The completely unofficial “Claps” ranking system for Medium
Because someone had to do it
We’re coming up on the two-year anniversary of the ‘Claps” appreciation system here on the Medium publishing platform. It’s their version of the Facebook Like or the Twitter/Instagram Heart.
The difference is that the ‘Clap’ has a range. You can choose to do 1 clap or 50 claps for one article. Depending on your mood, ability to read and propensity to watch icon animations with every click, your experience may vary.
But wait… what’s the difference between 16 claps and 22 claps?
Is it a good thing to round up the existing clap count to make it a round number? What if a story has over 10,000 claps? Do I even bother to “Clap” since I can’t see how I make a difference when I click on that emoji-like hand icon? Can’t I just “fist bump” or leave a clever animated GIF?
Well, worry not dear reader.
After two long years of no one bothering to explain the existential question of quantitative value and interpretation of a Medium “Clap”, I’m here to help.
The following is the ‘completely unofficial and in no-way endorsed, recognized, or valued by Medium’ clap ranking system. Feel free to reference this article whenever you’re trying to find the right way to show your appreciation for any particular article or author.
Tier 1: Good Stuff
- 50 Claps
You have just clicked on your trackpad/mouse/phone 50 times in a row. Either you were seeing if 50 claps was really the limit, or you were testing to see how fast you could click something. Or you just don’t know any better… thinking there’s a weird “50 Clap” Facebook Group you haven’t discovered yet. - 49 Claps
No one clicks 49 times and doesn’t get to 50. That’s just weird. - 48 Claps
The right number to choose if you really, really, really, really liked something you read. You can clap in installments of 12 or 24 if you’re planning on coming back for a second or third read. Or if you just like to click icons. - 47 Claps
47 is a prime number and doesn’t make sense in the Clap system. It should have been removed a long time ago (see 43 claps) - 46 Claps
Another tier of ‘this was a great f***ing article’ that’s more sincere than 48. It signals that 40 claps wasn’t enough, and adding six more felt right. Good for you. - 45 Claps
Favorite clap count by Donald Trump supporters and advocates. In fact, you can track your conservative voter base just by looking for this number in your analytics. It’s true. - 44 Claps
Favorite clap count for those readers who are nostalgic for the Obama era of politics and love your content. May just give you 22 claps at first, make sure you’re not a meanie, then give you 22 claps if you respond to their comments. - 43 Claps
43 is a prime number and doesn’t make sense in the Clap system. It should have been removed a long time ago (see 47 claps) - 42 Claps
A good number of claps to choose if you thought the story was kickass, but don’t want to give the author an overinflated sense of importance. It’s like the apple pie ranking of the top tier. - 41 Claps
Who the hell leaves just 41 claps? You screwed up. Clear your claps, and try hit 40 this time without going over. - 40 Claps
The safe amount of claps to give a story you really enjoyed. Also a favorite clap total by introverts, the upper middle class and those who just love even numbers.
Tier 2: Not Bad
- 39 Claps
You need one more to get to 40. - 38 Claps
A thoughtful amount of claps at the higher end of the spectrum. It’s like a sustained, rhythmic clicking of a digital hand, where eventually you… reach 38 claps and retire for the evening. - 37 Claps
Frequently chosen by those trying to round out the clap count while still communicating their love for the content. Otherwise it’s a prime number and hopelessly pointless to use. - 36 Claps
A great number to use if you want to show your appreciation for the content, but send the oh-so-subtle message that their article just doesn’t hit the top 10. Great for a few shares, but just not Tim Ferris/Seth Godin kind of good. - 35 Claps
Like 36 claps, only you’re really being more explicit that you love the content but it’s just not Conan O’ Brien type good. Don’t get it twisted. - 34 Claps
Probably a ‘second base’ leaning towards ‘third base’ type of appreciation rating. You really like the content, but you just can’t go to the next level yet. Not quite ‘friend zone’ but also not ‘I’m into you’ kind of ranking. - 33 Claps
Fans of trilogies and alliteration tend to favor 33 claps. Also a good number to show appreciation while rounding out an odd number clap count on the story. - 32 Claps
A solid “this is a really good article!” type of appreciation ranking. Definitely in the ‘friend zone’ and a very safe way of saying you like what you read. - 31 Claps
Don’t be that idiot that leaves 31 claps. You’ll clearly communicate that you have no idea what you’re doing. - 30 Claps
The official “Not Bad” clap count of Medium, complete with an Obama frown face meme to go with it. Leave this clap count where you just want to leave a ranking but don’t want to bother with anything else.
Tier 3: Okay Sure
- 29 Claps
You need one more to go to 30 claps. 29 claps would just seem like you gave up on clicking the hand icon. - 21–28 Claps
You’re basically saying that you liked the article, picked a random number in the 20’s, and did your damage. There’s no need to leave a comment on the article if you were this lethargic in choosing your ranking. - 20 Claps
The person who leaves only 20 claps thinks that if they go beyond that, they’ll break Medium’s clapping system and be responsible for it. Good job! You liked the article. Now don’t get fancy and start breaking things.
Tier 4: Well…
- 19 Claps
We’ve been through this. Prime numbers (a whole number greater than 1 whose only factors are 1 and itself) for showing article appreciation are largely useless. - 18 Claps
A solid ‘like’ of an article you’ve read. No hidden messages or overtures of appreciation. It’s decent enough to click on an icon multiple times to show you care. - 17 Claps
I’ll just skip prime numbers for the rest of the article to spare you the repeated, unsubstantiated bashing of an innocent, only-divisible by itself and 1 number. It’s borderline abuse at this point. - 16 Claps
When you want to show you ‘like’ an article but you’re not a huge fan of it either. Too many misspellings and gerund parades. Fertile ground for leaving a comment if that’s your thing. - 11–15 Claps
Largely means the same thing. You ‘kind-of, sort-of’ like what you read, but there’s a limit to how many times you click on that clap icon. Each click means something, and the author better read into your ranking if they really, truly appreciate the effort you took to show your appreciation.
Tier 5: Dumpster Fire Disco
- 10 Claps
This is really the only ranking in this Tier that matters. It’s a perfect ‘starter like’ for those that are new to the Medium ranking system. You can also leave clever jokes about how the content is a perfect ’10' in the comments. You could… but should you… hmmmmmm… - 9 Claps
Clearly used for rounding up the current “Clap” count to whole numbers. Otherwise, just leaving 9 claps shows you’re either being clever (see 10 Claps) or being annoying. - 8 Claps
This ranking signals that you truly don’t give a damn, and 8 clicks is all you can muster. Bookmarking was even too tedious to try. Your eight vote is a solid contribution for non-starters and sloth types. - 7 Claps
Why? Seriously… - 6 Claps
If a person thinks that the ‘Clap’ system in Medium has a 10 clap limit, then this ranking shows a solid interest in the content by someone who doesn’t frequent Medium. It’s a very cute rating… adorable really… - 2-5 Claps
You are wasting everyone’s time by putting such a paltry number of claps together for an article that clearly deserves better. You can only manage 2–5 clicks? 6–10 minutes of some decent reading material and that level of effort makes you faint? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED??? - 1 Clap
Here’s a teaching moment for you. MEDIUM IS NOT FACEBOOK, NOR IS IT TWITTER OR INSTAGRAM. That means that the way you show gratitude/interest/likes on Medium is by clicking on the ‘Clap’ icon more than once. Clicking a single time does not mean you ‘like’ the content. It just means you figured out where the ‘Clap’ icon is in the interface. Refer to the Clap definitions above to find your true North.
And there you have it.
A complete ranking system for your next round of Medium appreciation through ‘Claps’. I hope you find it as useful as I found it entertaining to write.
If you need some practice with this ranking system, feel free to apply your ranking to this article. In fact, you should tell all of the smart, wonderful, witty and well informed friends to check out this ranking system as well.
Finally, feel free to test that so called ’50 Clap Appreciation Ceiling’ I mentioned at the top of the article. It may or may not still be in effect by the time you read this. The only way to know for sure is to give this article a solid 50–55 likes and see what Medium does.
Good luck, and happy reading!
Join the Kung Fu Writing Challenge
This article is part of the 30 minute writing challenge I’m doing throughout the month of June to help and encourage others to improve upon their writing skills and become better practitioners of prose.
If you’re interested in taking the challenge, check out this article for more information: https://medium.com/dallas-design-sprints/heres-how-to-participate-in-our-month-long-writing-challenge-41ca795a5176
