08.16.12
Being the social media editor for Travel + Leisure, I like to think I?m pretty plugged in. I?m on Twitter, Pinterest, Foodspotting, Foursquare, and, of course, Facebook?sorry, the last one?s a friends-only profile. But yesterday, yet another social platform was announced, and I?m interested to see where it will go. (Admittedly, the owners of the site aren?t exactly sure of it either, but it could very well end up being, at least in part, a great home for travel-inspiring words and images.)
Medium is the name, and so far, it appears to be a little bit Tumblr and a little bit Blogger. How are the posts curated? Unlike Facebook, the posts are divvied up into a series of themed ?collections,? the idea being that everything within that section sticks to the theme. Once the site fully launches?right now it?s just the creators that are able to post?anyone can contribute. And it seems to be, so far, that the contribution can be anything: photos, links, essays, videos. The idea is to post things that are compelling, because other users will be able to vote for the posts that they like. The more votes, the higher up your post will surface in that collection.
So what?s the point? There are already a dozen other sites that do similar functions: Reddit, StumbleUpon, and BearFood, just to name a few. (The latter is a personal favorite of mine from the genius behind The Oatmeal, though it is sadly offline for the next few months due to time restrictions from the creator.) The owners of the site (who, fittingly, are the people behind Twitter and Blogger) say that the clean design will play a big role. They also go on to say ?We?re re-imagining publishing in an attempt to make an evolutionary leap, based on everything we?ve learned in the last 13 years and the needs of today?s world.?
I?m not entirely sold, but I?m keeping my eye on this site. I can see its potential. It?s barely a day old, an infant of a website, so it?s still finding its footing. I could imagine it being a really great, photo- and video-driven means of delivering travel inspiration, among other things. But then again, isn?t that what Gogobot is doing already? I guess only time will tell.
Take a minute to check it out. As long as you have a Twitter account (a requirement I?m hoping they take away in the future; Twitter login should be an option, not mandatory, in my opinion), you can sign up. For now you?ll only be able to lurk and vote for your faves, but public posting is promised down the road.
?Joshua Pramis is the social media editor at Travel + Leisure and may potentially need rehab to learn how to unplug. Follow him on Twitter: @joshuapramis
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