Medium Wants To Hear From Its Creators
But only some of them.
Have you completed the survey? Do you know what I’m talking about? Well, everyone is talking about “the survey.” It’s the latest buzz on Medium. Allow me to bring you up to speed.
Recently, Medium sent out an email. I got the email. It was addressed specifically to me, and it said the following:
“Thinking about our goals for the year ahead, a big one for us is continuing to make Medium a better place for writers like you. And that starts with listening to your story and understanding your needs.”
I was ecstatic. Medium cares about me. They are making an effort to listen to me. Maybe I’m naïve, but I was filled with hope; warm, fuzzy hope.
The email went on to say:
“As part of that effort, we wanted to invite you to consider joining an online research study we’re running, where we’ll be looking to learn about things like your approach towards writing, your hopes for the future, and your experiences sharing writing on Medium and elsewhere.”
I couldn’t believe it; it just kept getting better. Medium wanted to hear about my hopes and experiences.
And then it got even better than that. If selected, I would get a $5 Amazon gift card simply for completing a 15–20 minute survey. Only writers based in the United States could participate.
That was me. I had 15–20 minutes, I was based in the United States, and I could always use an Amazon gift card. I clicked on the survey link, and I was off to the races. More than 45 minutes later, I completed the survey.
What is wrong with this picture? What is wrong is the one big thing that the email even had printed in bold. “This study is restricted to writers based in the United States.”
That restriction is simply a load of garbage. Don’t tell me that you want to make Medium a better place for writers. How can that be true if you are excluding everyone that isn’t based in the United States?
Here we go again; Medium serves me a load of trash and ties it up with a bow and an Amazon gift card. And I fell for it.
I am ashamed to say I was bought for the price of a possible $5 Amazon gift card. When I saw the restriction in bold print, I should have deleted the email and transferred it to the trash where it belonged. I stand in solidarity with all creators on Medium.
It’s irrelevant where each of us is based. We all have value, and we all belong on Medium. Full stop.
Of course, the drama doesn’t stop there. While doing my daily Medium reading, I came across the following story by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz. Here’s the link:
Dr. Mehmet attempted to complete the survey and was given the boot, not only because he is based outside of the United States, but because of his age.
Seriously, he was excluded due to where he lives and due to his age. Wow, what a way for Medium to show they care about making the platform a better place for writers. Apparently, they only care about younger writers based in the United States.
After a little more reading, I found that more people wrote articles about not being allowed to participate in the survey due to their age. Here are just a few:
There are more writers than I can begin to list on Medium who are over 50. Did they all get excluded?
Based on the experiences outlined in the above linked stories and all the comments following the stories, for whatever reason, the age of 50 seemed to be to the cut-off. If you have been breathing oxygen on this planet for half a century or more, Medium doesn’t need your responses to a survey, and you don’t need a $5 Amazon gift card.
I’m just glad I have a shot at getting a gift card. I completed the entire survey.
But wait, how could that have happened? I’m 53. Oops. It looks like Medium screwed this one up. Again.
Am I an anomaly? Well, I don’t think so because Patricia Rosa was allowed to answer the survey, and she is also over 50, just like me. So, at least two of us got past the “we don’t want responses from old people” gatekeepers.
Now is the time for Medium to issue a statement and explain what the deal is with this survey. I know that Medium doesn’t owe us anything, but all I would like is to know that Medium is aware of the various concerns about this survey among its writers. That’s all.
Silence by Medium leads to suspicion by its writers, which results in a weakened platform. Now is the time for transparency from Medium so that everyone can work together with a common objective: to build a strong Medium where all writers feel welcome, valued, and included.
Had I known that writers were being excluded based on age, I would never have participated in the survey. Never. I do not condone ageism.
If I am selected to receive a $5 Amazon gift card, I will donate it to Almost Home Animal Rescue. My sister is good friends with the lady who runs it, and she can always use something from Amazon for the animals while they await their forever homes. I don’t want the money, and the animals can use it far more.
I encourage any of you who receive a gift card for completing the survey to do something philanthropic with it. I know it’s not a lot of money, but every little bit helps, especially for those who have nothing.
Please help me to build my email list.
Linda Kowalchek is a work in progress and a member of the typewriter generation. She spends her time with her husband and her rescue cats waiting for golf balls to crash through their windows. PSA: Don’t live next to a golf course.