Mediums New Goals
Will you stay?
Introduction
Recently I started a video “conversation with” other Medium writers, we have discussed Medium at length, and one of the things I have taken from them is confusion over what Medium is now trying to achieve through its changes.
Questions have been asked, such as, what are their goals? What are they trying to achieve? Can I earn a living through Medium? Why has my income dropped?
Changes Since I Joined Medium
Medium has explored different ways to pay its writers for their contribution to the platform. Recently, it came away from the clapping system, whereupon writers got paid with the more claps they received; this ended up being a popularity contest.
In my most recent interview with David B. Clear he mentioned the following: (the interview is pending on my YouTube channel)
It was named for the bible passage Matthew 25:29: “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” The loose transition popularized today is “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer”
Distribution in its early days favours the “few”, with around 6–8% of the writing population on Medium earning over $100 and the very elite earning $10,000 plus.
Whilst the “peasants”, the remaining 92% plus, earned very little if anything at all. Of course, this was never a sustainable model, and rightfully Medium pulled away from this system.
The algorithm has changed once again. Many writers with much more intelligence than me are still trying to work out the magic formula, which I don’t think we will ever find out.
The Fallout
As Medium pulled away from the “rich, get richer, and the poor get poorer” way of paying their writers, we saw a decline in some of the high flyers on the platform, along with some of the more significant publications closing their doors for the last time.
Medium used to pay the top publication on the platform. When they announced the funding was being withdrawn, these publications started to close, which had significant consequences.
With the platform losing its top publications and writers, it had to think quickly on its feet to try and stop the waves that were leaving, as the numbers dropped by over two-thirds.
A New CEO
A New CEO was sought. Coach Tony is now trying to move Medium in another direction of fairness and consistency, with the aim of high-quality articles published either in one of Medium's thousands of publications or self-published in their own right.
It is early days, but I can see some cosmetic changes to the platform and a refined distribution process. It appears the “bots” that further distribute writers' work have all but gone, meaning it will now be solely down to its dwindling staff members.
It would be unfair to cast judgement at this early stage. However, it seems more writers will reach that magic $100 a month for income and the top writers who previously earned $10,000 -$50,000 plus will now drop into the bracket of $10,000 and below.
Fair For Everyone?
Whilst this may be fair in the long term, I predict an unsteady road over the next twelve to eighteen months; it also means that the writers who are looking to quit their jobs and write on Medium full-time may have to re-think their strategy.
I do have some sympathy for those who quit work and now feel the mat being pulled from under their feet. However, it is a lesson to us all, protect yourself and have multiple income streams.
Will I Join Others And Quit?
A simple answer is “no”, not in the foreseeable future; like other writers with declining readers and falling income, I have pondered that question a few times.
I do, however, understand that there are “swings and roundabouts” in everything we do in life; I believe the strong will survive and may prosper again in the future.
I also feel a sense of responsibility to my editors, writers and readers, whom I have grown very fond of over the past fourteen months; leaving them would be a gut wrench.
Our Community
Our community remains strong. Remember our motto #Strongertogether. New readers and writers will join, maybe not in their previous numbers, Medium will grow strong once again, and there is plenty of money for us all to earn.
I feel that I am one in a strong group that looks out for each other, and help is on hand when needed. I have plans in the future to expand my network and income streams that will benefit myself and others that follow me.
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Your Thoughts
I would love to hear your thoughts. What differences have you seen since your journey started? What improvements have you seen? If you had that magic wand, what would you change and why?.
I always love to hear your thoughts. Thank you for reading, and I hope it has given you “food for thought”. I hope you are like me and decide to stay, help grow, and prosper in the future with the many new writers that will continue to join Medium.
