A little over a year ago, I switched my site to Medium. I read Marius Maslar and Drew Coffman and understood that Medium was a platform that focused on writing and exposing that writing to others. And while I think that is still true, I find Medium's changes to be at odds with that ethos.
If Medium is focused on having people read what is written, why do they adorn their web versions with John Gruber coined "dickbars"? The mobile reading experience has become very hostile, forcing readers to become users. This sounds more like Silicon Valley venture-funded thinking than the mission of a company focused on connecting writers and readers. It is focusing on "user engagement" instead of being a platform for writing.
I have switched away from Medium. Why? Because of the reader-hostile nature of their changes, for a company that is focused on writing and reading. Because of the company’s ridiculous release notes on their iOS app. Because of the company's need to change things just for change’s sake. Because of their lack of an explicit business model.
I have switched to Squarespace. Not because it is the most popular blogging platform. Plenty of people have complained about that. Not because it has the best API support. Because it has a business model that makes sense. And I am in control of my content without having to do a lot of work to keep the platform that I write on up to date. No patching, minimal security risks. It is in line with the belief that when working in IT, I don't need to use all of my IT knowledge on personal or home projects. Sometimes simpler is better.
