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Should Medium Pay Publications?
Yes, no, maybe — I write to open this Pandora’s box of worms for discussion
Scott Tarlo recently fertilized this seed in my pinball brain when he announced the closure of his great pub, Politically Speaking.
This publication was not about money. My experience on Medium has never been about the money. It was about fulfilling a promise to myself (and, indirectly, to my father) to contribute to others without the expectation of something in return.
My experience has been profoundly rewarding! But now, it’s too much like a job; too much like work. My day is not my own. Some of our contributors think I sit at my desk waiting for their submissions. People want their articles published right away. This wasn’t a big deal at the beginning, but now, it’s too much.
I have dedicated an extraordinary amount of time to engaging people on the Medium platform. This includes training people about how Medium works, showing people how to effectively format their work, structure a coherent article, and adhere to Medium…
