New Vocal.Media Website Review (January 2021)

I have been creating content on Vocal since April 2020; however, I did not properly start until the end of November last year. Since then, I have dedicated myself to posting content on the platform multiple times a week and have loved the experience so far. I have explored various blogging platforms, but none have compared to Vocal. With its Challenge feature, unique communities, and multiple features to support the reader and their creators' experience, I have decided to dedicate myself to Vocal and its future. I have even decided to invest in the company's stock shares to support its growth. As both a creator and investor in the platform, it is excellent to see Vocal taking steps to improve their user experience, and today's updated website is a sign of just that.

A platform that cares about their users' experience will go through many changes and adapt to its creators' needs. We all have seen social media giants like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook change their web layout to make our experience better, so it is no surprise that Vocal will follow down this path. There is always room for improvement, especially when advertised on the Vocal+ page that Vocal will be including new features to the platform. I have been awaiting these changes for some time now, so without further delay, here is my honest opinion on the newly designed Vocal.Media website structure from the perspective of a Vocalist.

(I have adapted this terminology and now am a proud Vocalist)

Homepage: Top Stories

The homepage is an essential feature for any platform. It was a smart move replacing the communities tab with top stories of the day. We now have 10 top stories which give creators more featured time than before. Getting a staff pick feature feels fantastic and provides the blog post extra traffic by being placed on the homepage. However, whenever multiple stories are worthy of staff pick, mainly when a vocal challenge receives many submissions, it was easy to be quickly replaced by newer staff picks, giving you less time to be featured. Increasing the number of stories available on the staff pick homepage Vocal has provided a stronger podium for great work to be read. In the past, my blog post has fallen victim to a wave of new content that drastically reduced traffic that my post received compared to times where there was less content shared. I have noticed that there is now a staff pick on the website menu, but I will get to that later on.

Homepage: Challenges

The most significant change on the website from a design point of view is the Challenges section. The section is surrounded by a sleek, black background that contrasts the websites' clean, white look; larger Challenges thumbnails which now have a stronger position on the homepage; and more precise, less cluttered information regarding prizes and time left for submission. The Vocal Challenges are a fantastic feature Vocal have implemented for its creators. I try and enter as many Vocal Challenges as possible. Not only does it provide creators with a valuable method of receiving extra income, but the blog topics that Vocal provide with each Challenge inspire me with set themes to explore my writing alongside my blog themes. To present the Challenges in this way shows their importance on the site. Each Challenge looks impressive individually, and it is clear to see which Challenges are available for Vocal+ members and which are for the regular user. It is also great to see weekly new Challenges, so there is always something new to write. I do not have anything wrong to say regarding how the Challenges section is presented on the homepage and are excited to see how Vocal continues developing this fantastic feature.

Homepage: Creators We're Loving

Vocal has introduced a brand-new feature to the homepage called ''Creators We're Loving''. It includes a collection of twelve Vocal creators on the site featured on the homepage for visitors to explore. I think this is a remarkable new feature that will drive new audiences to creators that deserve it. The new feature does raise the question of how to get your profile featured on the homepage. How effective it will be regarding gaining unique views and traffic is still unknown; however, I am sure that this will be a powerful tool once it is possible to follow creators' profiles. I would also like to know how often the chosen creators will be updated or if they are to be updated at all. Despite all these questions, I am determined to earn my spot alongside these outstanding Vocalists in the future, and as it shows that Vocal has got plenty of new ideas up their sleeves, I am excited to see features like this to be introduced.

Resources

It is quite unusual to see the Resources under such an essential feature as the websites Challenges. In the beginning, I did read a couple of these resource blogs. These resources provided useful tips and information on how to work on the site; however, I ask myself if this feature needs such a prominent spot on the homepage, especially when positioned above the Top Communities feature, which used to be on top of the homepage. I wonder if this layout could be altered so that the homepage serves both the viewers and Vocalists more efficiently while not taking so much space from the homepage. As of now, the homepage seems a little cluttered with absolutely everything the site has to offer visible instead of highlighting the best Vocal has to offer.

Top Communities

The homepage's final section is an updated feature from the previous design called ‘Top Communities’. Instead of featuring all of the communities on the site, it now highlights the most popular communities used by Vocalists on the platform. This new addition is interesting as it will showcase the communities Vocalists should explore to reach the best audience possible. It also provides us with how many stories have been published and the number of Vocalists posted in said community. I always wondered which communities contain most creators and now that we see these stats, I predict that this new feature will help Vocal review which communities to keep in the future. Also, as I am sure this will drive traffic to the top communities shown on the homepage, will this deter traffic from other communities than before? It will be interesting to see how these communities will change on the homepage and if rotations will be in place to share the spotlight in the future.

Menu Bar

I am happy to see the platforms menu bar has been updated to include everything the homepage has. I would go further to say that as the menu bar has all the site's main sections, some features are not needed on the homepage, such as the resources section. I am also happy to see the bulky communities tab gone from the top of the homepage. As a new visitor to the site, it did seem a little confusing, and I would not understand what it was until further explored. This time, I can direct myself to where I want to go without needing a further explanation of what I am seeing. Also, it provided the homepage much-needed space to showcase Vocalists work and gave the site a professional blogging aesthetic.

Top Stories Page

I am glad to see that the Vocal staff's top stories will now be showcased on a designated page. The page's main body consists of twenty Staff Picks to explore alongside previous stories on different pages. I am sure this will be a beneficial feature for Vocalists and readers alike. To have the option to see previous staff picks by readers on one page will suit readers well if they wish to continue reading the best the site has to offer. Also, the longer Vocalists posts are on the staff picks page, the more chance they will gain traffic to their blogs. I am excited to see how this addition will affect my work in the coming days.

Communities Page

The Communities page suits their designated page more than being pinned to the top of the homepage. To my understanding, there are no new communities, and none have been removed from the current list. As I have mentioned before, I expect some of the existing communities to come under review, be removed, and new communities will take their place. I wish that Vocal would introduce a designated community for Art and Theatre writers, researchers and dramaturgs as currently, none of the communities’ present suit this style of writing. If poetry deserves their own community, so do the Arts. While on the topic, communities such as Longevity and Marriage are relatively niche and do not perform as well as the other communities on the platform. Now that we can see clear stats on how each community is doing, it is time to take a step back and see how Vocal can move forward with this unique feature.

Challenges Page

Where the Challenges Page thrived on the homepage with its standout design and presentation, it lacks on its page. As you begin to scroll, the challenges continue down in the same manner, which turns to a black page with floating thumbnails. There are also empty fields where Challenges would fit if there were enough to fill the page. The page has an unfinished feel. I have also noticed that the Recent Winners section shows First and Second place winners, however, skip the third and move onto previous challenge winners. The layout confuses me. Are the third-place winners not worthy of being shown? The closed Challenges section is the same as the current open Challenges, while the recent winners are smaller in comparison. I agree that the closed Challenges should be on the bottom of the page, but is it smart to make them as big as the open challenges? I would surely think that the recent winners deserve more space on the page than closed challenges. This page could do with a second look to see the best design to direct readers to the Vocalists rather than to closed challenges.

Resources Page

I think that the resources page is perfect without being present on the homepage. It has all the information needed in one categorised page, making it easy for readers to find the information they need. I found that a couple of blogs will be repeated between sections of the page, and it seems that the newest posts hover on the top. I wonder if it would be useful to pin specific information to each section rather than spreading one post. If the resource page is to work as efficiently as possible, it needs to provide direct information on each topic, rather than one section of a post that talks about multiple issues. When we need help, we need it to be precise and direct, not scattered.

Individual Blog Page

It seems that nothing has changed when looking at individual blog posts. It still has a crisp white background and clean layout. I agree that this design should not be altered, or not altered much; however, the bottom of the blog could do with a second look. Firstly, there are more platforms that we could share our posts than just Facebook and Twitter. Blogger spread their work through various sites, so adding more social media sites, such as Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest, would be useful. Even tools on adapting blogs to these sites would help readers and Vocalists share their work further. I like how posts from other Creators are present on the bottom; however, I think that splitting this section of the page into two, one for the Vocalists other work from their page and the other for other Vocalists work. This way, both parties can gain traffic, and readers can engage with the Vocalists work alongside others. I think that Vocal now needs to focus on how to create a relationship between Vocalists and readers. Once this connection is established, it will be easier to share work, gain a podium on the page, gain traffic to the site, and share audiences between pages. The design is there. It is now time to allow Vocalists to do their part and gain their audiences. Just give them the tools, and they will do it.

Designated Community Page

The Community Page has been given an amazing remodel. Pinned to the top are stats of the community; a button to submit a story directly to the community; eight of the top stories which are relatively close to the top, which is great; Collections that are within the community; and at the bottom of the page, the top Vocalists in the community. I do question the choice of placing the Creators We’re Loving section below the collections, as quite frankly, the collections are the least noticeable feature on the whole site. What I find troubling is the sight of an account stating to be deleted as one of the creators we’re loving. I predict that this is due to an algorithmic fault, so hopefully, this will be resolved as an inactive profile should not be in such an important position. I also rarely visit collections to find other posts as the homepage and communities fulfil this need well. I predict that the Vocal team will review this feature so that Collections can become hubs of specific community-based work, almost working as sub-communities. As it stands, creators should be prioritised over collections until established as something with a designated purpose once it becomes more popular. Unfortunately, as it stands, collections do not add much to the Vocal experience.

Specific Challenge Page

The individual Challenge page has not changed much. I think that this is for the best as it serves its purpose for the time being. It is a clean, clear layout with a lovely black and white balance. It provides all the information needed for readers as well as rules set out for Vocalists. Even though it is a minor change, I like the slight curve in the Challenge feature photo thumbnail. It removes the image's sharpness and sets a modern feel to the platform, which I think is an excellent look for Vocal. I look forward to seeing what ideas the team has for the platform's Challenges feature, as it is by far their most vital asset as of today. I wonder how the staff will handle the increase of posts once the platform grows. Will Vocal designate a team specifically for reviewing entries to challenges or become overwhelmed by the sheer number of blogs entered into challenges? Also, will this make it harder for Vocalists to compete? These issues may not seem important now; however, they will grow alongside the platform.

Creators Public Profile

The only change I can see on the Creators Public Profile is the increase of the number of blogs present on the page at one time to eight. We also see the lovely curve of the thumbnail on the posts, which work well. The images are smaller, and I do not know if this is a good or bad thing. It makes the thumbnail smaller than needed. Yes, it does provide more room to show a more significant number of blogs, but maybe a feature to pin one or two blogs to the top which are a little bigger than the rest would solve this problem. Like we saw on the homepage with the top posts, we could give Vocalists the option to showcase their best work on the top of their profiles alongside all their other work. Also, the Challenge medals Vocalists receive once they won a challenge could be showcased in a better way. As of now, they hover above your profile and stack up if you win multiple challenges. If a specific corner of the site were designated to show these winnings, almost like a trophy case, the Vocalists page would not be cluttered with these titles that waste vital space on the most crucial section of the profile. Vocal has promised that soon there will be more choice over how Vocalists present their profiles, but this is yet to happen. The fact is that creators need more room to create and build their audiences, which is a recurring problem throughout the site.

Creators Stories, Stats and Wallet

The final part of Vocal, and the most important for any Vocalist, is what I call the Creators hub. The Creators hub includes the stories, stats and wallet features available to all users. It seems that nothing has changed in any of these sectors. In fairness, nothing needed to be changed as it functioned efficiently in the first place. It would be useful to see the stats page provide an option to filter your blogs not only by top views but also by the number of likes they have received, the date they were created, most recently viewed or the most visible on others' blogs. The more Vocal are willing to share with us, the better our experience will be, and the further we can develop as Vocalists.

I look forward to seeing how Vocal the Vocalists experience in the future will better, and if there will be specific analytics that only Vocal+ members will have access to. This will be a great way of encouraging members to join Vocal+. Stats are everything when trying to develop an audience on a platform, and hopefully Vocal will soon rival sites such as Facebook and Twitter with their analytical data for users.

Final Verdict

My final verdict is simple. I do like the new website that Vocal has adopted alongside the separation of features and a new, cleaner look. It feels more modern, and the new layout will surely benefit both readers and Vocalists alike, driving better content to readers and traffic to creators. Certain design aspects have to be reviewed, and algorithms will hopefully fit into place in the future; however, design choices mentioned earlier do not make sense when considering the users' experience. Readers and Vocalists need to be prioritised over aspects of the platform that either does not work or have not worked as of yet. The feature that I await is the option to Follow creators and more freedom to the Vocalists regarding the design of their profiles. As mentioned before, I hope that Vocalists will be given more analytical information regarding our platforms and other methods of keeping track of our profiles progress.

Vocal has an opportunity to become something incredible, and, as a fellow Vocalist, I cannot wait to see where it will take me.

Until next time!

-David