Medium One-Year Review
A review of one year on Medium or a summary of 2019
In the blink of an eye, it’s been a year since I started publishing articles on Medium. The actual anniversary should be 2019/10 (first article in 2018/10); but I was too busy and uninspired at that time. As time moves forward into 2020, I quickly jot down my thoughts on managing Medium for a year, also serving as a summary of 2019!
Review
First, I want to thank Enther Wu and Chih-Hung Yeh for pushing me to start writing again. Initially, my articles were more like daily notes or work reflections, with rather empty content. However, I shamelessly shared them on social media. Looking back at those early articles now, I feel a bit embarrassed and unsure of what I was writing, as the content wasn’t very valuable.
But everything is part of the growth process. The more I wrote, the more I got the hang of it, and the scope of my research broadened. Due to the fear of misleading others, missing details, or misunderstanding something myself, writing articles became more than just recording; it became an in-depth exploration of a particular issue, leading to my own growth and learning. Consequently, the quality of the content I shared with everyone also improved significantly.
The community is really kind-hearted. Initially, I was afraid of being criticized and losing confidence. But that didn’t happen. The feedback I received was very positive, even if the content wasn’t necessarily helpful. This positive encouragement gave me more confidence in my creations and motivated me to spend more time documenting. Thank you all for your encouragement!
The writing experience on Medium is really great. If you are also a developer, you can install Code Medium, a Chrome Extension that allows you to embed beautiful code snippets directly in Medium using Gist!
Publication & Logo
I wrote about life and technology, so to differentiate, I established two Publication channels: ZRealm Life. for sharing life and unboxing / ZRealm Dev. for sharing work and technical articles, allowing everyone to follow the content they are interested in.
A very “Western-style” thing — “LOGO”. Life needs a sense of ritual? Since it’s about managing, there should be a brand identity. So, I asked a designer to help me create my logo concept. My design idea: the pentagon frame pays homage to my alma mater NTUST’s emblem, representing craftsmanship and technology. The inner frame “ ZR “ stands for my English-translated Chinese name ZhongCheng’s initial “ Z” and Realm representing my domain’s “R”.
Gains
Speaking of gains, let’s start with the initial intention of writing — “ Teaching and Learning”. It wasn’t to show off or make money. None of my articles are behind a paywall because knowledge shouldn’t be something you have to pay to access. Knowledge is power. If you like it, please support Medium’s paid membership so we can have a long-term platform to use… (I’m really afraid it won’t withstand losses)
In terms of gains, apart from monetary benefits, I’ve gained a lot in other aspects. First is the sense of achievement. When someone reads and responds to your article, it gives you a great sense of accomplishment and more motivation to continue writing. Additionally, I’ve met many friends and had more interactions. I’m a passive socializer, and before writing articles, I was very unfamiliar with the community and had almost no interactions. Now, I’ve met many friends and feel I’m not alone on the path of development! (Just like the subtitle of my Publication — “You are not alone on the road to solving problems”).
Statistics
Since this is a review, it’s customary to provide some statistics. In 2019 (including the end of 2018), a total of: 25 articles were published: 2 lifestyle + 5 unboxing + 18 technical articles Accumulated approximately 60,000 views, 5,000 claps, and surpassed 200 followers!
The better-performing articles include:
- iOS Deferred Deep Link Implementation (Swift)
- AirPods 2 Unboxing and Hands-on Experience
- How to Create an Interesting Engineering CTF Competition
- The APP Uses HTTPS Transmission, but the Data Was Still Stolen.
- Apple Watch Series 4 Comprehensive Review from Purchase to Hands-on
Thank you all for your support and love. I will continue to work hard this year!
Your follow and feedback are my motivation for writing!
ZhgChgLi, 2020/01/11.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me.
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This article was first published in Traditional Chinese on Medium ➡️ View Here
