Comic Genesis Forums

Ok...I'm pretty sure I have some regular readers...but I have no idea if anyone exists because they never contact me--admittedly, I do the same thing to all the webcomics I read....

The question is, how do you encourage your readers to give you feedback on what you do?

I come out and say it in my updates. As I've just started my comic I have no need for a forum and I don't like listing my email if I don't have to so I have a nice shout box on my comic main page. So I just say "leave me a shout, I like it!" and hope people will be nice and do so

Yeah, just put up a tagboard. They're free. I get way more comments in that little thing than I get emails. Plus your readers can even talk to each other and all. It's nice.

Tentoumushi wrote:shout box

Enedlammeniel wrote:tagboard

These. Yes.

834n wrote:

Tentoumushi wrote:shout box

Enedlammeniel wrote:tagboard

These. Yes.

Indeed. You're far more likely to get reader feedback than if you had a forum.

Also, if you haven't already, an e-mail link on your website helps to get feedback as well.

I can't agree with the forum thing.

If you're new and have a low readership, the odds are few will bother to sign up. It's a lot easier to just type some name into the tagboard and say whatever.

Even then you can expect a slim minority of your readership to participate.

But yes, mentioning you'd love to hear from any readers can help encourage them.

834n wrote:I can't agree with the forum thing.

If you're new and have a low readership, the odds are few will bother to sign up. It's a lot easier to just type some name into the tagboard and say whatever.

I meant you're more likely to get feedback with a tagboard than a forum. Bad wording on my part in the last post.

Then again, you may have understood me and I simply misunderstood you.

Just do something utterly blasphemous, like making a comic about Jesus ordering a Happy Meal. You'll have buckets of hate-mail in no time.

Jesus ordering Happy Meal?!?! Why where are you getting these outrageous ideas!!!

mcDuffies wrote:Jesus ordering Happy Meal?!?! Why where are you getting these outrageous ideas!!!

I dunno, but the reactions probably wouldn't be any more imaginative.

"A Happy Meal? Everyone knows Jesus prefers Burger King." Fail.

"I reject your notion of a post-modernist Last Supper." Fail.

"Wouldn't it be cosmic if the toy he got was one of those pose-able Jesus figures they sell at the Dollar Store?" Fail.

What's wrong with a good-ol'-fashioned death threat?

At this point in the game, don't worry about readers. Just put it out, they'll contact you when they feel like it.

Poseable Jesis figures? Why would anyone need that?

LibertyCabbage wrote:Just do something utterly blasphemous, like making a comic about Jesus ordering a Happy Meal. You'll have buckets of hate-mail in no time.

I've done stuff much more blasphemous than that - I haven't received a single hate mail.

That's because no one that would get offended reads your comic. =P

Shishio wrote:

LibertyCabbage wrote:Just do something utterly blasphemous, like making a comic about Jesus ordering a Happy Meal. You'll have buckets of hate-mail in no time.

I've done stuff much more blasphemous than that - I haven't received a single hate mail.

Write a comic where you explain how bombs are made and how they work. You'll get email.

1. make comic

2. post email

3. kick ass

4. reap the rewards

rkolter wrote:

Shishio wrote:

LibertyCabbage wrote:Just do something utterly blasphemous, like making a comic about Jesus ordering a Happy Meal. You'll have buckets of hate-mail in no time.

I've done stuff much more blasphemous than that - I haven't received a single hate mail.

Write a comic where you explain how bombs are made and how they work. You'll get email.

Or arrested.

If you have a comic in which the intent is to shock people, you may not get much of a reaction. If you have something like Family Circus and one day draw one of the characters with a raging hard-on, then you'll get hatemail.

mmm i miss those angry emails and threats i got doing the webcomic reviews... oh, those were the days.

theSuburbanLetdown wrote:

rkolter wrote:

Shishio wrote: I've done stuff much more blasphemous than that - I haven't received a single hate mail.

Write a comic where you explain how bombs are made and how they work. You'll get email.

Or arrested.

If you have a comic in which the intent is to shock people, you may not get much of a reaction. If you have something like Family Circus and one day draw one of the characters with a raging hard-on, then you'll get hatemail.

Nah. Not illegal to describe how a bomb works. But wow, you'd sure think from some of the letters I've gotten that terrorists the world over are looking at my comic to learn how to make thermonuclear devices. :eyeroll:

Readers will write you only if you give them something to write about. In my original website there's a link saying "Write me an e-mail if you want to receive M&B update mail"

Then people write me saying "Hey, love your comic, I wanna receive the update mail"


Most comments are done in the shoutbox anyway