Hey Linda. Sherry and I have been batting this whole thing around too in the last few days. Even before we all were reading the Verge article.
I need to apologize for not explaining myself clearly earlier.
My thought was: to get feedback and ideas via comments from readers(mostly reader/writers I think). These suggestions would go in the comment section to your not yet written hypothetical follow up piece, suggesting ways where any writer meeting certain criteria could get a bump-up in earnings from time to time.
The last thing I would ever suggest is for writers to decide/give input on which colleagues would receive more compensation. You are 100% right, no one would ever agree on that! It would be: Me…no,Me…no,no, Me. LOL.
Let me float a little example. Assume the current way of compensating all “regular” writers stays in place (not referring to those uber writers with one-off incentive/contractual deals with Medium ). Basically today, the current way is: read time.
This is just a tiny suggestion, one of many, envision a menu of many items reinforcing different behaviors. So: on top of present read time, each writer in the MPP have an unique affiliate link assigned to them.
Anytime a writer brings in a new annual paying Medium member attached to that affiliate link, that referral is tracked as a credit to that writer. Then…let’s say each time 10?20? TBD? referrals are logged under a writer’s code, there is a bonus paid. $50.00?
Vocal already does something like this with $50.00 bonuses, however the criteria are not clearly specified. These bonuses are part of Vocal’s writer compensation menu: 1. $$ paid based on views and 2. occasional $50.00 bonuses and 3. challenge winnings and 4.tipping. My only point: Vocal has 4 different things on their comp menu and growing, probably.
Note: To reinforce this point: I also agree that Medium currently is still the best of all such platforms out there.
Second note: My example above about referral fees does not address how the writer gets the word and the affiliate link out there. That is for another discussion, but easily managed.
So back to my request about you writing a follow up article to this terrific one on the Verge piece. It would be a great place for writers to give their thoughts and ideas on components of an expanded compensation menu.
Remembering the comments would not be about who gets the $ but ways anyone could earn additional $$$ based on criteria.
I hope you do write an article on this, Linda, I know it will be fabulous.
Perhaps another great idea is for any writer to do something similar: identify and explain a compensation model menu item that is win/win, both for Medium and for any writer. I said earlier that Sherry and I have been going back and forth about this.The more of us writing and talking about proactive ideas, the better. It certainly can’t hurt!
Linda, I did not intend for this to be such an involved comment to your piece on the Verge article. I was so thrilled that you did decide to write the piece. Obviously writer comp/Medium profitability/success for both sides of the coin is something I am passionate about.
Third note: The piece I highlighted above from your essay about somebody else’s land: true, however. If one made a deal with the land owner where certain actions would produce additional revenue for both the land owner and the house builder…well why not?😄👍🥰
