Comic Fury Webcomic Hosting - Getting readers to engage

Looking at the visitor numbers is encouraging but impersonal. It's hard to know how many of them are bots looking for email addresses (I one put my email address on an obscure webpage and then I had buckets of spam).

I really get a buzz whenever someone engages like leaving a comment, rating and/or subscribing. The trouble is are there only certain people who do that or can you encourage people to do that without resorting to bribery?

I was thinking of getting a visual ratings display and the ability to do so without leaving a comment but what do you do?

Honestly I have no idea. I have been putting a "question of the day" in my author comments below each comic; however no one ever answers it. It's more than a little discouraging.

My observations are there are people who comment on almost every page (these people make you happiest, but hardest to find), people who comment every chapter or so when something is particularly interesting, and those who just silently comes and goes (vast majority of readers). This can be because most people don't know what to write on comments, or they've just never done it and feels awkward starting it (and thats how most people never comment). What I did was post up online polls concerning the comic. Currently I have up "How did you get to know Remnants" poll, which have gotten 39 votes. (over a month of time...I think the element of repetition persuades them to vote)

It's not much, but at least I know there are at least 39 people out there who reads the comic and cares enough to at least click a button and hit submmit. Also, it poses a direct question and list of answers. They're not made to think of something to say in the comments. (sounds kinda stupid, but thats how people are, really.)

I have no idea either. I have started commenting more on the comics I read because now I know (from doing my own) that getting feedback and engaging with readers means more than I thought it would.

Some people just aren't that social, some don't know what to say, and others maybe are afraid of posting because they feel might say something stupid or whatever.

Dumb as this might sound, I used to have trouble approaching my favorite artists at cons because my brain would go all blank and I was afraid I would just stand there looking like I'm having a seizure. But most of the time everyone was really cool and happy to talk with you about pretty much anything, not just their work.

Before I met and talked with Garth Ennis at Phoenix Comicon this year, I got really nervous and almost didn't say anything, but when it came for my turn to get books signed, it turned out he was a really decent guy, and appreciates his fans a great deal.

I think there is a sort of stereotype about creative people who have let even minor success go to their heads. Ive yet to met anyone who wasn't thrilled to talk with a fan.

Anyway, if I enjoy someones work, I leave comments now.

This is the most obvious/useless piece of advice ever, but just concentrate on making good work. I don't do anything fancy with my comic, heck, I don't even have a Facebook fanpage nor a Twitter, I didn't register for TopWebcomics, I don't put polls/questions of the day, etc. I spend most of my effort on making the best comics I can. You can have all the fancy widgets in the world, but nothing beats a good quality webcomic.

The one "extra" thing I do pour a good chunk of effort in is my Tumblr. I make sure I update it daily and I try to keep it relevant to my comic. But I can't really say the comments/pageviews I've received are exclusively thanks to Tumblr.

that, we all assume, we are doing. (at least trying our best to) really, I think that if I'm not making best of my best, then I shouldn't be expecting readers appreciating anything I do. or that I should care that they care, since I didn't care to begin with. (eh??) I do see some people going, "why am I not succeeding?!?!" and not doing anything. which frustrates me. D:

I do lots of things to get my comic out there. some might call it desperate attempts, and many times in vain...but sometimes they work, so I keep trying. So I do agree with kupo that you should definitely keep doing your best. But I think trying to keep reaching out to readers is essential. and 2 basic things that I've decided to do recently: Always write author comments, and always comment back when people comment. Readers should be appreciated, and it keeps them coming back if it feels like they have some sort of a friendly relationship with the author :)

edit: though I'd say, don't do the things I do. I have an unhealthy obsession with my comic -_- just...moderately...

If I knew, I would tell you!

I think a lot of people don't comment because they aren't also artists themselves. They see your work and are so in awe of it that they're rendered speechless!!

...At least, that's what I like to tell myself. ;) Heh!

But there may be some truth in it. Like Draginbeard said, they may be afraid they'll say something stupid, or that their comment is just "Wow, this is awesome!" and therefore isn't sparking off an interesting discussion - they probably also assume that you already know your work is awesome, and you don't need to be told. Like mushroomisland said, when you do get comments, make sure to respond to every one, even if it's just "Thanks!"

As for getting more comments...as I said, if I knew how, I'd tell you... :p Definitely do what Kupocake says. Tumblr is fantastic and I've gotten a crazy amount of readers from there. Make sure to TAG ALL OF YOUR TUMBLR POSTS with every subject you can think of! "Webcomics," "Manga," "Graphic Novels," "art," "illustration," the whole bit!

I know that I tend to comment more when an authors note mentions a question related to the comic, something like "trying out x, tell me if you like it". It gives people something to comment on.

Also, having author's notes and responding (in a friendly way) to comments makes me more likely to comment in the first place.

I think every comic artist/writer out there is passionate about their comic. I mean, we are practically our own biggest cheerleaders. It would be weird if a comic artist/writer doesn't care about their comic.

Me being a downer-time: If there's one thing that I learned from life, it's that effort doesn't mean squat. Teachers and friends can appreciate effort, but on the grand scheme of things, it's the end result that matters the most, no matter how much or little effort you put into them, especially in the art/comic world. This is why I waited until now to get serious with webcomics; if I tried to make a comic 4-6 years ago, when I didn't know diddly about storycrafting, composition, draftsmanship, backgrounds/perspective, character designs, line quality, gesture, etc. I would have inevitably failed. Looking back at old comics I dabbled with, I'm positive I would have failed.

And of course, I still don't know what the future holds for my comic, but at the very least, I can release comic pages that doesn't make me cringe too much. As my mentor puts it, "if your work is good, you're passionate about it with a positive energy, and you're not an asshole, people will follow."

I do agree, replying to comments is helpful.

(On a random note, maybe it's about time I put together my old comics on that "what your art used to look like" thread.)

Edit because I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way: Every person has their own story on how/why they're in webcomics right now, and I'm just one of many. I'm just saying what worked for me. I truly believe there's a thousand ways to get to the same goal, and so far, I'm just going with the predictable/obvious do-good-work "formula." I'm not claiming anyone here is doing things wrong. I may as well be wrong too.

It's true that the end result is far more important than the effort itself in art (peh, rather, in everything in this world, maybe except in elementary school.). But it is also true that more effort generally produces better end results. Some people are just lucky, but one can't just count on luck to be successful. Most people did work for their success.

And yeah, I have failed many comics before this one. But each failure gave me something to take back and do better next time. It's good to wait and practice before you start, but sometimes just getting in there and starting things even when you don't think you're ready - sounds irresponsible, maybe - can be actually more educational than anything.

..So I guess this whole reader engagement thing comes back to comic quality. Which are tied together and are inseparable in most cases. (I say most, because as I said, some people are just lucky.) Sounds like we aren't helping much. It's one of those obvious answers people tend to say, "there's gotta be more than that!" to. Like "practice makes me perfect" saying that's become horribly cliche in the art world. Yet true.

I have to say that, as a reader, comic quality does not matter when it comes to engagement. It may make me more interested to begin on the first page, but once I am reading the author's attitude as well as little silly or interesting moments that give you something to comment on are way more important.

Oh god, now I really have to show my old work now. XD Prior to Cans of Beans, I've been drawing comics practically every year, for practice and because I thought I had some hot-shit storyline. The reason I didn't break into webcomics, though, is because of all the other things that comes with webcomics besides drawing pages: finding a good webcomic host, maintaining a consistent uploading schedule, anxiety over "will anyone even read this crap?!", etc. It's always a good idea to keep drawing comics to continually refine your skills, but I personally didn't want to jump into the internet-world-of-comics until I was confident that I had something going. There's a reason why CoB was in pre-production for a full year before I even drew the first page.

I dunno, to me, luck is just 10% of the whole magic popularity formula, and effort can only get you so far. You just have to make your own luck. [/cheesy quote]

Anyway, standing by my stance of consistent, strong readership = good quality work.

well the thought is that, if you have a good comic, more people will rea, and if more people read, more people out of them will engage.

But yes, I do agree with you the story shouldnt be so dull to give the reader nothing to comment about. I'd be wondering why he's reading to begin with. I lean more towards story than art when it comes to comics. I've also seen comics that have amateur art level that succeed way more than (and I mean, starting out as a webcomic and going to print and then to the theatres. It was published in korea and was also translated to Chinese and Japanese i believe) other skilled artists just because of story.

I don't know of any real ways to engage readers. I've got a handful who subscribed to mine and a few who comment, and that's just with my updated pages and my little rambling author's notes.

I don't try to engage my audience. I feel that if they really like or dislike something (or notice an error, which has happened quite a bit, actually, because I cannot seem to type well at seven in the morning when I do most of my lettering) they'll comment or subscribe or do something like that. I want my comic to be liked for what it is, not because I'm forcing people to interact with me by posting things that demand a response.

If they like it, that's great. I hope they keep coming back to read more.
If they don't, oh well, there are other comics out there. Looks like mine wasn't for them.

But don't get too discouraged. You will find a small cluster of people who will engage you about your comic, it just takes time. (Also, I think engaging other people's comics helps. What goes around comes around, and all that)

A lot of interesting things are being said for each artist's path and approach. So I would like to ask this question to clarify the discussion: what constitutes reader engagement for you? Is it subscriptions, page views, other?

For me it is having readers comment on the comic.

seeing that this is a discussions forum, disagreement shouldnt be too much of crime. I understand comics as both a hobby and a service. One can look at it in different angles if he wants, but looking at the Statue of David from different angles won't change its shape. I do what I want to do, but I also make sure that I get reader feedback so I know what I'm doing right and what I need to improve upon. I'm not talking about blind fanservicing. It's taking in opinions so you can make a good decision for yourself and the comic. Going without any inforation would just leave the readers out of the equation. Plus, it's still the reader's choice to engage. No one stands behind them and orders tham to comment.

My point is, the author should at least prepare an environment where readers can comfortably engage with the comic and the author if they chose to. If I wanted to write something in the comments section, but if it looks like the author doesn't really care for comments or feedback, and he/she never answers back, I'll just be discouraged from it, or maybe even nervous about what to write.

from most impact to least:
1. commnts 2. subscriptions 3. votes 4. poll answering 5. pageviews

Comments and subscriptions are at the top of my list. I know that people will more than likely breeze through my comic to see what it's about, like poking your head inside a store to see what they're selling. (Oh dear, I'm going to try using a metaphor...) If you're the store owner, you're glad that the person took their time to see what you've got to sell. That's great, happy happy. But if no one buys anything you're selling, it can be discouraging.

Um... um... what I'm trying to say is that for me it's all well and good that I've got oh-so-many pageviews, but I'm more interested in the people that have taken interest in my comic to comment (buy something from the metaphorical store) and subscribe (customers who keep coming back).

Uh... um... um... yeah. I think that metaphor worked...

I like to get comments and subscriptions, since they let me know who's reading. The stats are pretty much worthless, since on average everybody will get the same 80-ish views from 15-ish unique viewers (I assume these come from the "Recently Updated" tab on the homepage) and no real information on who is regularly reading.

I try to make a habit of commenting on the stuff I do read, even if it's a simple "this is pretty awesome" or "great art", since I figure other authors like to get the same kind of feedback for similar reasons.

of course. I always appreciate comments, it doesnt have to be something insightful or deep. :)