Hi Vocal! Thank You for my New Morning Routine!

I hesitate to document my new routine; Vocal is making great updates ALL. THE. TIME. and who knows what the next one will be and how I'll use it?

BUT!

The new Latest Stories tab is Rocking MY World and has resulted in a new morning routine that starts my work day off with a BANG! If you haven't yet checked out this new tab it's linked in the first sentence, linked in the ominous black box pasted below, and also is the Third Tab at the top of the Vocal Home page:

Notifications Paved the Way and Started my Routine

Like Pavlov's puppies, I am attuned to the little bell. More accurately, I look for a number that tells me I have a notification. Clicking on the little bell opens a drop down and shows selected interactions:

I can see:

• New stories posted by people to whom I subscribe. (KJ posted another episode in her intriguing Between Friends series)
• Creators replying to my comment on their stories. (Rachel and Rick both had new stories today and I left a message. I found both of their stories as part of my new morning routine, read them, and left a message/comment.)
• Vocal members that left me a heart (or a comment) on one of my own stories. (The message that Jay liked my story means he clicked on the heart. If someone/Jay had left a message/comment it would have been another notification on its own.)

Part One of the Morning Routine: Notifications

Notifications are the first part of my morning routine (after I pour that blessed first cup of coffee) after I log in to Vocal. I read the first batch of Notifications, then click Show More and peruse the others, going back in the timeline until I reach the last notifications I saw the night before.

I interact with comments on my content, then read and leave comments on the new content of the people to whom I subscribe- up to six new stories. I am on a schedule, so six new stories is my limit during the morning.

Part One of the Morning Routine- Top Story Edition

If, by some miracle, something I wrote is chosen as a Top Story; I've added something new.

• After I interact with the comment they left for me
• I visit the commenter's profile
• choose a piece of theirs I haven't read
• heart and comment on it
• then return to my story and call out the story I read and something I like about it.

I am slowly going back through each of my Top Stories and doing this for everyone that commented. Once I catch up, I will then extend the practice to everyone that that comments on any of my stories. I think it helps weave us creators tighter together, and if anyone reads comments (I read comments, does that make me weird?) it could introduce them to someone/something new.

Part Two of the Morning Routine: Latest Stories

Now, as much as I like and use Notifications, they are only part of discovery and interaction (two of my favorite benefits I receive by being a part of the Vocal community). Latest Stories have enriched my world and I am ENERGIZED!

In a nutshell: Latest Stories is an ever-scrolling 50-page presentation of new content that has gone live on the Vocal platform. That sounds simple, but it is So. Much. More.

The Process

The Latest Stories are shown in an ever-changing stream, with the most recent story's thumb nail shown first, then the next-most-recent, and so on.

The thumbnails show the lead Image, the title, the first three lines' worth of the content, the creator's name, and the Vocal Community in which the content appears.

I scan the text that appears under the image and look for two things, and then take action depending on what I find:

1. something that hooks me in to read the story . If the Title and the lead-in text sounds intriguing/is written by someone that creates content I enjoy; I stop, read, heart, and comment. (Note- sometimes the hook is along the lines of "Hey, I just read that yesterday!", and I realize it is a plagiarized Top Story, which I them report {using the report option at the top of a story} and then comment on the piece that it has been reported.)
2. something that sounds like AI-generated content. If the content shares the hallmarks of AI collaboration, I open it and skim the content.

• If I see that it is attributed to AI-collaboration, I read it top to bottom and leave a message thanking them for including the attribution as per the Vocal policy, at the top of the story.
• If there is no attribution at all for the AI collaboration, I post the following comment. Please note- this is a comment I created, and it not written or endorsed by Vocal. Any errors are my own:

Hello, AI is permitted on Vocal. It is a Vocal policy that content created with AI is identified as such at the start of the story/article. Your article/story has many hallmarks of AI-assisted/generated content.

You can find the details of the Vocal policy here: https://vocal.media/resources/an-update-from-vocal-on-ai-generated-content, Please amend your piece to be in compliance.

If you are not a Vocal+ member you will need to contact Vocal here ([email protected]) and ask them to send your content back into your 'Drafts' where you can edit your story/article/poem.

If you don’t correct this the content may be removed by Vocal and/or you may be deleted from the platform.

This has been reported to Vocal.

Hey! Do You Have A Problem With AI on Vocal?!

Good question. Short answer is: Meh, not really. No more of a problem than I do when someone misuses any other tool- like when they WRITE THE ENTIRE STORY IN ALL CAPS! AI is just another tool.

Longer answer begins with this: AI IS permitted on Vocal as long as it is attributed at the beginning of the story/article/poem. Here's the actual Vocal-created policy on AI, which is the article linked to the comment I leave. If you haven't read it yet you should.

So now that we have the baselines out of the way (to recap- it is permitted, it must be attributed at the beginning of the piece), why am I bothering with this part of my routine at all? Here's the rest of my answer:

1. Unattributed AI content clogs the platform and can turn off readers by giving the impression that it is nothing but clickbait and unoriginal content. This is not good for creators seeking to expand the reach of their natively-generated content.
2. Unattributed AI, if it puts-off readers, dilutes the investment that Vocal+ members, those that pay to create and maximize their benefits and time, on the platform.
3. Some of the creators that receive my comment are not aware of the policy. I answer their questions and point them back to the requirements and explain that they can have their pieces edited and be in compliance. In my opinion, it would be a shame to have their work removed and/or be removed from the platform because they didn't understand how to navigate using their new tools.
4. To paraphrase: I put my time where my mouth is. For several months the chatter peaks from time to time and complaints build regarding spammers, AI-content, and outright plagiarism. The 'offending' post gets shared across chat threads, people opine on the honesty of the 'creator' and bemoan the 'going to hell in a handbasket' of the platform. It's a giant distraction from doing the actual writing, reading, and commenting.... which is the reason we are on this platform (and many paying for the right) in the first place. It also gives the creator traffic and encourages them to keep doing it... over and over and over and over.

So I am moving upstream, getting as close to the entry point of the policy-violating pieces, and informing the creator AND anyone that reads through their piece, that there is a policy regarding the use of AI and how they can conform to the policy.

FAQs and Conclusion

Question: Is this AI stuff any of your business? Answer: Yes. To my mind I am either all-in regarding the Vocal community or I am a poser. If I can think of a way to address a problem and decide it's not worth my time then I need to just keep quiet regarding the issue. (Spoiler alert- I am not given to keeping quiet.)

Question: What's the worst that could happen if the AI policy isn't followed? Answer: I shudder to think. But, if pushed for a real answer: this linked article shows the mayhem that AI is causing on Amazon. The Amazon bestseller lists are clogged with AI-generated and plagiarized titles. A correlation for Vocal is that all Top Stories and/or Challenges could be AI-created. Or that Vocal staff would spend their time trying to detect and squash the issue and not do amazing things like Creator Chats, Discord, Bonus Boosts, and new Challenges. (Spoiler alert: I don't want that to happen)

Question: Who are you to say that something is AI-generated? Answer: Fair question. There are several tell-tale signs, some of which I covered in the linked article below, and more I found as I read story after story. I think I am better when it comes to Fiction (which is what I concentrate on) but I am getting better with the non-fiction, too. When in doubt, I move on. For those interested in learning more, there are new articles appearing in a Google search daily.

Question: Is there any reason for a Vocal creator to use AI? Answer: Sure! AI is a tool, and the official Vocal policy on it contains some uses to consider. And, with any new technology, (WARNING EXAMPLE: I used to work at Borders Books and Music. Then came the iPod. We renamed ourselves colloquially as Borders Books. Then Amazon and online books happened and we didn't adapt and learn our lesson from the iPod. There are now no more Borders store where once there were over 1,500.) with any new technology it's wise to understand it and adapt as needed.

We already use AI for for images through such sites as Night Cafe'. AI can help with prompts, can budge a stubborn writer's block, and more that just aren't coming to me now. We just need to follow the rules!

Question: Have you really found new creators that you enjoy? Answer: YES! Here are two:

And this one, which I suggested as a Top Story in a Thursday Lift Your Voice chat and was so deservedly recognized:

Question: Has ANYONE actually followed the policy? Answer: Yes. Here are two- I encourage you to read them and leave a comment. Positive reinforcement and reads are well-deserved by early adopters that blaze the way.

Conclusion: I have a morning routine that involves using both the Notifications and Latest Stories features on Vocal to discover new creators, wonderful content, and unattributed AI-assisted and/or generated content. This is MY routine, and I am explaining it in case you see some of my comments and wonder what I am doing.

Following this routine had led me to discover some amazing content, on which I comment and sometimes add to the Discord Top Story Nomination channel. This practice has also informed some creators that have continued writing on Vocal and correctly attributing their AI-generated/assisted content as per policy.

~

If I haven't written 'AI' enough times to suit you, here's my most-read Vocal story on the subject of... AI and Vocal.

While you’re here, please do one or all of the following!

1. Leave a comment and share your thoughts. Am I overreaching? Does pineapple belong on pizza? What is your most-appreciated enhancement that Vocal has implemented?

2. Click on the little heart to let me know that this clicked with you.

3. Click on the subscribe button and get a FREE notification when my next post goes live.

4. Feel free to share a link to anything I write on your social media.

5. A one-time tip or even a monthly pledge to support my writing is always appreciated if you are so moved!

You can also find me on Medium.