Observations And Suggestions On The Vocal Weekly Bonus Leaderboard And Other Vocal Areas
These Are Congratulations And Constructive Criticisms On Vocal
Introduction
These are a few suggestions and constructive criticisms of the Vocal Weekly Bonus Leaderboard. No criticism is aimed at the deserving Vocal Creators who are awarded the bonuses and I have chosen The Beatles "Getting Better" to go with this piece because I really believe that week on week Vocal is improving and getting better. There are glitches and faults and things we don't like, but with something this big and complex that is bound to keep happening, but Vocal is in better shape than when I first joined, so I feel I can make these constructive criticisms alongside pointing out the benefits.
So What About The Leaderboard
This was the last one before I wrote this piece.
First of all this is great that Vocal is rewarding Creators on a weekly basis, based on specific criteria. I thought there was an issue with this at first but each section is specific about why Creators have been placed in that position.
One of the problems is that popular and well-known Creators will get more hearts and comments and therefore this will create a same-old same-old situation. Vocal has put things in place to ensure it's not the same people every week but people do reappear on the lists often in multiple categories, but this is caused by the criteria and we need to be wary of excluding people just because they are producing excellent work that continually meets the required criteria.
In The Vocal Social Society, we have a weekly Dynamic Duo where we choose two members and give their work exposure because they have been active, commenting and liking in the group. The problem we hit is that the most active members (about twelve) of the group tend to comment and support Creators with likes and hearts and we didn't want that to become the same few, so the admins discussed this and came up with a plan to include the newer active members but also include the main active members. If you are on Facebook you can check out this week's Dynamic Duo here.
This concept is similar to the excellent Emerging Creators feature added to the Bonus Leaderboard.
The Supportive Commenters section again has the same-old same-old, but these are Creators who are providing support and encouragement to other creators on a regular basis. There are many creators who may be retired and have time to do this while others have jobs and family as first priorities, so that is just life, and if you put in the effort then it is right to be rewarded.
I don't comment enough so it's unlikely you will see me there again, but I do provide support in many ways. I am pleased to see Vocal providing rewards for the support of other Creators.
All in all, while I thought I was going to raise issues with the Bonus Leaderboard there is not too much wrong and Vocal will keep fine-tuning it and it will improve.
Finally Vocal Resources: Tips And Guides
Vocal asked Creators to submit their own guides. Since that time the only ones I have seen are two excellent ones from Donna Renee on the Front Page below.
Then mine on page three
I submitted twelve pieces for Resources and did not receive a single acknowledgement. After two months I gave up waiting and published them as normal pieces. This really saddened me. I would have been fine if Vocal came back and said the pieces weren't good enough, but pieces like this with its 150 reads, 50 hearts, and 5 comments was surely worth some attention
Conclusion
Vocal is my preferred writing platform. I know there are issues, but it does keep improving and I am happy to be a member here.
I hope you have enjoyed this and please leave your opinions and suggestions in the comments.
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Comments (10)
I really need feedback; I feel that those who feel the pull to write, have similar passion, and find the written word their best way of expression and/or art form are the best to offer critique, encouragement and judgement.
Thank you for your thoughts. I am happy this board is a thing, even though I haven't made it on. It is great to encourage others to read. I am a reader. I read here and there and everywhere.😉 Thanks again😊💕
I do appear often in the Most Supportive Commenter category but I've not been doing anything differently than what I've been doing since the time I joined. I've always enjoyed everyone's writing and love reading them. Even when I took a break from Vocal from August 2022 to January 2023, I still read everyone's writing on a daily basis. And this was all wayyyyy before the Leaderboard thingy. Contrary to popular belief, I like the Leaderboard thingy because I see it as an opportunity for people who have not placed in challenges to get a chance to be recognised via a different way. Though there are many misusing this by posting AI-Generated comments to place in the Most Supportive Commenter category. Those comments are so obviously AI. Some even post vague comments like "Beautiful" or "Very wonderful". I received those on my latest horror story and I called them out, lol, because there's nothing beautiful or wonderful about a boy being cut up into pieces and stuffed in multiple shoeboxes.
Excellent thoughts on this subject, Mike. I figure the more we can lift others up, the better.
I agree with you that Vocal is constantly making improvements and isn't the same platform it was 2 years ago when I joined. That being said, I love the Leaderboard, for many reasons. 1. Engagement. I felt engagement was something I had to pry from others before through the Facebook group and it stressed me out. Now, there's an incentive and people are exploring each other's work instead of waiting for someone to come to them. 2. Recognition. There shouldn't be a competition among Vocal creators to be on the Leaderboard, but those who make the effort to acknowledge and read each other's work should be recognized. I'll be honest, I don't put in the effort I see most people doing. I don't have time to. So I understand why I don't see my name much. But I still appreciate and applaud those who do appear on it (I know you're one of them😌). 3. Commendations. Many Vocal creators doubt themselves as writers, even though they have 300+ pieces published here on Vocal. I know what makes someone a "writer" is defined differently by each person you ask, but for me, creating anything with words makes someone a writer. It's an art, and art is meant to be a form of expression. Anyway, the Leaderboard seems to make people feel better about themselves as writers by giving their work honorable mentions (I'm so glad for it). I want nothing more than to help boost everyone's self-esteem. In short, I love this post, Mike. I love that you care about getting more people the attention they deserve. I'm all on board! I think it's great you point out the flaws on the Leaderboard so there can be an improvement. And my heart squeezes that you're taking it a step further and giving more opportunities to people.👏🏼👏🏼
I agree with your observations about the leaderboards. Maybe it would be more impactful if they limited how often folks can be repeat winners a bit more? At the same time, dethroning a Vocal leaderboard regular does sound like a fun challenge. (I follow some of them and appreciate their efforts, so that's all in good fun, of course.)
Fantastic!!! Love this!!!❤️❤️💕
Great Article, Vocal has its ups and downs. I don't pay much attention to the leaderboard. The couple of times I have managed to make it I've had no idea what piece it was for. Was happy to see the bonus lol.
Some good points here, Mike. Well said.
I loved the Beatles!