Medium Tips for Readers who are not Writers

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d with each writer. I personally prefer this, as I always seem to get more readers than I do clappers (does this mean it rewards poor quality?).</p><p id="ffd3">However, I understand why the change to reading time was bitterly unpopular with poets and cartoonists!</p><p id="b318">Claps are still a nice ego boost and maybe, just maybe, a flurry of claps on first publication might catch the eye of curators and get your article more widely distributed. But the direct connection with payouts has been removed.</p><p id="160c">Since this is the case, I would rather have a simple thumbs up (like you do in LinkedIn) rather than a countable number of claps, but that may just be me.</p><p id="9768">On re-reading the above, I feel it misses a trick. While claps don’t translate to money the way they used to, there is no good reason (apart from Repetitive Stress Injury) not to give the max 50 claps for any article that you really enjoy.</p><p id="617f">I have sometimes been a bit disheartened to see 14 claps in total from 4 different people, so here’s the misunderstanding that I think may be to blame.</p><p id="f350"><b>You don’t have a finite number of claps to distribute, just a limit of 50 per article. You can still give 50 for the next story you like too.</b></p><p id="e597">It’s perfectly possible to max clap everyone you really appreciate.</p><p id="6a74">It’s got so I can tell at a glance (say where there are 155 claps) that I have been appreciated by three writers

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and one reader who isn’t a writer.</p><p id="bb9c">Not begging for claps, you understand, just clarifying!</p><p id="457d"><i>Many thanks for reading!</i></p><p id="cfc6"><i>At this rate, I’m going to need a tab on Grab a Slice just for Medium stories!</i></p><p id="6159"><i>Like these:</i></p><div id="be3b" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/self-curation-on-medium-8c626d00502c"> <div> <div> <h2>Self-Curation on Medium</h2> <div><h3>Following a clue left by Casey Botticello</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*DyDpjOmF1mhPMc6H)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="8f4a" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/my-biggest-story-wasnt-a-story-at-all-710fd1ecb0a2"> <div> <div> <h2>My Biggest Story Wasn’t a Story at all!</h2> <div><h3>The case for giving some love (and cash) to responses</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*CUEqZ0dKxyZZn1EWLAM7-A.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

We need to talk about claps!

A recent response to a query from my top reader

Will you tell me something please, I don’t really understand what is the system Medium has for paying writers, I thought it was claps but it seems to have changed and I don’t understand it. Of course I would like to support the people who are making me happy, thoughtful, stimulated and many more emotions to continue!

Hi Carol. Happy to explain (and it may make sense to turn this into a post, as many readers who are not writers may not be aware of the changes).

It used to be based on number of claps, so that whatever was distributed of your $5 monthly subscription went to writers in proportion to the claps you gave them. Under this system 50 claps was better than 1 clap (unless you gave 50 to everyone in which case it would average out as the same).

Then it moved to reading time, so your money is distributed based on how long you spend with each writer. I personally prefer this, as I always seem to get more readers than I do clappers (does this mean it rewards poor quality?).

However, I understand why the change to reading time was bitterly unpopular with poets and cartoonists!

Claps are still a nice ego boost and maybe, just maybe, a flurry of claps on first publication might catch the eye of curators and get your article more widely distributed. But the direct connection with payouts has been removed.

Since this is the case, I would rather have a simple thumbs up (like you do in LinkedIn) rather than a countable number of claps, but that may just be me.

On re-reading the above, I feel it misses a trick. While claps don’t translate to money the way they used to, there is no good reason (apart from Repetitive Stress Injury) not to give the max 50 claps for any article that you really enjoy.

I have sometimes been a bit disheartened to see 14 claps in total from 4 different people, so here’s the misunderstanding that I think may be to blame.

You don’t have a finite number of claps to distribute, just a limit of 50 per article. You can still give 50 for the next story you like too.

It’s perfectly possible to max clap everyone you really appreciate.

It’s got so I can tell at a glance (say where there are 155 claps) that I have been appreciated by three writers and one reader who isn’t a writer.

Not begging for claps, you understand, just clarifying!

Many thanks for reading!

At this rate, I’m going to need a tab on Grab a Slice just for Medium stories!

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