<P>In fact I'm STILL hearing that people are having a horrible time trying to load the front page alone...<P>I've been thinking, and gotten offers and I may move.<P>Keen has been good, but I'd rather be somewhere where the server isnt always slow and hard to update and stuff. For example - I dont update Keen myself. Its all done via CGI. I upload the comics and thats it. The problem is - when it gets backlogged, I can set a comic in to update the next day and the thing will roll over to near about 11 the next day if its clogged IF it updates at all. Thats happened to me more than once which explains why sometimes you wont see a new comic till the middle of the day, cause I dont have time to do it manually.<P>Here's the deal.<P>I'm certain you all are familiar with a site called Toonzone. It is located here: <A HREF="http://www.toonzone.net/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.toonzone.net/</A> <P>A person there by the name of Vince Benenati has asked me quite a few times if I'd like to move there and be a "centerpiece" of something that they are trying out called the "WBC" - or Warner Bros. Club. I almost said yes once (as for some reason, at that time, Keenspace had annoyed the life out of me), but I renigged at the last minute to stay at Keen and most of the time I've fiddled about unable to make a final decision on just where I want to go and what i want to do. Do I stay at Keen or go to Toonzone.<P>I've sat weighing the benefits and cons of both Keen and Toonzone.<P>The problem with Keenspace is that the server is slow. Slower than normal for that matter. I blame that mostly on the servers. It also tends to get bogged down at certain times of the day.<P>Another double edged sword about Keen is that its known primarily for webcomics. Thats why I chose to go here, because theres no where else like it on the web where I can host my strips. And if youre good enough, you get into Keenspot where the "big names" go.<P>The problem with this is that there are litterally TONS of comics on Keenspace. Some of them crappy, some of them really good. But a lot of times, I often wonder if CNW and TT are lost in the shuffle so to speak. There are SO MANY of them out there, that I feel its kinda hard sometimes to get CNW to stand out and get noticed, y'know? Considering that i havent even gotten over 100 yet in my comic strips - I've developed a prety decent following. I got an email about the strip at least once every other day before I got delayed. But I often wonder how much more of an impact I'd make if I had more exposure.<P>A pro about Keen is that I literally have to do nothing when I update. Like I said, I just lop it in there and wait. Its the waiting thats the con.<P>The last con is message board. I have my own of course, but I cant do anything with it. All I am is a Moderator and thats it. I cant even control the picture you see at the top left unless I put an order in to Keen that I want it changed (which would proabably take a few weeks ) or just delete the picture altogether and just rename it a different file I cant change colors or anything. If we were to get a spammer we'd be screwed in a sense. But I'm not really worried about that since this a kind of small close knit friend board and I kinda like it like that. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/smile.gif"> I'm not really woried about it anyway - this isnt The Mofo or tSf in size and right now I prefer it like that. <P>Then theres Toonzone. At Toonzone I'd be there by myself (really an odd man out so to speak as I'd be the only one there with a comic strip) I'm a mod there but dont do my duty as well as I do say, currently tsF, or in the past, The MoFo.<P>The good bit about this is Toonzone is VERY WELL known in animation circles. If I do really good there with CNW and TT that could be a chance for a lot of exposure. And I mean a LOT if it works well. Moreso than Keen really if I'm lucky...<P>I wouldnt really have much competition and I'd be free to, y'know, feel unpressured. Not feel pressured and stuff. Sometimes, browsing other places, I feel like Keen can be more of a popularity contest with so many people here and there concerned with how many pageviews they get moreso than the quality of thier comics, but i get off topic and I'm on a soapbox...<P>Anyways - thats the other drawback. If I do go to Toonzone I'd be alone, but theres a chance I'd get a HELL of a lot more exposure by being one comic rather than one comic in the middle of almost a hundred.
<P>The second thing is the server.<P>Toonzone and Keenspace both went down at the same time on Friday Night. Toonzone said it would be up again the next day. Same with Keenspace. <P>You know pretty much how that went <P>When Toonzone goes down - it pretty much goes down and comes back up when it says. When Keen goes down - it MAY get back up in time or it may be delayed 2 days as per last time. I dont know what the problem was that caused Keens server to be out, but this has sort of happened more than once and after a while it gets annoying y know?<P>The next pro and con about Toonzone is the messageboard. And this is moreso a con...<P>If I go to Toonzone I have two options, get a board of my own (i.e. invest in a low frill UBB) or an Ikonboard - which I would probably have to do if I moved) or save money to get it, OR share a board at Toonzone with the WB Club. The problem is that if I do this, I'd have to adhere by the Toonzone rules of the boards, and I sorta like my own freer environment - hence me pprobably getting an Ikonboard unless it became popular enough that I could get my own space on thier own boards. You know how that works.<P>Either way - I could customize my own board. I could have control over it. But i would have to shell out money maybe once or twice until the board became more popular to do so. I've never bought a board before and I'd have to ask my mom about a loan to get out some money - she'd support me for it if its my comic, but I dont like asking my mom for extra money for a board and stuff when things are tight as is with me in school and the car accident and...those of you my age should know what I'm talking about or maybe relate (Sam? Kat? Slane? Kedzie? Greliz? Vince?). I think she'd let me do it, but its just the fact that i dont really wanna ask y'know? **shrugs**<P>The second thing is that I may have to find a new place to host my weekly trivia mp3's. I dont THINK it would be a big deal as I only use 3 or 4 and every week I replace each one (theme songs and VG music ARENT that big), but Toonzone doesnt allow MP3 hosting. I may be able to get around that if I talk to the site owner Harley (Vince said he would ask). I may not. I dont know yet. If NOT I'd have to find somewhere I can place my mp3's for the weekly contests and I have NO idea how or where to do that and I certainly dont wanna let it go since its become kinda popular as of late.<P>I would NOT have to change site design - just take down all the Keen space stuff and put up Toonzone stuff in its place and I'd probably have to have a benner ad aon the front page. Nothing big, same as usual and banner ads are NEVER a big deal with me as long as they dont get annoying and flashy (which sometimes Keens have) and add a "Hosted by WBC" logo somewhere or something. Thats no big deal at all.<P>The good thing about Toonzone is that if I move, I have the Autokeen Lite CGI script that I could have to pretty much replicate the setup I have now. Problem is (and Kedzie KNOWS I'm a screwup at this stuff) is that i'd have to set this thing up And I have NO IDEA how to work CGI though I suppose I could learn.<P>So - in both cases its a bit of a double edged sword. I'd have to let go some stuff and they'd be big stuff in a sense. If I stay at Keen I'll have a SOMEWHAT stable spot depending on eths erver, but no exposure and if it goes down I'm screwed till they get it back up. If I go to Toonzone I have to set up CGI from scratch and shell out for my own MB - BUT I'd get WAAAY more exposure and a more stable setup.<P>I've been wracking my brain on this for a LONG TIME NOW and I literally cant make this decision. I've seesawed so much on it that my brain hurts and I've probably annoyed Vince to know end with my constant "I ODNT KNOW" bit. But it really is a HARD decision.<P>To be honest - after that Keen server stunt this weekend, I'm REALLY tempted to just say f*ck it and go with Toonzone and stay there cause while the immediate benefits may not be the best right now, the LONG TERM benefits more than outweigh it and Keenspace. And like I said - i'd like to be there. I'd just have to put up a little money for a board and do some minor changes here and there, the most being the auto CGI. But i wanted to maybe discuss it with you guys and Vince and get your opinions and help on making it. Its a really hard decision to make in a sense. My mind is pretty much ***almost*** made up at this point, but I just need some opinions is all. if I make my decision - its gonna be my final one. No buts. So I have to do what to me is the right thing.<P>Any help or opinions at all?<P>------------------<P><B>Dub's Sig - Version 4.2: The Signature Of The Idiot Savant!</B><P><UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI> <A HREF="http://chipandwalter.keenspace.com/" TARGET=_blank>CNW & Time Trouble: My Daily Comic Strips</A> <LI> <A HREF="http://www.deadjournal.com/users/wb" TARGET=_blank>WB's Dead Journal</A> </UL><P><B>Jonathan "WB!" Gray</B> - Nacking Your Weasel For Fun And Profit Since 1997, Guaranteed or your money back!<p>[This message has been edited by WB (edited 01-21-2002).]
