I Always Give Out Either 50 Claps or None
And I have good reasons for it
Everybody is choosing their own strategy for engaging with Medium’s content. Over a month ago, I was one of the people who gave out only one clap. I had no idea there was another option.
Then I found out that the maximum amount of claps is 50. It changed everything.
I had to make some personal choices. How do I decide what article deserves 50 claps? Does it depend on how much I relate to what’s written there? Or is the quality of writing more important?
As a result, I found myself in a difficult situation where I would clap 20 times to an article and then feel guilty I didn’t clap more. Sometimes I would even come back to articles I’ve read before and leave a comment to compensate for my previous lack of support.
After a long thought process, I’ve decided to always give out 50 claps or none. Make the process simple for myself. There are reasons why I think it was a good decision and I want to share them with you.
Being noticed
Let’s start with the most selfish reason. When you give out 50 claps — authors notice you. Writers might even recognise you from the crowd one day and choose to read your article when they see it in their recommendations.
We’re all a part of Medium’s community and it’s important to support each other. When you clap 50 times, you’re not only engaging with the article — you are engaging with the author. That engagement can lead to valuable connections.
Authors might go on a quest of exploring your Medium profile. They might have a desire to do something nice in return for your support.
They might invite you to become an editor of a publication. They might introduce you to writer’s groups and communities. You might even be promoted by these authors on social media in the future. You never know what 50 claps can do for you.
The important thing is that 50 claps rarely go unnoticed, especially with smaller writers. So, most of the time when you’re supporting other writers, you’re actually helping the whole writing community — including yourself.
Supporting the Whole Medium Community
New Writers
Every writer would appreciate 50 claps. But do you ever think about how much you’re helping new writers by clapping? They know that your support could potentially lead to their success on this platform. As a result, they might feel motivated and appreciated.
I’m a strong believer in “self-fulfilling prophesies” meaning that when you think somebody will succeed — they are more likely to succeed. There are studies that prove that.
There is a higher chance of performance improvement when you praise somebody instead of criticising and actively pointing out their mistakes. Of course, most of these studies are about kids’ learning process, but we are all just kids deep inside, right?
Nobody is denying constructive criticism here and I know that pure praise doesn’t work for everyone. With my philosophy of giving out either 50 or 0 claps, I usually use private notes or comments for criticism while still supporting the author by clapping 50 times. Perhaps I am a little bit over positive in my comments. I am aware of that. But it all comes from a genuine desire to help and support.
After all, the writer did something right. You clicked on the article. Why did you do it?
Were you impressed by a beautiful picture? Was it an intriguing title? Did you continue reading after being drawn to the article? If so, what made you interested in the subject?
Yes, sometimes the content might not be as exciting as you thought in the beginning, but a writer still has done a lot to make you click and read their piece. And they succeeded.
External Views
External viewers see claps, but they don't really know how it works. They often assume it’s the same system as the ones they see on Facebook and Instagram.
So, when external readers see 50 claps, they assume there are 50 people who like the article. When this happens, the article automatically seems more credible to them. This can positively influence Medium’s reputation as a platform as well as help the author get more external views. Even though these views are not usually the money makers — they help with the author’s visibility and overall stats.
When I Don’t Clap
I don’t clap in two cases. Please, forgive me, but both of them are pretty subjective.
The first one is when I can’t find anything in the article I could connect with. If the content is not interesting, the writing is bad or mediocre and there is no value for me — I won’t clap. It wouldn’t be genuine.
The second reason for not clapping is when there is any discrimination in the article. If an author is disrespecting any community or individual — I won’t support that. I’m a person who believes that people should respect each other. So, if I see something contradicting this belief — no claps.
Everybody decides for themselves how to use claps on Medium. There are probably hundreds of people who never clap. There might be people who give out claps 50 times to each article they see.
You’re free to choose your own way and I sincerely wish good luck to all writers who use Medium to pursue their goals and dreams!
If you want to discuss this or any other topic, please feel free to connect with me on Twitter.
