I left Facebook Medium groups in 3 days… and this is why !!
I have been penning random thoughts on Google’s Blogger.com since some time, but I was referred to Medium for its superior interface and wider audience network. I did like the platform and have posted 3–4 blogs so far here. Being a Medium member also gives me access to a massive collection of blogs on diverse topics.
So now I had :
- Few topics to scribble about ✅
- Platform to scribble on ✅
- Some time on & off between work & family time. ✅
The one unchecked bullet was to get some readers, so I got googling on how to go about adding more followers. Soon I was routed to Facebook groups which offered access to Medium writers & readers. I quickly joined few and shared one article (on Kashmir) and waited for some new friends.
Soon I saw several comments on the article, most of them saying something to the effect of asking me to read their blogs and that they have clapped / read mine. I did read and clap on some. While I did like to see complete strangers reading and liking my blog, but it felt temporary or materialistic (I scratch your back and you do mine).
It got me thinking as to why do I actually write / blog?
- Writing gives structure to thoughts — I am, by nature, very impatient and my mind tends to go all over. I have seen that by jotting down, I am able to make my random thoughts more cohesive
- Record keeping — Most part of our lives tend to get erased from memory, leaving only the important parts. So writing down soon after a holiday trip may help in documenting and thus reliving happy/sad moments in the trip. I have had the good fortune to spend few years in UK and travel around Europe. I wish I had written down some of these trips to recollect memories like that awesome wood-fired pizza in Venice or the icecream we had in Vienna or that quaint coffee shop in London etc etc.. while I have vague memories of these but I don’t remember the names now 😔
- Expressing my thoughts better, which I struggle at times to speak the right thing at right time
- It’s an avenue to share my interests, be it in running, travel or books (sometimes).
Other than these above, at this point, I don’t see much sale value in marketing my blogs to the wider world. I would be happier if the blog gets seen by friends/ families (whom I may be able to push to read 😁) or some occasional Medium readers who come to this link. Even if no one sees them, it should be a source of reliving some past random thoughts or experiences when I read it later.
So with that principle in mind, I decided to get myself out of all Facebook Medium groups. I plan to continue being on Medium and take time to read and write articles which I fancy. An occasional clap or feedback by some reader would definitely be appreciated and most welcome!! 😊😊
Cheers
SP