Update: In 2019 I’ve moved my blog back to self-hosting. I don’t want to depend on a third-party, and want to retain as much control as possible. Services like Medium are great for starting out. But you’re serious, I recommend self-hosting.
In April 2007, I listened to a podcast with Twitter Co-Founder Evan Williams and from that day until today, I am using Twitter (9 years and counting). See my post Why I started using Twitter
In April 2016, the same thing happened. After listening to this podcast with Evan Williams, I decided to move my blog to Medium.com.
Here is why:
- Medium is the most advanced publishing platform on the planet, both for writers as well as readers. Posts just look absolutely gorgeous!
- Millions of readers are part of the network, and the network is growing fast.
- My goal is to reach as many people as possible. So I go where the readers are (hint: they weren’t on my blog)
- No more WordPress updates. No more hassle with plugins, themes etc.
- For some years I ran my blog on wordpress.com (the cloud-based service). Medium is the new wordpress.com
- As you know, I have decided to make my personal newsletter the center of my online identity. Before and/or after each blog post I will link to this newsletter, to gain more subscribers. My blog will therefore be the main marketing channel of this newsletter.
- SEO is not as important and not as easy as some years ago. No need to own my own website to gain search traffic. I am convinced that Medium will rank much better than my blog ever could.
How to move to Medium:
- In general, follow these instructions
- Make sure to move your postings before you move your domain
- After migration, check each post to make sure all pictures and embedded content work as expected
- Medium allows three tags per post. Make sure to optimize the tags for each post manually after migration
- To move your domain, you need to follow these instructions. You will receive detailed instructions what DNS records to add. After you make the DNS changes, your domain will point to Medium within 24 hours
Follow me on Medium: @remouherek
Do you own a blog? Do you consider moving as well? I suggest you listen to this podcast and then make up your mind. Let me know how you decide :)
