The thing I hate most about Medium
Yes, Medium, the very site you are reading this is on. It has a lot of things I like and I think there are a lot of benefits to writing on Medium, but there is something that I really, really, REALLY hate about Medium.
I’m willing to bet I’m not alone in hating the fact that you can only read 3 stories with a ⭐ next to them as a free member. Sometimes in all honesty the only stories worth reading are the ones with a ⭐ next to them.
There is a way that you can read more of them if you want, all you have to do is pay $5 per month to have access to them, but I don’t want to do that and I’m sure there are many other stingy people just like me.
The problem with these ⭐ stories is that sometimes you end up reading them without realizing they are a ⭐ story. Sometimes I come across a link to a Medium story on Twitter and it seems interesting. I click on it and BAM, one of your three free “ ⭐ stories” down and now you only have 2 more to read.
(There was no way of finding out it was a ⭐ story until I clicked on the link)
Then I decide ok, let me see whats on the home page on Medium. I scroll and scroll carefully looking for what story seems like the best to read among all the ⭐ stories scattered on my screen. Then I find one. I click on it and BAM, only 1 left now but at least this time it is by choice.
As if that isn’t bad enough this story’s headline kind of fooled me, I thought I was interested in it but a few lines into the story I’m bored and feel like leaving, but I force myself to read all the way because it cost me a free ⭐ story after all.
I try avoid other ⭐ stories as much as I can. I sometimes bookmark them to read them later when I have some ⭐ stories to spare for the month but then I end up with a bunch of ⭐ stories in my bookmarks not knowing which I prefer to read now.
Or even worse, I read a ⭐ story that I bookmarked and lo and behold I actually enjoy the story and find value in it, so I will keep it in my bookmarks. But then I find myself being afraid of this story because even though I’ve read it once before, it feels like holds the power to remove one of my free ⭐ star stories that I’m allowed.
(I must admit, I’m not sure if reading a ⭐ story now and reading the same ⭐ story another day will count as another of your free stories or if it only counts once)
I feel Medium is taking away something very important. Instead of having more people writing content and more people reading content on Medium. I for one am reading less on here and I’m sure I’m not alone.
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