Overcoming Frustration: Lessons Learned from Medium's Glitches
Written on
Chapter 1: A Frustrating Experience
Reflecting on my recent ordeal with Medium, I find myself needing to express my frustrations, albeit without resorting to harsh language. The experience truly tested my patience.
I had crafted an article that exceeded the usual length of my pieces, totaling 1,328 words, which translates to a six-minute read. This was noteworthy as I meticulously review my work multiple times throughout the writing and publishing phases.
If you're curious, here's the article I worked on.
Once I completed the writing, I highlighted the entire text and copied it, eager to dive into the publishing process on Medium. I genuinely enjoy the act of publishing—editing on the go and making my article visually appealing, adhering to my personal style guide.
I began by structuring the article. I cut and pasted the title and subtitle to their respective places, ensuring the subtitle was bold. After that, I scrolled to the end to include my customary Call To Action (CTA), which varies slightly with each piece. I always encourage readers to clap, comment, follow, and subscribe—it's an all-or-nothing approach! I also included links to three related articles, browsing through separate tabs to find appropriate content.
In preparation for my publication, I located the link for the 'write for us' page and embedded it, highlighting my intention to contribute.
As I scrolled back to the top, I realized I needed an image that accurately represented my article. I took a selfie in my car, emailed it to myself, saved it, and uploaded it.
After reading and refining my article, I added punctuation for better flow and incorporated additional personal anecdotes, even expanding with new paragraphs.
Finally satisfied, I proceeded to select the desired publication from the dropdown menu. But then—click! Blip! Poof! My article vanished! What just happened?
An earlier draft stared back at me, void of my hard work. I retried navigating back, hoping to retrieve my lost content, but to no avail. Minimized windows revealed some documents, but none were what I sought.
In frustration, I realized that the new paragraphs I had added were gone! One humorous line about Greenpeace rolled back into my mind, and I desperately wanted that paragraph restored.
If you want to share in my pain, feel free to scroll back to the top and read through this again. I wouldn't recommend it, though—it was a significant effort!
I re-edited the article within my Word document, determined to start over. But—click! Blip! Poof! It disappeared once more! I threw my halo across the room in exasperation.
Was Medium playing tricks on me? Was it a glitch, or was my aging laptop just having a moment?
On my third attempt, I focused on maintaining a positive mindset, and this time, everything aligned, allowing me to successfully publish!
This experience prompted me to contemplate the lessons learned. Life is about growth, which is far healthier than harboring negativity. Here are seven key takeaways to consider that may benefit you as well:
- Utilize a Word document for your writing. This keeps your work secure and organized on your computer.
- Don't take for granted that Medium will always be available, nor should you rely solely on it to store your work.
- Save your Word document frequently to safeguard against software crashes.
- Start fresh with a new tab for publishing, creating a tidy workspace.
- Keep relevant tabs open for supporting articles or publisher information.
- Choose a time for publishing when you can focus on completing the task in one go.
I’m finalizing my CTA in Word to avoid repetitive writing!
EDIT! A kind comment from Carolina Cummins, a Messenger of Love, provided a solution: Click on the three dots at the top, scroll down to SEE REVISION HISTORY, and you can retrieve your previous work. A major lifesaver—thank you, Carolina!
Clap loudly, sing, and celebrate! Let's hear from you in the comments! Has this ever happened to you on Medium? Don't forget to follow and subscribe to my diverse collection of writings—eclectic is my favorite word!
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