Medium: A Secret Way to Communicate with Other Writers.
Featured Story in the Illumination "Curated Collection Series" publication.
This story was featured in two separate “Curated Collection Series” for one of the largest publications on Medium: Illumination. Curation Editors: Aiden and Mike Broadly.
In this post, I share a lesser-known feature on Medium for private communication: Private Notes.
Why do you need private notes?
Private notes are generally used by publication editors to communicate with authors, either to request changes or signal acceptance or rejection of the article.
However, you can also invite friendly users or supportive writers to leave comments on a draft article before publication or treat it as a post-it reminder to add information later without interrupting the flow while writing.
Or you can use them to share views with another writer privately that may not necessarily interest other readers.
I have used them for all of the above reasons.
How often do you use notes, and if so, for what purpose?
How do you leave a private note?
Note: You can only send a note if the other user has not blocked them.
Here’s how to use the feature:
First, select any text in the article or comment of interest.
You will see the Medium hover menu magically appear. Yes, it is the same hover menu you use to highlight, comment, or tweet.
Select the ‘Lock’ icon in the below menu.
4. A private chat window will show up inline. A note can only be 400 characters. A scroll bar appears automatically. See below where I wrote a note to myself!
5. Hit ‘Send.’ For longer notes, repeat steps 1–3 to create multiple entries.
What happens once you send it?
6. The receiver will immediately see an asterisk indicator (*) on the same line, positioned to the right of the text you selected, as shown below.
7. They also receive an email notification with a note preview. Occasionally, they may get notified on the platform. Check the email header below for an example.
How do you read it?
8. To read the note, click on the ‘*’ or on the link sent in the email notification.
Who can see the note?
The note is visible to you, the other user and to the editors of the publication in which the article appears (if submitted or published).
What actions can a user take?
9. Once the user reads your note, they can choose to:
a) delete it without replying.
b) dismiss it without replying.
c) reply without dismissing it.
d) reply and dismiss it.
Should you delete or dismiss the note?
Both Delete and Dismiss remove the ‘*’ and permanently delete the note. Neither the Medium Help page nor the few posts about this feature by other writers address the distinction. Choose whichever one you like.
Some editors warn you to ‘Dismiss’ notes when rejected before re-submitting to a different publication. This is to prevent new publications from being prejudiced by the earlier editorial comments, or to learn that they were your second choice.
Personally, I tend to delete or dismiss them once I’ve viewed them.
How do you turn off notes?
10. If you prefer not to receive private notes, you can disable them in the Settings menu. Navaigate to the ‘Publishing’ tab and uncheck the option that says ‘Allow readers to leave private notes on your stories.’ Refer to the example below. Keep in mind that if you regularly submit to publications, it might be better to enable it.
Caveats
Private notes work optimally on desktops and are not supported on mobile devices. Occasionally, they may disappear before you get a chance to reply — this is a bug!
The ‘*’ indicator is easy to miss, and it’s important to note that unless you check email notifications which may be in your Promotions folder (Gmail), you might miss it altogether. You also need to ensure Medium notifications are not directed to your Spam folder!
Conclusion
Notes are a relatively unused feature of Medium to enable writers and readers to communicate with each other. Primarily, it is used by publication editors to send a message to authors on their submitted work.
But it is an easy way to communicate, using an inside channel that most are unaware exists. Now, doesn’t that sound like fun to you, a bit like leaving clues for others to find?
Have you tried using private notes on Medium? Share your experiences in the comments below.
Did you find this helpful? Please like, share, or comment. Thanks for reading!
I'm on Medium as well, this is so true. The images are a nice bonus as well.