Community Empowerment
Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers
Extending a Warm Welcome to Explore a New Opportunity to Support Writers
While some might perceive me as a prolific writer, the reality is that my engagement leans heavily toward reading — my writing constitutes merely 1% of my platform interaction and 99% of my reading. Each day, I dedicate myself to absorbing around 150 stories, cultivating a deep connection with the writing and reading experiences on this platform.
This immersion in storytelling and avid reading, coupled with an editing role for multiple publications, allows me to empathize with and appreciate the endeavors of both writers and readers alike. I wrote this story to inspire readers and writers on this platform, introducing the value of the Medium Friendship subscription model.
“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” — Elbert Hubbard.
Medium Friendship, as announced by Alex Benzer on 28 November 2023, is only about two weeks old, but it has made a significant impact on the platform, giving hope to writers and inspiring readers to support them better.
I wrote a story about it on 2nd December 2023 from my secondary tech account announcing the upgrade of my publication accounts to Medium Friendship.
However, since that account has fewer followers, the story hasn’t reached a broader audience. Therefore, I decided to write this piece from my main account, hoping it might reach the target audience.
The key premise of my previous story was to inspire non-paying members, as around 8000 out of 25,000+ contributors to my publications are non-members. You can read the story from the attached link.
What is Medium Membership and Why Does It Matter
By becoming a Friend of Medium, our membership contributions directly bolster the writers we cherish, amplifying our support for their craft. This initiative empowers writers and enables editors, curators, and teams to cultivate a dynamic and all-embracing space for human narratives within Medium.
Moreover, as readers, we gain exclusive access to the innovative Friend Link feature, allowing us to easily share our reading discoveries with friends, fostering a sense of community around the stories that resonate with us.
The key advantage lies in writers having the potential to earn four times more than standard membership support. Friends of Medium, enrolled in the $15 monthly plan, significantly amplifies their support for the writers they follow, making a more substantial impact than the standard Medium membership at $5 per month.
This increased backing directly influences writers’ earnings, empowering them to thrive through the generosity of their most dedicated supporters.
When Friends of Medium spend time reading member-only stories, they generate four times more earnings for those writers than regular members.
For those who might not be familiar, writers’ earnings on Medium stem from a blend of metrics: read and listen time, claps, highlights, replies, and follows.
However, what sets Medium Friendship apart is the fourfold multiplication factor applied to these metrics. This amplification significantly boosts writers’ earnings, allowing them to garner higher rewards for their engaging and impactful content.
To my understanding, another significant benefit for writers is the opportunity to monetize their external reading times by sharing links with supportive readers.
This has the potential to make a substantial impact, benefiting writers directly and contributing to the overall growth and sustainability of the Medium platform.
As you might be aware, reading times from non-members typically don’t generate income for writers. However, the unique aspect of the Friend Link feature within Medium allows non-members to read a story through a Friend of Medium’s link to contribute to writers’ earnings, thereby improving their financial standing.
This novel approach ensures that readers, whether members or not, can actively support writers through the Friend Link system. This was documented in this official friend link post by Medium. Here is the exact statement:
“Friend Links shared by Friends of Medium bypass the paywall and pay writers for reading engagement, even if those readers are not Medium members.”
I perceive this initiative as a smart growth investment by Medium. The premise lies in the potential for a first-time reader, drawn in by a compelling and high-quality story, to develop an interest in the diverse content available on Medium and ultimately decide to become a member.
This strategic approach can enrich the reading experience on the platform and is a potential gateway for new members to join the Medium community.
Therefore, while providing immediate empowerment to writers to produce better, this initiative also holds the potential for long-term benefits for them. The happier the writer, the happier the readers can become.
As more members contribute to the income pool over time, writers stand to gain sustained support. From my perspective, this can infuse the platform with greater vibrancy and sustainability, fostering an empowered community where writers can thrive in the long run to delight their readers.
How to Upgrade Your Plan
The easiest way is to click on the Medium Membership link.
You will see a screen like the following screen capture.
You choose the Friend of Medium, either paying $15 a month or, even better, $150 to save some money.
What I Couldn’t Upgrade My Main Account
In my earlier story, I detailed my challenge in upgrading my main account due to issues with my payment method.
Given that fellow older readers might encounter similar hurdles, I aim to offer assistance through the following screen capture.
The following image from Medium guides options for upgrading, aiming to help those facing similar difficulties.
Based on this information, I am waiting for my billing cycle and plan to upgrade my current account as well.
“True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.” — David Tyson
Conclusions
Medium Membership holds a significant promise for both readers and writers. By joining as a Friend of Medium, our support directly uplifts the writers we admire, magnifying their earnings and nurturing a thriving community of diverse voices.
This membership translates into four times the usual earnings for writers, creating a more sustainable platform.
Moreover, the innovative Friend Link feature allows us to share our reading experiences with friends, potentially drawing new members to the platform.
This initiative not only grants immediate support to writers but also has the potential to foster long-term growth by inviting new readers into the Medium fold.
By embracing this opportunity, we can elevate the stories that resonate with us and also contribute to the vitality and sustainability of a platform dedicated to the art of storytelling without annoying advertisements.
In the last two weeks, several readers cheerily upgraded their plans. I’d like to congratulate some early adopters for their decisions. I will link their profiles so you may contact them to understand why they embraced this wonderful opportunity like me as soon as it was announced.
Congratulations to Dr John Frederick Rose, Dr. Gabriella Korosi, Dr. Christine Chuckle, Dr. Julian Barkan, Mike Broadly, DHSc, Michael Burg, MD (Satire Sommelier), Wayne Stelk, PhD, Seda Anbarcı, Rebecca Romanelli, Sven Vandenberghe, tarun bhatt, David B. Grinberg 🇺🇸, Pernoste & Dahl, Annelise Lords, Elaine Hilides, Bill Abbate, Angie Mangino, Haimish Mead, Rui Alves, Amir Bibi, Marcus Musick, The Bumble Life, Ali Alzahrani, Editor, Zeem, Barbara J. Martin, Luay Rahil, 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, Marcus aka Gregory Maidman, Lanu Pitan🥰, 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, Ruby Noir 😈, 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, Patricia Ross, 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,
If you have any questions on Medium Friendship, please feel free to leave a comment on this story or contact me via my Slack workspace. I will be happy to answer your questions.
In my personal interactions, I’ve encountered readers facing challenges upgrading to a paid plan due to financial constraints. In an effort to assist them, I’ve explored the option of offering gift memberships, an alternative opportunity available on Medium.
As a publication owner, I aspire to generate resources that can be utilized to support such earnest readers in their journey towards becoming members, with a sincere commitment to fostering inclusivity within our community. Once I formulate my plan, I will announce it in a story.
Many thanks to the Medium Staff for these opportunities. And heartful gratitude to ILLUMINATION editors and ILLUMINATION-Curators for supporting 25,000+ writers and many readers on this platform.
If you find this story helpful, you may also check a similar story of Aiden (Illumination Gaming) with some humor. As an avid reader, he became a Medium friend recently and he finds it beneficial.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
To inform my new readers, I wrote numerous articles that might inform and inspire you. My topics include brain and cognitive function, significant health conditions, longevity, nutrition/food, valuable nutrients, ketogenic lifestyle, self-healing, weight management, writing/reading, and humor.
100+ Insightful Life Lessons from My Circles for the Last 50+ Years
I publish my health and wellness stories on EUPHORIA. My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness. Be Your Own Therapist in 10 Steps.
If you are a writer, you are welcome to join my publications by sending a request via this link. I support 25K+ writers who contribute to my publications on this platform. I also have another profile to write and curate tech stories.
