And it’s how I know if my articles (not on Medium though I blog here sometimes) are reaching the audience. I think of comments as jury debreifs. Was my agument received in the way I intended, or did readers forcus on something else? Plus, my first editors found me through comments and I’ve since done the same.

Interestingly, or really depressingly, among professional writers the advice is to never read their comments. It is almost how profiessional writers groups distinguish among those who are rubes and those who have made it. I think that explains a lot about current events.