When I read and enjoy a story or poem on Medium, I always clap, highlight parts that spark my interest and leave a comment. Sometimes it's only a short comment of encouragement or appreciation. Other times, a longer and more reflective engagement. I like to read comments from others, too. Sometimes, someone writes a wonderful comment - either it's very insightful, or beautifully articulated, or perhaps just a statement I strongly agree with. Then I clap that comment. Sometimes the comment makes me review that writer's profile and I decide to follow them. I often like to follow people who engage with the articles I enjoy reading - because they may write similar types of things. Sometimes people clap on my comments, which I appreciate just as much as a clap on my stories. It's also possible to publish comments to your profile as a story. So people might discover or read them that way. I know some folks just clap every darn thing they see, and hope people will follow them - but I don't think that's helpful, and I doubt it's successful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts in this story! 🙏🏻👏🏻👏🏻