How important do you think replying to comments is?

[TheLemmaLlama]

it's nice to, but you're really under no obligation to.

Basically, yeah I think most of us would answer the same XD

some people consider replying to comments as 'desperate.'

I'd never accuse another creator of being desperate for replying to their comments, but I will admit I do worry about coming across as desperate for responding to mine, especially if it's obvious I didn't really have anything to say.

I generally only reply if I have something to say; I don't like forcing myself to come up with stuff because it'll end up sounding forced and if my readers are anything like me, they might think "oh, this person really values comments so much that they'll put in the effort to reply even when they clearly don't have anything to say, so as someone who likes their work I now feel like a bad person for not being a supportive fan and commenting on their episodes"

That, and I'm worried if I accidentally miss someone they'll think I hate them or got offended by their comment because I replied to everyone but them :'D

As a reader, my comments are basically graffiti; it's my impulse to 'mark' interesting (digital) territories with a sign of my presence It's something I do for posterity, regardless of whether or not other people respond to it, so there's no need to feel any more obliged to reply to my comment than to reply to a carving on a tree that says 'TheLemmaLlama wuz here' XD

ALSO: I've actually heard that some readers delete comments on webtoon when the author responds? Apparently some readers just wanna discuss with other readers and they don't actually like the author responding (this has happened to me before.) So YEAH.

Huh o_o I can't relate to the urge to do that :o

[migxmeg]

After feeling awkward and unsure about it works for a while, we decided to go with what pleases us which is replying to almost all of them .

We love reading comments and it's fun to chat back. While we don't keep track of old episodes or reply to every comment from a binge read + comments, we do sit down together and enjoy/reply to comments on new episodes and I think we'll keep that up at least through the end of our first comic. It's not out of obligation - I don't think there is any obligation at all for creators to reply to comments (or do anything - keep to a schedule, post at all... really). It's your comic, your party - do whatever makes you happy.

[AlydaB]

I try to respond to every comment I get, because as a reader, I really love getting to interact with the creator of a story I enjoy and knowing they see my feedback c:

I see it as a sign that they themselves love their story and feel proud of it, because they're excited to talk about it with the fanbase and encourage discussion. It also makes them feel more like a living, human person when they engage with their readers, and less like an absent, faceless comic-producing bot- which I'm not so inclined to want to support, thinking my thoughts aren't needed/desired. Sometimes these interactions are a lot of fun- like extra content for a story I love- and as a creator, I feel like it's pretty low-effort to provide that.

However, I do worry that my replies get annoyingly repetitive

Maybe because my story is so young, the majority of the comments I get praise the art rather than discuss the story or characters (as there isn't much of either established yet), so most of it ends up being some form of "aww thank you!"

I do enjoy getting to respond to those rarer comments that have to do with the story itself though. I had one devoted theorist a while back who asked lots of questions, and that kind of thing is so flattering as a creator.

[NickRowler]

I respond to some comments, tho not all.

I am awful with small talk so sometimes I don't really know what to say.

I have heard some readers getting annoyed when creators never respond. I do not think that is justified. If this was a physic book, there isn't going to be a "comment section", I feel like that is just an extra bonus of online media. And similar to my issue, maybe a creator doesn't know what to say. Especially if you have multiple people saying the same thing or people asking about spoilers, it's hard to respond to that. I have also heard bigger and more popular creators 100% avoiding it because they do not what to create a parasocial relationship with their audience, which is also fair.

[MartaTod]

I FEED on comments, I love them. I think it's important when you have a small number of conversation starting comments to reply because it lets the readers/followers know that the author saw it, and appreciates they took time to write it. I don't think it matters much to reply to everything when there are a lot of comments. And at one point it just gets a bit weird to reply to everything and leaving a like is enough.

But, I'm going to say it could be because I used to hang out in spaces and at a time where it was considered a norm to do this. We would leave comments to let the author know we wanted to see more. And authors replied because then it was the incentive for viewers to write more comments. Maybe it's not like that these days and likes are considered the major thing. I don't know... I think I'll always value the conversations more.

[Aleksei]

For me, I like to comment because I want the author to know that I am enjoying their work. Other times its hard to think on something, and I don't want to be too much of a fanboy, and pass on comments. So with those things on mind, I always try to reply on people who comments on my webcomic.
As long as it doesn't take much time or energy from me, I will reply back, unless I don't understand what is writen. Then I am spechless.

[Lady_T_Musings]

I love engaging back with folks that comment on my work or respond back to me when I gush on theirs! With that said, not all comments are conversation starters and that's a-ok. Acknowledging it's been seen is what's important in my book.

It's nice to know that even if it's an emoji or a silly reaction, that's someone taking time to show you some attention and that's just baller (Bc I am posting this online for people to see haha). The least I can do is appreciate that with a thumbs up or a heart, but if it's something I can feed off of and chat about, Oh Bay-Beh, I totally will lol.

When commenting on other folks' stuff, I try to bring up something I liked or had a question about, but sometimes I just want to add a lil something-something to show some love! So emojis or simple reactions is mega helpful for a quick sentiment.

[bronte448]

I always respond, if only with an emoticon.

[Kina]

To be honest, I also thought that responding to comments may get a bit too much, but with one story I was so invested in I looked forward to chatting with the creator. It actually made me smile each time they replied to my comment. Then I commented something under a different book and never got the response which made me kind of disappointed? Since then I appreciate creators taking their time to chat with readers.

[bulgariansumo]

Oh, I absolutely love getting comments. Because of that, I love giving them, too! It's always nice to show another creator what you like and find interesting about their work. A lot of effort goes into each installment, and I want them to know that their effort is seen.

Another site I'm on had a similar thread asking commenters if they like when creators respond back, and I was shocked to see most people saying no. I think the consensus was that people saw the comments section as a place to give their thoughts and chat with other fans. But I feel like that kind of thing only makes sense for a story that's wildly popular.

Anyway, I'm glad to know I'm not alone here!

[Zay]

I love responding to comments. I want my comment section to feel like a party and we're all just having fun.

[Nada]

I love receiving comments (respectful of course) knowing that people read what I post, leave a like and an opinion, it motivates me a lot to work on a new episode. I always reply to them, even with lots of emojis.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

I respond to comments.
Still waiting for some.

[hakei]

I think if you have a small following, replying back to comments is important to help cultivate your initial audience (if that is what your goal). If you have a mid to big following, it's less important.

What counts as a small or a mid/big following is subjective, but defintely there is a point where you replying to all comments becomes not only too time-consuming and mentally-taxing, but also — interestingly enough— may be a deterrent.

ALSO: I've actually heard that some readers delete comments on webtoon when the author responds? Apparently some readers just wanna discuss with other readers and they don't actually like the author responding (this has happened to me before.) So YEAH.

Yeesss exactly!
This happened to me as well

Some commenters don't want to know the creators are actually reading their comments.
Probably because of something along the lines of "oh no the creator noticed my embarassing comment that I'd only meant for other readers to see, quick!! Delete it."

[darthmongoose]

I always try to respond to comments unless they're really hard to respond to at all, or rude, and I like to think it's paid off. My comments section is very lively with lots of familiar faces who even respond to each other's comments now.

When I comment, especially saying something nice that's very specific, on a comic that doesn't have tons of comments, and I don't get a response at all, to me it feels like "this person doesn't care if people read or not." Which is like... okay, fair, if you don't really care either way, that's very cool... But you know who's never gonna be cool? Me. I'm gonna be over here giving my readers lots of attention and making them feel like they're special, valued customers for taking the time to read my comic on an app where there are thousands of other comics they could have read. If you don't want to, it's your choice, but you'd better not complain about poor engagement if you're not even doing the bare minimum to encourage it.

It's my personal philosophy to never take people's interest in my work for granted. I'm not special and I don't just deserve readers for being awesome. Readers are something you need to work for. You need to make the most entertaining and accessible thing you can make, you need to go out and let people know it exists and you need to do everything you can to make them feel like reading it every week is a rewarding experience. Making them feel like part of a welcoming community can be a very effective part of that.

[DualDragons]

Generally I do respond to my comments, sometimes I don't when I can't think of what to say or I don't have the time at the moment to type a comment. However I do always like the comments made in my comment section so readers atleast see I pay attention and appreciate that they are commenting on my work.

[MeltingCORE]

I always respond to comments because I'm grateful to have a readerbase. It sometimes may take me awhile due to being busy or tired but I always respond. The only time I don't is if I honestly can't think of a reply. That's happened on rare occasions.

[Stargazer31]

I always like my comments, and I always try to reply if I can think I'll f a response

[iHateFridays]

Ye I try to reply most of the time XD If they leave like ten comments at once then I usually only reply to a few lol

[system]

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