I Propose a Solution, Not a Rebuttal

5 unsolicited suggestions to maximize the current and future value and growth of a very promising platform.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Great minds think alike. But so do not-so-great minds. Unfortunately, I fear the latter may be populating our inboxes, news feeds, and recommended content — on many platforms, this one included. In a recent startup shake-up, the very platform on which you’re reading this got pretty candid and vulnerable with us readers, writers, and “customers” about its current struggles. (If you’re reading this, you’re impacted.)

Unsurprisingly, this announcement was met with a plethora of similar responses. People offered up their sentiments, spouted some “I told you so”’s, and gave their forward-looking opinions on whether this update would signal a positive or a negative future outcome for the platform and its inhabitants. However, among these not-so-varied responses, I’ve failed to see one thing: A thoughtful solution.

I have seen some attempted solutions, but they’ve been veiled in self-serving biases or clouded by misguided, ill-informed assumptions (or some combination of both). Like the idea that in order to fix the decline in publication readership, writers should spend more time reading each others’ work. Does that incestuous whirlpool of not-so-sound logic…