Darlin’ Sherry-girl, you keep on nailing it, you do. This piece is so very good, completely accurate, incredibly timed that well, look below, now you got me going. Sure hope it’s ok by you that I have so much to say.
I had to highlight that passage of yours above because (a) I am sick (SICK) of anyone dissing the idea that creatives…and here we are specifically talking writers…. should be paid. ( b) Hell yes, Medium could and should make adjustments and make themselves the Queen and King of the internet.
(a.) first. Anything one creates, whether it is a story, a poem or set of dentures, a marketing campaign, a grade school lesson plan, a bundt cake(for Pete’s sake) any frigging thing…If the creator hates making the product, they should do themselves a favor and find a new vocation and create something they love. Oh, and also have fun doing it, derive pleasure etc. This makes for good work and a good life.
So of course writers are passionate about their work. A good gynecologist is committed to their work too! So don’t be telling me, anyone out there, that writers should NOT care about/expect money for their work. Baloney to that last sentence.
Don’t be telling me the creative process, because it is art, should be offered for free( or for peanuts). Nuts to that I say. Nor should a writer be content with 5 cents an hour.
Work exists in all shapes and forms. People work and people expect decent/respectful/reasonable/etc payment for their efforts. Period.
As kids and young adults in school, excellent effort is rewarded by A’s. Grades measure a student’s work effort. In the adult work-world, money replaces grades. Just a simple fact.
Writers are not exempt from this thing, this get-paid-for-your work/get-paid-more-the-better-you-are-at-it.
(b.) next. I love Medium for so many reasons, I could write a song about it. This site, this corporation is SO successful, SO innovative, SO a ton of things.
Speaking of SO…So how about fixing reader compensation? Very soon, like now would be good.
Claps don’t work, read time isn’t working, find something better please. If anyone could do it, Medium, Ev, you can.
Idea list, since it seems appropriate I include a few of my own how tos:
1. Find a way for claps, read time, quality of writing, frequency, comments( especially thoughtful and frequent comments that facilitate engagement and reciprocity)…create an algorithm that measures all of these criteria together with some sort of weighting. You, Medium, are the expert creator here, not little ol’ me.
2. Implement a system of tipping owned by Medium, not an external one. Yes you can take a %, the others do. But get creative, make something cool work that if,say, I deposit $100. as money in an account that I use to tip other writers, make it possible for me to earn some bonus money. Reward me for paying out tips.
Complicated? Only if you let it be difficult. ( Of course the receiving writer will see the source ( the giver) of the tip, same way claps and comments and highlights are visible)
3. Set some milestone targets with financial rewards attached. On all kinds of metrics. Some examples, because I must:
(i) 365 rated comments written in a one year period with certain characteristics covered…you know five things that must be included, like 5 things required in a password,
(ii) X number of articles accepted into x number of publications within a certain time period,
(iii) building ones own publication and having 100 writers signed up in a year.
Heck I could write a 60 minute read listing all kinds of milestone examples. You will do this so much better than me, Medium.
4. Contests, you know, like Vocal does it, but do it better. Because you being you, Medium, you CAN do it better than Vocal.
And hey, you can get terrific sponsors to foot the prize bill. Give referral fees to any MPP member referring a contest sponsor( of course, that referring writer cannot be in that particular contest!🙄🙀)
5. Create an advisory board of MPP members, rotating membership every 2 years. Pay an honorarium. Have the board give feedback on all you do for compensation and come up with new ideas. Encourage MPP writers to interact with board members. Have some(all) advisory board seats nominated by MPP members.
6. Increase your MPP fee if you must. If you get it that writers need to be paid in a reasonable and consistent manner then we get it that you, Medium, need to make moolah too. And hey Vocal’s membership fee is twice the rate as Medium’s and for what? In my opinion, Vocal cannot hold a candle to you.
Your plan to stay away from ads on the site is excellent, btw.
Medium, I don’t mean that you should stop at 6 new things. I don’t mean you should pick only 1 or 2 out of the 6. Please pick them all and more. Or different ones, as long as they are win/win for writers and Medium.
Please decently pay your devoted flock of MPP writer members for their hard work. It is time.
How was this for a rant reply to your excellent rant piece, Sherry?❤️⭐️
Sure do wish Medium would see your article and this response. This space ( Medium) is already awesome, but it needs to be better on writer comp.
