I've Been Struggling With You

A lot has changed since I've joined Vocal six or so years ago. Though, so have I.

Once upon a time... about 6-7 years ago, I moved to the Arctic. Yes, that's right, the Arctic. Hence the name, duh. Oneg in the Arctic, that's me!

I wanted to write about my experiences in the great North and share the stories I'd come to hear along the way. Then I wrote poetry, and short stories, as I always have. Then I found community. And friends. And a spark to write even more!

I've always loved Vocal's easy-to-navigate platform, and the concept of "communities" versus just genres. You could write and read so much more.

With time, my writing on Vocal grew and evolved, as should all great stories and journeys. But Vocal stayed the same. Which was good, but then bad.

Vocal, I've been struggling with you.

A few years back, you were doing so well. Had an app on the way, delivered a more community approach. You even promoted us on social media. You gave out deals on Vocal+ membership, and bonuses that encouraged us. I won't forget when you even created a little reel for my first Top Story and shared it on Instagram. I thought that was the coolest thing- I was famous!

Sure, submission approval wait times were a tad long at times, but when you'd approve our work, you'd send an email with a beautiful graphic for us to share. You championed us.

And gosh, the excitement with the app... it had so much potential.

But you flopped on it.

Then the leaderboard and Raise Your Voice came out. You wanted to hear our voices. And we were loud. Maybe we wanted too much. But we wanted to help you grow. But then it became a nightmare. It felt rigged (probably cause it is. Yeah, I said it)

Top stories became... meaningless. Basically the only way to barely cover the monthly Vocal+ membership.

Reads dropped, engagement got basic. Creators have left.

Nowadays it feels like there are more bots here than community.

I'm struggling with that Vocal. Don't you realize it? We all are.

Then you gave us a sliver of hope with the Dragon Beside Me Challenge. Gosh, you gave us hope. You worked with us for once. With us personally, those who have contributed so much. It was a cool challenge too. You involved the community in the judging and it was a real cool experience. And honestly, I feel that it brought a lot of us together.

But it was a one-time thing. Never tried to improve on the gaps that you said occured. And now, even worse, it feels like you're back to ignoring us and making empty "it's on the roadmap" promises.

And Vocal, I'm still waiting for that Pride challenge. I'm not giving up.

Vocal, we are out here busting our asses. We make this site what it is. Why are you acting this way then? We do so much for you, you need to keep up. Give us something back. Listen to our voice.

As I mentioned, I've been writing here for over 6 years. I haven't made much financially, and yes, I'm made some friends that are true gems. But Vocal, I'm asking you, we are asking you, do better.

Give us better challenges. Give us a functional app. Let us delete our damn stories in drafts!! Give us that Pride challenge. Promote us better (or at least pay more for our reads). Work with us. We want to help. We do. I do. But you gotta step up.

Get on it.