How Friends of Medium Can Amplify Important Stories Via Customized Social Media Sites
An interview with Dr Mehmet Yildiz introducing customized platforms to share valuable content via FoM links with a broader audience.
Dear readers and writers, this post aims to share an interview script with our chief editor, Dr Mehmet Yildiz. This interview serves to acquaint us with the Medium Friendship program, which emphasizes the sharing of our favorite stories on social media to increase views, reads, engagement, and earnings of writers.
The collective efforts aim to bolster Medium.com’s traffic, offering free access to external readers while supporting writers financially, as intended and designed by Medium as part of the Friend of Medium subscription.
Additionally, towards the end of the post, we introduce some early adopters of the Medium Friendship subscriptions so that you can connect with them.
Interview Script
Hello Dr. Yildiz, on behalf of the editorial team, we extend our gratitude for upgrading our publishing and curation accounts. With these upgraded accounts, our curation and reading activities can significantly contribute to the earnings of stories. In this interview, we aim to explore Medium Friendship, especially how readers can use it more effectively.
Firstly, could you please introduce the program to those unfamiliar with it?
Thank you for the opportunity. Yes, I’d be glad to introduce it. Medium Friendship, as announced by Alex Benzer on 28 November 2023, is only about a month old. Still, it has significantly impacted the platform, giving hope to writers and inspiring readers to support them better. I wrote a story about it on 2 December 2023 from my secondary tech account, announcing the upgrade of my publication accounts to Medium Friendship.
Being a Friend of Medium significantly supports cherished writers, enhancing our backing for their craft. This initiative empowers writers and facilitates editorial and curation teams in fostering an inclusive space for human narratives within Medium.
Readers, upon becoming Friends of Medium, gain exclusive access to the innovative Friend Link feature. This facilitates seamless sharing of reading discoveries, fostering a sense of community around resonating stories.
The primary advantage relates to writers potentially earning four times more than standard membership support. Subscribing the $15 monthly plan can significantly amplify backing for the following writers, making a substantial impact compared to the standard $5 membership.
This augmented support significantly influences writers’ earnings, empowering them to thrive due to the generosity of their dedicated supporters.
Friends of Medium contribute four times more earnings for writers when reading member-only stories, significantly increasing their financial support compared to regular members.
Writers’ earnings on Medium are determined by metrics like read and listen time, claps, highlights, replies, and follows. However, Medium Friendship multiplies these metrics fourfold, markedly boosting writers’ earnings for their engaging content.
A notable benefit for writers is the chance to monetize external reading times by sharing links with supportive readers, ultimately contributing to the platform’s growth and sustainability.
External reading times from non-members traditionally do not generate income for writers. However, the Friend Link system enables non-members to contribute to writers’ earnings by reading stories through a Friend of Medium’s link, enhancing writers’ financial prospects and fostering active reader-writer support. Further details are in my recent story.
We noticed that you are intensely promoting this program. Can you please explain your reasons?
The reason is very simple. As a dedicated reader, I engage with over a hundred stories every day, absorbing diverse perspectives and enriching my understanding.
Yet, the thought of solely paying $5 a month felt insufficient, considering the immense value I received. This realization sparked a sense of duty within me — an opportunity to contribute further and actively support the growth of this knowledge and creativity ecosystem.
I advocate for it because I aim to encourage more readers to support writers, fostering a more vibrant and sustainable platform. When writers are content, readers are delighted. I explained it better in the previous story.
You also upgraded your account recently. As a writer, have you noticed any difference?
I upgraded my account not for personal gains as a writer but to enhance the income and visibility of other writers, driven by my passion for reading.
While there might be intangible benefits, such as inspiring fellow writers, I currently don’t see direct benefits for writers to upgrade at this stage.
Nonetheless, each writer also assumes the role of a reader. Consequently, supporting the income of fellow writers can yield collective value for the platform. What we contribute often returns to us manifold.
Now, the most important question is how readers can amplify their favorite stories and promote the stories of their favorite writers.
This is an excellent and timely question. I’ve engaged in insightful discussions with several early adopters of Medium Friendship, gathering valuable perspectives that I intend to share in an upcoming story.
Regarding your question, my focus is on exploring a specific pattern they highlighted — one that has sparked inspiration for a new article. I aim to have it ready in the next few days.
Many of these readers, some of whom are writers themselves, express discovering remarkable stories but face the challenge of amplifying their reach to a wider audience due to limited social media followers.
To amplify crucial stories on social media, a substantial following isn’t always necessary. Since 2020, I’ve established several community-based social media platforms, allowing me to share stories and garner significant views from engaged community members who also re-post content.
I’ll be happy to introduce each platform tailored to major social media sites. Through these customized tools, I’ve effectively expanded my publications, drawing thousands of new readers to Medium.
Can you give us some examples of what social media platforms you customized for your writing and reading community?
Yes, I cover all major social media platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, Quora, Pinterest, Facebook, and X (Twitter). However, I want to point out that social media is a double-edged sword. For personal reasons, I do some social media detox regularly.
Why is LinkedIn important, and how did you customize it?
Having been an active member on LinkedIn since its inception, I’ve found it immensely valuable for managing my professional network. In support of the writing and reading community, I’ve established LinkedIn pages and groups, elaborating on these initiatives in two stories.
Here are the LinkedIn links for writers and readers to join.
We read your story about Reddit a few years ago, mentioning it as one of the most viral platforms. Can you please elaborate on that?
While Reddit boasts an incredible algorithm and hosts millions of discerning readers, navigating its communities can be challenging due to ongoing tribal dynamics. Preferring peace over conflict, I abstain from engaging in such battles.
Hence, I established my own community, providing a seamless platform for writers and readers to share their stories effortlessly with just a few clicks. I introduced our community on Reddit and how to use it in a story.
Writers and readers from Medium, regardless of their affiliation with the ILLUMINATION Community, are invited to join. We encourage the use of Friend Links to maximize readership on Medium.
Here is the link to our community.
Two years ago, you also mentioned that some stories in the Quora space of ILLUMINATION-Curated went viral. Can you please introduce Quora?
Absolutely, Quora spaces offer remarkable collaboration and user-friendly features. While many perceive Quora solely as a question-and-answer platform, spaces wield significant power akin to other forms of social media.
Among several spaces I’ve created, the one for the ILLUMINATION-Curated Quora space garners a larger following among Quora readers. When a story strikes a chord with them, they readily share it with their followers and across various Quora spaces, creating a ripple effect of engagement.
Here is the guidance for using Quora.
I’m delighted to offer access to all interested readers and provide moderator access to writers interested in publishing stories from other authors. Publishing involves accepting story links from Medium.
My Quora spaces aren’t solely for ILLUMINATION publications; they welcome stories from all publications, including self-published pieces. Additionally, I extend our support to writers on platforms like Vocal Media and NewsBreak within the Quora community.
Here are the links to our Quora spaces.
ILLUMINATION-Curated on Medium
Technology Hits on Medium
Technology Hits TSEE Club — Medium and other platforms
Technology and Design — Generic — all platforms, including blogs
Biohacking & Health Tips — Generic — all platforms, including blogs
Fiction Club ILLUMINATION on Medium
Poetry Club ILLUMINATION on Medium
Vocal Stories — For Vocal Media Writers
Share News Break Stories — For News Break Writers
You also mentioned that some of your pins went viral on Pinterest. How can writers and readers use Pinterest?
Absolutely, Pinterest boasts a powerful algorithm. To drive traffic to Medium, it’s crucial that the images are eye-catching and engaging. I’ve created pinboards where both writers and readers can craft pins and explore stories. This engagement on Pinterest is an avenue for discovering and sharing captivating narratives.
Despite not having a substantial following on Pinterest, my pins garnered 691K views this month, even though I had limited opportunities to pin many stories. A few months ago, they reached over a million views. In the upcoming year, I plan to be more active on the platform to further amplify engagement as part of the Medium Friendship initiative.
I introduced the use of Pinterest in a story a few years ago.
I created a new pinboard yesterday, especially for Medium Friends. From now on, you may pin your favorite stories and create visibility for them.
Pinterest stands apart from other platforms and can be quite daunting for beginners. For instance, when you create a pin for a story, it often defaults to ‘new ideas’. As a sharer, you’re required to manually copy and paste the board link or save it within your web browsers for a smoother sharing experience.
Here are two older pinboards that you can pin for your favorite stories.
https://www.pinterest.com.au/myildizmel/illumination-curated/
https://www.pinterest.com.au/myildizmel/illumination-on-medium/
How about Facebook?
I have been on Facebook since its earlier days for personal use. I enjoy sharing Medium stories with my friends and plan to share more friend links from now on.
I also created several Facebook pages and explained them in a story. Facebook can bring substantial traffic to Medium.
Here are some main pages
https://www.facebook.com/Stories-from-Vocal-Media-103203291646130
And Finally, how about Twitter?
I have some mixed feelings and thoughts about Twitter for various reasons. For example, they killed my over-a-decade-old account in 2020 without any warning or explanation, but I’d rather not sway others with my biases. While it’s a useful tool for creating visibility, I grew weary of bot accounts following us without adding any substantial value.
I share every story I publish or read on Medium across my publications on Twitter to enhance visibility. While my tweets previously garnered significant impressions, there was a noticeable decline after Elon Musk acquired the company. I believe this might have resulted from a cleanup of unnecessary accounts, but it doesn’t concern me greatly.
Sharing friend links requires navigating to the site and manually pasting the link in a new tweet. I don’t have a dedicated site for Twitter, but I do maintain a Twitter list to support our writers, though it’s been quite buggy and doesn’t meet my expectations. This has raised some concerns about Twitter, especially regarding the time invested versus the value it brings.
Here is the Twitter List I created in 2020.
https://twitter.com/i/lists/1241994806374481922
You may also follow my account (digitalmehmet) and publication accounts like ILLUMINATION, ILLUMINATION-Curated, and Technology Hits. Most of our editors also have X accounts. We retweet your tweets to create more visibility.
Do you use other platforms that we haven’t mentioned so far?
My main platform is my own website for blogging and re-blogging important stories on my multiple blog sites.
However, I automated these systems to save time. If readers have important stories to be amplified, I am happy to create blog posts for them as a giveback activity to the community.
I previously had a great passion for Tumblr and engaged with it extensively. Unfortunately, in January 2022, they banned my account due to their classification of Medium story sharing as spam.
Despite escalating the issue to their management, they maintained their decision. It was a loss on their part, given the curated content I was offering for free. Unless I receive an invitation, I won’t be investing further in that platform.
I documented my thoughts in a story on Medium.
We also plan to join Mastodon in 2024
Thank you, Dr. Yildiz, for generously sharing this information with our readers. Is there anything else you’d like to share in closing?
Thank you for the opportunity. One final thought I would add is to inspire our non-member writers.
I recently came across something that truly caught my attention, identified by our publication administrators. Out of the 25,000+ writers supported by my publications on Medium, over 8,000 are currently non-members. We dearly support them as a diverse and inclusive community.
This discovery brought to light something significant. These 8,000 active writers, while contributing valuable content, are not yet part of the paying community. This means around 17,000 paying writers are missing out on the support from this segment of readers.
If these 8,000 writers chose to support the platform by investing just $5 a month, it could significantly boost our collective earnings. This could contribute around $480,000 annually to the pool, a sum that would substantially benefit all writers. Medium Friendship subscription will be a bonus to make fellow writers happier.
The wealth of content-sharing options listed here might seem overwhelming, especially for those less inclined toward social media. Yet, by saving the platform links, the entire process of sharing stories takes no more than 5 minutes, even for multiple reads.
As I explained in a previous story, it is just a matter of copying and pasting.
That’s it from me. Thanks again for the opportunity, and I wish you, all writers and readers, a happy and prosperous New Year.
Thanks, Dr Yildiz. We learned a lot from your ideas.
Now, let’s introduce you to some early adopters Dr. Yildiz has been engaging with. We’ve selected a few, but the list is steadily growing, so we can’t include everyone in this story.
Congratulations to Lanu Pitan🥰, The Sturg, Josh Balerite Acol, Aiden (Illumination Gaming), Tree Langdon, Bill Abbate, Rebecca Romanelli, Annelise Lords, David B. Grinberg 🇺🇸, Mike Broadly, DHSc, Luay Rahil, Dr John Frederick Rose, Dr. Gabriella Korosi, Dr. Christine Chuckle, Dr. Julian Barkan, Michael Burg, MD (Satire Sommelier), Wayne Stelk, PhD, Seda Anbarcı, Sven Vandenberghe, tarun bhatt, Pernoste & Dahl, Elaine Hilides, Angie Mangino, Haimish Mead, Rui Alves, Amir Bibi, Marcus Musick, The Bumble Life, Ali Alzahrani, Editor, Zeem, Barbara J. Martin, Sherry Atkinson, Jay Squires, Tom Kane, Fiona McDerment, Ammara Hassan, Rick Allen, Akaahan Terungwa, Mariana Busarova, Daniela Dragas, john creed, Meghan E. Gattignolo, Britt H., Shanté Nixon, Darlene López, Arosa Jabein, James Boylan, Ivylockewrites, Jodes Wiltshire, Kashi Writes, Robin Christine Honigsberg, Jill Ebstein, Libby Shively McAvoy, Lysandros Lysandrou, Alina Pitt, Senetta Diane, Omni Essence, Power of Positivity, Deborah Camp, Misty Rae, ✅ Doc Samurai Sam, Wesley van Peer, Hira Chaudhry, Anshul Kummar, Memoona Bilal, Charles Davie, Ani Vals, Cancer Husband, Usman Khalid Qureshi, Pete J J, Jake Roper, Gill McCulloch. FranMorelandJohns. Lovely Poems, Sanjay Singhal, Michael Zwierzanski, Margie Pearl, Ruby Noir 😈, Patricia Ross, Marcus aka Gregory Maidman, Frank Ontario | empathy, logic, love., Prasanna Srinath Subhasinghe, Joanie Adams — Sightseer; Conjurer Of Words, Oksana Kukurudza’s Sunflowers Rarely Break, Jamel Hendley/Greenviool/PawProfits, JD Adams ~ Stories From the Mountain, Pierre. Climate change & solutions. Parenteeny — teenagers can do more,
Thank you for taking the time to read this interview with Dr. Yildiz. We wish you a happy New Year.
We also interviewed Dr Yildiz for another point that you may find helpful.
We created several bulletins, and here are the two important ones.
New writers can find details of our publications.
You can also find all our updated submission guidelines in the attached link.
Invitation to New Writers to our Publications on Medium
To join our vibrant publications, please send a request via this link. We will help you gain visibility and succeed as a writer on Medium. Please mention the publication name with your Medium account ID in the request.
ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications include:
ILLUMINATION ILLUMINATION-Curated ILLUMINATION’ S MIRROR ILLUMINATION Book Chapters The Lampshade of ILLUMINATION Technology Hits SYNERGY Readers Hope Illumination on YouTube Illumination Gaming Illumination’s Nutrition ILLUMINATION’s Blog EUPHORIA by Dr Mehmet Yildiz
