Goodbye, Redux

Summary

The author is departing from Medium to focus on their personal website, www.WalkaboutSaga.com, due to repeated unfavorable changes on Medium that have affected their income and business.

Abstract

The author has decided to cease writing on Medium and will no longer post new content or republish existing content from their personal website. This decision comes after five years of navigating through Medium's platform changes, which have significantly reduced the author's earnings and undermined their business. The author expresses gratitude to their supporters on Patreon and to the Medium community, particularly the Illumination publication and its leader, Dr. Mehmet Yildiz. Despite the emotional ties and the love for the readership, the author, who is turning 70, emphasizes the need to prioritize their livelihood and control over their content and audience. They encourage readers to follow them to their personal website for the latest material and acknowledge the difficulty of leaving Medium, a platform that has been a significant part of their life for nearly half a decade.

Opinions

The author values the input and support of their Patreon followers and Medium readers, indicating a strong connection with their audience.
The author has a negative view of the recent changes made by Medium, which they believe have not supported content creators and have been detrimental to their income.
There is a sense of frustration and exhaustion with the repeated overhauls by Silicon Valley companies, including Medium, which the author sees as disrespectful to content creators.
The author holds Medium responsible for the decline in their earnings and the near collapse of their company.
Despite the decision to leave, the author expresses a sense of community and camaraderie with other writers on Medium, particularly those associated with the Illumination publication.
The author advises other writers to consider platforms where they can maintain control over their email lists and content, suggesting a move to Substack or similar platforms.
The author acknowledges the emotional difficulty of leaving Medium but is determined to focus on their own company and website to ensure a sustainable income and creative control.
The author extends heartfelt thanks to those who have consistently supported their work, including a specific mention to Deyaa Tiger and Jim the Geek.

Yeah I know. I said this last year. Then I came back like an abused spouse. Here’s where things stand.

For those Dear Readers who have stuck it out with me, please hear me out. Last year I opened up a Patreon account on my website. That effort afforded me about fifty followers whose support I treasure, whose input I respect, and whose suggestions are taken very seriously.

The website is free. You don’t have to support me to read my stuff. However from here on out I am no longer either writing anything new on Medium, nor am I going to republish my stuff here from my website. Several reasons for that, about which I have previously written plenty enough.

Those of you who like (or love) my writing but are financially strapped, I get it. Look, I am buying markdown produce until I get a new company off the ground. I realize Medium is a better deal if you want variety. But if you want my newest material, please visit www.WalkaboutSaga.com.

Again, you can read for free. Welcome over.

March would have made five years for me on Medium. Like so very many, I rode out those five years through repeated overhauls, lost income, scrabbling my way back, which just got exhausting. The last overhaul ripped my earnings by 95% and pretty much torpedoed my company. That was not only the final straw, but it was a fine lesson in the execrable behavior of Silicon Valley companies (which is mirrored by Lyft and Uber, for whom several friends drive and who are reporting identical behavior).

There are so many people to thank for their ongoing support. Nowhere is there a greater family than on Illumination, spearheaded by the inimitable Dr Mehmet Yildiz, who has built it with passion and love and respect. I will miss the interaction on Medium, the ability to highlight comments and what was always a joyous place to be until the financial rug got pulled out from under me one too many times.

I will on occasion check in, I may well post a response here and there, but I will no longer labor to post regularly, comment often or put my time into an entity that does not and will not ever care about its content creators. Illumination does, but they are a publication of Medium, not Medium itself.

To those of you who do comment, please understand: I have to make a living. I turn 70 next week, and I can’t waste another five years getting established on a platform which owns the emails of those who like my stuff. To that special thanks to Deyaa Tiger for always, always ALWAYS reading my material right after I publish. I’ll miss you.

For plenty more of lessons learned please read the excellent writing of Linda Caroll, who has also moved over to Substack as have many, many other excellent writers. She is terrific, her advice consistently solid. For those of you utterly determined to stick around and use Medium to learn how to write, please see the ever-funny and very talented Roz Warren for guidance.

Those of us who left and returned, we returned because there was much to love. That would be you, Dear Reader. The problem is that I have to make a living. I can’t do that here. So with limited time left to me I am going to put my focus on my own work, where as Linda Caroll advises, I have control over the email lists and it’s my company.

You will be missed. There are more than 2200 articles on here that I penned in less than five years. Nobody can say I didn’t put in the work, for there are some twelve thousand comments that I also invested in others. That’s saying something.

Given that, it’s time to invest that kind of love and energy into my own online space. You’re welcome to join me.

Heartfelt thanks to Jim the Geek for the final push.