41 Claps for Consistency and Effort
Is This a Significant Number?
As a young boy playing baseball, Tom Seaver was a model of consistency. I always wanted to be like “Tom Terrific” growing up. He’s gone. I no longer play ball. But consistency still matters.
Especially on Medium.
My theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics, you get shortsighted. If you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end. — Tom Seaver
Consistency is what I’m striving for on Medium. As a writer, I want to be consistent, but also as part of the Medium community — a reader and networking with others.
I recently learned that “clapping” is a way to let the writer know you appreciate their work.
I’ve been on Medium since 2019, but I've only been getting my feet wet as a reader and writer since late 2023, diving in January 2024 as both a writer and reader.
At first, I’d clap once if I really liked a piece. Then I learned I could clap as many as 50 times. So, if I really liked a story, I could clap 50 times, and it was as if I was doing a standing ovation. Plus, I found out that if I held the click, the number would rise.
One day, I stopped clapping at 41 times. Still a good applause. I needed to slow down if I wanted to stop at 41. Intentionally slow down. I applaud comments differently, often ten times.
So, if I applaud your work when I stop by, my 41 claps are like my saying “Hi” and “Thank You” all at once.
A thanks for your consistency and an homage to Tom Seaver.
I think you’re both terrific.
How do you use the claps and comments? I’m still new on Medium.