Thinkspot will never be a rival of Medium. It will become a den of hate, bigotry, racism and misogyny. He has a vile combination of factors that point that way — he already has a cult following among right-wing extremists and he promises that no one will be kicked off the site unless they’re court ordered to do so. It will not be a pretty place.

It makes me sad to see Medium put more focus on their own publications. In the long run, I think that will hurt them, but it’s not our call. We’ll keep paying our 5 bucks until we don’t, I suppose. Collectively speaking, of course.

Many years ago, Salon.com had a site called Open.Salon. When they started trumping user pieces with their own curated writers from Salon.com, the site went downhill pretty quick. A handful of people got all the exposure and everyone else struggled. I’d hoped for more than that from Medium, but who knows. I suppose if they start seeing membership drop off, they may change direction again. Only time will tell. Time to be smarter about how we participate, though, I think.