Can I tune out some authors when I get too many notifications from them?

[Marvin]

Hello !

I'd like to talk about the notifications system.
Some authors are very active on their walls and as I don't give a damn about them streaming everyday, sending gifts, organizing contests and whatnot, I'd like to tune out some of them, is that possible ? (but still get their updates of course) I mean, I even get a notification when they reply to a thank you drawing ! In some cases, I even had to unsubscribe, since I'd rather go see manually if the comic had an update whenever I think of it than keep getting incessant alerts.
And if I have a feeling that the story is on hiatus for whatever reason, I can go to the author's page to check... but the authors I would tune out are also the kind to make a special episode if they go on hiatus - that's ok with me - or a special drawing when they come back or an extra they drew 12 years ago, or "oh, look guys at those fanarts people did for me !"... I mean, isn't that what the wall is for ?

Also, I find it very confusing that when someone replies to you after you sent them a message, it goes in the same notification box than the general notification... Isn't there some kind of "inbox" or something ?

Or maybe, for the wall thing, the author could rate his own notifications from "random things" (streaming for ex) to "highly important, please inform all my readers" (hiatuses, chapter updated...) and the reader could choose to be an "interested reader" or a "hardcore fan"... For people like me who don't have the time to check their notifications everyday and don't want the important ones to be drowned under unimportant others, that would be awesome... :/

I know that tapastic is based on the principle of community and I love it, but for some authors, it's a bit too much and make some people want to unsubscribe so maybe there's something to do in that area ?

Thanks !

[Jelw]

As of now there is no filtering available at all as far as I know. The notification system as it is now is by no means a final product, it's still decently new and a work in progress. (The staff has mentioned before that there are definitely improvements in store.) Ideally, in the future some sort of filtering will be available because. (Preferrably sooner than later)
As for people adding episodes to comics for updates like that: there is actually a policy against non comic episodes in comics. It's something flagable/reportable as well.

[AnnaLandin]

I try to use my wall-posts sparingly to avoid situations like this for my readers, but yeah, a filter would be appreciated. I'd like to be able to filter out the "So-and-so liked this page of your comic!"-notifications, because, well... I can't really reply to that. Subs, comments, etc., - those are all things I can reply/react to, but likes? They're nice to have as statistics, but I don't need to have my inbox cluttered with them.

[gateofselidor]

I would like some way of filtering notifications as well, particularly the ability to not receive wall notifications about certain creators. There are a few comics I'm subscribed to where the authors post so much to their walls that I feel more like I'm friends with them on Facebook or something than subscribed to their comic. At times I even feel tempted to unsubscribe from their comics, even though I actually like reading them.

[Marvin]

Yeah, I remember reading something about non comic episodes policy but few of us readers are ready to actually report anything... It feels pretty mean =)
Personnally, I'm not against extra drawings from time to time (like an inter chapter drawing) but I feel they should come with a real update so that the readers don't feel "cheated"...
And authors that post a lot of extra drawings should open a new comic only for extras.... (or we should get that "gallery" someone was talking about)

[blop]

I agree with everything said here. But first of all what I really would like is an inbox for personnal messages, reply to me, etc...
I'm use to ignore all of that notifications cause most of the time it's stuff that I don't care about, but sometimes I realize that someone put a message on my wall or reply to me somewhere like ages ago and I did'nt see it because it was drawn in so many other notifications.
So before having a rating system for notifications, or anything like that, it would be reeeeally great to have an inbox.

[winglesscomic]

in the stream a couple of days ago they said they were working on revamping the notification system.

I don't like wall spam too but it would be nice to opt out of stuff, or even have different categories to subscribe to and categorize your wall posts as (like 'contests' or 'streams' and etc.). Some people care about streams, fan art, etc., some people don't, and I think the walls could be utilized much better if they organized them or at least had filters. Like I don't want a notification if there's a stream but I do if they post an important message or Reached X Subs or something like those things.

[Jelw]

Yeah I've never actually used the report function either since I feel like until the wall system gets improved it's understandable to prefer notifying readers via comic.
I like comics that have extra gallerys or off-taptastic areas for that stuff. Or it can be good when tacked at the end of a regular scheduled update even.

[UzukiCheverie]

I feel like this is something Tapastic is actually planning on integrating soon, although it rests on the creator's shoulders as well. To me, if you're notifying subscribers with your wall posts, it had better be something damn important. Like if you have books or merchandise available or if you're planning on doing a new series or something that will actually affect the reader. If you're notifying what could be thousands of subscribers with a picture of your cat or something, well, that's what Facebook is for.

[AnnaLandin]

@UzukiCheverie Thus far, I've only used wallposts for one thing - thank-you pictures for reaching a certain number of subscribers, since I don't want to upload those as pages of my comics (because we're not supposed to, and also it would clutter up the flow of the comic for new readers). Most other announcements I can fit into the author's comment box beneath a page.

But yeah, I agree - wall-posts should be shared with readers only if it's about the comic in some way.

[Marvin]

Well, I get that some people like to communicate a lot with the authors so I don't think we should establish such a strong policy (and most of the time, it is something related to their comic even if it's a contest or sending prints or something).
And personnally I don't read the author box notes very often so I could miss a lot of things that way (plus, I guess a lot of author like to illustrate their notes...)

That's why I think a rating system would be good (even if it's just "Important" / "not so important").
But I also agree with @blop when she says that an inbox for messages is a priority.

[hades]

Oh dear, I didn't know there was such a strong dislike towards wall posts. I usually use them to announce streams or updates for the comics. I'll try and lessen them greatly in regards to stream posts. o.o;

[Menbung]

It all goes into the same notification box so you may think you have a new sub, comment, like, etc, but it turns out to be a "hey check my DA account" . . . . . . . . . . . and if you reply to that, like: wow cool I'm gonna check it, you will get every single comment that is made on that message, even if they're not addressed to you. It can become a little annoying at times.

I know the peeps at Tapastic are working on something, so we'll have to wait a bit =]

[Marvin]

It's not really a dislike towards wall posts per se. Sometimes I'm happy to see authors and readers communicating so much, and I totally get that it's also a way to promote oneself... but I'd like to chose what notifications I get (which doesn't mean I won't go to the author's wall by myself from time to time to see what they're up to).
To me, the problem doesn't come from you (unless you start posting photos from your last holidays) but from the way the notification system is organized. Let's hope they come out with some good ideas ! =)

[thecokers]

should establish such a strong policy (and most of the time, it is something related to their comic even if it's a contest or sending p

Been thinking about this a lot lately. My brother and I would love to post regular updates showing sketches, layouts etc, but of course not everyone's going to be interested in that sort of content. I worry that we could end up bleeding users. How often is too often? Is twice a week acceptable? Once a week?

A filtering system of some sort would be best. I actually think an overhaul of the wall-post system might be a good idea too, perhaps something that provides more blog-like functionality?

-- Shobo

[keii4ii]

So before having a rating system for notifications, or anything like that, it would be reeeeally great to have an inbox

This please ;A; It's a pain trying to find private messages that I've SENT other people, since those are scattered across different profiles.

[sundanceann]

I'm totally with you here.

As a reader, I wish we could have a button for subscribing/unsubscribing from a creator's activity feed. If I could, I'd turn off notifications for artists with a lot of live-stream announcements, and still be able to read their comic.

I don't want to debate unsubscribing from a comic I love because of notifications.

[Marvin]

My brother and I would love to post regular updates showing sketches, layouts etc

Why don't you open a new mini comic that would act as a gallery ? You can make an announcement on your wall when you open it, and only the readers that want to see the content get the notification while the other can check it whenever they want...

something that provides more blog-like functionality

What do you mean ? like with archives and all that ? I'm not sure that would be a good idea since it would complicate things a lot. And many authors already have a link to their tumblr or actual art blog...

[thecokers]

would act as a gallery ? You can make an announcement on your wall when you open it, and only the readers that want to see t

Creating a new mini comic isn't a bad idea, but it's a workaround, and we'd also want to include a decent amount of text in each update.

Regarding blog-like functionality, I meant the ability to include more than one image in each notification post, use hyperlinks, more sophisticated formatting, that sort of thing.

[winglesscomic]

Honestly I'd really go to the "Extras" comic route. If I kept getting spammed with extra art I'd just unsub. That's why I think it'd be good to make the Extras comic instead so that people who enjoy those things only get updates.

The way the system works right now kind of sucks because those kind of things are relevant to the comic and should be posted to walls, like fanart, streams, extra art, etc., but it also means that everyone who is subscribed gets the notification for it regardless of if they care about it or not. I'm not someone who cares about those things but other people do, and right now it's unfair to both sides imo...

If I had the ability to post artwork and shit to only people that cared, my wall would be filled with that stuff. I hope this system gets changed sooner than later, for the better. ( ´∀｀)