Why I became a member -and I recommend that you become one too

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Abstract

ut ends quickly if you are jumping from link to link or researching on something that is well covered on the site. This last thing happened to me a lot with programming code and tips, topical photography, and some other specific kinds of content.<ul><li>With the subscription of only 50 USD per year, I have all this covered. I can read all the content I want; I can jump from page to page without worrying about limitations; I can even click a wrong link and be able to go back and to my story of interest.</li><li>The cost is barely over 4 CHF per month for all-you-want access to a large resource that keeps growing, and benefits from thematic separation into publications and even expert curation in many cases.</li><li>In fact, I could see that in a few months of regular weekly publishing, with few views in each story, but slowly building up an audience, I should each year easily get the 50 USD back; so it’s essentially costless. Of course, it’s a different story if you want to make a profit -but I blog for the fun.</li><li>By becoming a member you can interact much more fluently with other users, creating a better space. You can also read more content by individual users, and in publications, which in turn helps you improve as a writer and understand what kinds of content the different pub

Options

lications expect. So you can publish more, and better, and at the same time help to develop a sense of community.</li><li>I’m slowly getting to know further advantages. Both the phone app and website behave differently as in the non-member version, with some special options such as downloading stories for offline reading. Surprising to me is the possibility of gifting someone of my choice one year of free membership!</li></ul><figure id="ee62"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*n6woNGnYIuD7T00e8OLT9Q.png"><figcaption>Composition from screenshots of my portal page, displaying examples of the stories I have so far published. (Figure made by me)</figcaption></figure>I am a nature, science, technology, programming, and DIY enthusiast. Biotechnologist and chemist, in the wet lab and in computers. I write about everything that lies within my broad sphere of interests. Check out my <a href="https://lucianosphere.medium.com/lists">lists</a> for more stories. <a href="https://lucianosphere.medium.com/membership">Become a Medium member</a> to access all stories by me and other writers, and <a href="https://lucianosphere.medium.com/subscribe">subscribe to get my new stories</a> by email (original affiliate links of the platform).</article></body>

Honestly, I had not used this platform much before I registered, so in my first 2–3 months I published stories through the partner program but without being a member myself. In that time it turned out clear for me that (i) there are excellent reasons to become a member, and (ii) that the membership fee is easily covered with even modest writing throughput. Here’s why.

It took me some time to realize how great this platform is, because, honestly, I had not used it much before I registered. Only now and then was I reading articles, directed here from Google searches. And for blogging, I was using other (non-paid, and not paying) platforms. Thus, once registered here, during my first 2–3 months I published stories to the partner program but without being a member myself. In that time it turned out clear for me that there were excellent reasons to become a member, and that in fact, the membership is low enough that it can be covered with even modest writing throughput.

Reasons I see for becoming a member

I like the basic working of this platform. As a reader, you can see up to three articles per month for free, which is not bad but ends quickly if you are jumping from link to link or researching on something that is well covered on the site. This last thing happened to me a lot with programming code and tips, topical photography, and some other specific kinds of content.

With the subscription of only 50 USD per year, I have all this covered. I can read all the content I want; I can jump from page to page without worrying about limitations; I can even click a wrong link and be able to go back and to my story of interest.

The cost is barely over 4 CHF per month for all-you-want access to a large resource that keeps growing, and benefits from thematic separation into publications and even expert curation in many cases.

In fact, I could see that in a few months of regular weekly publishing, with few views in each story, but slowly building up an audience, I should each year easily get the 50 USD back; so it’s essentially costless. Of course, it’s a different story if you want to make a profit -but I blog for the fun.

By becoming a member you can interact much more fluently with other users, creating a better space. You can also read more content by individual users, and in publications, which in turn helps you improve as a writer and understand what kinds of content the different publications expect. So you can publish more, and better, and at the same time help to develop a sense of community.

I’m slowly getting to know further advantages. Both the phone app and website behave differently as in the non-member version, with some special options such as downloading stories for offline reading. Surprising to me is the possibility of gifting someone of my choice one year of free membership!

Composition from screenshots of my portal page, displaying examples of the stories I have so far published. (Figure made by me)

I am a nature, science, technology, programming, and DIY enthusiast. Biotechnologist and chemist, in the wet lab and in computers. I write about everything that lies within my broad sphere of interests. Check out my lists for more stories. Become a Medium member to access all stories by me and other writers, and subscribe to get my new stories by email (original affiliate links of the platform).