How Highlights on Medium changed publishing forever: Stop Overthinking Your Zettelkasten System

How Highlights on Medium changed publishing forever: Stop Overthinking Your Zettelkasten System

In the world of online publishing, Medium has made a significant impact with its innovative features. One such feature that has revolutionized the platform is Highlights. For Nick and the product team at Medium, the failure they initially faced with Highlights turned out to be the ultimate validation of their hard work and dedication. Over time, Highlights has garnered a loyal following of users and copycat companies, making Medium one of the leading online publishing platforms.

What sets Highlights apart from other platforms is its focus on depth and engagement rather than vanity metrics like views or clicks. Medium has created a community where people interact with each other and become smarter based on those interactions. With the introduction of Highlights, the reading experience on Medium became more social. Users can now enjoy quotes, passages, or phrases, resonate with insights, concepts, or even disagree and comment on statements. Highlighting has become a way for readers to engage with the content and share it on other platforms.

For writers, feedback is invaluable. Medium authors now have a direct line of feedback from their audience through Highlights. They can immediately identify which parts of their posts are most engaging and worthwhile to read. This engagement attracts the best writers to Medium, and they are rewarded financially for sharing quality posts. Medium has truly become a platform where the value of content is recognized and appreciated.

In addition to Highlights, Medium also introduced Text Shots, a tool for sharing Highlights as screengrabs on Twitter. This move further prioritized depth of discussion, as users were encouraged to engage with the content more deeply. Medium's focus on increasing user engagement has resulted in higher retention rates and sustainable growth. It's important for product managers to ensure that their metrics truly measure engagement and the value users are getting from the product. By identifying the one metric that matters and ranking features based on its impact, product teams can prioritize effectively.

Lessons can also be learned from the Zettelkasten system, a note-taking method that helps individuals organize their thoughts and generate new ideas. The system consists of three types of notes: literature notes, permanent notes, and sequence notes. Literature notes are taken while reading and don't have to be perfect. They capture thoughts and ideas that can be further developed later. Permanent notes act as top-level topics or groups of notes, while sequence notes are atomic notes with one idea each that sit inside permanent notes.

The key to a successful Zettelkasten system is to not overthink it. It's a living system that can grow and change over time. One note should represent one thought, and sequence notes should add ideas to the original permanent note. It's important to establish good practices and make the system work for you. The structure of the notes is not as important as the daily practices that support the system.

In conclusion, both Highlights on Medium and the Zettelkasten system offer valuable insights into the world of publishing and note-taking. Highlights have changed the way readers and writers engage with content, fostering a sense of community and deeper discussions. The Zettelkasten system provides a method for organizing thoughts and generating new ideas. By incorporating these actionable advice, such as prioritizing engagement metrics and practicing good note-taking habits, individuals and product teams can enhance their publishing and productivity experiences.