Thirsty Writers Want To Know
Can writers trust Medium’s algorithms?
Introductions:
I’m not a mathematician and although I can find my way around a computer screen, there are no post-nominal initials, titles, or designatory alphabet after my name for coding and computer logic. It’s awkward to post on Medium about Medium (something about nibbling the hand that feeds you sort of thing). However, at times there seems to be something wonky about Medium’s Partner Payment algorithms.
The Start:
I got carried away and created a far too long humorous story (a 20 minute read) and recently ended up having to publish the story in three smaller separate linked story parts:
How Mythical Characters Saved Humanity — #1
How Mythical Characters Saved Humanity — #2
How Mythical Characters Saved Humanity — #3
Story Details:
All the story parts are similar in length. Every day for three days, 24 hours apart, each part of the story was published. The story’s creatively funny, but all this other stuff, copy and paste. The image and title for each, other than the numerical sequencing, are identical on each part. The subtitles are different, each spelling out: part one of three; part two of three; and part three of three. The Tags for each story part are all identical. The SEO descriptions are as well, all identical for each part. Told ya, copy and paste.
The Story Stats:
Now I know the secret Medium Partner Payment algorithm, like KFC’s Colonel Sander’s recipe of seasonings and spices, the seasonal winners of America’s Got Talent, Love Island, Big Brother and who gets the final rose on the Bachelorette, are all securely locked up and protected by men wearing black suits, ear-pieces and carrying huge guns in the US Army’s Fort Knox complex. But something is amiss regarding the few pennies generated by these identically represented story parts.
The #One story part has 19 views, 5 reads, 26% ratio, 4 fans. Details say: 19 views (10 internal, 9 external), total reading time 20 minutes 21 seconds. Total lifetime earnings $0.47.
The #Two story part has 21 views, 21 reads, 100% ratio, 3 fans. Details say: 8 views (8 internal, 0 external), total reading time 6 minutes 21 seconds. Total lifetime earnings $0.14.
First off, I’m not smart enough to understand why the general stats and detail stats on Story#2 don’t match, and that raises some questions.
The #Three story part has 10 views, 3 reads, 30% ratio, 2 fans. Details say: 10 views (4 internal, 6 external), total reading time 5 minutes 36 seconds, Total lifetime earnings $0.11.
The Math:
Second, my mathematical wizardry… if you take the total minutes read and divide that by the number of internal views, I surmised the result would be the average individual reading time per story, right?
#One = 2.02
#Two = 0.776 (using 8 internal) or 0.2957 (using 21 internal)
#Three = 1.34
I’m 100% sure there is way more to Medium Partner’s logical algorithm, but by using my high school Algebra 101 math skills combined with my failing Physics Statistic’s class recall… It would make logical sense to use a simple hypothesis: The longer internal reading average per individual should equate out to more monies paid?
My Analysis:
If #1 had the largest amount of individual reading time, then it would likewise have the larger amount paid. Thus, my hypothesis is correct: #One has the largest individual read and therefor it had the largest payout.
But #Two’s read time average is less than #Three’s read time, YET it’s making more money than #Three? Here, my hypothesis fails. BUT, then again, additional factoids always exist, wherein there’s the 24 hours of posting time difference, so maybe there is an extra day of accumulation. Plausible?
The Conclusion:
Regardless of my mathematical skills and statistical hypotheses, the entire Medium Partner Payment program boils down to one word, “trust”. Trust that Medium’s super-secret heavily guarded Partner Payment algorithms are accurately calculating writing income. Like it or not, as a writer, it’s still your choice to publish on Medium or go elsewhere to publish that offers a simpler payment algorithm.
With that in mind, eventually I’ll be able to save up enough pennies to buy myself a cup of coffee — albeit black and lukewarm. I can’t yet afford hot, sugar, cream, caramel, frothy hearts, or whatever that stuff is that turns a good cup of coffee into that gag-awful pumpkin spice crap!
So, I raise my cup to other Medium writers in TRUST that we are all being fairly treated. Cheers! (Oops… my bad, I haven’t collected enough pennies to fill my cup… yet!).
Patrick Witz is an award-winning short story author of eclectic fiction and non-fiction. For more of Patrick’s writing
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