Fifty-Clapper
Are you one of them?
I had self-published my first article.
No feedback.
I checked again.
Nada.
A bit discouraged, I went to bed.
The following day, the article had 50 claps and a comment!
While sleeping, not 3 or 4, but fifty people serendipitously found me in the vast ocean of Medium writers and clapped for me!
Newbie delirium filled me. I was SO excited!
But when I looked at my stats, I was initially sad to discover that only one person had viewed and read my story. SHE clapped 50 times!
So I wasn’t validated by fifty people- just one- but that dear reader did more for me than press the funny clap button that day. Her generous action gave me the boost I needed. She also introduced me to the world of Medium engagement.
Now, if I like an article, I will read it to the end, highlight parts that resonate with me, comment, and do my 50-clap thing.
Even though the number of claps does not directly translate to more earnings for my favorite writers, it’s fun and helpful for them.
It’s fun because everyone loves feedback! Claps are dopamine triggers. The extravagant 50, even more so. (That’s how I feel, anyway!)
Then, a story with more claps might draw more readers than one with none or just a few claps. More reads will translate to more earnings for them. So maybe more claps may help with earnings, after all!
Of course, if I don’t care to finish reading an article, I won’t clap. But I will try to stay for 30 seconds so the writer is still rewarded.
The % of members who read your story for 30 seconds or more on the given day will adjust the value of all the points earned either up or down. — Medium Help
The best kind of engagement is to highlight, clap, and comment. But I am often pressed for time. The least I can do is clap — 50 times.