A Place

Introduction

Over my two and a half years on Vocal, I have acted like a whiney kid cos I never placed in A Challenge, now that has changed, and these are my observations on Challenges and Top Stories.

Observations and Thoughts

While I believe that both Top Stories and Challenges are subjectively judged, Vocal has published this article on how decisions are arrived at.

One of the problems with transparency is that it could have creators concentrating on what wins them things rather than concentrating on engaging stories and articles.

With advice and encouragement from Vocal friends, I began to focus attention on sharing my creations and continuing to do what I do. The comments I have always received from my audience and friends grew my confidence daily, and some of the creations I publish, while I find them simple, other creators are almost frightened at the thought of trying something similar.

I did say that I must be the most unsuccessful Vocal creator, because despite over sixteen hundred stories, and I have lost count of how many Challenge entries, not one had placed in a Challenge. In that narrow field of vision, I felt an abject failure.

I felt as though I was trying to hit a bull's eye on a target, but the target was behind a black sheet so I didn't know what I was aiming for, and when I didn't hit the target once more I tried to figure out why I had missed once more, but I had nothing to go on.

It's the same with Top Stories, I believe all my writing is excellent, but not all are worthy of Top Story status, but often the ones that get Top Story awards leave me wondering why, while those I believe are worthy of a Top Story fall by the Vocal wayside, which makes me think there is a big subjective element.

I recently saw a Story given Top Story Status eighteen minutes after publication, and it was not a Vocal official publication, then I saw one from two years ago given a Top Story, implying there is hope for all those that you thought deserved a Top Story.

I have put effort into growing my Vocal subscriber base, and I think that has helped give me an almost guaranteed fifty reads a day. Sometimes it is less but usually, it is more, and last month was a low-read month where I made a little less than my subscription.

I do tend to publish two pieces a day, and they do get read and that has brought me a lot of success in the Vocal Arena. The bonuses and Vocal Ambassador's payments have made Vocal the most lucrative platform I have ever been on. It gives me some coffee money and won't make me a living, but as I have said before, the greatest treasure Vocal has given me is the friends that I have made while being here, and I am forever grateful for that.

The Facebook Vocal Groups opened the doorway to so much love, support, advice, and friendship which would not have happened without Vocal.

Not having been placed in a Vocal Challenge was like a thorn in my side, it did irritate me but thanks to this story that thorn has well and truly been removed.

Conclusion

The music I have included is "Success" by Iggy Pop from his "Lust For Life" album, because I believe that is what my friends and audience have given me, and I only met them because I joined Vocal.

I will leave you with a poem that I wrote listing my favourite Facebook Vocal Groups, without whom I would not be writing this piece now.