Writing for Vocal and Medium

I only wrote on Vocal when I first started writing, however, as much as I love Vocal I am disappointed with a few things. This is not to say I see Vocal as bad, I still like to read and write here whenever I get the chance. However, as a budding writer with a soon-to-be published book, I want my work to be seen and for me that means expanding. When I write my stories, I go a little further with sharing than the usual twitter, Linked in and Facebook. I share through WordPress, Mix, and others and on my published stories page which I run in conjunction with my husband Jonathan Townend who also now writes on here and Medium. Every individual has mixed views on both sites which come from individual experiences, and that includes me.

On Vocal, most of my views come from other readers or shares with family in messenger on Facebook, or on the Vocal Creators Lounge which is a group on Facebook. My views do not increase with sharing. I think this is more to do with the fact that Vocal does not have any built in traffic, so sharing seems to be a personal thing, and also maybe because Vocal is not that well known. I have also had people ask me about whether they have to give tips in order to read, most of this has come from readers who are unfamiliar with the Vocal site. I always mention in my posts that tips are optional, however to drive more readers to this site, Vocal could do with adding this to advertisements because it will reassure readers they do not have to pay creators in order to read and maybe drive more readers to the site.

I said above that most of my reads come from other readers, or shares with family in messenger, Facebook or the Vocal Creators lounge, some days my reads will increase after boosting a post on my published stories page, however for the effort creators put into their work, the earnings can be a little disappointing. I want to make it clear, I don't always focus on cash for my work, however I am sure many readers would agree that they would like to see a little money come in and build up a little faster. I have been writing on Vocal for just over 4 years, and the most I have earned is $55 for publishing 50 stories. While I am happy with that, I'd like to see more for my work sometimes. Writing can be a time consuming task, and a little more reward for the effort is not too much to ask for.

In terms of Curation, one of the stories I wrote on here was shared and distributed on Medium, so I am deeply baffled as to why it wasn't distributed on Vocal. I have been writing on Medium for some time, and this was a first on there, so I was quite surprised by it. The last time I was curated on Vocal was around four years ago, and you can read that article here:

https://vocal.media/longevity/mindfulness-in-nature

The one article I wrote for Vocal but was chosen for distribution on Medium was this one:

https://vocal.media/families/why-you-should-let-both-boys-and-girls-play-with-dolls

Since Mindfulness in nature, not one off my articles has ever been curated since and I've not had a top story in many years.

I have even tried engaging with the platform more and that does not work either.

I still like to read and write for Vocal, however I find it disconcerting when my engagement stats go down just because I stop engaging for a while. I don't think that this does any justice to the readers and writers on the site, as the algorithm does not sustain stats while writers are away, and should show past consistent engagement as well as present.

Vocal introduced a bonus system but has not made it clear to its members how that system actually works. A bonus system is a good idea, but most writers would like more for their work and maybe this could be increased by giving writers some decent pay, even a couple of £'s per article they publish, since while the challenges are also good, not every writer wins them. I am however, also writing for Medium, and whilst Medium works in a similar way, I am earning more and getting more out of that.

On Medium, they pay in a similar way to Vocal. However my stats show I am earning a little more. I don't expect to get rich over night like most members do, but if I am going to remain a paid member, I do expect a little more for my money, which is why I have been engaging with Medium more nowadays. On Medium I am paying $5 a month which in British money works out at about £3.76, however last month I made this back, this month so far I've got over $4.85 which works out at about £3.51, this might not seem much but it proves its worth. I have $7 on one post on Vocal but that took a good few years to accumulate. This was for this post:

https://vocal.media/beat/my-passion-for-music-song-and-dance

Recently my earnings seem to have stopped increasing despite sharing again on the above post.

I still love writing and reading on Vocal, but after 4 years on the site and not really getting seen or earning much despite sharing, Medium is becoming my preferred platform. I know Vocal might not like what I have to say in this post, but as an honest person I feel these things need to be said. Creator silence will do nothing to improve the site.

On Medium, not only can I like articles. I can comment and follow other writers, and in return they read my stories and I gain followers. There are some who follow but don't read, but the majority are as interested in my work as I am them. On Vocal, I can't do this, despite an update and a promise of a follow button a while back. However, I also want to add that a comments button would also go down well, as comments and followers go together.

I still plan to read and write on Vocal but I'm not sure I will continue my paid subscription here, as at the present moment I am not finding it value for money. As I said before, I am one who likes to focus more on writing rather than what I earn from it. However, when a site advertises that you can get paid to earn which Vocal do on Facebook and Twitter alike, then that is what writers expect, in particular when they often promise substantial amounts of cash through their advertising. Instead of advertising potential earnings, Vocal should be advertising how people get paid here, and be clear on how that works.