I've found that commenting and clapping are more than a vanity metric. I've seen the stories that receive the highest levels of engagement are usually more distributed by the algorithm. I'm not referring to curation but something vastly more important.

So...

If I really enjoy an article, felt I gained some useful information, or want to support my fellow writer, I will almost always comment and clap.

Why?

Because it will help spread the author's message and them gain the following, they are looking for.

Awesome article, Art! I'm a fan!