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Would you rather--regarding update schedules

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DaeBrayk PI Since: Aug, 2009
PI
#1: Jan 18th 2011 at 11:13:00 PM

So, for a heavily story-based comic like Gunnerkrigg Court, would you rather get an entire chapter/story arc (15-30 pages) once every month or two, or twice a week no schedule slip, or one page a day for 15-30 days and a couple weeks of break between chapters?

Or is there a different kind of update schedule you prefer?

adam850 Since: Dec, 2009
#2: Jan 19th 2011 at 12:33:38 AM

I prefer the "trickle" updating: one comic every one to four days. One webcomic I read that updates "a chunk of comics every month". That schedule is a little annoying, as you tend to forget last month's details when the next update comes around. I would rank "daily comics for a period followed be a break" last in preference.

edited 19th Jan '11 12:35:09 AM by adam850

Madrugada Since: Jan, 2001
#3: Jan 19th 2011 at 8:50:44 AM

Personally, I don't really care what the schedule is, as long as it doesn't slip. One page a week, every week? Fine. Three pages a week, every week? Also fine. 15 pages once a month? OK, but they better be there every month. If both the writing and the artwork is astonishingly good, or the author explains why he's doing that, and it's a good reason, I'll put up with a "whenever I get a page done", but so far, I've found only two comics that I had no trouble accepting unscheduled updates from: Breakfast Of The Gods because it was just that good, and Order Of The Stick, because of Rich's health.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#4: Jan 19th 2011 at 9:02:25 AM

Unexplained or chronic Schedule Slip is, anecdotally, one of the fastest ways to lose readers. So whatever schedule you set, it's vital that you stick to it. I didn't mind when City Of Reality would update in entire chapters, as the story was worth it. Comics like What Birds Know are small enough that they need multi-page updates to feel like they are progressing.

I think what matters the most is whether you're planning a story with heavy continuity that relies on keeping the reader's attention over multiple pages (as with the above examples), a strip with continuity but that has a gag-per-page deal like Order Of The Stick or Darths And Droids, or something entirely episodic that rarely engages in continuity like XKCD or Penny Arcade.

For a gag-per-page with continuity, you can handle moderate Schedule Slip because readers have an investment in the story but tune in to each page for the jokes. For episodic works, you really need to be consistent because readers don't have to come back.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
merton defiance from my heart to yours. Since: May, 2009
defiance
#5: Jan 19th 2011 at 9:18:34 AM

It's interesting the standard schedule for webcomics is to publish one page at a time, when the standard schedule for print comics is to publish a group of pages once per month. I mean, I know why this is true—differences in technology—but I suppose I'm wondering why webcomics didn't adopt the print model.

Words cast into the uncaring void of the internet.
Tzetze DUMB from a converted church in Venice, Italy Since: Jan, 2001
DUMB
#6: Jan 19th 2011 at 9:24:17 AM

I think the early players in webcomics were thinking more like newspaper comics (c.f. all the webcomics that appeared in print in college newspapers, Doctor Fun, etc.), and later more story-oriented comics either started out as gag-a-days, or just went with the inertia of having one page at a time.

And I'm fine with sporadic updates as long as they have a goddamn RSS feed.

edited 19th Jan '11 9:24:36 AM by Tzetze

[1] This facsimile operated in part by synAC.
EricDVH Since: Jan, 2001
#7: Jan 19th 2011 at 6:21:21 PM

All that I ask for from webcomic authors (with the exception of really topical strips like Penny Arcade) is two things:

  1. Have a buffer.
  2. Keep it topped off.

Not rocket science. As for humble scheduling requests? As often as possible, even going above six panels strikes me as a bit silly most of the time.

Eric,

MetaFour AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN from A Place (Old Master)
AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN
#8: Jan 19th 2011 at 10:38:23 PM

As Fighteer said, it really depends on what kind of story you're telling and how you're telling it. Gunnerkrigg Court gives one page every two or three days, but Tom also structures the pages so they work on their own, and there's generally enough stuff happening in every page to sustain conversation between fans during the interim. Contrast that with Evan Dahm's decompressed writing style—it worked fine with Rice Boy and Order Of Tales where he would put up pages in batches once per week or so, but with Vattu he's putting up one new page every day, and reading it in that format is almost as much fun as reading a flipbook one page at a time. So now I just Archive Binge Vattu about once a month, and it reads much better that way.

BaleFire Since: Dec, 2009
#9: Jan 20th 2011 at 5:26:02 AM

I prefer having steady updates instead of having entire chapters every now and again. The former keeps you interested and gives you something to look forward to every week. The latter means you often have to look over old stuff again to reestablish yourself.

Whatever update schedule though, make sure it's consistent. I'll be happy with one page a fortnight if it's funny/interesting and on time.

Dreamkeepers Prelude, check it out!
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#10: Jan 20th 2011 at 6:47:34 AM

God yes, get an RSS feed. I read enough comics that I need a single place to interface with them. If I subscribe to your feed, you could update once every non-leap leap year and I would still see it. But I'm not going to keep going back to a page and clicking Refresh every day unless you have something to offer me.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#11: Jan 20th 2011 at 7:06:01 AM

Also, regardless of whether you offer a RSS field with the actual comic pages, please offer one without. It's the most lightweight version, and good for the low-tech people that just add a link to the RSS in their favorites.

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#12: Jan 20th 2011 at 7:28:28 AM

There are people who don't use Google Reader for their RSS? surprised (Or some other feed aggregator.)

edited 20th Jan '11 7:28:55 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#13: Jan 20th 2011 at 8:19:30 AM

I don't.

I'm one of the low-tech guys, I just have a huge Favorites folder full of webcomics and RSS feeds thereof, and I use the option that opens the whole folder in different tabs. So I want something as lightweight as possible for most comics, and a RSS full of pictures from the current comic and several previous ones ends up heavier than the homepage itself...

One should follow the example of Darths and Droids, which publishes both kinds of RSS feed.

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
Tangent128 from Virginia Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
#14: Jan 20th 2011 at 5:35:50 PM

How does Opera's feed reader count? I like the way I get my feeds and email in the same inbox.

Do you highlight everything looking for secret messages?
iamathousandapples The Collective from Northeast Ohio Megablob Since: Oct, 2009
The Collective
#15: Jan 20th 2011 at 8:32:18 PM

I'd rather have it once a day or minimum once a week, once a month and beyond make me quickly forget your comic and make me go to my once-a-days.

"I could eat a knob at night" - Karl Pilkington
Belle-Mage WHY YOU LITTLE-! from right behind you. Since: Dec, 2009
WHY YOU LITTLE-!
#16: Jan 25th 2011 at 6:10:44 AM

I really don't mind how the update schedule works, so long as I get a comic to read in the end and there isn't chronic Schedule Slip

edited 25th Jan '11 6:11:22 AM by Belle-Mage

I'm not a Pokemon Trainer, you zetta sons of digits!
Kaxen Since: Jan, 2010
#17: Feb 24th 2011 at 10:31:03 AM

I update my own comic as a page a day whenever I finish a batch, like 3 to 8 pages depending on. I'm terrible about keeping a buffer though.

Reading comics, one page a week at the slowest... I start getting a bit absent minded after that... though I futilely checked an RSS feed for a year and a half for one comic... Slow updaters definitely need an RSS feed.

TotemicHero No longer a forum herald from the next level Since: Dec, 2009
No longer a forum herald
#18: Apr 20th 2013 at 3:15:30 PM

I am the master thread necromancer! tongue (I'm reviving this thread because this topic came up again on the main OOTS thread, and I'm trying to redirect the debate to here.)

With a well established strip like OOTS, an erratic schedule isn't a problem itself. It's really more of a Follow the Leader issue; when you realize that it sets a bad example for less recognized or newer webcomics to think they can get away with it too without losing anything, then it gets worrisome.

Expergiscēre cras, medior quam hodie. (Awaken tomorrow, better than today.)
Joesolo Indiana Solo Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Indiana Solo
#19: Apr 20th 2013 at 4:31:39 PM

I dont use an RSS.

i do like comics that use buffers though. like Darths and droids and irregular webcomic. they never had a late comic as far as i remember.

as for order of the stick, I'd like if rich did them weekly, but between health issues and needing to work on other projects, and the fact we're not charged anything, I think no one has a right to actually complain it's not posted more often/

edited 20th Apr '13 4:34:25 PM by Joesolo

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