Scott Molinari
Aug 28, 2017 · 1 min read

The only way claps can work as a payment value is if getting the claps themselves also has some value. By that I mean, they should NOT come for free. It’s a basic rule of gamification and a basic rule for money. 50 claps per person for basically doing nothing, or maybe reading an article, has no referential value. I bet too, there is no rule for reading to get the 50 claps. I could just start clapping, as soon as the article comes up in the app or browser. How about scrolling over time to earn the claps, eh?

Now, let’s say I write a comment or an article and then get claps for it, they in turn “fill” my clap account, and they should be worth more than claps earned by just reading an article, right? Because hey, Medium wants (good) content more than anything else, right?

And, if I want, I can “cash out” my claps, when I have enough and thus earn my money. The “take” for Medium is the “house rake”, like in casinos. It’s the 2 or 3 percent (or more) that is rigged into the game. :) It’s really quite simple.

However, the name “clap” was definitely poorly selected as the heart piece of the game.

Scott

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    Scott Molinari

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    Clapping is great. Buying me a coffee or a beer is even better! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=16255660