Generating Readership Feedback

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Phalanx
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Post by Phalanx »

I love my tag-board, but I did find out you don't have to register for some forums (Talk About Comics allows this) and can just post as a guest. Still, I'm more likely to respond to a site that has a 'comment' option or tag-board than one without.

I think my readers are pretty responsive bunch considering I don't have that many. My stats say I'm getting about 160 visits a day (a good 10-50% come for the helpsite though). Right now I'm just grateful they're still sticking with me despite the fact I had to cut updates, even if it is temporary.

Forums are great for long term readers, tag-boards are great for quickies. It's not that common to have email, but once in a while you do get one.

I haven't gotten any hate-mail yet though. :( The closest thing I ever got was a 'nice comic but freaking horrible webdesign!' email. Not to say I didn't deserve it- I did. I had 3-4 iframes per page at that time, so I learnt to get rid of them fast.

One thing to keep in mind is, you need to give them an incentive to respond. I think part of getting feedback comes from how you ask for it. Like Jamie mentioned, if it effects them, they will participate.
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ZOMBIE USER 14998
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Post by ZOMBIE USER 14998 »

faub wrote: I also have a tagboard (http://www.tagboard.com I actually made my own but this was the original) that is the most popular user comment thingy on my site and I have a forum on Talk About Comics that rarely gets used..
Just to nitpick, it's http://www.tag-board.com.

I'm tempted to add one to my site, but I have the horrible feeling it would just sit there empty. (Which would be worse, one that never gets used at all, or a flood of negative comments...)
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Warren
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Post by Warren »

*checks own forum*

nope. nothing going on there.
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Matt Lim
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Post by Matt Lim »

The only feedback I got was from doing things wrong. For instance, I haven't updated since September and I got hate mail saying:
DRAW MORE COMICS OR I WILL MAIL YOU A BOX OF SCORPIONS!!!
It's a good thing I only posted my e-mail address on my site, although electronic scorpions in the mail would be kind of funny.
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Post by Warren »

My sister tells me I spell poorly. Other than that, I wouldn't even know she reads my strip.
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Post by Faub »

My family doesn't even know I have a Keenspace account. They just think I'm antisocial.

geoduck: you're right. Sorry. I didn't do the basic research for me post. 8)
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Post by YarpsDat »

I noticed people you know (even if it's just online) are more likely to comment.

I got very few e-mails, and at least 90% of my tagboard activity are fellow cartoonists.

Well, one day I got that message from a reader, and I still remember it:
I think you messed up filenames or something, because I still see the page from two weeks ago.
Yes, that's true, screwing up really bad is one of the best ways to get feedback.

Just for the record, it wasn't my fault, it was that problem with caching and keenspace, when the browser was reading from it's cache, not bothering to check if the site updated, and you had to hit refresh.
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ghostly readers

Post by JessicaRaven »

wow, I thought it was just me, I know i have a readership, I have to if I have gotten over 5,000 hits in one month, but I think I have 7 posts on my message board and 5 of them are from me and my editor

I also know I have other webcomic creators in my readership (Anne and Robin from the Wotch, Jenn Dolari from Closetspace and A Wish For Wings, Lain Blue from New Tech Labs, and Elizabeth Stroub from From Then On Forth) yet no comments or anything

I'm at least relieved to see that this isn't a fluke
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Jaster!
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Post by Jaster! »

The trick is to find out the IP address of each individual user that visits your site, find their home address, and then hunt them down and ask them specifically what they thought of your comic and if they'll be your friend.

It gets guaranteed results... of.. some kind.
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Post by Odd1 »

My tag-board was nice until it started getting flooded by people spamming and dissing eachother. I had no choice but to remove it at that point. Luckily I've never had a problem getting feedback by email - my readership is a fairly vocal one.

It never hurts to ask your readers for feedback on a specific area though. For example what Jamie did, asking for feedback on his new method of coloring. Once they email you about that, you can always ask them for their opinion some more in the future (by email).

If that doesn't work, go with Jaster's fail-proof method. ;)
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Post by MariaAndMichelle »

Warren wrote:My sister tells me I spell poorly. Other than that, I wouldn't even know she reads my strip.
:lol:
faub wrote:My family doesn't even know I have a Keenspace account. They just think I'm antisocial.
Us, too. :wink:
('Cept for Michelle's little brother. Because... well... he's in the comic.)
You're just jealous because you can't get away with speaking in the third person...

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Rkolter
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Post by Rkolter »

I don't get much in the way of readership responses either, but then, I only have maybe 15 readers. :)

Then again, I read two dozen comics, and I only have responded to three or four of them.
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Warren
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Post by Warren »

rkolter wrote:I don't get much in the way of readership responses either, but then, I only have maybe 15 readers. :)

Then again, I read two dozen comics, and I only have responded to three or four of them.
Interesting point.

I always take the time to respond to anyone that writes me. Realistically, I get one letter every couple months and not 100 a day like Ghastly, but....

However, I've written other (not extremely popular) webcomic artists who never acknowledged anything.

Most do. Even current whipping boy Bobby Crosby wrote me back. He's actually a decent guy.
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Evil Jamie!
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Post by Evil Jamie! »

WHY DON'T YOU JUST MARRY HIM THEN?!
*runs away for no reason*
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Warren
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Post by Warren »

Evil Jamie! wrote:WHY DON'T YOU JUST MARRY HIM THEN?!
*runs away for no reason*
BECAUSE MY WIFE WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND!!!!

*sobs*
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Post by Jops »

Dammit, yesterday nite i noticed there were some un-registered users lurking in my forum (the forum displayed 6, i'm pretty sure they weren't that many, but at least someone new was on), but none of them bothered to drop a word. :(

*sigh* :cry:
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Post by Warren »

Jops wrote:Dammit, yesterday nite i noticed there were some un-registered users lurking in my forum (the forum displayed 6, i'm pretty sure they weren't that many, but at least someone new was on), but none of them bothered to drop a word. :(

*sigh* :cry:
You just needed to start a new topic that said "Post Goddammit! I can SEE you out there!"
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Evil Jamie!
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Post by Evil Jamie! »

Warren wrote:
Evil Jamie! wrote:WHY DON'T YOU JUST MARRY HIM THEN?!
*runs away for no reason*
BECAUSE MY WIFE WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND!!!!

*sobs*
YEAH, LIKE I'M GOING THE BELIEVE THAT!
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ZOMBIE USER 14998
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Post by ZOMBIE USER 14998 »

I actually got some second-hand feedback this week. When I moved to Keenspace, I finally told some my relatives about the strip, and they took pity on me and passed the word on to other folks. Now I get an e-mail from Relative X saying that Friend Y said that he really likes the comic and reads it every day.

That's great, but I <B>do</B> have an e-mail address of my own...
(grumble grumble...)
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Post by Mr.Bob »

Weird thing happened:
I wrote to an artist yesterday, pleading for them to update...
Then they updated today.



Hows that for a response?

I feel special... like I really made a difference....
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