The problem with popular visibility. ( A discussion of new way to be discovered )

[InfinipopComics]

Yeah, I've noticed that the progression on my series is basically zero. It's not like Webtoon, where each time I post something I'll slowly gain 5-10 subs, and get a bit more views each time. There, I actually see IMPROVEMENT each time I upload something, because there´s always people on the Discover section. Here on Tapas, no matter how many or how frequently I upload episodes, I will get similar amount of views (or less) and, therefore, no subs, which then again translates into no views; like a vicious cycle.

Where am I going with this? I think that the most popular comics that are on the main page plus the daily snack all cover the "entertainment needs" of the readers; when they finish reading the popular ones, they don't feel the need for more. On Webtoon, people read the daily features (maybe up to 10-15 series of different categories) and then some go on Discover, probably because their demand for entertainment hasn't been fully fulfilled.

To summarize, Tapas should change the structure of the site so that there's a more clear "Discover" section in addition to maybe lowering the amount of space and quantity that the popular series take up. That way, more people would be drawn to the Discover section and smaller creators would get their stuff viewed more often.

That's it, thanks for reading

[Arvo]

I think Tapas should have some sort of "relevance system," in which, after reading a certain amount of comic/novel chapters, a recommended list appears which showcases other series of similar genre to the one the reader is currently engaged in or what fellow readers tend to read along with that said series. Think of it like an "other users also read blah blah..." kind of system where the site recommends other (hopefully lesser known but otherwise great) content based on the taste compatibility of the audience.

Another option would also be a "surprise me" button which randomly selects a series out of the current tapas database in which gives higher chances of showcasing a lesser known series that has potential, momentum, or compatibility to the certain audience's taste in genre and style.

All in all, I think that the creators are responsible for promoting their own works but the site's aid and assistance are definitely welcome to have anytime. Let's all work hard everyone and continue helping each other out.

[Aura-Redwood]

I would love if there was a group of people who went through works with less than like 50-100 subscribers and just picked out the best (or best 5) and posted them up weekly or something like that.

[samueltcopp]

I would love some kind of Daily Snack for comics with a certain number of episodes and a small number of subscribers. Example would be more than 10/20 pages and subs less than 300. This is just an example, but some kind of math to ensure the lesser known comics get more coverage.

[Momomori]

what if Tapas had a section just for completed comics and novels? so that new and ongoing comics could have some time in the popular or trending section. idk there could be too much room for error like that

[kip]

I was actually thinking that too!
It’s also great when you just want to bringe read a story, especially since webcomics tend to be “neverending”, whether they’re ongoing or just dropped midway

[Aura-Redwood]

Maybe something along the line of Staff's favourites. This list would include new favourites Staff have personally found and liked that week. So it would change every week.
If this is too much work for staff maybe there should be weekly nominations for favourites that aren't already popular.

[kip]

That seems a bit similar to the Daily Snacks?

[joe_galindez]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but what if Tapas had a blast-from-the-past kind of section? It would show what was hot a certain number of years or months ago, while exclusing titles that are still ongoing.

[jurinova]

As a reader and an artist it kinda sucks that finding less known comics actually takes a lot of effort. The Trending section on the front page is something I check often, but now that's on the bottom of the page again. The Popular section is probably great for attracting new visitors but for regulars it's kinda boring to keep running into the same comics over and over again.

I personally like the idea of a recommended comics based on what the user has liked or read. That would make it easier to find something completely new and but also interesting. A chosen list of recommendations is also nice but it's more limiting than algorithm based recommendations.

I think it would also be a good idea to have a list of just updated comics/novels next to the popular and trending sections. At least that list would be constantly changing, so even if someone couldn't get to trending or popular they'd still have a change to get noticed.

[cleo_san]

I was thinking in these lines too, @joe_galindez mentioned.

I know the tapas staff can't hand-pick each curator-comic, but what about a random list? up to 10 completely random comics/novels can be displayed on front page, either completely mixed or by Genre? =) This should technically be possible <3

[Croik]

I know the tapas staff can't hand-pick each curator-comic, but what about a random list? up to 10 completely random comics/novels can be displayed on front page, either completely mixed or by Genre? =) This should technically be possible <3

They won't do completely random because of the risk of bots or porn comics appearing on the front page.

Personally I wonder if there's some way us users could help whoever it is that picks for Daily Snack. They're often fit into a theme, so maybe a thread that's "Rec us comics that have MICE" and then the mice fans toss in a link so they're not scrounging for themes?

But then there might be a fierce temptation for a bunch of mice to appear in everyone's latest update

[endlessuprising]

Hurray- people like yourself are exactly what we need! I was thinking there just wasn't an audience for long-form comics here.. prove a point that there is- it's just they aren't seen amongst a mass of one-panel, joke a day types.

[Hexigate]

A computer can't reliably choose high-quality comics and novels; there's far too many interlacing factors that make a series "good" to the audience.
I have a hint of doubt that even human curators truly know what a "good" series is (then again, maybe i'm just being pessimistic.)

[Hexigate]

I'm making a story webcomic right now, and I wish there was a bigger audience for long-form, story-oriented series. Simply put, it takes a lot more emotional investment and time to get into a story series.

[villainesayre]

I don't know if it was actually mentioned before but I think that it may somehow solve the problem and it's not like a big problem to introduce to the site.

Leaving the front page aside as it will always promote popular comics (hey, I know that everyone wants to be popular with their comic BUT actually some of the comics have that thing that made them become popular! I've seen people who seek attention but sadly to say that - their comic is just no good, so people won't read them, cause for example the story and art sucks - sorry to say that but I think that someone should even though it's awful - it's true [and tapastic won't list them on the front page cause people actually look for quality comics])I'd like to suggest something that was on Tapastic BEFORE the ad revenue program - that is: when you've been reading a comic in the place where now ads are listed - there were random comics that you could read. And I think that something like the whole: "you liked that story? try to read these too! they are somehow similar but also a different kind of comics!

I mean that maybe a little thumbnails should appear somewhere with random comics based on genre what we are reading at the time. I like visuals so I love to choose to read a comic when it's hidden behind a smartly used icon. Or just looking to read some similar stories, right? Cause we all seek for what we already like and then we find some new good stories to enjoy.

EDIT: And please don't say that creators need to be promoted to get better - I think that we should learn at least basics about making comics/art/science/sport etc before actually doing some kind of work. And by just doing it without learning we tend to make the same mistakes over and over again. People put high hopes in their work, especially if they are young but that doesn't mean that a not good enough comic should land on first page just because it needs some readers to define that. I really don't like when someone do a half-assed job and then complain about it not working how it should. But I also think that many of the good stuff is probably not being seen because of lack of advertisement although Tapastic shouldn't be the only one doing it's job. It's creators work to deal with advertising their own work! Remember that!

[crystalfilgian]

Someone give this pal a trophy.

[endlessuprising]

Yeah, I agree with you. Long-form rocks. Will come and check your work out.

[GalacticPotato]

I wouldn't call my comic "great" or "a hidden gem" but not a lot of people have seen it hero on tapas.

[specticentertainmen]

I originally thought that's what the tags were for and it kind of confuses me that they don't do something as simple as that instead of showing everyone the same comics. For example, if I've shown 0 interest in romance comics but I'm always being shown romance comics in my daily snack that's just a waste of everyone's time. but if they would just automatically show you comics with related tags from the get-go there is a much higher chance of the reader seeing comics they like artists being discovered and tapas getting to profit from it (everyone is happy). to me, it seems like common sense but I'd like to think there is a reason they haven't done it yet.