Boosted on Medium: Why the writer’s strike helps everyone, a philosophical approach to fitness, and more
7 Boost nominators share their favorite stories of last month
In February, we introduced a new Boost for top stories on Medium. What’s Boost, you ask? Great question, and I’ll direct you to this detailed FAQ my colleague Ariel Meadow Stallings published a few weeks ago:
Essentially, Boost is one way we’re helping great stories — no matter where they come from — find an audience. We Boost constructive, original, well-crafted stories based in personal experience across all topics. We’re also working with a small (and growing) group of 65 Medium community members who scour the platform for these types of hidden gems. Many of them run Medium publications, but some don’t. They nominate stories that meet our guidelines, and if our internal curators agree with a nomination, it’s Boosted! These stories usually receive at least several hundred additional views in one week, and they can sometimes garner tens of thousands more in the fullness of time.
To help demystify which stories receive this type of visibility and why, we asked a few community Boost nominators to share their personal favorites from May. I’m on Medium’s content team, and what I love most about this list is how many of these writers are new to me (and to many readers here). It’s proof of how wide and multifaceted the Mediumverse is, and I hope you’ll find these nominations — and the reasoning behind them — useful and inspiring.
“The Emotional Price of Being Poor” by Lost Layla, essayist and parent
Nominated by Linda Caroll: “I found this essay in the suggested stories under something else I read. The writer was new and didn’t have 100 followers yet, but the writing was so heartfelt and compelling I nominated it immediately. Happy to say she now has her 100 followers and almost 3K claps. I feel like a fairy godmother. Boost is awesome!”
“Here’s How Deontological Ethics Will Make You Never Miss a Workout Again: Duty vs. Emotion” by Emilina Lomas, health writer and exercise scientist
Nominated by Berenike Schriewer, Ph.D.: “What I love about it is that it’s original (so original that I haven’t heard this expressed before), deep, and helpful for people.It made me realize that I regularly work out for the reason the author mentions. However, I was doing so subconsciously and this article made me aware of what was actually motivating me. I looove it when authors put language to something we haven’t had words for before.”
“What to Expect When You Weren’t Expecting a Gender Non-Conforming Child” by All My Little Words, writer and parent
Nominated by Christopher Robin: “The author was a new writer to our publications, and I knew when I read it that it needed to be seen by more eyes. It’s proof that sometimes the best stories appear to us if we keep our eyes open.”
“Disability in the Wild” by nathanlovestrees
Nominated by Patrick Stewart: “Nathan takes care of his disabled brother and will for the rest of his life. In this heart-warming story, he describes and compares his relationship and past with his brother to nature and the world around him.”
“Is This All We Are? The Excitement and Nervousness Around ChatGPT” by Bryan Lane, data scientist, veteran, and FDIC staffer
Nominated by Benjamin Sledge: “I found this article in The Generator fascinating. It’s more technical than some other posts on AI, but the storytelling is great too. Plus the article is insanely informative and his expertise in AI (plus insider info) paints a picture — and warning — of the future of AI and how it’s neutering humanity and enhancing it.”
“To All the Starry Poets” by Amanda Aller, writer and artist
Nominated by Thomas Gaudex: “It’s a poem about love, filled with metaphors using natural elements. A piece with a languid, painterly quality that one wants to read again and again.”
“The Writers’ Strike Helps All of Us” by Janice Harayda, novelist, journalist, and former book columnist for ‘Glamour’
Nominated by Kevin Alexander: “This one was one of my faves so far. It covers the WGA strike but is written by a former union member and journalist. As a former rep myself, there are many moving parts in the labor/management dynamic that the public doesn’t often see.”
Interested in becoming a Boost nominator? Join the waitlist here, and learn more about Boost here. (Want more tea about the future of Medium? It’s brewing.)
Want to start writing on Medium? Tell your story. It’s free and open to anyone.
