As a now-declared professional writer struggling to earn an income from my work, I'm not sure how I feel about Medium's latest ploy. It doesn't feel deceptive, since the affiliate link or whatever they call it does acknowledge that the writer profits if the reader joins. Neither does it feel pushy-it just says, if you do decide to join, you can help me out by doing it via this link.

That said, I still haven't added those links to any of my stories yet. Still on the fence, I guess. And maybe put off by the feel of it, like you.