Why I Follow You on Medium

It is not follow for follow

Cat photo for you. Franny is a delight. And she has caught three mice in 24 hours!

1. If you clap or respond to one of my essays, I will check out your page. I usually scroll past the pinned essays and see when you last posted. Then I check out one of your titles that grabs my attention. If I read the whole thing, then you get 50 claps and a follow. Full disclosure — any time I read to the end of an essay I give 50 claps — both for you writing it and for me reading it.
2. If you clap or respond to any of my essays, and I see you have posted fewer than 5 essays in a year or even none at all, I will likely follow you. This is because I can tell that your interaction with my post was genuine and not out of self-interest (because you don’t have any recent content to push). This means you are a READER! Wow. I want to see more of you. Hopefully, my follow will let you know I see you and appreciate you. Please, read more!
3. If your story randomly shows up in my feed and I read it to the end, you get 50 claps and a follow. You need a good title and photo to catch my attention, and then the essay needs to deliver, too. But if you can do that, I want to see more of you. I like personal stories and well-developed opinions and I can’t be bothered with self-help or impersonal information (unless it is really well done and in a topic that interests me).
4. If you just randomly follow me, without clapping or responding to any of my essays, then there is about a 5% chance that I click on your profile out of boredom, like your essays, and follow you back. So there is a chance.
5. If a writer I like and respect writes about you and recommends you, then you are in with no questions. Those recommendations are gold. Here are some of my favorite writers for you to follow (Long-time friends —if I missed you, please message me and I will add you to this list): LGWare, The Black Lens, Kristina Pulford, Walter Rhein, Araci Almeida, TB Obwoge, Aunty Jean, Ossiana Tepfenhart, Yael Wolfe, Shanté Nixon, Lisa Martens, BlackRiver, Laura M. Quainoo, Carol Lennox, Forestree, Ted Czukor, Melissa Rach, Sharon M, Adam, The Diabetic Cyborg, Allisonn Church, Baird Brightman, Raffey, Scott-Ryan Abt, Charlene Marron, Alex Rotar, Auntiegrav, Cory Doctorow, Christyl Rivers, Phd., Lilith Helstrom, Debra G. Harman, MEd., Lwazi, Brian G (aka 'bumpyjonas') - he/him, Miyah Byrd, Michelle Teheux, John Egelkrout, Elle Beau ❇︎, Allison Wiltz, William Spivey, Blackthelma, Rosalyn Morris, Bren Kelly, Rivka Wolf, Mason Smith, Garrick McFadden, cyberwyrd, Misty Rae, Lisa Osborne, Adebayo Adeniran, Deb C., Super Mrs. C., Jacqueline Laughlin, Rebecca Stevens A., Jessica Kiragu

Thank you for reading. Tell me who your favorite writers are in the comments.