What’s Happening With Medium?

And what does it mean for you as a writer?

I decided to check Medium last night, and I saw that a story from Ev Williams had just popped up. Of course, I checked to see what it was about because it was from Ev Williams, the founder of Medium.

Here it is in the rectangle below, in case you haven’t seen it yet.

In short, Ev published a copy of the email that he sent to the company regarding a buyout and leadership change to the Medium editorial team.

I had no idea what that meant, but I got nervous since I didn’t understand it. I read the email and started to go off the deep end because that is what I do.

I never see a glass as half full; I see the glass as half-empty with a giant crack in it and a chip on the rim that will cut your lip and result in a trip to the emergency room.

I started to think of Medium as the Titanic, and I had no interest in being Leonardo DiCaprio.

Fortunately, some very kind people who have been on the Medium planet far longer than I have and who know way more than I do calmed me down. Soon, I was breathing normally again.

What is going on with Medium, and what does this mean if you are a writer? Here is what I have figured out.

First, Ev shared an email. Please don’t turn it into more than the attempt to be transparent that it is. The email pertains to the Medium publications. Simple.

There is no reason to panic unless that specifically has something to do with you, which it probably doesn’t. Realizing that fact made me feel much better.

However, Ev’s email gives us a bit of an idea about what may be coming down the road for the rest of us.

The email mentions that there has been growth in memberships/subscriptions for the Medium publications but not an increase in readership. That could be the same for the rest of Medium, but I have no proof of that.

I won’t be shocked if we don’t have enough readers to support the number of writers on Medium. That would explain why there are so many complaints about the decrease in reading time.

Reading time is the main factor in getting paid through the Partner Program. If nobody reads what you write, you don’t get paid. That’s pretty easy to understand.

Everyone wants to write, but they don’t necessarily want to read. With the pandemic came tons of people deciding they were going to write for Medium. You might as well spend your time at home doing something that you can get rich off of, right? Yeah, right.

But no one can find the time to read their favorite writers, comment, clap, and respond. They crank some stories out now and again and wait for the money to roll in.

I would think that these people who thought they were going to start a business by writing on Medium once in a while have found out 12 months and $3 later that they aren’t going to get rich. Hopefully, they are packing up their Chromebooks and calling it quits — nothing against the Chromebook.

It’s a year since the pandemic started, and it’s time for Medium to get back to the way it’s intended to work.

We writers must find the time to read other writers on Medium. We must engage with others. We must support each other. We must give if we want to get. That’s all I’m saying. We can all do better, myself included.

The email also says there will be a focus on identifying independent talent. That sounds great. Free to be you and me.

Let the real you shine through in your writing. Be yourself, and all that good stuff. Medium is in search of authentic writers and will nurture and help those individuals to grow.

I can’t argue with that objective.

Finally, Ev’s email says that there will be more changes coming. This statement drives home a couple of things for me.

First, with all of the constant change and upcoming change you are being made aware of, no one can tell you the secret recipe for making money in the Partner Program. Things are not as they were when the current Medium superstars learned the ropes. Be cautious about shelling out hard-earned money to pay for advice about how to get rich on Medium. Things have changed, and they are going to continue to change.

No one knows what you need to do to make money on Medium. And even if the secret recipe works today, it likely won’t work next week. Be careful out there.

Ev’s reminder about further change coming is also more proof that you had better have a financial backup plan if you counted on Medium to pay your bills.

Ev’s email could have said what a great run it’s been, but Medium is pulling the plug. It’s that easy to be left out in the cold. It happens to people every day. Do not end up one of those people.

Do not put all your eggs in the ever-changing Medium basket. Have a backup plan.

So, where does this leave all of the Medium writer bees here in the hive?

It leaves us pretty much where we were before Ev’s email was published.

We know that there will be changes, but we don’t know much about them.

But we do know what the future holds. We will be reading and engaging. We will be supporting our fellow writers.

And we will keep writing right here on Medium, not because we want to get rich, but because we love it.

Please join my email list so we can stay in touch.

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.