you have a point there.
point taken.
This I would not mind since it wouldn't be a stranger.
This has only happened to me once and I deleted the comment.
This.
If they are just using me for their own benefit with no regard for my feelings, then they aren't the type of creator I want to interact with anyways. That sort of defeats the purpose of meaningful networking.
I find that being genuine in my interactions with the community has resulted in more financial and personal success than chasing subs and irritating people.
Agreed! I actually missed a PM from Smackjeeves saying they wanted to feature me and I needed to upload a cover image. By the time I shifted through all the other PM junk, it was too late, the time frame for the opportunity was gone.
I think there are arguments for this going both ways, personally I don't mind doing a sub for sub when I come across it in the forums, as long as the other person actually subs back. In your message, it wasn't a sub-for-sub and you didn't follow my comic.
Secondly, I know you make the argument that even if you piss off a couple of people, as long as some of them subscribe its a win for you. But is it really? Pissing off people hurts your reputation (which is usually pretty hard to build). If you had come to me politely, asking me for specific feedback, maybe subbed my comic, it would have been a wonderful networking opportunity. I could have given you comments, subbed and been active on your comic, which boosts your stats. I've definitely done this with other creators, and when paying jobs came up I often refer those jobs to people I've been interacting with. That's how networking helps you. When you get blocked or ignored for soliciting, you have an opportunity lost cost. I guess its up to you to decide if the benefit out weighs the cost.