This is a low-hanging fruit and is a great idea. Sometimes we receive stories even longer than 30 minutes and I save them to read later as the writer makes the effort and share an important message. As I din't have time when I opened it the algo shows I was not interested and penalize the writer unfairly. I'd also propose adding a story to a reading list which is even more important than a fake clap. You inspired me to touch on these points in my upcoming story. Thanks for sharing your valuable thoughts. I deliberately did not clap this story which I will explain my new piece. I used to give 50 claps for all stories I read to inspire and motivate authentic writers but now Medium's faulty algo sees this behaviour as spam. Nice to meet you CM!