Earlier this week digital publishing platform Medium revealed an updated logo and an expanded Partner Program to pay writers for quality content based on engagement. Neither change comes as a total surprise, because Medium CEO Ev Williams has been talking about major changes since January that have, so far, included layoffs, a renewed focus, and a consumer subscription product. The most recent changes include a logo similar to a previous version of the company logo, a ‘clap’ system to reward writers, and a metered paywall that allows non-members to read up to three exclusive, member-only stories per month.

Through the new program, writers have the option of publishing their stories to members only and earning money from them. In that instance, members can ‘clap’ (i.e., click an icon of hands clapping) to note their approval of a particular article. Writers then get paid out of membership fees based on that engagement. In other words, writers are getting paid based on the number of claps they get.

‘Essentially, we look at the engagement of each individual member (claps being the primary signal) and allocate their monthly subscription fee based on that engagement,’ Medium said.

Other factors may be used to calculate engagement, but Medium did not specify what those other factors are. According to the FAQs, Partners are paid on a monthly basis with Stripe as the payment mechanism.

The new ‘Claps’ system was unveiled earlier this month. In an August 10 blog post, Medium explained the Claps system:

‘It’s no longer simply where you like, or don’t like, something. Now you can give variable levels of applause to a story. Maybe clap once, or maybe 10 or 20 times. You’re in control and can clap to your heart’s desire,’ wrote Katie Zhu in product and engineering at Medium.

‘Since day one, Medium has had a goal of measuring value. The problem, as we saw it, with much of the media/web ecosystem is that the things that are measured and optimized for were not necessarily the things that reflected true value to people. For example, a pageview is a pageview, whether it’s a three-second bounce (clickbait) or a five-minute, informative story you read to the end. As a result, we got a lot more of the former,’ said Zhu.

Writers do not have to participate in this new system, if they just want to see their stories published and want them accessible to all Medium readers.

Medium said it is ‘early days’ and the expanded Partner Program is a ‘grand experiment.’ Since this is still being tested, writers can participate by invitation only, but they can ask to join the Partner Program waitlist.

‘Imagine a day when anyone with the skills and willingness to put in the effort can write something useful, insightful, or moving and be compensated based on its value to others. There is a lot we need to figure out to make this work right. But we are convinced that by joining forces, we can make a new economic model for quality content,’ Medium said.

Comments by readers were mixed.

Along with these changes, Medium is sporting a new look, including a new logo. This is at least the third iteration of Medium’s logo, and the new version looks a lot like its 2014 logo. For a detailed analysis of the logo in its various versions, check out Dave Schools of Entrepreneur’s Handbook’s August 22 post on Medium.

Insider Take:

Medium was launched in 2012, but it seems like it is still trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up. At its core, it is an idealistic digital publishing platform with a clean, simple design and a goal of paying people for quality content. However, in its first five years, it has had three logos and a handful of business models. The company is evolving and trying to figure out where its focus should lie but also how to become profitable and how to force a commercial world to behave like an idealistic one.

We love the concept of Medium, but we aren’t convinced that Ev Williams and the Medium team have found a pathway to success or sustainability. Their goals are admirable, but perhaps they should do a little more testing behind the scenes before making grand gestures and announcements that really only magnify the uncertainty behind their work.