Top Story Musings
Likes vs Reads - which one would you prefer?
I love getting a Top Story. Who wouldn't? And with the added incentive of $5.00 if you achieve it, there is even more motivation to write your best work and hope that someone out there reads it and likes it.
With the announcement this week of the first named people who are earning from their interaction with the Vocal Bonus Leaderboard, there is even more emphasis on showing your activity on Vocal, whether that is writing a comment or liking someone's work because who doesn't want to be rewarded? And when it lands in your pocket, that's got to be good, right? And you get to read original work by people who use this platform to share their work.
Bonuses all round!
The idea of Vocal as a community, I think is apparent. There is a lot of support here - we are all writers together, trying out our ideas, putting ourselves out there to get feedback, experimenting with form and creativity, maybe with a view to getting noticed or maybe, like me, doing something that I love and if I'm lucky, getting a little income from doing it.
There are a couple of people on here who regularly comment on my work and I know that they've read it from the comment they write. They may not have "liked" it but I am certain they have read it. I think that this is the most important thing.
I want readers to enjoy my work but mainly, I write because I love to. I love the process, I love the challenge, I love the sense of accomplishment when I've crafted something unique, from me with my chosen words.
But who doesn't like to look at their stats? I'd be lying if I said I didn't look. I wouldn't say I'm obsessive but I do like to have a cheeky peek occasionally to see which of my articles are receiving more visitors than others. And I like to read the comments and reply to them all, which is easier to do now that Vocal notifies you.
When I got my Top Story accolade yesterday for Boiling Sea, I was thrilled to see that I had lots of "likes" and some people had left really supportive comments and dare I say, compliments about my work. I was gratified that people had taken the time to write something and that they had engaged with my story. I told them this in a comment written specifically for them because I appreciated the fact that they had taken time out of their day to sample my words.
However, on closer examination of my stats, no-one had actually read the story.
No-one.
19 likes and counting but no reads.
I may be shooting myself in the foot here by writing this but I feel it needs addressing - why "like" it if you've not read it?
And, why comment if you've not read it? Have I misconstrued the intent behind the comment? Was it just "Amazing" to press the "like" button?
I don't know about you but for me, pressing the like button is a sign of involvement, an indicator of appreciation. If I "like" someone's work, I have read it. Sometimes I read and I don't "like" it. Sometimes I read and I "like".
I can't remember an instance where I have "liked" and not read.
So why?
My immediate thought was the Leaderboard - a flurry of activity seemed to indicate a direct correlation with the announcement. I might be right but I have received "likes" before but no reads.
You know, if you do read this and you know the reason why, please can you write your thoughts in the comments as I would really like to have a discussion about this? Maybe I should join the Discord group or something but I struggle for time as it is to sit and do this - fatuous excuse, I know, but true nonetheless.
You don't have to "like" this but if you've read it, leave me a comment and let me know.
Update: I have now received 5 reads, 19 likes for Boiling Sea which is, for me, a better result - thanks for reading it. In the interests of integrity, I felt it needed to be disclosed. It could well have been a delay in the stats being updated? Not that I'm obsessive about stats at all. No, not me.
And if you read Boiling Sea AND dropped "Amazing" in the comment box then I take it all back. Thank you.
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Comments (4)
Yeah this is helpful Rachel- was looking for some clarification around stories and likes and reads and this hit a few of the notes! I guess that some people spam a like on a bunch of Top Stories without reading, and maybe even leave a comment like “good job!” so that they can get a free read/like/comment in return? Which is a shame, as I think ideally you want people reading something because they want to, and giving honest feedback if they choose to. I try not to be obsessive over stats but it’s hard not to be in this day and age, as we love a notification. Would love to see everyone writing for their own enjoyment/improvement/career without the likes taking over, but it’s part of the platform and it’s a lovely thing to get positive feedback for a piece you’ve created.
I think there is a delay in reads counting, whereas likes show immediately. I think a few people like and comment without reading in the hope you will read something of theirs. And I don't know how Vocal verify a read with very short pieces where a person doesn't stay on the page very long. If there is a long blurb at the end (like I sometimes do) people might click away before they reach the end, and that read might not count? It's a bit of a minefield isn't it 🤔
Oh and I think I`d better make a correction so you don`t think anything wrong of me, but your picture makes you look so young, that I thought you might be maybe much younger then what you may actually be, I had to take a longer, slower look, it is hard when you get older without glasses or magnifying glass what you are looking at in those tiny pictures? lol But I know you are a Mother also like myself, so I know I`d want someone to identify and acknowledge that difference after having written what I just did! So I apologize for my seeing the picture in your profile and thinking you were maybe like 28 years old or something! But you still write like a young writer, and that`s a very refreshing and nice thing to come across in my reading on my end of the scale of writing and reading work for so many decades! I try to be the same way, and that`s part of what attracted me to you and your work! :-) I can only hope you feel the same when reading some of my newest work as well? Take Care! Jennifer!
Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, I have been with Vocal since very early on in their start, and there wasn`t much incentive wise like things are now! Anyway in that time when I`ve had the time I have uploaded a total of 205 pieces now! But I`ve never been able to cash out $100 once. They didn`t give me any award for reaching 200 pieces, and there shows little to no activity on my account, and that is with me being VERY BUSY in the community as a writer, I do workshops and attend events, and do my own readings. I hand out cards with QR codes to make life easier and quicker for people to find my work here, and of course I have a website! But I have never had the time to start an Instagram page JUST FOR THE PURPOSE of POSTING AND SHARING ALL of the work on my page! In short sometimes the reason we are neglected here on Vocal for the recognition of our talent and work, simply is time management, when one is doing it all by themselves! I found a V/A once but she is in Argentina and she got some work done for me that I really needed done, but then just like a snap of the finger when I tried reaching out to her for aid to do more work she just stopped responding! So now I`m left without any Intern or assistant and have to try and advertise the need for one again here in Vancouver where I`ve re-settled in order to focus more seriously on my career, I have a lot ahead of me to do! I will be performing at an event July 25th at the SFU Campus in Gas Town but have to take a trip in between. So it makes getting everything that needs doing done in between very difficult for a 1 man band to do! lol In short I write this to you, because I want to encourage you to just keep doing what you are doing, keep writing what you know, what you feel you need to share, and just keep balancing what you love to do with the time you have to give to it, when it comes to Vocal! But don`t let Vocal take over your life, don`t think this is a 1 STOP SHOP CURE ALL for all your writing needs, I am telling you from the years of time that has passed and experience that if you want to make residual income from writing in the internet you have to balance keeping active in your work and what you share in more than one place! I ALSO DO BELIEVE that YOU LOVE TO WRITE and I witnessed that in reading this today. And so with that passion is the KEY to all the rest of your success, as you are young and you have many years of writing left to go, many years left to learn and get better, and gain knowledge where you become the leader and instructor and be blessed with the talent and maybe even the desire to want to teach others how to achieve the same thing for their lives, as I am doing now? So I think it is important people like minded in this way with similar goals and experiences as writers should keep in touch, build a network with each other, so we know that we can turn to one another to just talk, unload, and lean on each other about the frustrations of writing and the internet and anything else applicable to our writing work. And this networking also helps us find the HELP WE NEED between us as well! So you are welcome to email me, and we can chat there about other possibilities of being connected and being supportive of one another as I focus on my plan of finishing my goal of uploading another 95 items to reach my desired mark of 300 single shared items for readers, with one catch, I am trying to make it so that most of these if not all of the next additional 100 pieces are ALL KNEW pieces of work, to keep myself challenged and keep my work current. And to keep SAVE some of my other older, earlier work to keep it behind, so people will have to want to buy the books the work is in or come and attend the shows where I may read some of it! Sometime less is more! And that`s my closing advice, do not BARE IT ALL here on Vocal, protect yourself, and your work, don`t give it all away and have your heart out there on your sleeve at all times. Make sure you keep some stuff of value back, there will always be other times and places where that work you save will be needed more and that`s where it should be saved for!!! :-) In short you are doing well, so don`t worry about the peas and carrots of the people who like to click through pages but are not REAL READERS, lol their likes will help us find those Readers that Do, so lets welcome and embrace all the click through`s and likes we get! I mean if I got just a small hand full of people who clicked on all of my pages and only read a few, I still get pennies for those clicks and those pennies can add up so I can finally withdraw that first $100.00 after all the years I`ve invested in building my page on here! And if any of the work that is read is like and just pennies of tips are given that too helps to build the leverage of where we are trying to get things to go online for us as writers as residual income earners so we can spend MORE time WRITING and UPLOADING work HERE! But this things have to happen first! So in the mean time the best thing to do is to keep your day job of course, lol and find MORE places to share different types of your work, separate your articles from your poetry, and your songs and plays, and epistolaries, short stories and novels, or screenplays. Micro-manage WHERE you share those different things you write, this will help build leverage and attention for you as you grow and write through the years ahead, it gives you more opportunity to be found and read by many others out there with very different interests in the kinds of things they like to read and are looking for on the internet! :-) Either way I know you will be find, but I would still like to possibly throw a job offer out there in V/A land? Would love to discuss what skills you have with computers and programs etc and whether you`ve got the time to work for someone remotely to help you continue to stay close to what you love and remain swallowed up in the writing and it`s industry that we both so love to be swallowed in? :-) If so email me at: [email protected] At the bottom of many of my shared work on Vocal also has a list of other social media outlets I have as well! And if you do wish to read a hand full of my work out of curiosity to get to know me, just keep it AT THE TOP, stick within the last 10 to 20 Newest uploads, stay with me and all my FRESH And CURRENT WORK, so you don`t get swallowed up by time and (my) past! LOL Have a wonderful wknd, I hope my words have helped you feel better and you`re refueled to go for another 6 months to a year? And I do hope to hear from you in email as well! Your New Vocal Friend! Jennifer Cooley! :-)