I wrote a message to Medium

Here’s what I said:

Author photo

Hi there, I’m the editor of The Junction, a publication that publishes high-quality fiction, poetry, and humor. In light of Ev Williams’s recent announcement of changes afoot at Medium, there are many editors such as myself who are concerned about the future of our publications on this platform. This ever-changing effort to find a viable economic model is frustrating for readers and writers because it gives us a sense of whiplash instead of stability. Medium can be a place for anyone to write but also has the ability to showcase exceptional and important writing. This isn’t reinventing the wheel, but about providing a reliable user experience, where people can easily find or discover what they want to read and writers feel visible and treated with a sense of fairness.

I received a message from an editor of the publication PS I Love You today, informing me it’s no longer possible for her to find any publications using the Search bar, including my own, The Junction. Is this a bug, or another change in the business model to put more focus on individual “brands” rather than literary destinations like a well-run publication can be?

If it’s the latter, I would like to express my disapproval in the strongest terms. Medium has the potential to be something more than Substack or a mere blog — there’s an opportunity to build a community.

Best regards,

Stephen M. Tomic

EDIT: I’ve since received a reply from Medium Support, stating the publication search is a bug and that they’re currently looking into it. They added, “There are no plans to change anything with the existing publication product, or your use of them.”