What They Want, When They Want, If They Want

Another Attempt at Control That’s Doomed to Failure

Canva one use design

This one is for all the writers I’ve seen complaining about reading time over the last couple of years.

A reminder.

Everyone will continue to read what they want, when they want, if they want. Nothing anyone says will change that one iota. Some might lie about it to try to sound amenable, but everyone will continue to read what they like at whatever pace is comfortable for them.

Making your work eminently readable helps with reading time.

Medium changing their read time calculation to a system that better benefits writers would certainly help with reading time. But we’ve about as much chance of that happening as Hollywood suddenly deciding they’d prefer actors with faces that move over space alien chic.

What You Don’t Know

1. You’ve no idea who’s reading your work, or for how long, and whether people who clap and comment have read the whole thing or not.
2. You’ve no real idea how Medium calculates reading time, none of us do.
3. You’ve no idea of people’s reading speed.

What We Do Know

1. We know that demanding people…