Chapter 1: The Unexpected Issue

When faced with a technological hiccup, the first step is often to apologize—especially to Medium Support.

I can’t even begin to count the instances where I've admitted my struggle with technology. The number of times I’ve reached out for assistance, prefacing my requests with a confession of my tech challenges, is daunting. Yet, there I found myself once again, ready to tackle the problem head-on.

Not long ago, my Medium homepage transformed into a colossal display. The image at the top stretched across the entire screen. While I found it a bit excessive, I reminded myself that Medium has a history of peculiar changes without any explanation. Unfortunately, my financial situation meant I couldn't afford to be uninformed.

Despite the odd layout, I tried to make peace with it. I feared that any attempt to customize my homepage might lead to disaster—potentially erasing all my content, leaving it lost in the digital abyss.

I grumbled about it, but in the grand scheme of things, my Medium homepage was a minor inconvenience. However, calamity struck!

I sat down to craft what I hoped would be a literary masterpiece, only to discover that my writing functionality had vanished. The drop-down menu next to my profile picture was nowhere to be found.

In a panic, I clicked on everything in sight, hoping to restore the functionality. But alas, nothing worked. The oversized homepage loomed over me like an unyielding billboard.

My first attempt at resolution was to reach out to Medium Mastery, but I received no assistance. Next, I turned to a few trusted writing friends, but they were equally stumped.

Then, despite the prevalent belief that Medium Support rarely replies, I took the plunge and contacted them. This initiated a delightful email exchange.

On March 31, 2022, I wrote:

“Hello, I hope you’re well. I haven’t reached out in quite some time. My homepage has lost its top section. I’ve tried various troubleshooting steps, including clearing cookies, but nothing has worked. It now starts with my pinned story, and the editing options seem limited. Can you assist me?”

On April 4, Medium responded:

“Hello,

I apologize for the delay.

What browser are you currently using? Do you have any extensions activated?

If you open your profile in a private browsing window, do you see all your stories?”

Thanks,

Arthur

User Services

After clarifying that I still saw nothing, we exchanged a total of four to six emails over the following days. Medium Support remained patient and dedicated to resolving my issue. Eventually, they inquired:

“On your profile or Medium homepage, do you see these icons on the left side?”

(They even provided a screenshot to help clarify.)

I replied, “No, there’s nothing there.” I sent them a screenshot of my homepage for reference.

Medium then clarified, “Your screenshot indicates you are using a mobile browser. Writing features are not available in mobile view. Are you on a tablet or a laptop?”

I confirmed, “Laptop.”

Medium replied, “Thank you. It appears you are viewing the site in a ‘mobile view’ mode, which mimics how a phone or tablet would display the Medium website. What browser are you using? Does it have a setting to disable mobile view?”

“First, thank you for your understanding. I exclusively use Google Chrome. I often read articles on my phone, but I primarily check my email. Occasionally, I read short stories. Thank you for your help!”

After a few more emails back and forth, Medium ultimately suggested that I reach out to my webmaster.

Ah, my webmaster! A beacon of hope amidst my technological confusion. He was just a phone call away, so I quickly dialed him up.

Though he was busy treating his kids to cake, he managed to assist me while multitasking. Our conversation went something like this:

He: “What seems to be the issue?”

Me: “All my drop-down menus are missing.”

He: “Are they represented as icons?”

Me: “No, they are written. Medium keeps mentioning something on the left side, but I see nothing.”

He pondered for a moment, “So, you should be able to see something on the left side of your homepage?”

“Yes—”

And then, in what felt like a miracle, my homepage changed! Icons appeared on the left side, including one that resembled a pen, signaling the return of my writing functionality.

“Wait, what did you do?” I exclaimed, half squealing with excitement.

He replied, “Your page was zoomed in at 175%. The icons were simply off the visible screen. I reset it back to 100%.”

In less than two minutes, my “problem” was resolved—all while he was feeding his children cake. This man is a treasure worth his weight in cake.

So why didn’t I think to contact him sooner? Because I initially assumed it was a Medium issue, not an error on my part.

Thus, once again, I extend my apologies to Medium Support. They were incredibly helpful. I sent them an email updating them on the resolution, to which they replied:

“Thank you for the update. We didn’t actually change anything, so it seems your browser switched from mobile view back to desktop. If you require further assistance, feel free to reach out.”

Medium Support proved to be efficient, courteous, and kind—never once questioning whether I had read any of their previous emails regarding the changes.

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