium down a path that resulted in paywalls and trust gates being erected, such that our reach and engagement has been minimised.
Yes, we’re not ignorant of the fact that running a business like Medium is an expensive proposition. And no, we don’t believe that paywalls are unjustified — as long as the creator of content can make the decision as to what content is gated, and to whom.
Ultimately, as producers of our own content, none of which we are seeking to monetise, being required to search for a buried hyperlink in the settings of an article to ensure that when we shared it to any of our networks they didn’t get hit with a ‘sign up’ prompt, was a step too far.
No publishing platform is perfect, and Medium has done wonders for writers, and will no doubt continue to do so. But Substack provides us with total control of our content, and more importantly permits us to determine what barriers we erect to its readership.
Of greatest significance is that Substack is truly mutualistic. Their recent $8 million community raise on WeFunder, from almost 7,000 investors, is a clear indicator that they’re interested in not just sharing revenue, but more importantly, sharing ownership and upside.
Shockingly, from our perspective, you cannot create a more equitable world without equity.
So thanks Medium, for all you’ve done to revolutionise online publishing. While our company’s time on this platform has been relatively brief, it’s certainly been enjoyable.
We’ve simply found a service that is a better fit for our needs, and most importantly, our values.
To our readers, you can follow us on Substack here.
