I'm pretty sure this is what's happening. I didn't see a drastic dip in my earnings last month when they launched Friends but it was certainly lower than normal. So far this month has been the same.

If you're lucky, and Friends of Medium ppl read your stories you will see an increase, I know someone this has happened to he has about six friends with the yellow badge and saw his earnings double last month.

But for the rest of us, this new program seems like an earnings drain. I do wonder if the people who opt to pay the $15/month see more earnings themselves. Probably. I'm not sure its worth tripling the monthly fee though.

Thank you for writing about this topic!