Define Partner For Me Again!
Thoughts on “the program.”
I don’t want to be known as a Meta Medium writer, but this is my playground as much as it is anyone else’s, and I feel led to write what’s on my heart. Consider it an op-ed.
A little backstory
I say little because I am a freshman here. I only joined on December 31st, 2023. That’s just sixty-seven days ago.
By day three I had joined Medium’s first paid level. $5 a month seemed reasonable to me, if only for an opportunity to improve my writing, share my thoughts, and make a few friends.
On January 13th I joined the Partner Program, having read enough articles to make it seem like a good idea. It seemed like a win-win. I could support other writers in a more significant way, also showing that I appreciated others who had made the same decision. On January 14th I shared my first member’s only story — I hadn’t paywalled anything up until then, and I was averaging one article/story a day.
Toward the end of February, I was boosted, not once, but twice, and back-to-back. It was a nice wave to ride and I am glad it happened before the “purge” event a few days ago. It paid for my upgrade to the Partner Program so I am extremely happy about that.
It’s only up from here? Or is it?
I am chagrined by the idea that this platform promotes engagement but limits comments to 100 a day. I hit that one day unknowingly — trying to genuinely engage and build a following while also following writers whose work I resonated with — and only found out later why my comments didn’t post but ended up as story drafts.
Just a few days ago, I had a lovely little back-and-forth with someone— like a real chat — in the comments section of our mutual articles. We enjoyed a cup of imaginary tea and some cake over it. It was…wait for it…social!!
Comments on my articles have decreased drastically in the last few days. My 50–60% average read rate has dropped to around 25–30% in the last few days. * Is it due to the uproar around disappearing writers? Is everyone keeping their comments under their mattresses? * Or is it because I’ve become enamored with short-form Drabbles, stories of only 100 words that are quite addictive to write? * Is it because I posted five articles in one day trying to get a pub off the ground? * Is it some form of algorithmic penalty to make sure I don’t earn too much post-boost?
In the face of all the chaos and uncertainty in the world today, online and off, my motto is always, “Ask more questions.” If we can’t ask questions, we’re slaves to the agendas of others.
I may never know the answer, but it’s these things that create turmoil in my mind, just when I thought I’d found a place to let my one wild voice roam free.
Mutual Admiration Societies
I have to say that I am also disappointed in some “clubs” that promote the idea of reads and views with the express purpose of augmenting earnings. It seems about as reasonable as encouraging everyone to dig their spoon into a dish at a potluck, but not bother to taste the meal. The disappearing casserole should be enough for the cook to feel valued, but no one knows if it is tasty or not.
I was recently tagged in a post (10 days ago). I won’t call it a story. When I got there, there were no tags. They had all been deleted, presumably, once notifications were sent out. (One other account does this, and it’s a turn-off.) It was an invitation to write for a publication. Not only did the name of the pub turn me off; it was a little too similar to another publication that has a large and dedicated reader-writer following, but the wording in this post also strongly hinted that it was a “potluck” where they would support each other’s earning, but not necessarily their content.
I wanted no part of it. Interestingly, the publication name has changed, as has the wording of the post. How do I know this? The URL still holds the title of the original post! I remember commenting to my husband how that kind of pub just wasn’t my style.
Don’t get me wrong, every group has “mutual admiration” characteristics. Among families, it’s called nepotism. Among patriarchal males, it’s called cronyism. In a chamber of commerce, you support other members, so it’s not necessarily all bad.
But a potluck where no one tastes the food is just not my style, especially as a cook who likes to know her dishes are pleasing to the palate.
I am also frustrated with the “clap and flap” tendencies of some. These are real human accounts as far as I can tell, with large numbers of followers, and plenty of posted articles, who clap for three or four articles within a minute (definitely not reading) and fly away home, hoping to lure me back to their lair where I’ll nestle in, bringing the sound of clinking coins to their stats.
And then there are the bots, the accounts that steal names and pictures and then comment (that precious real estate of true engagement) with their whats-crap and tele-scam links. Makes my blood boil.
The Voices of Reason and Hope
There are voices of reason here, like Mike Sansone and Adrian CDTPPW who are trying to quell the chaos with some reason and hope.
Mike says, “Remain positive. Keep writing. Have fun. This is not Medium vs. Writers.”
I appreciate his hopefulness but also wonder just how to maximize my enjoyment of this platform without losing my wits. It’s people like him, and the engaging stories they write, and their thoughtful comments that made me feel right at home here.
I don’t know what Medium is up to. I do have to wonder if going back to a free account, where I choose not to monetize isn’t the answer. I can forget about my stats and appreciate the honest engagement that comes my way.
Adrian explained kindly in a comment to me, that he often doesn’t comment because of the limits. As an editor and pub owner, I can’t even imagine how fast he goes through his precious 100. That might drive me crazy. Thanks, Adrian for responding to that one!
Followers, Subscribers, and Building an Audience
I’ve never been good at it — the whole self-promotion, gather emails thing. Self-doubt, an inferiority complex, imposter syndrome…all of these things haunt me. It wasn’t until I found Medium, where I didn’t have to “own” a list, that I felt free from the obligation to follow the plethora of marketing rules to build something sustainable.
Sure, there’s the follow-for-follow thing that happens here, which I don’t subscribe to. If there’s monetization involved — or just the desire to have your voice heard above the cacophony of noise — it’s a numbers game.
Engagement, feedback, and community, all revolving around the human hologram of voices clamoring to be heard — that’s why I’m here. But I thought, hey if I can make a few bucks (an average of $3.35 an article) along the way to validate what I have to say… Great! That’s why I upgraded.
Howdy Podner
I realize that the “partner” in Partner Program is a misnomer. We aren’t sitting in the board room, deliberating over the discussion items on the agenda, but if I were, I’d say…
- Consider a sliding scale of comments based on followers, as there are probably algorithms that determine a ratio of reads and comments are their higher visibility.
- Consider vetting accounts that run publications successfully. Allow vetted accounts to vet their editors.
- If humans are violating terms, offer some kind of warning before obliterating them. Or is all this a twisted publicity stunt? (Sorry, was that out loud?)
- And for the lowly newbie (me), consider that they’re just getting to like this place, but it’s not too soon to bolt. They’ve likely left plenty of other platforms to land here.
- Oh, and can I add the suggestion to turn off notifications for when people highlight the same things I do?? An option?
- What would you add here?
Final Notes
Honestly, I don’t know how all of this is financially sustainable if I have been able to recuperate my investment in less than two months, without gaming the system other than trying to figure out how to have more reads, more engagement, all based on my writing and posting schedule. I know plenty of others have done the same.
I know a lot of people have left for substack and the like (and some use one to bolster the other), but substack alone takes me back to my issue with building an audience, like finding water in the desert. Medium has been an oasis.
On that note, I can appreciate the challenge that Medium is up against to control both the bots and the less than honest human behaviors that might well get the whole playground condemned.
I don’t know if this article is worth two cents, but it’s my two cents.