Vocal Update: New Communities, Merch, Bonuses, Discord & More

Two months ago, we launched the Vocal Creator Chat and Raise Your Voice Threads, and the response has been truly overwhelming. We're beyond impressed by the depth of engagement and the richness of insights you've shared.

Your invaluable feedback has ignited sparks of inspiration within our team, leading to intense brainstorming sessions and walls covered in post-it notes.

But we didn't stop at listening; we've transformed your suggestions into action. Our team has been diligently working behind the scenes, sculpting your ideas into exciting updates. So, without further ado, here's a glimpse into what we've been crafting...

💬 The Official Vocal Discord

During our recent Vocal Creator Chats, Cendrine Marrouat, Donna Renee, and R. J. Rani voiced a great idea - the need for an Official Vocal group.

We've talked about this for a while internally, and we really see the value in this based off the success of the community powered Facebook Groups. While our plan is to add a community chat feature directly into Vocal, we want to get this to you all as fast as possible. So, we're excited to announce that we're launching the Official Vocal Creators Discord today.

Join the Official Vocal Creators Discord here: https://discord.gg/vocalcreators

Additionally, we'll be inviting key Vocal members to be moderators and curators for the Discord. You will receive an invitation email over the next few days from the Vocal team if you have been selected as a moderator.

👕 The Official Vocal Store

Tiffany Gordon is excited for some new Vocal merch, and so are we.

We are excited to announce that our Official Vocal Merch Store will be opening on June 15, 2023. The store will feature various Vocal-themed merchandise; think tees, sweatshirts, hats, and more. You can sign up to the store's mailing list to keep updated on the launch here:

ICYMI in last week's Vocal Creator Chat, Judey Kalchik had a great question about the release of The Vocal+ Fiction Awards Anthology book.

We're super excited to let you know this will be available when the store opens, in both hardcover and paperback editions.

🤝 Four New Communities

Babs Iverson and Scott Wade have been championing the cause for new communities, and we couldn't agree more. It's been too long and we want to introduce some fresh spaces for your stories.

Over the next few weeks, we're launching four vibrant new communities: History, Humor, Art, and based on your feedback, a dedicated space for men (similar to the VIVA community).

We know you're eager to start populating these communities with your amazing stories and we can't wait to see what you create.

💡 Vocal Creator Chat Feature Requests

The incredible feedback from the Creator Chat has spurred us to share some exciting updates to our product roadmap. These include:

• Ability to filter notifications by type (📢 Mike Singleton - Mikeydred)
• Badges for Top Stories (📢 Donna Renee)
• A chronological feed of all Latest Stories (📢 Sonia Heidi Unruh)
• Quick edit for images, title, and subtitle (📢 CJ Miller)
• Ability to delete a story (📢 Oneg In The Arctic)
• Ability to edit comments (📢 Kristen Balyeat)

These improvements are in no specific order, and we're still working on how best to implement them. We look forward to hearing more of your thoughts and suggestions in our Creator Chats on Tuesdays @ 12PM ET.

🏆 Summer Challenge Series

Summer's almost here, and we're excited to announce a new series of Challenges. We've been reading through all of your ideas from the Share Your Ideas to Shape the Future of Vocal Challenges resource article, and we're putting together a slate of challenges that will inspire you and reward your creativity. Look out for more information on these challenges, launching on the first day of summer, June 21, 2023.

📚 Resources By Creators, For Creators

We believe in the power of collective wisdom, which is why we're creating a new resource section on Vocal, created by you, the creators. This section will showcase the best articles featuring writing tips and resources. If you've written an article offering tips and helpful guides for Vocal, we encourage you to submit your drafts through this Google Form:

To sweeten the deal, accepted articles will get a bonus, so start sharing your knowledge today.

Bonuses, Bonuses, and More Bonuses

Speaking of bonuses, we've heard your feedback and we're committed to being more transparent about how you can earn them.

We'll be launching timely bonus campaigns, such as publishing a story in each of our new communities for a $10 bonus. Stay tuned for a resource article next week outlining the first round of bonus opportunities. Our goal is to reward positive behavior on the platform, helping you to continue growing as a writer and expanding your audience.

An Update on Exclusive Stories

We appreciate your patience regarding our anticipated Exclusive Stories feature. We're dedicated to ensuring the best possible experience for our creators while adhering to the Apple App Store's policies regarding peer-to-peer payments. Our aim is to protect our creators from incurring 30% revenue loss due to fees.

We're diligently working on this feature to ensure its success, and we're excited to announce its anticipated launch this summer. Stay tuned for updates.

As we continue to evolve, our focus remains on you - the creators. Your thoughts, suggestions, and creativity drive Vocal's growth and we look forward to what the future holds.

Let us know what you think in the comments below.