YES to this, Annie. I've thought the same many times. The ability to connect and engage with each other is what I value most about Medium.

I also value the immediacy. I've published academic pieces that don't appear until months if not years after I initially submitted them. More months or years will follow before someone cites your piece in their work; and then, they may cite it disapprovingly or dismissively. I realize that many academics have a different experience of the scholarly world, and I've had some positive experiences, too, but it's usually very tenuous and indirect. In contrast, 24K people read at least part of my last Medium piece, more than have read everything else I've ever written, I'm sure, and hundreds left comments. I'll take that interaction every day.

I agree with you that writing and teaching are similar in their obscurity...unless we're writing on Medium.

Thanks for reading and responding, my friend. Great to connect with you!