Anyone else do the Tapastic Survey?

[TheVoidchildProject]

I'm going to be brutally honest, I will read fewer comics if they're behind pay walls.

It's not that I don't think creators shouldn't be able to get money for their work (quite the opposite in fact). But I dislike the pay-per-page model. It's a question of accessibility and microtransactions feeling like a sneaky way to not make you notice the money you're spending. And that's sort of what I'm getting from this unless I misunderstood the model.

I much prefer Netflix style models, or what comixology is trying right now. I'd rather pay a monthly fee for a comic (like I do when I support someone over patreon) or an all-access fee. It feels more consumer friendly.

I realize its up to each creator if they want to use this feature and just wanted to add my two cents.

[J.Z.Castillo]

I just took it. In the feedback I asked if we could use the same feature for our buffers since many of us have quite large buffers so people could choose to buy those buffers instead of waiting for them to be released, and if they don't want to buy them then they'll just get them whenever they are scheduled to be released.

[eslameldeeb]

just finished the survey and i think it sounds cool too
although, 'am not sure if it is gonna add more stress or not if applied, 'am curious to see how things are gonna turn out anyways
also, it'd be great if the coins/keys system is added to the extended website

[ahkwardkat]

The problem with a monthly thing, is that not everyone reads enough to be worth it PER MONTH. I read, but I don't have a huge reading list. I'm far too busy making my own comic, doing commissions and working on Patreon stuff to have time to read. I read some comics, but not many. A Per month basis wouldn't be worth it to me. I also am a binge reader, so I read when I find time, not on a consistent basis.

Plus, dA has a month or month or 3month or year term subscription sort of deal and it goes over very poorly.

[UzukiCheverie]

I don't think they meant for ALL of Tapastic, just for the specific comics you'd want to support.

For example, instead of paying [insert total here] amount of coins to read the next page of, let's say Monster Pop, you pay [insert total here] amount of coins to read all the locked content for the month. The total for the latter would of course be more but it would work for those who know they want to continuously support the creator by reading their content ahead of time (plus you'd be paying for a whole month's worth of content instead of making individual payments for individual updates every time there was one). Of course, this would only work if the creator was consistent - it wouldn't be good if someone was paying a monthly fee to read an expected average of 10 updates a month when one month the creator only released 2 or 3. So of course the month fee would work better for 1.) readers who know they always want to read early access updates and would rather pay upfront for the month than every single time there was an update, and 2.) creators who consistently release enough content each month to validate a monthly payment.

I don't know if I would enjoy that feature or not, but what I described above is food for thought :U

[ahkwardkat]

OH ok. XD I misunderstood then. My bad.

I cannot use the app. My phone is too old and not compatible, so I know nothing of coins and keys.

[eleoza]

I like it yes. Especially since I recently found out about the revenue and bash my head against the wall for not realizing this earlier x.x
I agree with Kura though. I'd like it to be available to desktop users too!
I have tried to find the app on my phone, which is a windows phone, but I could never find it. Which made me assume windows phones don't support the app? I gotta get a new phone anyway though (pokemonGO ya know >.>)

[El_Psy_Congroo]

To be honest I don't know if I would use it right now. The lion's share of my subscribers or on LINE/Webtoons so I don't see much sense in making things exclusive on Tapastic.

[VermillionWorks]

Bring the coins/keys system to the site if that's what is required but some uniformity and consistency between app and site, I think is sorely needed

I didn't think to add it as a final note when I took the survey but I really agree with this.
My comic doesn't look all that amazing in smartphone form, for example, so it would seem a little odd to pay for coins just to see the next comic page in small mode...

[shazzbaa]

I'm going to be brutally honest, I will read fewer comics if they're behind pay walls.

The way it's described, no comic would be behind a pay wall. For people who didn't want to pay anything, the experience would be exactly the same -- it's just that if readers wanted to see the next page that wasn't released yet, they could pay a fee to get an early look at the next page before it goes live. If I'm understanding correctly, that's the model Tapas is suggesting.

Pay walls really aren't my jam at all, but this doesn't sound bad. I don't know if I'd use it because I'm pretty paranoid of scheduling episodes after the whole Every Scheduled Episode Released Early fiasco, but I'm a lil intrigued by it.

[Aspie_Gamer]

I'm down for making more money. That's for sure. seriously though, this proposed feature should definetly extend to the desktop version of Tapastic.

[GoldenPlume]

Given that many of our readers are binge readers, this probably won't even affect them because by the time they circle around to read another batch, all the time gating is down but the most recent update.

Really, what's a week to wait to read the next episode? Nothing. After a week the episode is free to anyone forever. This isn't really much of a pay-wall but a way for readers who wish to support their creators can choose to do so. Otherwise just wait a week. Also, some don't want to do a monthly sub on Pateron or give Pateron their credit card info. Instead go watch a couple of videos then pour the money into the comics you like best. You know if those comic creators start making money they might actually do more updates more frequently.

Also since each creator can set their own pricing, comics that charge only a small amount are more likely to pick up supporters who aren't interested in or can't afford the lowest Pateron tier that creator has. For example, say creator X wants $5 a month vs. just buying a few early access unlocks on Tapastic for much less than $5.

[STAFF]

Thanks everyone. We're actually shocked by the great response we've gotten so far. I (Josh) asked Michael how many responses he thought we had so far and he guessed 50. It was actually over 800! And we're super close to 1000 responses (996) as I type this.

Also to clarify a few things...

1) Creators wouldn't receive Coins to spend in Tapas. You would actually cash out coins you received. This would be very similar to cashing out ad revenue.

2) This isn't really an example of a paywall. On Tapastic it would look EXACTLY the same as it does now. Your readers would basically be able to buy a sneak peek at your prescheduled episodes if they viewed your series on Tapas.

3) Please keep in mind there would be a way for readers to EARN coins by watching video ads. Ideally readers would watch an ad and give YOU the coins they earn. A way to simply donate those coins to help support creators is also something being discussed.

4) Creators would be able to set the price of their sneak peek episodes. These could be extremely low (less than a penny) if they so choose.

5) Moving the key/coin system to the web is not out of the question. Globally speaking, mobile is a very rapidly growing platform so it makes the most sense to develop mobile out and then move it to the web if the demand is there.

6) Compared to Patreon this would be targeted more towards the casual mobile reader vs. someone who decides to make a larger monthly commitment to your series...and you might be surprised how fast lots of little support adds up!

Thanks!

[ahkwardkat]

What about people like me who don't have the app (I can't download it). These coins have no value to me since I cannot even access them at all via the web version. I'd get a new phone, but it isn't possible right now. I know a lot of people in the same position as me, or choose to not to download the app.

So would people be forced to download the app to have access to the coins we want to cash out?

[WintreKitty]

I very much like the idea of donating coins to creators. I don't always care to get sneak peeks from creators since I have difficulty keeping up with the amount of comics I read to begin with. But I would love to be able to support creators whenever and however I can.

PS. I also did the survey

[Shanny8]

A concern that others have brought up is that it would be only available on the app. Is it possible that you guys can extend this towards desktop/computer format usage as well? I barely read comics on my phone- I like to see the integrity of the art on a larger screen...

[STAFF]

So would people be forced to download the app to have access to the coins we want to cash out?

Oh! So sorry if this wasn't clear. You wouldn't need the app to cash out. You would cash out through your Tapastic creator dashboard.

[ahkwardkat]

You wouldn't need the app to cash out. You would cash out through your Tapastic creator dashboard.

Ah that makes me feel much better about this then! Thank you!

[mariusthered]

I took part but i'm another desk top user so tapass is not my thing. in my view there would be a demand for us desk top users , I dont like mobiles and will only get one when I am forced too.

[UzukiCheverie]

I'd really like to know this as well. I believe I've brought it up in this thread already, but many creators and dedicated community members/readers - people who actively comment and take part in discussions and such - stick to the main PC version of Tapastic because it's just more convenient. Why use the app when it doesn't have the creator dashboard or the notifications dashboard? And while you're on your computer using the Tapastic website, checking said notifications and other things, why not catch up on some of your reading list comics while you're at it? You're already on the site, it would be dumb to switch from the website to the app for reading if you were already on the website to begin with (at least for that visit).

The divide between the Tapastic website and the Tapas app is substantial, and you can't expect creators to get excited about app features or want to try them when the app doesn't even offer what they need to use Tapastic the way they do as creators. And having some comics/features only available on the app seems like a waste of audience and resources to be perfectly honest; just look at all the people who have uninstalled the app because there's no point to having it for them and everything they want to do is only available on the website (and that doesn't even cover the people who literally can't get the app, either due to an older phone model, a phone model that isn't compatible with the app, or a lack of a phone altogether.)