Update requirements

[TYL]

Maybe next year there should be taken into consideration update schedules? I don't mean daily, 3 times a week or anything like that, I just mean comics that stick to their schedules.

I love Machall and A Lesson is Learned, but this being a webcomic choice award, shouldn't sticking to your schedule be part of it? A comic undergoing month long-and-longer hiatus should be disqualified, in my opinion.

[Trades]

I agree. If you can't update your site... and don't have a specific reason ( comp is dead and can't get to one to use or family member died and need time to grieve... even though I had a best friend die and still had my strips up on time.)

[Zortic]

Personally I agree. I certainly think that should be something that voters should be taking into consideration. And I would hope that it has been influencing votes over the years.

Unfortunately what qualifies as as an appropriate ratio of quality vs. quantity is a subjective decision that may be different for every voter.

So, for the sake of disscussion... How much does an update schedule influence your voting for a comic?

[DJMayhem]

At least three times a month, I believe. Its loose, but it works.

[McDuffies]

My opinion is that it should be measured by how much it was produced in recent year. A body of work. If someone updates three times a month, he produced 36 comics which is, I think, fair if we're talking about full, graphic-novel-size pages (but not comic strips or four-panel pages). I take this estimate having in mind that webcomics are a hoby to most of people who have a real job on the side, otherwise I'd think that 36 pages a year is rather poor.
But it is something that is a problem and should be solved. I mean, wasn't "When I'm a kind" witting years after it was finished? I was irked by that, and I love that comic.

[ShardZ]

If a comic does update infrequently for a time, could there still be consideration for the amount of work which is put into each update, in a "quality over quantity" sense? (As some would say, "do you want it done quick, or do you want it done right?")

Could the proportion and complexity of linework versus open (sheer black or white) space be taken into account? The use of techniques such as crosshatching instead of grayscale? In general, the effort of coloring or drawing by hand versus work done by computer?

Since only the work from the past year is supposed to be considered, I can see how less-frequent updates would be a problem, and there wouldn't even be reason to consider consistency and (consistency in) detail throughout the archives (part of the whole "done right" aspect).

I'm just a reader, not a creator, but I guess I'm just curious as to how the judges might approach such things. "Sorry, but there's always next year"?

[TYL]

The time spent on each comic is a moot point, as your update schedule will factor in the amount of time you have to spend on it. The more detailed your strip, the less you'll update, Sure. But the argument here is for those who blatantly ignore update schedules, even when they have them posted. If I say I'm updating 50 times a year, and push out only 20 comics, I am not fufilling what my comic should be doing, am I?
Try getting into a graphic design feild, for example. Make the best ads on the earth, the most compelling and detailed, but miss your deadline. You're still fired.

[ShardZ]

Yes. Sorry for the slight derailment; I suppose since the thread seemed a bit dead I was trying to fish for other opinions regarding accepted nominations (and really should have gone somewhere else). I do agree with the ethic of a solid update schedule; missing updates with no warning or excuse is irresponsible.

I, personally, will choose 20 well-considered pages (or strips) over 50 done to "meet the deadline" any day, but that's because I value the finished product over satisfying the finite whims of a finite audience (yes, I know editors and publishers would be a different story, but by that time the necessary skills have hopefully been honed). Again, I'm not a creator--I have no sympathy, only empathy.

I won't be nominating or voting (ever), so I'll just let the conversation get back on track now.