Somewhat interesting article on Growing a Community

[Rob]

Can be found here.

I don't know how much use the article is. I found the comment on commitment interesting as I've personally found commitment to be the biggest difference between big fish and little fish comics (usually not always) but it doesn't do much for me since if I were any more committed I would be committed.  :D

Sorry I haven't been around much guys. I know the site is floundering a little bit this last week. I literally just got out of the hospital this morning coming off one of the worst cases of bronchitis I've ever had. I'm still in a hell of a lot of pain, still having trouble breathing and still trying to cough up my own lungs every three minutes but I'll do what I can to get this pig moving along again soon.

Any suggestions for content are both welcome and appreciated.

[JR]

I literally just got out of the hospital this morning coming off one of the worst cases of bronchitis I've ever had. I'm still in a hell of a lot of pain, still having trouble breathing and still trying to cough up my own lungs every three minutes...

Were you shaking the hands of your fans?

Hope you're feeling better.

[Gibson]

I literally just got out of the hospital this morning coming off one of the worst cases of bronchitis I've ever had. I'm still in a hell of a lot of pain, still having trouble breathing and still trying to cough up my own lungs every three minutes...

Were you shaking the hands of your fans?

Hope you're feeling better.

I larfed!

Well, I've never heard of any of these guys or their sites, so that says either something about me or something about them, or both. I do absolutely agree about commitment and I've been spouting off about that for yonks...in fact, I think I wrote an article about it at some point. Not everyone who commits to their work makes it, but everyone who makes it has committed to their work.

And Rob, chill. Relax and heal. We'll still be here when you're healthy. Pas de probleme.

[Rob]

JR. I owe you a beating for that one.  ;D

Actually. I figure by the time I'm shaking hands at my first con in July I'll be pretty much immune to disease and possibly immortal. Or dead.

I have a 3 year old niece and a 5 year old nephew. Anyone who knows anything about little kids knows that they go to kindergarten and pre-school and bring home every malevolent virus and malady in the modern world and then get 103 temperatures and walk around like it's no bigs while the same illness is MURDERING the adults in the house.

At the same time my sister has been a nursing student doing all manner of nastyness with sick people as part of her training at a hospital. Between those two factors I have in fact never been sicker than I have been in the last year and a half since I moved in with them. It's a wonder I'm not dead yet. It's a wonder I'm not undead yet.

They just keep bringing home all these sicknesses and I'm getting old. Me? I hardly ever leave the house I've been so busy trying to get this site and Remedial Comics off the ground. I spend a retarded amount of time on the computer.

Anyway, I've pulled every muscle in my torso by now so coughing is a symphony of agony one can only attempt to describe. I've just loaded up on my latest course of funny smelling pills so I'm going to go lie down now.

Night.

P.S. Oh and Gib the only one of those sites that I have ever heard of was OK Cupid but that's just because I'm desperate and alone (and they must have got some venture capital awhile back because they spammed the universe with ads a few years ago). So don't feel bad.

The only reason I'm ok with there not being any webcomic people in this article is because for the most part, most of the really popular webcomics have been around for years and they started a comic because they wanted to make a comic and the community built around it. I never got the feeling, with any of the "startup stories" I've heard (and I've heard most of them) that the webcomic creator set out with a goal of community creation on their agenda. These guys did.

I honestly think we are coming into a time of Webcomics 2.0 where things like directed efforts to engage your community and quality of website are really going to be much more important than they were in the past. Consistent, quality content will always be king... but how many great webcomics do we all know about who aren't getting their due? Now how many shitty ones are? What are those two groups doing differently? It's an interesting question. And I think building a community is part of the answer.