Medium's new app looks a lot like an idea-sharing group chat
I've been using Medium's new app TK for a while, and I like it very much.
Link: Medium is launching a new note-taking app called TK, by David Pierce in The Verge
Medium is launching its new app, TK:
“The company is launching a new app, called TK, that combines note taking and journaling with something resembling a private social network. The app is meant to get you writing more, and help you share that writing with friends and fans. And it’s part of a much bigger idea about blogging, and a much broader thesis about the state of the internet.”
I’ve been using it for a while and it reminds me of some of my best experiences on the internet. It also contains a bit more AI than you’d expect to see in a writing app, but it doesn’t hinge on those features: for some people they’re useful ways to add more information, fill in blanks, or do some smart retrieval from notes you’ve already written, but you can get a great experience from TK without using it at all.
The Verge article notes that it’s a bit like group chat, and I think that’s right. The way I’d put it is this: if Medium (or any blog, including this one) is a magazine where complete pieces are published, TK represents the messy conversation, note-taking and idea-sharing that exists before that point. That’s an imperfect description, though, because a lot of this really is conversation: something that will never be a published thought. Some of the interactions remind me of LiveJournal at its height, which is probably the biggest compliment I can give to any new service.
That’s also why I’m not worried about it not operating on an open social web protocol. It’s intentionally closed for the right reasons, in the same way that my group chats are closed. These are ideas that I want to share with select people, not the world. And because of that, I’m more likely to be open, be wider with my thoughts, and share less-finished ideas. All of those are good things. And then, should you publish: yes, put it on your own domain, or somewhere like Medium, depending on your values and preferences.
I like it very much, is what I’m saying.
