How Highlights on Medium changed publishing forever and the 10 biggest announcements from Google Search

How Highlights on Medium changed publishing forever and the 10 biggest announcements from Google Search

Introduction:
In the ever-evolving world of digital publishing, platforms like Medium and Google Search continue to push boundaries and revolutionize the way we consume and engage with content. Medium, with its unique feature called Highlights, has changed the publishing landscape by providing readers with a more granular way to engage with articles. On the other hand, Google Search has made significant announcements that will enhance the search experience and provide users with more personalized and comprehensive results. In this article, we will explore how Highlights on Medium transformed publishing and delve into the 10 biggest announcements from Google Search.

Medium's goal of being a platform for both stream-of-consciousness conversation and long-form writing made measuring value a challenge. Vanity metrics like views or clicks don't truly capture the depth and engagement that matter more than reaching a larger audience. This is where Highlights come in. By allowing users to mark phrases, sentences, or paragraphs in any Medium article, Highlights give readers a more interactive and engaging reading experience. It enables them to pay attention to the content and express their thoughts through comments, sharing, or even challenging the author's ideas.

Improving Highlights after launch:
When Highlights first launched in 2015, it allowed users to mark specific parts of an article and treat each Highlight as an independent piece of content. Readers could add comments, reply to other people's comments, or share the Highlight directly on Twitter. This feature gave authors valuable insights into which parts of their articles resonated with readers. Each time a passage is highlighted, the author receives a notification, enabling them to understand what engages their audience and improve their writing accordingly.

Highlights help writers and readers alike:
For readers, Highlights make the reading experience more social and engaging. Instead of just scanning the top points, readers can now pay attention to specific details, capture their thoughts, challenge the author's ideas, or simply share a passage they resonate with. This social response stimulates discussions and fosters a sense of community among readers.

For writers, Highlights provide immediate feedback and direction to improve their writing. By knowing which parts of their posts are most engaging, writers can craft more captivating content and build a bigger audience on Medium. Highlights give writers a direct line of feedback from their audience, allowing them to understand what resonates with readers and what doesn't.

Lessons from Medium's Highlights:
Medium's experience with Highlights offers valuable lessons for product managers and creators. Firstly, it emphasizes the importance of measuring engagement rather than vanity metrics. Total Time Reading (TTR) became Medium's key performance indicator (KPI), as it accurately reflects the value users derive from the platform. Product managers should reassess their metrics and find ones that truly measure engagement and the value users receive from their product.

Secondly, starting small and iterating based on user feedback is crucial for success. Medium continuously improved Highlights based on user behavior and feedback. This iterative approach allowed them to fine-tune the feature and create a better user experience.

Lastly, it is essential to recognize that not everyone uses a product in the same way. Medium discovered that users found different purposes for Highlights, such as capturing ideas, sharing insights, or challenging statements. Product creators should embrace this diversity and ensure their product caters to various user needs and preferences.

Now let's shift our focus to the 10 biggest announcements from Google Search:

1. Multisearch expanding:
   Google announced the expansion of multisearch to 70 new languages. Multisearch allows users to search by an image using their phone's camera and add additional text queries on top of the image search. This feature enhances visual search capabilities and makes searching more intuitive and comprehensive.

2. Multisearch near me coming soon:
   The near me aspect of multisearch enables users to find local results by zooming in on image and text queries. This feature is particularly useful for finding products or anything in the user's vicinity. It enhances the local search experience and provides users with more relevant and personalized results.

3. Google Lens translated text now cleaner:
   Google is utilizing generative adversarial networks (GAN models) to present translated text more accurately. This improvement ensures that users get cleaner and more reliable translations, enhancing the usability of Google Lens.

4. Google iOS App shortcuts:
   Google introduced shortcuts in its iOS app, allowing users to access specific features or perform actions more efficiently. These shortcuts enhance user convenience and streamline the search experience for iOS users.

5. New search refinements:
   Google now presents tappable words as users type their queries, enabling them to build their queries dynamically. This feature helps users drill down into their search intent and find more specific and relevant results.

6. More visual information:
   Google has enhanced the visual information presented in search results. Users can now access more images, videos, and other visual content directly from the search page. This improvement enriches the search experience and provides users with more comprehensive information.

7. Explore as you scroll:
   Google added an explore feature that offers searchers inspiration related to their query but not necessarily an exact match. This feature encourages users to explore related topics and discover new information, making the search experience more engaging and informative.

8. Discussion and forums:
   Google Search now includes discussion and forum results, allowing users to find relevant discussions and engage with communities around specific topics. This feature promotes knowledge-sharing and fosters a sense of community among search users.

9. Translated local and international news:
   Google Search utilizes machine translation to show translated headlines for news results from publishers in other languages. This feature enables users to access news from different regions and languages, promoting global awareness and understanding.

10. About this result displays personalization:
    Google Search introduced the "About this result" feature, which displays information about why a specific result is personalized for the user. This transparency enhances user trust and helps users understand how search results are tailored to their preferences.

Conclusion:
Both Medium's Highlights feature and Google Search's recent announcements have transformed the way we consume and engage with digital content. Highlights on Medium have made reading more interactive, allowing readers to capture thoughts, challenge ideas, and engage in discussions. Google Search, on the other hand, continues to enhance the search experience by providing more personalized and comprehensive results.

To apply the insights from both Medium and Google Search, here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Focus on engagement metrics rather than vanity metrics. Measure the true value users derive from your product and reevaluate your metrics accordingly.

2. Adopt an iterative approach, starting small and continuously improving based on user feedback. This allows you to create a better user experience and cater to evolving user needs.

3. Recognize and embrace the diversity in user behavior. Understand that different users may have different purposes and preferences when using your product. Ensure your product accommodates these variations and provides a personalized experience.

By incorporating these insights and taking action, product creators and digital publishers can create more engaging and valuable experiences for their users.