An Open Letter to Vocal.Media

Dear Vocal.Media,

I made the decision to cancel my Vocal+ membership auto-renewal. I’m not one for going out kicking and screaming, or making a big scene.

I had actually contemplated just leaving in silence, but perhaps my input will make a difference. I highly doubt it though.

It wasn’t a decision I made lightly. There were a lot of things that came into play.

I joined Vocal+ in May of 2020, on a bit of a whim. Many people had encouraged me over the years to publish my writing and one of your challenges had caught my eye.

So, I told myself that I would give this a year and see how it goes. The earnings for reads are a pittance really and I couldn’t see myself making much. I thought if I at least earned my fees, it would be worth sticking it out.

I have earned my money back and even a little bit more, but it was never really about money.

My first submission was rejected. It was an inspirational poem. I was quite taken aback to discover that your platform has no room for faith-based inspiration! So much of what I want to write has to do with my faith, so right off the hop, you cramped my creativity.

I completely understand that you don’t want to support writers inciting hate based on religion, or anything else for that matter. That is a solid and positive policy. However, a quick search of the words ‘Allah’ and ‘Buddha’ reveals that you yourselves are exercising prejudice against Christian faiths. That is just wrong.

I eventually want to write an autobiography. I have survived some pretty intense things. I’ve written some stories about different events and when I can’t talk about how God’s grace got me through them, they are just sad and disgusting.

That is NOT how I want my life story to be told! I want people to know that there is a Light to guide us through our struggles! I want those who live with domestic violence, mental illness, and other heavy ugliness in their lives to know that with Faith they can find hope, beauty, and happiness in the world around them… but you won’t let me!

On another moral note, your most recent challenge doesn’t sit well with me. War is NOT something that we should be jumping on as a means to profit!!!

Now on to the more menial reasons that surround my decision to stop giving you my money…

Your platform does not independently provide a sense of community.

I had to turn to social media to find people to support my Vocal journey. I have made some beautiful friendships on Vocal Facebook groups, BUT I never would have found those people on Vocal without looking on other platforms.

I have no way of knowing who has left me a heart or subscribed to my work. There’s no way for me to leave feedback and let other writers know that I appreciate their work, aside from a little heart.

I’ve discovered a wonderful and supportive community on Medium. I love that people can interact when reading pieces that resonate.

Your lack of communication leaves much to be desired!

Nevermind the fact that you apparently don’t bother to respond to some emails.

You could let your community know when there are huge delays in publishing submissions and the reason for it!

You could be more clear and concise on how you award bonuses and how much they are. They are a wonderful idea, but they need to be distributed fairly.

You’ve hinted at exciting new changes, but not given any details. I’ve seen very few things actually change in my time with you, aside from the fact that your service seems to just keep getting worse.

A deadline is a deadline!

I don’t know that I’ve seen you announce a Challenge’s winners on time! It seems that lately, you’re taking longer and longer.

You’ve extended the time for writers to submit their work, but it would appear you haven’t taken into account that it would mean a lot more to judge.

The very least that you could do is apologize for the delay. Let people know that you aren’t going to make your deadline. Don’t leave them sitting on pins and needles!

I believe that the above complaints could easily be managed if you were to hire more staff. You could even just publish a statement apologizing for being grossly understaffed, disorganized, and unprepared.

These days money has become a precious commodity. It’s been a long time since I had to think about budgeting. I want to make sure that I’m getting the most bang for my buck. I certainly haven’t gotten it from you, so I’m taking my money elsewhere.

For now, I’ll stay on as a free member. I’ll collect my pennies and watch for changes. I’ll pay Medium less for more!