Hi Jesse, I’m glad we met through Medium, and I applaud this post of yours (x50!). For me, what’s best about Medium is the exchange of ideas and perspectives. I feel I have benefited more from what I have read then from what I have written. And, unlike reading opinion pieces in newspapers, it’s great to have the authors respond to comments, and get the thought of other readers. Yours is a great example - look at these contributions!

What I like to do is reward well written pieces like this one with the full 50 claps. And I will often comment on a post I like by simply saying, thank you for a thoughtful article. Easy to do, and let’s the writer know they are appreciated.


Frankly, the quest for numbers - and payment - is the Achilles heel of he platform. It’s only human to desire more followers, and if one can get paid, wowie! I get it that for a small number of writers, Medium is their livelihood. And I support a few of them by regularly reading their work. Happily. But personally,I have turned off my paywall. I’m not seeking money for sharing my thoughts. And I’m glad to have readers who just want to enjoy my purposefully light hearted travel pieces. These are tough times. I want to provide a smile is all.