Hi, A. M. Radulescu, it's me, U. M. Lee. :)

I think you've clearly identified the problem with those "read mine, clap, I'll clap back" posts on Facebook. That sort of transactional reciprocity doesn't really scale up to building a real following on Medium.

BTW, I thought clapping was a 0 or 1 thing in my first few months on Medium. I was thoroughly mortified to find that clapping only once was viewed as a rude thing. I've tried to clap 50 times ever since as penance for my initial misunderstanding.

If you haven't read this article, you might find it amusing. It always amuses me anyway. :)

https://medium.com/slackjaw/i-am-the-one-who-claps-once-e1f8b1039f82