I preface what I'm about to say with the caveat that my comments are truly meant to be constructive.

I think the problem lies more with the author and not the site. You admitted posting hastily to get something posted in another comment. It seems you're wanting your cake and trying to eat it too. You complain about wanting to create connections and writing for the love of it, but you also want to reap the benefits of claps and "button clicks" without putting anything in. Posting for the sake of posting isn't writing for the love of it and Medium isn't a get rich quick vehicle.

I've ben on the site for just over a year and have been quite successful. AND, I've made several very meaningful connections. There are other writers here that read every word I write, literally every word, and I do the same for them. We tag each other in challenges and work off of each other. Some of these people have truly become writing friends. Through them, not only have I gotten a consisitant redership, steady stream of story ideas and learned a great deal, but I've also become editor of 2 publications and met some really cool people.

There are no shortcuts. The formula for success is simple:

1. Write well. There's a whole lot of stuff here to read. Throwing something down for the sake of it just doesn't cut it. Would you read something that was just posted for the sake of posting something?

2. Engage meaningfully. Follow for follow schemes are bullshit, plain and simple. If you want engagement, you have to give engagement. Read, read and read stories that interest you. Clap, leave meaningful comments that show you've read and give some thought to the writer's work. Follow them. Soon you'll find they're commenting back to you, checking out your work and leaving comments and following you. Then you'll find you're being tagged and challenged to write about certain things by other writers.

You get what you put in, plain and simple. I'd suggest you give it a try, I think you'll be amazed.