Read Times
How to ensure an unsure thing
I’m a relative newbie, I freely admit it. I’ve only been on Medium since Aug 2021, but being new at something isn’t always a bad thing. Sure, I spend a lot of time trying to figure things out and, yes, I’ve been known to make a blunder or five, but I also know one very important thing. I don’t know everything. In fact, I don’t know much at all.
One way I’ve tried to remedy this ‘issue’ is to make a concerted effort to read at least three articles every day about writing. And more specifically, writing on Medium, because they are not the same thing at all. Today I read an article about the shift from claps generating earnings to read time.
The article is Why Your Medium Articles Are Getting Views But Not Making Money and I would encourage you to read it, whether you are a newbie or not. In it, author Liv Mello shares the following:
The new system relies on Member Reading Time now, the amount of money an article earns is reliant on the “reading time” of paying Medium members. In other words, the longer a paid member spends reading an article, the more money it makes. While claps are still a good measure of a story’s success, they don’t determine its monetary value. Neither does an article’s number of views.
The Issue
This is a great idea, really, because it’s so easy to flip through several articles, throw a few claps around, and mosey off, but it doesn’t take into account how fast a reader reads or the possibility that the piece is a short read. I’ve read many pieces that are under 5 minutes but have still held great value for me. The fact that they aren’t eligible to earn the same as a longer piece, in my humble opinion, simply doesn’t compute…and please don’t even get me started about poetry. (OK, I started…) There are many, many, many pieces of poetry that are short, yet powerful and they should be able to earn the same amount as any other piece.
(Deep breaths ….sorry, I started channeling Dennis Leary there for a moment…)
So, I’m here to offer a few suggestions and, while they may not ‘fix the problem’ algorithm, they may support the writers you’ve come to know and love far better than a digital storm of outraged articles about the change.
The (Possible) Solution
- Suggestion One: Read, Comment, Pause. (RCP hereafter) Did it take you 3 minutes to read the article and one minute to comment? GREAT. Thank You….now, RCP Please. What am I talking about? Simple. Hang out a second or three. Grab a cuppa, take a bite of that sandwich that’s been sitting there for the last hour. Look at your phone and check your other social media. It may be just a few moments and RCP-ing may not seem like much, but it will make a difference to the writer. Consider it your tip for being served a great read…and know how much it’s appreciated.
- Suggestion Two: Open another tab. Honestly, I do this all the time anyway because it’s actually faster than reloading the Medium home page all the time. It’s where I start, but when I find an article I’m interested in, I open it in another tab, have a read, share a comment, and then return to the home page tab…leaving the tab with the article open. If I liked the article, I want to ensure the writer receives proper read time credit, so I leave the tab open while I continue to peruse.
- Suggestion Three: Share Share Share. It will not only increase the amount of time you spent reading the article, but while you share it on your social media the article will gain additional read time simply by remaining open. What may be even more important, by adding it to one of your Medium reading lists, giving it a shout-out on Twitter or Facebook, or sharing it to your personal blog, you’ll be giving the article the opportunity to gain additional read time.
The Win
Showing fellow authors how important their writing is to you by valuing their articles in these few small, yet not insignificant, ways might is also a fantastic way to build connections, network with other writers and ultimately, gain followers and readers for yourself.
~Morgan~
~Thank You for reading ~
