If you just start a new comic today, would you bother with tumblr?

modrawmanga 2017-09-19 01:27:08 UTC #1

Tumblr seems to be the webcomic platform years ago before tapas and webtoon app become as common as it is today.
With technology and trends changed so fast in the past few years, do you think tumblr is still a relevant platform for webcomic these days?

Webcomic creator that was on tumblr from few years back (or a decade ago) already have a steady followings who see the updates as it was posted,
But if u just starting out today, how many random people on tumblr would use webcomic hashtags to browse for new webcomic on tumblr?

Any thoughts if tumblr is still a relevant platform if you're starting out from zero today?

Your response would be greatly appreciated

sarrowsmith10 2017-09-19 01:30:38 UTC #2

I think following comics on tumblr is a bit frustrating. It's easy to miss updates and it can be clunky to scroll through pages. I don't see any issue with promoting your comic using tumblr and just including links to a more reasonable webcomic host. IMO.

modrawmanga 2017-09-19 01:35:41 UTC #3

So it's best used as a social media, kinda like twitter? I'm just wondering if original webcomic content with zero tumblr followers is like something that random tumblr ppl will discover by hashtags

NaamanBlanco 2017-09-19 01:39:11 UTC #4

I still post every once-in-a-while to Tumblr, because with the writing style of some of my comics it is a good fit for that app. I feel people on Tumblr want the quick, simplistic "I get the idea in a few seconds" type comics. I agree with "sarrowsmith10" though. Tumblr is becoming irrelevant for some new web-comics in my opinion. Especially if you're a narrative writer with a focus on story.

NaamanBlanco 2017-09-19 01:40:19 UTC #5

I hashtag on my Tumblr posts just to increase traffic. I don't really see a lot though.

modrawmanga 2017-09-19 01:44:59 UTC #6

I see, thats a good insight thanks!

I've just started posting and not in a hurry, just tried to see which platform is worth the time investing to try to promote it vs just work on making quality content over time for specific target audience.

It does seem like tumblr is becoming less relevant for me specifically

Puppisama 2017-09-19 02:29:33 UTC #7

I never found Tumblr easy to use nor friendly for comics, the platform itself is plagued by porn so the attention might go where you don't want it to go.
Faster social media like instagram, twitter or facebutt are gaining strength day by day, since most people is there, a simple share means 1K+ will see it and maybe from those, 300 will click the link to the host. Is easier for you to keep your audience updated in more faster social media.

Puppisama 2017-09-19 02:31:08 UTC #8

Even though twitter is not good to upload pictures, it has gained a lot of attention in the comic world with the hashtags, you have ones like WebComicHour in Sundays where thousands of comic artists participate, is good to let everyone know you are doing comics too.

lilydusk 2017-09-19 02:48:45 UTC #9

I've given Tumblr a go but it's huge and confusing and intimidating. I just can't deal with the clunky interface and I wasted a lot of time figuring out how to use it. Also I feel like nobody would ever discover my posts unless I spend a massive amount of time 'interacting' with people? Anyway I gave up after a few attempts. I'm no expert but it might be easier to build an audience elsewhere (eg. Instagram or other comic posting platforms) and then redirect them to your Tumblr page if you really have to have one.

lilydusk 2017-09-19 02:54:44 UTC #10

It does seem a little to late to hop on to the Tumblr bandwagon, unless by luck, something we post goes viral, maybe

shazzbaa 2017-09-19 03:10:32 UTC #11

Yeah, I think it's useful as the former, not so much as the latter.

If I didn't have a tumblr already, would I bother with tumblr? Yeah, probably! There's a bunch of people using tumblr, so it'd be a good place to get eyes on my work. It's def not a perfect platform, but it's one of the most commonly used ones. So if I show up and post a bunch of art, I might attract some folks who are curious about what else I do. But I wouldn't use tumblr to JUST post my comic and then expect it to grow.

I think you can either use tumblr as social media -- basically a place to post art and engage with other people, and just include your comic or links to your comic in the stuff that you post -- or you can use tumblr as an RSS feed -- folks who already have an interest in your comic can follow it on tumblr in order to be alerted when it updates. But if all you're posting is your webcomic, then there's no reason for people who don't already read your comic to check it out. Nothing's bringing them in.

So yeah, TL;DR I think tumblr can be a useful social media as an artist, but a tumblr For A Comic Specifically And Nothing Else is not a very useful promotional tool.

TheThoughtfulBoxful 2017-09-19 03:18:32 UTC #12

WHELP, my master plan's been screwed.

I dunno, imo, I think tumblr's okay if you're a beginner looking for an affordable home base for your comic (READ: https://www.tumblr.com/theme/39018). Think of it as renting an apartment before buying a house (like upgrading to ComicPress as you mature as a creator and can afford a domain). That's how I see it, anyway...

EDIT: Of course, nobody's going to find your stuff if you don't promote it (via comic rocket, project wonderful, twitter, etc.), so take that into consideration, whatever platform you choose.

indagold 2017-09-19 15:04:18 UTC #13

My tumblr mirror for my webcomic is basically dead. No one looks at it or even touches it. I get more activity on smackjeeves of all places then tumblr. Might even not host it on there anymore because the scheduling system is a piece of dog crap.

Aspie_Gamer 2017-09-19 15:37:00 UTC #14

Oh hell no. Tumblr is too infamous at this point for being a SJW breeding ground. The Steven Universe fan artist who almost killed herself for being mercilessly harassed over drawing the characters in her own style ring any bells? Seriously, you can't have any fun with your art on there without some little SJW spaz going "DURR! THAT'S PROBLEMATIC!!!" or "UGH!! THIS PERSON IS (X)-PHOBIC!" often without any solid proof to back up their claims. And the sad thing is, more often than not, people will believe them without question and form an angry lynch mob faster than you can say "Liar Liar Pants on Fire!"

And since I know somebody is going to try and defend that cesspool, I don't doubt that you can find a comfortable niche there so long as you steer clear of the crazies not to mention I have seen posts that will viciously destroy SJW posts here and there, but me personally, I've heard too many horror stories about Tumblr and people, not just artists, who got ran off the site for petty reasons often because said SJW spaz started a witch hunt against said person or twisted things around to make themselves come off as the victim. Not the type of site I'd want to share LoaA with.

Not that I couldn't handle myself if a witch hunt was started against me for allegedly having "problematic" material in LoaA, but its just one of those things where you really have to wonder if its worth dealing with hundreds of teeny bopper SJW losers screaming in your face that you are a disgusting het cis person who needs to off themselves.

Rhombik 2017-09-19 18:01:21 UTC #15

I have an account but it does seem harder to get noticed there than on Tapas.

I'm still going to use it though because my comic is educational and there's more education based content there than on Tapas and other comic sites. I guess if you have a niche comic, it might pay off in some ways.

Definitely use the hash tags.

modrawmanga 2017-09-19 18:17:00 UTC #16

Yeah, I'm always several hours late for that comic book hour sunday event, I read what everyone says 3 hours later I'll try to set a timer or something to go on twitter next time cos I'm not on it that often

@lilydusk
yeah, I probably would allocate that massive amount of time on getting some productive work done instead of hoping someone on tumblr would discover my content

I like interacting with other creators here on the forum, especially when it comes to creative discussions and sharing similar experience,
but to interact just to get people to read my stuff just doesn't feel right to me

I also thought that when it comes to comic, different people have different taste that it's best to market to the intended target audience in my genre, instead of fellow creators of completely different genre who probably won't be interested anyhow
In the short experience I have so far, webtoon seemed to work best with zero marketing effort to be discovered, thus I can focus on just doing the work. This might change as time goes by, who knows

@shazbaa I have an old tumblr blog that posted fanarts only and it did get reblogs thousands of times, but I realized that they do it for the anime fandom, and probably wouldnt care for unknown original content but yeah it does seem like more of a social media than anything.

@ThoughtfulBoxful2.0 I never heard of comic rocket, I'm gonna look this up, thanks

@Aspie_Gamer s
I only heard of this steven universe by title and know nothing about it, so I probably won't be involved in some random drama concerning it, but thanks for the heads up

@GombikComics which hashtags? Just the webcomics hashtags?

Thanks for all the insight though, it's helpful

Rhombik 2017-09-19 18:18:33 UTC #17

You can put tags on the bottom of your posts. If tumblr users type those words into the search engine, your comic could come up.

Testaccount 2017-09-19 20:59:12 UTC #18

Tumblr scares me...so nope, I would never post any of my artwork on there.

Croik 2017-09-19 22:59:53 UTC #19

If you don't already have a tumblr with a decent following gained through other things (fandom, a specific niche blog etc) then I wouldn't suggest it as a main source of posting or promoting. There are plenty of blogs for original art and content but at this point it's hard to build a following based on people stumbling on your work. You'd either have to submit to a larger blog or hope someone with a large following reblogs you to gain any traction.

We use Tapas to post news, chat with followers, and share some extra fun content, but I wouldn't suggest posting full comic pages.

KoreanTacos 2017-09-19 23:07:00 UTC #20

I don't even bother with Tumblr anymore. I hate hashtags, it just invites the most unusual subs (mostly porn and food fanatics for my comic). People constantly going "Share my let's play/my recipe/my nudes." I make comics and sometimes enjoy other peoples art I'm not interested in those kind of things (unless the porn is especially goo- I mean NO!), I thought you followed me because you liked my comics. It's why I like Tapas cause if I have a sub (for the most part) it's because they generally want to read the comic I make.

When I get my next series started I'm ignoring Tumblr, wordpress get's me more attention than Tumblr does, without having the constant porn subs.