Medium’s Latest Algorithm Change
The early results are in for Medium’s Partner Program update, and it looks like many people (full disclosure: so far I seem to be making more) are earning more than they were before. But unfortunately we can’t all make more. The pie is still roughly the same size as it was 2 weeks ago with memberships still costing the same $5 per month.
Thus, this latest change is definitely a redistribution of the pie, not a sudden magical increase in the size of the pie. So while some fortunate writers are earning more, there are probably many others who were financially hurt by the update.
How will everyone react to the changes?
Medium is a marketplace where those with thoughts (and the time to write them up) can sell those thoughts to interested readers. But instead of a traditional marketplace where supply and demand set the price, Medium indirectly sets the price through its membership rate and through deciding how writers’ pay is calculated.
Incidentally, without Medium, this market wouldn’t work — people are too used to getting written content for free. Medium only makes it work by bundling massive amounts of content and using curation to surface the best of it. Readers, who on their own would not be willing to pay…
