Webcomic Do's and Don't's List...
May. 13th, 2006 09:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redneckgaijinI'm compiling a list of things a good web comic site should and shouldn't do. Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.
DO - Have a pre-set update schedule. Even if you repeatedly and flagrantly run late, it's less annoying than not knowing at all when your comic can be -expected- to update. (If you can get a buffer of strips and an auto-update script, this will be easy.)
DO - Let people know when updates will be really late or skipped.
DON'T - Leave said updates or apologies in your archives, for readers years from now to find and scratch their heads at.
DO - Have a gallery for your sketches, filler art, promos, etc.
DON'T - Leave sketches, filler art, promos, etc. in your archives where they disrupt the story.
DON'T - Have a cover page for your website unless it's an adult-screener page. (Cover page: a pretty bit of art that never, ever changes that has to download before your reader can actually see today's comic. Extra points taken off if there's no explicit link to the actual comic.
DO - Have a cover page to screen for age if your comic is adults-only or contains graphic nudity. (Really. Also, check adult screener software websites, register your site there, and add code to your adults-only pages to trigger the software. I'm not kidding- this will probably be FEDERAL LAW before the end of the year.)
DON'T - have a main comic page without the latest strip on it.
DON'T - leave the comic so low on the page that readers have to scroll down to even see there IS a comic on the page.
DO - have archives which can be navigated back and forth, by chapter, and by date.
DO - have a cast page with at least the important characters and a description covering why the readers should care who they are.
Anything else?
DO - Have a pre-set update schedule. Even if you repeatedly and flagrantly run late, it's less annoying than not knowing at all when your comic can be -expected- to update. (If you can get a buffer of strips and an auto-update script, this will be easy.)
DO - Let people know when updates will be really late or skipped.
DON'T - Leave said updates or apologies in your archives, for readers years from now to find and scratch their heads at.
DO - Have a gallery for your sketches, filler art, promos, etc.
DON'T - Leave sketches, filler art, promos, etc. in your archives where they disrupt the story.
DON'T - Have a cover page for your website unless it's an adult-screener page. (Cover page: a pretty bit of art that never, ever changes that has to download before your reader can actually see today's comic. Extra points taken off if there's no explicit link to the actual comic.
DO - Have a cover page to screen for age if your comic is adults-only or contains graphic nudity. (Really. Also, check adult screener software websites, register your site there, and add code to your adults-only pages to trigger the software. I'm not kidding- this will probably be FEDERAL LAW before the end of the year.)
DON'T - have a main comic page without the latest strip on it.
DON'T - leave the comic so low on the page that readers have to scroll down to even see there IS a comic on the page.
DO - have archives which can be navigated back and forth, by chapter, and by date.
DO - have a cast page with at least the important characters and a description covering why the readers should care who they are.
Anything else?
