When I started blogging on LiveJournal in 2003, it was mostly to share my thoughts and day-to-day life with friends. I had no interest in making money at it. When I started writing more about social justice issues, I set up a Patreon for donations, but had no interest in ads, affiliates, or SEO.

I came to Medium in 2015 and joined the Partner Program as soon as it became available, but did not change my "old-school" approach to blogging, which is to share original ideas and opinions. Like you, I'd like to make some money from my writing, but not at the expense of my integrity.