I made bank writing. My account was shadowbanned after rising popularity.

[Equilibrium]

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.

 

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[AFMKelvin]

Just another reminder not to rely on other platforms folks.
For the past year I've been making side money writing.

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.

Sucks what happened to you but you violated the rule of control. They have every right to close your account for any reason what so ever. You probably agreed to it when you made the account. Check their terms of service. And they probably didn't get payed to shut it down maybe both companies have the same owners. Their platform their rules.

But maybe you have found a good niche. So create your own personal blog and only write exposing articles about the gaming industry.

 

[rpeck90]

I've had a similar problem with Meidum before, best to delete your account and keep it on your own site.

 

[SEBASTlAN]

Write on your own blog. Republish on Medium. Problem solved.

 

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[estheticparadis]

Get your own blog fam

 

[Equilibrium]

Folks, I posted this in 2015
Writing is and always has been a hobby similar to how some people carve soap. I never intended to make money from it, and I furthermore don't intend to. It's not an incoming making plan. It's a relaxing way to unwind with a hot cup of coffee.

It's true one can make good money from writing, even build themselves an empire from doing so, like how Alex Lieberman started the Morning Brew newsletter. In fact, given the traction that I do write has in popularity, I could make an income from it. However, I have zero interest in doing so.

Any income that comes from writing is simply because I have enough views to send a check my way. There is no action taken on my part aside from writing, and I quite simply do not want to be a writer for profit.

Me BEING a writer comes from bursts of creativity over a hot cup of coffee—nothing more and nothing less.

While I appreciate the sentiment, jabs, and prods towards me writing a blog of my own, please let me explain that I have no interest in doing so.
For one hosting a blog comes with its own issues, including but not limited to spam and time invested.

Each time I get comments on this thread, I do not reply because time passed. But it amused me that I am still getting replies about ''starting a blog'' the very thing I don't want to do five years later.

This post was initially created as a bit of a reminder to others not to rely on other platforms. But, unlike my story of being a writer, When a post got popular and showed the underbelly of a company, they attempted to silence the source by having the article removed from the internet.

Since a few people are invested in this story, I also update everyone who finds this thread in the future. The account was restored. But the point of the line was not the action was taken but the underlying event of a company shutting down what could be an entrepreneur's plan.

IF I had depended on writing as income (I don't) and IF I had used this platform, not owned by myself, to make money, then the action of having the account closed would have been devastating. Forget the writing. Compare this instead to someone who thinks their empire runs undaunted when they drop-ship products from Alibaba to Amazon. In this scenario, should either company close connections, their plan is ruined.

This post is a reminder to those on their path of the Fastlane, don't get ensnared in technical debt tied to another company. Forge your own future.

As for me, I will not be starting a blog anytime soon. I write purely for enjoyment. And honestly, I don't think I'm that good.
My own company has nothing whatsoever to do with writing, and I'm okay with that.

While I appreciate you reading my post, I assure you there are much more valuable threads. So may I introduce you to the insider's discussions?

 

[Odysseus M Jones]

It seems this forum is your "Medium"
Pun intended.

Anyway, what is your fastlane hustle?

 

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