Breaking Up

Introduction

I always wrote that the greatest thing that I got from Vocal was the community and the friendships that I have made, and the encouragement and help that I have got from that.

When I started, there were a few people who would publish, expect to be read, but never reciprocate. While people certainly can't expect a read for read, I do expect the odd interaction.

Check out this important piece on reciprocity from Judey Kalchik:

The music is "Together As One (Luminous)" by Moodswings

So What Are My Observations And What Do I Do That Is Any Good?

Before we could comment on others' Vocal stories, we would share them in our Facebook Groups and comment there. The Groups also allowed us to be supportive and offer help and advice.

One I am still involved with is the Vocal Social Society, and there is a list/poem shared at the end of others I am also involved with.

These groups are designed to bring together Vocal Creators to get to know and support one another, and perhaps chat, rather than just dropping in, sharing a story, and then going on your way.

It may be just me, but although Vocal is recording reads of my stories, comments are becoming rarer than hen's teeth for me; maybe people just don't like me apart from the regulars I have.

I have done a monthly challenge and a story with a list of unofficial challenges every month, but while I get the odd person telling me, sometimes critically, that I have missed an existing challenge, it seems I am expected to know every unofficial Vocal challenge.

The point of them is to bring people together, which is one of the big positives of Vocal's comments facility. It allows direct interaction to praise and support other creators. So often these days, the most reciprocity I get is a thank you when I comment on other Creators' work.

The comments are what bring us together, and if the best we can do is drop in and out of a story, then the community will die.

So always drop a comment, even if it is just an emoji, it lets the creator know that you have been there.

I know there have been issues with Vocal, and I know many have just drifted away. Maybe people think I should drift off, but I love sharing my work too much, and when I get a response, I really appreciate it.

I will keep supporting others, and I still comment on at least eight stories a day, although I publish and share three or four a day. This is a piece where I documented what I do:

I do think we benefit from others talking to us and making suggestions. I remember when I started on Vocal, getting no interaction and wondering if this was just another empty void. That was five years ago, and this is now.

We are in a far better place now on Vocal, but we need to keep up our communications and interaction to keep it an absolutely brilliant place to be.

Vocal is the best publishing platform. You can come on and write your own "War and Peace" or a Senryū (川柳), whatever you want, and it will be published in minutes, but then it is up to you to share.

Conclusion

So, as well as creating, we need to show support for others by commenting, and not just those Vocal Admin Favourites who are continually in the Top Stories; there are sometimes people awarded Top Stories who seem to get zero interaction, and they need support as well.

Thank you for reading, and sorry I have come across as a whiny complainer, but we need to keep commenting and reading as well as publishing.