I have been a Friend of Medium since December 2023 and a member of the Medium Partnership Program since March 2018. I have found the following benefits of upgrading my membership to become a Friend of Medium:

1) Unlimited access to every story on this platform from a diverse range of writers and publications.

2) Showing my support for the writers' community here by contributing more money to my fellow writers based on my engagement with specific stories which resonate with me.

3) The Friend Link on Medium is a valuable tool to share your writing on other platforms with non-members of Medium. I post my writing per the Friend Link to the main feed on LinkedIn and to specific groups for which I belong, based on the subject matter. You can share the Friend Link on other social media platforms or via electronic means (text, email, etc.). This helps to expand visibility for, and engagement with, my content.

4) Lastly, if you're active as a writer here you will likely earn back the $15 monthly membership fee based on money earned from your own writing.

In short, the Friend of Medium program is a win-win-win all around. I encourage others to give it a try on a monthly basis. You can always cancel your membership if you do not find the program as valuable as countless others do.