I always clap for an article. If I clicked on it and then didn’t feel able to read it, I give 3 claps. Three claps for the headline that drew me in. It also acts to show me which articles I have read.

Five claps is for those that I read part of the article and then lose interest in.

I then clap between 8–50 for all the others.

From what I have gathered from my year on Medium if you clap everyone 50 claps the algorithm see’s this and assigns less value to your claps. If however, you normally clap low and then love an article so much you give 50 claps, Medium thinks this must be an amazing article and assigns money and prestige accordingly.

I prefer this method as it really rewards the writers that hit gold with that one amazing article.

As a whole I believe we are all too wrapped up in claps. I wrote and article about it a while ago which was well received.

Thanks for your views on this controversial issue.