Too new (as a committed presence, not a member) to have experience to share. Nonetheless, I like articles like this that DO share members' experiences with Medium. Also, my intention on partnering recently with Medium was to maintain a healthy (daily) presence and engagement - but most certainly NOT for tit-for-tat claps and comments. I am willing to sacrifice such "popularity" in the attempt to establish my quality, and to recognize quality in other members. That takes a little searching, but so far, I've been pleasantly surprised, and sometimes even amazed! Thanks for your personal take on this.