OMG: Check it out!: TGT Webcomics

Jun03
on 2009/06/03 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Blog

It’s time for another OMG: Check it out! Plug. This one is very aptly timed. Fresh off a podcast interview with TGT Webcomics which can NOW be found right HERE on zfcomics, I will give you fine readers a quick review of their podcast and what it’s like being interviewed by these 2 terrific gentlemen.

TGT Webcomics Podcast (Two Guys Talking Webcomics) is a talk show by the fans for the fans, of our favorite thing: webcomics. The 2 hosts are awesome people- Mr. Frumph we all know from Webcomic Planet, AKA- Phil Hofer, and Kurt Sasso (VertigoX). I am a tad biased, as it was Phil who provided endless knowledge and assistance in the fresh design of this very website- he is truly a WordPress God. I owe him big time. But that aside, I am continually impressed by both the accomplished and uber-talented-yet-to-be-discovered guests these two get on their show. And this is why I listen to podcasts in the first place- to learn how the pros do what I do, and to discover others like me who are on their way up.

Being that I have a handful of podcasts under my belt now, I’d say I may be getting the hang of it. So, I wasn’t the bundle of nerves that I have been in the past, when I finally made an appearance on TGT. These guys are not comic creators, nor writers, nor artists, nor critics. They are simply readers and fans- and that helps with taking the pressure off. Just you and 2 guys chatting about webcomics! But the most important part of the show is their delivery and true appreciation for the creator they are interviewing. They did their homework, and have some pretty intriguing questions that go beyond the typical “So, what is your comic about anyway?”. Was I 100% prepared to answer every one? No, but it rose some interesting points that will help me in the future, and that’s exactly what I need- a little help, a little one-on-one time with my readers. The one predictable element is the “spoiler”. Every creator has to give up a secret, or spoiler, about their comic, towards the end of the interview. This works great for some storyline-based adventure comics, but for comic strips like mine with light story arcs and mostly gag-a-day humor.. it can be tricky. Some of us have no tricks up their sleeves (aka- a buffer, lol)! Maybe there’s a better option than a typical “spoiler” for these types of creators…. though I cannot really think of a suggestion.

Another big bonus, which has gotten far more popular, is the chat room Talkshoe offers during the live podcast. When it’s not lagging ridiculously, it really opens the doors to your fan base, those interested enough to swing by and listen to you yap. It’s quite flattering, and quite informative, to have those people there to ask questions and add suggestions (and my case, get me paranoid about the NBA playoffs sports updates— you know who you are!). The internet is so expansive, it can feel like you are just floating around in a void, and these little advances in technology are greatly appreciated. After all, that’s what makes webcomics better than print comics- the instant connection to your readers!

TGT is one of my top 5 podcasts to listen to, and I am accumulating quite a collection to keep up with. So, fire up your itunes and subscribe! Looks for the new shows every Thursday at 9pm EST… and join in the chat room!

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an extra baby plug: enjoy cooking AND webcomics? Well, go check out “What’s Cooking”, a side project by TGT… recipes are traded, comics are discovered, it’s good times.

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In Other News: A Cleveland Sports Rant

Jun01
on 2009/06/01 at 12:56 pm
Posted In: Blog

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My fiancé asked me, as I was mourning the Cavs’ brilliant year being wiped away forever, why I have not gotten used to this yet. After all, it has been 45 years since a Cleveland sports franchise championship, and countless moments of pure and utter heartbreak. I had no answer. You think I WOULD be used to this by now. Cubs fans, for instance, have a kind of sick humor towards their team- they are just expected to lose, to blow it… Instead of being bitter and looking for curses and other superstitious events to blame, they laugh it off and move on. Me, I wallow for weeks and burn my Sport Illustrated copies that HAD to put Lebron and “Cleveland Rocks” on their cover, in the dawn of the Eastern Conference Finals– the ultimate supersticious prediction of FAILURE.

sicover_052509_cleveland

My fiancé’s question seems a tad harsh, sure. He is also a victim of some drought and heartbreak being a Philly fan. I give him credit, though 25 years compared to 45 is still a big difference. He doesn’t mean to belittle my pain, or the city’s starved fans in general. He just asked a straight-up question. And why on earth aren’t I numb to this? Why is this not a sick joke, that Cleveland fans find amusing? Of course we lost, we’re Cleveland! Ha ha ha, let’s get drunk.

I am only 30. There were 15 years prior where other Cleveland fans had to endure a drought. My parents, who were 14 at the time the Browns won the ’64 Championship (this is pre-Super Bowl, folks), barely remember it. And that was the last time Cleveland won anything. But my parents remember Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Choke, and countless other salt-in-the-wound heartbreaks with “The” in front of it, that the Cleveland sports fans have had to endure. As I watched the end of the last game, the Cavs being embarrassed in Orlando, the lovely TNT sportscast treated me to another round of all these moments, and tacked on the end: 2009: The Cavs Bow Out. Thanks guys. Please, feel free to beat us down to sell newspapers and get more viewership. We should be used to it by now.

My first taste of Cleveland Heartache was in 1989. I was about 10, just getting into basketball. Michael Jordan ran rampant. I remember a kid in my neighborhood getting beaten up for his Air Jordans. But we had Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, and a team with actual potential. Maybe, just maybe. But we did not have Jordan, who proved to be the difference, with the infamous “The Shot”. I was sad, probably cried, but still a young and innocent youth…I had no idea what I was in for. In Cleveland.

Fast forward 20 years. I am 30. Now the Cavs, my team, has #23, the New Jordan, the MVP. Now, it’s different. Nobody in our way. Not even Kobe scares me.  I allowed my expectations to get way too high for my own good. I let down my guard. Leborn even made a buzzer-beater in game 2 that maybe.. no.. it HAD to reverse the curse, redefine “The Shot”. Maybe, just maybe. I began dreaming of how happy I’d be when I heard the sportscaster say “Cleveland, your drought is over! Your Cavaliers are NBA Champions!” I’d probably cry tears of joy, for once.. Joy! Not tears over Jose Mesa and the stolen ’97 Series…. not tears over Art Model moving my Browns to Baltimore -to then win a championship over there….. not tears of frustration with Kosar’s Browns in the late 80’s. No more “choke” hand signals, no more Tomahawk Chops from Braves fans, no more Charles Barkley making fun of my city. Alas, I forgot… This is Cleveland. Mistake by the lake. And even though the reason for that tagline is no longer relevant, Cleveland will always endure it.. Until we are finally proven #1. And in Cleveland, not even the combined MVP, Best Coach of the Year, and the top record, guarantees anything. Silly me. I forgot. I always forget. Lebron made me forget.

I just hope I’m alive, and not too bitter and numb from endless, inevitable heartache, to enjoy a championship. If it ever happens. For now I mooch off of the Philly fans, now that I am a transplanted fan over here in PA, embracing their World Champion Phillies.. Coached by none other than ex-Indian coach, Charlie Manuel. Of course! ha ha ha, pass me the Vodka.

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A video of all the heartbreaking moments. Bring tissues.

My favorite Cleveland sports blog. yes, it’s actually called waitingfornextyear.com. And that truly is a Cleveland Fans motto:

There is always next year.

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Fanart Friday: Antcomics Extravaganza Part 2

May29
on 2009/05/29 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Fanart

Antcomics Extravaganza Part 2

Amy Hankins is a brilliant artist (check out her marker work! wow!) and has created a handful of terrific webcomics, this one being “Antcomics”, a tribute comic dedicated to the 80’s band “Adam & the Ants”. This is the second of a 2-parter celebration for her 50th comic, and Z&F made it in BOTH!

Thanks Amy, you never cease to amaze me. Keep it up!

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Tips & Tricks: Project Wonderful

May27
on 2009/05/27 at 5:27 pm
Posted In: Tips & Tricks

Here’s another “Tips and Tricks” for you, geared towards the advertising service “Project Wonderful”. I dig it. I would suggest trying it out if you don’t already. Cents a day, people, this doesn’t have to be a big expense. It seems to be especially popular in the webcomic groups.. There’s a TON of webcomic sites open for bidding!

Okay, off the bat, I am going to declare that I am no pro, I do not have the “secret” to maximize your advertising, get the most for your buck. I’m simply going to explain what I have tried. I would love to hear from you guys, what has worked for you! When I first started, I dove right into the campaigns. If you have no desire or time to keep up with your bids, campaigns are terrific. You lay out your advertising model- how much to spend a day, what type of sites (keywords, tags) you’ll advertise on, how long the campaign will run, etc., and PW does all the work. At first, this worked great, my hits went up and I was a happy camper. But after a few months, the hits dwindled and it wasn’t much worth it. I figured maybe my ads needed a sprucing up. I added animated ads, with a brief explanation of the comic, colors that popped. Again, the hits increased… But later decreased again. If I gave PW a break for a month and came back, I’d get a sudden jump, and then slowly work my way back down. It’s a rollercoaster. I do not have an answer for why the page views die off using campaigns.

If you study your bids performance, you can get an idea of how much you are paying “per click”… And how many viewers out of the masses actually click your ad. I started researching more… What keywords/tags should I search? Should I be super specific, or broader? Should I only advertise on a site with huge page views (50K and up), or bid on a ton of smaller sites? After some research, you start to see what works for you and what doesn’t… and checking out your bid’s performance is where you start! Below is an example :

Bid Performance

I am currently testing out manual bidding. I try a bunch of sites, give them a couple days.. And see what my “cost per click” is. I try to keep it under 10 cents, once it goes over that I cancel the bid. Different sites get different results. A site that gets 50K hits a day, may only result in 3 clicks a day. But a site that gets 1K hits a day, might usher in 50 people to my site! Actually, I find this is more the case… Maybe the communities of larger sites are more likely to ignore their ads? Whereas smaller sites have a closer-knit relationship with the webmaster.. And help out by checking out their “sponsors”. Who knows, but it is working better than a campaign for me right now. My suggestion is to dabble around and see what works best for you- there is no one answer.

Please respond with any findings & experience you came across, love to hear ’em!

As an afterthought, there’s a lot I could talk about when it comes to designing online ads & the type of tags (webcomics? Pets? Sci-fi?) I have tried out. Hmmmm…maybe that’ll be a future “T&T”. Stay tuned!

And a little plug: if you want to advertize on zfcomics.com, click HERE. Or, HERE.

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Fanart Friday: Antcomics Extravaganza Part 1

May22
on 2009/05/22 at 12:37 pm
Posted In: Fanart

Antcomics Extravaganza 1

Amy Hankins is a brilliant artist (check out her marker work! wow!) and has created a handful of terrific webcomics, this one being “Antcomics”, a tribute comic dedicated to the 80’s band “Adam & the Ants”. This is the first of a 2-parter celebration for her 50th comic! So glad to see Z&F made it out for the party.

Thanks Amy, you never cease to amaze me. Keep it up!

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