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Abstract

e a distinct advantage in that my views are usually pretty low, so I have a much better idea of how views, reads, and claps all fit together. Take my <a href="https://medium.com/@michael.nagy/the-day-i-almost-died-29a23b6f292d">latest story</a> for example. It has one fan, yet it has 0 views and 0 reads.</p><figure id="acb4"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*iGA5YQaK4GGw3MkW8G9j2Q.png"><figcaption>Screenshot by Author</figcaption></figure><p id="4c17">Was I the victim of a clap and run? Possibly. But the more evidence I see, the more I suspect there is a problem with Medium’s view/read algorithm.</p><h1 id="121d">Views Are Down</h1><p id="4648">The second common theme I have been seeing is that views and reads are down for many people. Most people seem to attribute it to the holiday season. It‘s a reasonable conclusion—many people are busy with their families and winding down the year.</p><p id="4142">I thought nothing of it until I looked at the stats on one of my recent responses. I had remembered that just the other day I responded to this wonderful story by <a href="undefined">Dr Mehmet Yildiz</a> —</p><div id="0175" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-end-of-dislike-attacks-on-youtube-e849a980e2a7"> <div> <div> <h2>The End of Dislike Attacks on YouTube</h2> <div><h3>Excellent news for creators who suffered from subjective dislike attacks for years.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*RDqUVhBW3BHjgFt-zGAR3Q.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="886a">Shortly after I commented, I received a response back. If you look at the fo

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llowing screenshot though, you’ll see that it received 0 views and 0 reads.</p><figure id="6b6f"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*V4Y-U_1tHpHI6nMk-HbliQ.png"><figcaption>Screenshot by Author</figcaption></figure><p id="4c5f">How could that be? Either Dr. Mehmet Yildiz didn’t read my comment, or much more likely, Medium didn’t record that as a view or a read.</p><h1 id="4cbb">What’s Going On?</h1><p id="f587">I’m beginning to wonder if the two things are related. I suspect something is wrong with the way Medium is counting views and reads. As a software engineer, I can understand the complexities involved with handling massive amounts of data. We’re talking hundreds of millions of events, if not billions, streaming into their platform every year. Is it possible that some of the events that Medium captures are getting lost in the shuffle? I certainly think so.</p><p id="ef47">If some of these events are getting lost, then that would explain why you might have a fan, but the read is missing. It’s especially obvious in the case above. In addition, even a small fraction of events going missing can result in a noticeable drop in income since income is based on read time.</p><p id="b7a5">This also means that the clap and run antagonists in some of these stories don’t actually exist.</p><h1 id="54ae">Conclusion</h1><p id="4b48">Something funny is going on with the way reads are captured. My hunch is that the system does not capture all of the read events appropriately, giving us the illusion of the clap and run bandit. It can also explain why some people are reporting that their reads are down as well.</p><p id="4bba">What has your experience been? Have you found that your engagement has stayed constant throughout the year? Have you encountered a clap and runner? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!</p></article></body>

The Mystery of the Missing Views

Clap and run? Or something more mundane?

Lately, a lot of stories about Medium have been appearing in my feed. For this story, I’m only focused on two types — clap and runs, and views being down. Could they be related?

Clap and Run

I wasn’t aware of such a thing until I read this story by Yana Bostongirl.

Lingo From the Comments Section

I frequently come across lingo, like the ones below, in the comment section. These 5 seem to get other writers’ goat 🐐

medium.com

Since then, I’ve seen other stories also reference such a phenomenon. Why would somebody clap for a story they didn’t read? I suppose everyone chalks it up to the fact that some people partake in fake engagement. Ever since Medium changed the requirements to be a part of the MPP, there has been a rise in fake engagement, so it’s not so much a stretch that this behavior could be related.

I have a distinct advantage in that my views are usually pretty low, so I have a much better idea of how views, reads, and claps all fit together. Take my latest story for example. It has one fan, yet it has 0 views and 0 reads.

Was I the victim of a clap and run? Possibly. But the more evidence I see, the more I suspect there is a problem with Medium’s view/read algorithm.

Views Are Down

The second common theme I have been seeing is that views and reads are down for many people. Most people seem to attribute it to the holiday season. It‘s a reasonable conclusion—many people are busy with their families and winding down the year.

I thought nothing of it until I looked at the stats on one of my recent responses. I had remembered that just the other day I responded to this wonderful story by Dr Mehmet Yildiz —

The End of Dislike Attacks on YouTube

Excellent news for creators who suffered from subjective dislike attacks for years.

medium.com

Shortly after I commented, I received a response back. If you look at the following screenshot though, you’ll see that it received 0 views and 0 reads.

How could that be? Either Dr. Mehmet Yildiz didn’t read my comment, or much more likely, Medium didn’t record that as a view or a read.

What’s Going On?

I’m beginning to wonder if the two things are related. I suspect something is wrong with the way Medium is counting views and reads. As a software engineer, I can understand the complexities involved with handling massive amounts of data. We’re talking hundreds of millions of events, if not billions, streaming into their platform every year. Is it possible that some of the events that Medium captures are getting lost in the shuffle? I certainly think so.

If some of these events are getting lost, then that would explain why you might have a fan, but the read is missing. It’s especially obvious in the case above. In addition, even a small fraction of events going missing can result in a noticeable drop in income since income is based on read time.

This also means that the clap and run antagonists in some of these stories don’t actually exist.

Conclusion

Something funny is going on with the way reads are captured. My hunch is that the system does not capture all of the read events appropriately, giving us the illusion of the clap and run bandit. It can also explain why some people are reporting that their reads are down as well.

What has your experience been? Have you found that your engagement has stayed constant throughout the year? Have you encountered a clap and runner? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!