Mar 2016
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Mar 2016
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PixyByte
Mar '16

I decided to try it today, but I got so many down votes right off the bat, on more than one of my comic strips. Like within 10 minutes of posting a comic strip, it would already be in the negatives, like -8. I'm going to just leave one up for awhile and see what happens. I know not everyone is going to like my comics. Just didn't expect to get such a negative rating that fast. That really bummed me out though. My comics are like gag-a-day comics, no previous knowledge of my other comic strips necessary, so I figured it would do ok on Imgur (not knowing much about Imgur to begin with).
Are my comics really that bad?
Is Imgur difficult to get upvotes?
Has anyone had better luck than me on it?

Pixy Byte on Imgur17
Pixy Byte on Tapastic3

  • created

    Mar '16

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    Mar '16
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DTSaranya
Mar '16
1

I've been lucky enough to hit front page once. I usually get around ~40 upvotes when I post, a few hundred on a good day. Have made most viral twice, and I know of at least one other instance (I think it's the only one, but I can't technically be sure) when someone else made the front page by reposting one of my comics.

Imgur is usually looking for humor more than artwork (as far as webcomics go, at least. Imgur loves truly beautiful and unique artwork just as much as reposted memes), and if the joke isn't all that powerful of a punch line or is a common kind of overused joke, people can be brutal. Luck is also a huge factor - the same image may do wonderfully one day, but awful the next.

Looking at your post, your description may have turned people off a bit. You mention the fact that you are the main character, and people who don't know you might find that narcissistic. Plus, the facebook link might come across as self-serving. You will probably do better if you win them over BEFORE trying to advertise yourself - like replying to comments with a link if people ask if they can find you elsewhere.

The description also is important on imgur. You can try something a little more personal (my front page one had a description of "I started drawing a comic thing recently"), or just the title with "(OC)" afterward if you want to tactfully draw attention to the fact that it's your own work.

The image size and quality of your post also could be better. Some people may beat up on you for that.

Don't take it as a sign that your comics are "bad," though, if you get downvoted. It happens sometimes. You'll need to have thick skin and just keep experimenting until you get the hang of what they like. Imgur is a haven for everyone posting what they find funny, so as much as usersub might seem random and unfunny, you are competing with some of the best the internet has to offer if you want to make it past usersub. So, don't take it too hard if your post doesn't go too well. People love to downvote.

bouncyegg
Mar '16

To be honest, I rarely use Imgur when not posting the image directly to Reddit. I want people to click on my actual website, and I find that it's uncommon when just seeing the image on Imgur. Don't get discouraged! Imgur can be a little harsh at times.

http://tapastic.com/series/thebouncyegg3

PixyByte
Mar '16

Yeah it doesn't seem like a place people would want to sit and look through a bunch of one person's work, although as harsh as it comes across, it is nice to see just how many people like/don't like something. At least for a quick confirmation as to what works and what doesn't. I prefer sites like this, however. Where it's more friendly and there's more of a community here.

PixyByte
Mar '16

What exactly is the issue with the size and quality? So I can fix it now instead of getting beat up by others later.

hushicho
Mar '16

If people are being hateful and unreceptive, just don't bother with them. I'd say try other venues because you're wasting time on a bunch of haters. If a community is unwelcoming, it's usually not worth the trouble and time it'll take to try and win them over, especially if they're already set against you.

DTSaranya
Mar '16
PixyByte

It's a bit small, and therefore hard to see. I find that 900 pixels is a good, readable width for most sites. It's large enough to be clear and detailed but small enough to be easy on the eyes. I use 900 pixel-wide images for tapastic, imgur, and my site. I draw them larger, though, so that I've got a larger version, but resize them to 900 for almost all sites.

I'm no expert on sizes, resolution, etc. I only started doing digital art recently. But, that's what works for me. Someone more experienced may be able to give you better advice than I.

DTSaranya
Mar '16
hushicho

This mentality works in terms of not taking it personally. You shouldn't let your thoughts dwell on downvotes or mean comments. If anyone tries to make you feel bad about your work, you should disregard it. The only valid criticisms are constructive ones.

However, you really shouldn't ditch a site or a community altogether because a few people were unwelcoming. Reddit and imgur (especially reddit) are the best way to generate interest and notoriety for your comic. They both are massively useful tools for sharing your work, even if you may need to brace yourself through the anxiety of risking a bad result.

As I've said in other threads, even if you end up with a downvoted post - let's say at -3 with 6 downs and 3 ups (including yourself), that's still 2 more people who now know and like your comic, whereas you'd have had 0 if you never posted. If your post happens to do well, then you end up with a bunch more, which is invaluable.

gnekomikero
Mar '16

Your aim is views so just ignore the downvotes but if you found that their comment somehow true then just deal with it. 40% of post are suscessful 60% are not but sometimes i read some comments that might can help to improve my works more

bjornar
Mar '16

One thing Imgur has succeeded at is leaving me puzzled and confused..

This one6 did really good, ending up with 1k+ upvotes and nearly 100k views.

This one4, which I personally consider to be one of my best, flunked at 4 points (12 up/8 down) and under 2k views.

I am trying to find a rational explanation, but the only thing I can think of is that my sense of humour is screwed up smiley

DTSaranya
Mar '16

@bjornar Imgur's a little fickle. I've seen one of my images get fewer than 50 upvotes and then end up on the front page the next week reposted by someone else. That being said, I WOULD expect the user service joke to do better than the hedgehog one because it's more catered to the young, computer-savvy community that tends to hang around on imgur. They love poking fun at those who don't understand the internet/malware/etc.

It also took a few moments for the punch line of the hedgehog one to click in my case, I think because the joke could apply to any animal of that size, and my brain was looking for something specific to a hedgehog. Not sure if that was common for other people or if I'm just oblivious, but if people don't get the joke right away in usersub they'll often just move on.

maximumthemokona
Mar '16
bjornar

I think it's because the first one is extremely relatable. IT people will eat that stuff up and share it with all their coworkers. "Hey, remember when that client kept coming in, everytime with a new virus?" They'll print it out and hang it in their cubicle.
The second one is a... slightly less universal experience XD

PixyByte
Mar '16
DTSaranya

I think you're just nitpicking on size, because it's really up to each person if it's too small/big. I haven't had any complaints so far about size, so I'm not going to worry about that.

PixyByte
Mar '16
bjornar

Everyone has a different sense of humor. But, if anyone says they don't get the joke, you didn't do a good enough job depicting the joke, or it was too much of an inside joke or "you had to be there" type thing.

bouncyegg
Mar '16

Anyone know how to add a link to my Imgur image description? I see people having them, but anytime I put something there, it's just plain text.

PixyByte
Mar '16

No, I don't think you can. I tried putting a FaceBook link and it showed up as text too.

That's the feedback I got on this post.
Might want to post a new forum thread with your question, so more people can see it and give you more answers.

DTSaranya
Mar '16
bouncyegg

If you add the http:// before the link, it'll be blue and clickable. Be careful, though, as some people in usersub downvote for advertisey-looking things. Others appreciate the source, though. Depends on the phrasing and on how lucky you get with the crowd.

bouncyegg
Mar '16

Thanks! I was making a dumb mistake by not looking at the image as it appears on Imgur.