Yep! And when you engage with somebody they tend to remember you. The next time they see a story with your name in their feed, they are more likely to click on it.

I don’t know if this is just a pet peeve of mine or not, but I always feel a little strange when someone replies to a comment I make with, “thank you for reading and replying.”

I’d rather have a genuine response to my genuine comment than a thank you. I mean, it’s polite and I don’t take any offense. But somehow it doesn’t seem like quite the proper etiquette. But maybe I’m just weird.

In any case, yes, engagement is very important on Medium. If things get to the point where you simply cannot reply to every comment, at least clapping and highlighting is in order.

I think that’s the least we can do for readers who take the time to engage with our words. I can’t say I never miss a comment, but I try not to.