Medium's new feature is the thinking person's Snapchat clone

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Snapchat should consider itself one of the most beloved companies in Silicon Valley.

Publishing platform Medium released a new feature on Wednesday that might look awfully familiar to any Snapchat user.

That or any of the services including Instagram, Facebook and Tinder that have have ripped off Snapchat's popular "Stories" feature.

Medium's new "Series" tool -- the company at least had the decency to switch up a couple letters -- isn't an exact clone of Snapchat's trademark feature, which strings together video clips and photos, but there is certainly a strong resemblance.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The new format lets mobile users post running collections of swipe-able "cards," which can consist of images, GIFs or simply text.

Unlike those of competitors' counterparts, the posts don't disappear after 24 hours. Instead, the compilations are meant to be updated continually over long periods of time.

A video introducing the feature suggests that Medium sees the tool as a way for its users to tell ongoing serial-type stories -- in the tradition of Charles Dickens, as Wired proposes in its writeup. The platform gives readers the option of receiving a push notification every time a card is added.

Medium, founded and run by Twitter co-founder Ev Williams, has always excelled at fostering polished long-form pieces, but it's struggled to incubate the kind of shorter, more browsable posts that are better suited for social interaction and wider user participation. "Series" may help on that front.

The move comes at a tumultuous time for Medium. The company recently fired a third of its staff, slashed its advertising business and pushed towards a subscription model as it dives into the latest in a series of seemingly perpetual identity crises.