User Power
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152%
- Jun 14, 2015
- 174
- 265
Just another reminder not to rely on other platforms folks.
For the past year I've been making side money writing.
I have no intention on making full-time income from writing and did it just bring attention to issues
I did not rely on this income nor do I intend to in the future. Writing is not my Fastlane goal in the slightest.
132k Views on one article. 22k on the next one and a rehash of my article posted on Eurogamer the next day.
I wrote about privacy and security, data in a dying privacy age highlighting shady practices.
my writing was featured by a privacy blog on the same platform, and much of my traffic came from the in the ''Chrome Suggestions''
you get when you open a browser.
Until it didn't.
One day I get a tip that my account is suspended. I log in everything is okay.
Then I check my article from another IP and get this message
Error 500
This account is under investigation or was found in violation of the Medium Rules.
There are thousands of stories to read on Medium. Visit our homepage
to find one that’s right for you.
Logged in I can see my articles, and create new ones. They are simply in a shadow realm that only I see.
This happened shortly after I pointed the finger at Roku for shady business practices.
it's ingenious actually. Now all the people who shared a link simply go to a dead site, and you nix the problem.
Medium does not respond.
Since they have paid me for my work I'm considering getting them in legal trouble since a lot of my writing deals with whistleblowing and I have proof they have suppressed other whistleblowers work.
Do I expect to come out of this standing triumphant with the evil (insert company name of choice) head held high like a war trophy?
Nope. I just get enraged when I see people mistreated, and my pen becomes the sword.
It seems in this case medium closed my account, shadow-banned me for their interest, and won't respond for their own reasons.
I do wonder (and intend to test) if any account can be closed with a stack of cash. If so I'll have a new article to write and this one for the Times.
However.. that's not the point I wrote this.
You see I never intended for writing to be a money maker. I simply wrote because I enjoyed it, because it was nighttime and I was awake with a coffee and the words flow.
I simply type down my thoughts, mark them as such and enough people agreed that the content became monetary value.
so it doesn't really matter that my account was closed. But it's a good tale of caution for those who think working for another platform is the answer to success.
Work for a platform and you are prime to be cut off whenever they choose.
I did not rely on this income. But it's easy to imagine someone who put everything they have into a online system that can be closed with a click.
I don't log into Fastlane forums often as I don't often have exciting news to share.
I'm committed to the Fastlane, and don't intend to slow down. This was a interesting little speed-bump that could be a trap for others.
Let this tale be a warning for those ahead.
Get to large on something you don't own yourself.. and you will be mowed down.
For the past year I've been making side money writing.
I have no intention on making full-time income from writing and did it just bring attention to issues
I did not rely on this income nor do I intend to in the future. Writing is not my Fastlane goal in the slightest.
132k Views on one article. 22k on the next one and a rehash of my article posted on Eurogamer the next day.
I wrote about privacy and security, data in a dying privacy age highlighting shady practices.
my writing was featured by a privacy blog on the same platform, and much of my traffic came from the in the ''Chrome Suggestions''
you get when you open a browser.
Until it didn't.
One day I get a tip that my account is suspended. I log in everything is okay.
Then I check my article from another IP and get this message
Error 500
This account is under investigation or was found in violation of the Medium Rules.
There are thousands of stories to read on Medium. Visit our homepage
to find one that’s right for you.
Logged in I can see my articles, and create new ones. They are simply in a shadow realm that only I see.
This happened shortly after I pointed the finger at Roku for shady business practices.
it's ingenious actually. Now all the people who shared a link simply go to a dead site, and you nix the problem.
Medium does not respond.
Since they have paid me for my work I'm considering getting them in legal trouble since a lot of my writing deals with whistleblowing and I have proof they have suppressed other whistleblowers work.
Do I expect to come out of this standing triumphant with the evil (insert company name of choice) head held high like a war trophy?
Nope. I just get enraged when I see people mistreated, and my pen becomes the sword.
It seems in this case medium closed my account, shadow-banned me for their interest, and won't respond for their own reasons.
I do wonder (and intend to test) if any account can be closed with a stack of cash. If so I'll have a new article to write and this one for the Times.
However.. that's not the point I wrote this.
You see I never intended for writing to be a money maker. I simply wrote because I enjoyed it, because it was nighttime and I was awake with a coffee and the words flow.
I simply type down my thoughts, mark them as such and enough people agreed that the content became monetary value.
so it doesn't really matter that my account was closed. But it's a good tale of caution for those who think working for another platform is the answer to success.
Work for a platform and you are prime to be cut off whenever they choose.
I did not rely on this income. But it's easy to imagine someone who put everything they have into a online system that can be closed with a click.
I don't log into Fastlane forums often as I don't often have exciting news to share.
I'm committed to the Fastlane, and don't intend to slow down. This was a interesting little speed-bump that could be a trap for others.
Let this tale be a warning for those ahead.
Get to large on something you don't own yourself.. and you will be mowed down.
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