OPED

Gotta Appreciate Editors Who Publish and Clap

If they published something, they must have liked it a wee bit, yes?

I am always super happy when any publication on Medium accepts something I submitted. And if the ‘published’ notification is followed by a ‘someone clapped’ notification, I am over the moon. It doesn’t matter how many claps. Of course, a full 50 is always a thrill, but even a few are ok. Because — someone read my post and liked it enough to clap. Feels good.

A few editors do this well. They publish and then they clap for the article. It feels like a good sign. An opening of the clap account in a way. Some editors go one step further. They clap and engage! They either highlight some sentences or leave a comment. That’s like a bonus. These editors are gems. They made time to read your submission and decided to publish it. Then they added a human touch by clapping, highlighting, and commenting.

I don’t see a faceless, emotionless editor on the other side anymore. I see a human, a person made of flesh, blood, and warmth. The editor is now a friend, someone with whom I connected through my post. At least it feels that way. In my mind, I have already decided to submit more articles to ‘that’ publication.

The scene at MuddyUm

Over at MuddyUm where I am one of the editors, this is one of the established best practices. When we publish something, we try to remember to clap. Any article published on MuddyUm must have evoked at least a smile if not a huge ROTFL moment. And if, as an editor, I thought it worthy of being published, then I must clap for it. Seems like the obvious thing to do.

But, we are human. We forget. We are juggling many things —a day job, kids, cats, writers who forgot to read our guidelines, missing articles, vaccination appointments, and who knows what else life is throwing our way. So we forget sometimes.

We keep reminding each other during our weekly Mudditor calls. We are getting better at remembering.

Here’s the thing though — we intend to clap. We understand the need for this. We are writers too and know what it feels like to wait for the first clap or view after an article is published. At MuddyUm, we clap for what we publish despite knowing that we won’t make a cent out of it.

Editors spend humongous amounts of time working with writers to help polish their work. Yet, that ‘read’ time amounts to nothing for either the writer or the editor.

All the more reason for editors to remember to spend just a little time on the article after publishing. A highlight or two, a clap or 50 will make a difference!

I wish more publications and their editors would subscribe to this thought process. It feels so right. Honestly, the thought hadn’t crossed my mind until one of the editors at MuddyUm told me about this best practice. Since then, it feels like there can’t be any other way.

There are many editors who follow this. But two who come to mind and who seem to do this consistently are Tre L. Loadholt and Dennett. I see highlights and/or comments and claps from them when they publish my articles. Always brings a smile to my face!

So to all editors out there, I say — you publish, you clap. In a good mood? Liked the article? Publish, clap, and comment.