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Medium Series — A new type of story on Medium
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@chrismessina post script - I just updated my PH headline thanks to your inspiration.
@sethlouey @chrismessina @rrhoover definitely has some similarities, but I think we're building towards very different visions. If I had to compare the two, I'd say we aspire to be more like Netflix (premium content) and they are aspiring to be more like Snapchat (easy user creation).
I wrote a bit more about it on twitter: https://twitter.com/nbashaw/stat...
Of course, just my 2¢!
@nbashaw @sethlouey @chrismessina @rrhoover On Hardbound's homepage is a quote from Ev Williams himself, saying "I love Hardbound. They are pushing the boundaries of mobile-based storytelling."
I really like both ideas, there are definitely differences between the two in how they can be developed. I expect some use cases will show us the true potential of Medium Series as a means of putting content out faster and in stages, rather than one long in-depth piece of content at one time.
@nivo0o0 Claps, to me, feel kind of redundant. Especially since you can clap "to?" your own series.
Welcome to mobile storytelling, Medium. The UI is a bit like Pixotale, the story is a bit like Hardbound or Steller.
(A)Not so long ago we were excited about the "social media status," brief, discrete statements released into the world with only timestamps and bios for context. There, the community creates the story around the status -- if it gets noticed, that is. (B) More recently social media with photos and vids retain more power for original posters. They shape the impression that community members have before they (re)story. (C) What we're seeing now in social across multiple platforms is an opportunity for original posters/writers/dragonslayers to control even more of their own narratives. Longer forms with multimedia do that in social, while medium series and other more "article" or "faux journalism" are tilted that way by virtue of their form. Blah blah blah. WHAT'S CURIOUS: In our age of multiplicity and shared authorship/ownership/being, our most accessible channels for self-expression are becoming academic. A story will remain a story if no one else can tell it....yet we need anthems to survive.
Side note - Instagram stories should copy the parallax from Medium Series' images. It would be a clever product solution to solve IG stories frustrating vertical crop that gets applied camera roll uploads.
I've been on the beta of this for a little while now and have found it an interesting addition. It kind of comes off as an insta/snap "story" but on medium. Would be curious where the initial inspiration came from.
In general the series have been much less formal and more fun. I believe they should be used for an always evolving/building thought piece - Kind of a like a less emotional tweet storm. Where you subscribe to a series and get notified as more words come in. But the use cases aren't forced... so I've seen a lot.
I haven't seen a really standout content piece on it, yet. So I'm looking forward to watching this as it gets used... But I can definitely see people telling more Wattpad like stories on Medium in the future.
@i_am_brennan I agree with the Wattpad comp -- to me, it seems Kindle and other ebook producers, should be paying attention... Also, I don't understand the clap (over the brand standard of the thumbs up recommend). Can anyone explain why Medium chose clap of recommend? Novelty?
@daveschools_ my guess is it's more about "cheering you on". In an effort to get you to keep writing the series?
This reminded me of Circa, who were doing mobile-focused, continuous stories a few years ago.
TIL Circa is back up and running! http://circa.com/
Really hoping that they bring Series consumption to the web. The "text link" flow isn't smooth enough.
@ktzhu haha yep! working for PH I expect one 'Stories' per day at this point, my brain didn't focus in time... whoops 🙃
They still have not solved the problems that kill their platform
1) An extremely "we're better than you" attitude
2) No explanation of their algorithm
3) Where's the FAQ, you need to dig for it
4) 50% 0f the articles are for the self help people
5) Getting a collection editor to pickup your work it futile
The only way around Ev William's minions is to comment heavily on what is written-- unless you are an approved author it's the only way you will be heard,
Sorry Ev, but its time you leave medium and put in the hands of someone else
I'm already a fan! As a huge Medium user this kind of fits the niche I've felt existed for a while! You can read my first series on my Medium profile! https://medium.com/@TristanIsham
I've started mine, it's called "Occasional Stories from a Computer Science Student", and you can probably guess what it's going to contain.
I've already filled in one entry, and I'm sure you will go through a range of emotions as you read it.
https://medium.com/series/occasi...
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