7.6 The Sidebar menu bar

Along the left hand edge of any page on the VOHeroes site, you’ll see our Sidebar menu bar.

Here’s two views of the Sidebar, which contains the learning resources of the site: the courses, the discussion groups, the workouts, the labs and so on. The view on the left shows the Sidebar closed (showing nothing but icons) and the image on the right shows the Sidebar open, adding descriptive labels to the icons:

Let’s take a look at what each of the Sidebar items has waiting for you when you click or tap on them.

The Sidebar icon

You can switch back and forth between open and closed Sidebar views by clicking on the Sidebar icon at the very top of the stack. You might want to do this to give yourself more room for composing messages or viewing courses.

(QUICK NOTE: on smaller mobile devices, like your smartphone, this Sidebar icon will also contain all of the items in the top navigation menu as well, just to save space.)

Courses

The next icon down is the Courses icon. Clicking this item will take you to a list of the courses available to you, divided into courses you’re enrolled in, and courses you have yet to enroll in. You als can see what your progress is like in those courses.

Workouts

The next item down is the Workouts link. Clicking on this link takes you to the scheduling system for the monthly on-mic workouts and the ProConnect Live monthly business training session.

You can choose from any of the available workouts, with the coach of your choice, and with a couple of clicks, you’ll be registered for the event you want.

You’ll also be able to access the recordings of every workout and ProConnect Live session going back several years. It’s a great way to deepen your understanding of the industry and your practice within it.

ProConnect

Next item is the ProConnect link. Clicking this will take you to our on-site private discussion group, open only to VOHeroes Pro members. Here, you can discuss strategies and tactics, ask questions about anything having to do with VO, get suggestions from your fellow Pros and coaches and discuss your challenges and successes with the VOHeroes community.

ProConnect is a safe place to be able to get the answers you’re looking for, and to explore options when it comes to your voice over practice.

The VOHeroes Labs

Next one down is the Labs, and clicking on this link will take you to a collection of videos culled from the courses in the curriculum and other sources, that give you a single topic video demonstration of a skill or process.

Can’t remember how to normalize? You’d like to know how to change your profile picture on ACX? Having trouble remembering the process to create a pronunciation guide for your rights holder? Use the Search icon/bar to look for what you need, and you’ll likely find it in the dozens and dozens of videos in this collection

The Leaderboard

The Leaderboard is where you’ll track your progress, and enjoy friendly competition on the way. For everything you do here on the site, you get points. The more points you get, the higher you are on the leaderboard.

Examples of things you get points for:

• Logging in to the site
• Leaving a comment
• Completing a course
• Passing a quiz
• …and more

It’s all for fun and to push you just a little bit to have that bias for action.

You’ll also watch your progression through the ranks to get to Pro Emeritus at the end of your first year with us.

Relax

Working in VO can be very exciting, but it can also be stressful. I set up the Relax page to allow you to “take a break,” and de-stress to some calming and soothing sounds I’ve collected from around the world.

Work as hard as you like – for a set period. Then, when you need a break, leave your earbuds in and visit the Relax page for a few minutes (or as long as you like). The sounds of nature await you.

Geekspeak®

Like any line of work, voice over has its own unique terminology. Clicking on this icon will take you to a page that defines the specialty words and phrases we use.

This list is constantly being updated (with your help – use the link on the page to send me a note if you encounter a word or phrase you don’t understand, and I’ll add it to the list).

And yes, it’s a registered trademark.

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Wow. I know that’s a lot, but now you know all the parts of the VOHeroes site. So let’s now look at how to communicate with your fellow Pro members and your coaching team on the site to help achieve your goal of building a successful, satisfying and profitable VO practice.