Identify Your Fake Readers on Medium
I witnessed some fake-readers on my posts and now, I pity them
Sometimes I wonder — how many posts a man can read a day and at the same time write and publish regularly on Medium?
Despite having a 9–5 job, I try to read as much as possible on Medium. I give a shot to the posts that catch my attention (with titles and first paragraph), and try to respond to them.
I highlight the informative, catchy lines and let the writers know that I care for their stories. Sometimes I read the second time, and very often — if found extremely useful — I save it for further reading.
I do that not because they write well, but they teach me the things I didn’t know before.
The writers on Medium are expanding my knowledge every single day with their thoughtful and brilliant write-ups.
I am a man who got married to literature, but I am curious about everything. When I see a post on marketing or something else that is not my area of interest, I give it a shot to know what the heck is going on around the world.
Why I do that? I do that for the following reasons—
- I believe that I must read and appreciate good writings Because I learn a thing or two from every writer I encounter on this platform.
- It connects me to other writers Maybe they will be interested to read my articles and let me know their feedback too. Moreover, it may increase my visibility in a positive way.
So I read and respond to let them know that I am here, and I care for their writings. And I will appreciate it if they have any thoughts on my works too.
As I believe interaction is the key that opens the door to creativity and learning, I try to be interactive. But people hardly keep the same mindset as I do. And I cannot expect them to think like me.
But of course, I do not expect dishonesty from them or any other readers.
From my observation on Medium for the last couple of months, I can confidently say that there are a lot of fake readers who only care about claps for their writings.
So, I am going to disclose the attributes of fake-readers on Medium. You may disagree — but it’s true. And I must speak for it.
Identifying fake readers on Medium
The first thing comes to mind, who is a fake reader? Is there any solid-definition?
Well, you don’t need any — because I am giving you one, and I think this is enough for the time being. Just keep in mind that we are talking about fake readers on Medium, not in general.
A fake reader is anyone who skims through your articles to give you the impression that he/she has read your stories carefully. They leave a few signs to exhibit their presence that ultimately inspires (entices) you to visit their articles. That’s their ultimate goal.
Observing the reading and response patterns of different writers for the last few months, I have realized that fake readers have some common attributes.
Now when I see such activities on my post or in others, I nod my head and smile and of course, try to keep a safe distance from those dishonest readers’ profiles- no matter how Nobel-winning write-ups they produce.
Let’s see how they entice you to their profiles, leaving signs in your stories.
Drop your links, get 50 claps
It is the most common thing you can see in any popular FB group created for Medium writers.
Sharing your articles on social media is a great thing. You can reach your stories to a decent amount of readers in almost no time. But can you lure other writers saying if they leave their links, they will get 50 claps from you?
See an example below —
Clap for clap is what you need?
What if the story-link anyone drops is a terrible one that goes against your values, or it stirs controversy.
Will you give him/her 50 claps just because he/she drops a link in your post and did the same?
Note I often share my story-link on social media, saying that I would love to respond to their articles. And it doesn’t mean that I will give them 50 claps no matter what. I try to respond to most of the stories I read to let the writers know what I think. You may consider this.
A few claps, one highlight, and fly away
A very prominent writer on Medium does this frequently. He picks a story, highlights one line (in most cases — the first line of any paragraph), claps a few(1–10), and then jumps to another story to do the same.
Some people become astonished to see that how could he read so many articles a day? Some say he is like a machine. But I say — he is a machine indeed but a bad one.
Being a Robo-reader, he hardly responds to any stories. He doesn’t give a fuck about any writings. All he cares about his publicity believing that nobody will understand his mean technique.
Note Don’t highlight just one sentence without reading and then fly away to another story and do the same. Be honest and take a few moments to let the writers know which part of the story you liked the most, or what you think.
Great article, Nice one, Loved it, We need more, Thanks
You’ll find some people who only comment like this — great article, thanks. Let’s see two examples and you’ll understand the difference.
First the bad one:
What do we understand from the above response? Any idea? It is a vague comment that hardly makes any sense. You can write it in a thousand articles without even reading a sentence.
Maybe he/she is encouraging the writer to write more like this — but why? Nobody knows. No archaeologist can discover it.
Now see the good one:
This one is self-explanatory. Anyone can easily understand that the reader is connecting to the writer’s thoughts.
Now you tell me, what do you understand from those two responses? Which one is expected? Which one will create a harmonious relationship with the writer? Which one reveals that you care for other’s stories?
A constructive and thoughtful response may kindle further discussion. It can help a writer to understand that his/her writing is echoing in other’s minds.
Note Don’t leave a dumb response to other’s stories. Leaving a response is like leaving a permanent footprint in other’s writings. Make your footprint a remarkable one.
The ultimate quotes-highlighters
It is a great way to find your fake readers. God knows why Medium writers and readers love quotes. They cannot write a single article without any quotation from the great minds.
Writers are obsessed with taking validation for their thoughts from the great minds of the past or the present. Why not try something original, a bit unique? Is it necessary to put tons of quotes in every single story you write?
Anyway, this is a golden opportunity for fake readers. They come to your post, scroll down and highlight the easily-visible quotes, and then fly away.
Thus they let you know that they came to your posts, and now your solemn duty to visit theirs.
Note Don’t think that nobody understands your motive. If you think you can make fool out of every writer someone, you are definitely wrong. So, don’t become a quote-sucker.
Who the fu*k am I to tell you all these?
Hey, it bothers me, you know. I can’t stand what seems wrong to me. Tell me, who is the loser?
The fake readers who hardly care about other’s writing are the losers. They think they are the only genius who can make fools out of all other writers and can attract them to their profile to suck their writings.
I must say, dear fake readers — you are the dumb ones. You’re the ultimate loser. The self-branding technique you are using is just bulllsh*t! Other writers are not as dumb as you think.
Being a conscious writer and an honest reader, I must speak the truth. So if you like it or not — this is my stance.
Final thoughts
Identify your fake readers on Medium observing their overall activities, and then don’t bother what shi*ts they produce.
When you see them leaving hints in your stories to visit their profiles, just smile a little and ignore their presence.
No doubt, the fake readers are digging their own graves. Stay away from them.
Thank you for reading.
If you are interested to read more of my mind-effing articles, the following one can be a great start.
