May 2017
82 / 179
May 2017
May 2020
GoldenPlume
May '17

What would be great is if Tapas could code something where it automatically makes suggested series based on a reader's preferences. Say for example you like robot based series. If you have 4 or 5 robot series in your library, Tapas then suggests robot series that you haven't read. A push could go out once a week similar to a Daily Snack but instead it lists the last five updates for series based on your preferences that you haven't yet read.

Bloop-bleep-bloop! Hey reader, here are five robot series that updated this week that we know you would just LOVE to read. -Staff

The nice thing about this is because its completely automated staff doesn't have to put in any resources into it other than the initial coding. It also helps solve the situation of discover ability because now readers who will naturally enjoy your series will eventually find it because of their preferences.

Another way to do preferences, rather than library based, is to have some some sort of section where readers can go in and click boxes for what they prefer. I like this this this and this. Then Tapas automatically starts making recommendations based on those preferences. Once a reader reads that series, it won't be recommended again for a while, that way even small series at the "bottom of the pile" will eventually rise to the top because everyone else in front of them has been recommended.

GoldenPlume
May '17

Probably genres. Every series selects their main genre (which is how it is now) and then sub-genres up to say 5.

Readers select sub-genres up to 5.

The hamsters in the servers then do the matchmaking, turn the wheel, and push out a weekly notification.

trinkettrancemusic
May '17

Algorithms based on more detailed sub-genres is a great idea. I'm sure I'm missing out on a ton of great stories because I neglect the main genre the creator felt was the closest fit.

Louistrations
May '17

How about a "random series" button? It's a simple idea that would be fairly easy to implement (probably). I think Crunchyroll has this, along with many other sites. Could be limited to sites that updated within 24 hours. Would be very nice for those long boring lunch breaks!

Or you know, allow paid promotion...? Tapas would make a lot of money from allowing people to buy those single comic-specific panels on the homepage. Or perhaps I'm just crazy.

LordVincent
May '17

I'm not sure I like the idea of paid promotion since it can contribute to creating a divide between the rich and the poor on the site...

Louistrations
May '17

I suppose that's true, I know I wouldn't be able to afford it. I know people that work on their comics as their only profession and it would be most beneficial for them, instead of just hoping to be noticed.

Or perhaps replace those low paying and repeated google ads shown below comics with paid comic ads? Or allow people to earn coins via the app by viewing comics? I miss earning coins since the video ads dried up.

GoldenPlume
May '17
Louistrations

No, you're not. We have pitched Tapas on at least three separate occasions with three different takes on how to monetize the first ad box in every desktop view. The last rendition is currently undergoing review but given its last mentioned position in the priority queue, it could be weeks to months before a decision is made. The last rendition is probably the best because it allows creators to pool resources and lease out the box with their series in rotation in the ad space pro-rated by how much they contributed to the pool.

In the short term we ended up having to give our money to Amazon and Project Wonderful. TopWebComics is next once all the art requirements are done.

If an artist has spent $XX,XXX on schooling, what's $YYY or $Z,ZZZ more in investing in their own work by promoting their series? Art school is a self investment and so is marketing.

Also if Tapas starts generating more ad revenue, it means more ad revenue for the popular series. Hiveworks is charging $2 CPM. Creators here are earning around $.18 CPM. If some Tapas creators are willing to pay for ads that produce more revenue for everyone we're all for that.

Nio_Kasgami
May '17
Louistrations

lol this nothing hard to do! because I assume that the database for the comic are pretty much a BIG array or a object with a "key"
then the only thing's is to make a generator that EACH time you click it it's take a random number

const LibraryDatabase = {
    "SomeKamic": {
        "author": "SomeAuthor"
    }
}

const LibraryName = [
    "SomeKamic"
];

let randomInt = Math.floor(Math.random() * LibraryName.length);
let selectedComic;

for(let i= 0; i< LibraryName.length; i++){
    if(LibraryName[i] === randomInt){
        selectedComic = LibraryName[i];
    }
}

LibraryDatabase[selectedComic];

After this just a quick example I highly doubt it's would work that way it's just kinda a idea of how you can create that xD.

Devika
May '17
Louistrations

These are great ideas! These spaces exist already, so there's no new additional adspace to clog up the UI and it's not pushing away "free" comics. That would make the ads much more relevant to the viewers too. The potential downside I see is that these spaces might be ridiculously expensive...

I understand the worry about creating a divide between "rich and poor" comics, but the divide is already there unfortunately. Not only are many popular comics on here already well monetized, the mere fact that everyone here lives in different countries with different prospects in life is a huge factor... I mean just look at the US and the crazy student debts there. If that isn't a financial divide I don't know what is... I don't think that placing comics in the existing ad spaces would make a huge difference in creating divides. If anything, if these spaces are made affordable, it could even out the playing field a bit.

GoldenPlume
May '17

The popular comics wouldn't probably even want these boxes because they are already well known on Tapas so it wouldn't really benefit them due to having achieved market saturation. For example, would there be any point in Sarah's Scribbles running ads? A reader pretty much has to be living under a digital rock to not know about the series.

The boxes would most benefit those series on the app that have no featured footprint and have very little to no chance of ever being featured (gray scale, long form, right-to-left, non-BL, one page updates, etc.).

If anything it levels the playing field for the start-ups who are at the bottom of the pile and want to invest in themselves to try to move on up. Since popular comics produce the most views, they would benefit the most from the increased ad revenue.

LordVincent
May '17

I guess, when you put it like that it does sound like an idea that could help smaller creators. Maybe it's just the socialist in me that shudders a little :slight_smile: What I imagined was already popular series using their ad rev income to pay for ads, creating a larger divide, but thinking about it they have no reason to do so.

GoldenPlume
May '17

Right. Popular creators have achieved market saturation on Tapas. It would be different if they are trying to reach readers outside of Tapas ("external marketing") but within there's just no point ("internal marketing"). They're more than welcome to make the ad spend, but their subs count wouldn't really change much vs. someone who is just starting off and could gain 100s to 1000s of subs from the spend. Popular creators would benefit more from using something external like Project Wonderful.

apenguin
May '17

Someone might have already said this...

As a reader I was very sad to see how hard it was to find lesser known comics as I love to read these. I think there are actually many of us who'd like to read lesser known comics!

This could be easily solved by providing an advanced search-bar where you could search with key-words/genre and be able to sort the results in alphabetic order/popularity or sub-count??? And also choose if you want to read an ongoing or finished comic!

Lani
May '17

Id like to see (the return of?) subgenres.... I struggle a lot with placing my work into the right genre- simply because I think it fits into several categories! I think it would be great to be able to search several genres at once, so you'd get a better idea of what you're looking at! (And let's face it, a name, thumbnail, and single genre don't give that much info at first glance)

scroll
May '17

This has already been said, but I would like to see an improvement on the search and an added "suggested" feature.

One way you could improve visibility by suggested titles (If you liked this you might also like these comics) is adding standard tags. So besides the custom made tags we now can set (and are searchable but only one at a time), there could be a LARGE list of standard tags that creators can check according to what suits their comics. From these tags automated suggestions can be generated matched against what comic the reader is currently following.

Perhaps readers can even submit what tags they want to follow, and as soon as something is published meeting the preferences there will be a recommendation.

Also, the search needs improving to be able to narrow down a search. I don't just want everything that is "sport" I also want "sport +vampires" possible excluding "sport +vampire -music".

amingv
May '17

RE: Suggested lists.

Has anyone noticed this (new?) functionality in the app before? (Don't know if it's actually new, but I hadn't seen it before nor do I remember it being announced. It can be reached by checking a series description from within the app, so kinda hidden.)

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No idea what criteria is used to feed the list and it's kind of a mixed bag right now (some series get no results, others only get results from the same artist) and it seems to be app exclusive; but going by the interest in recommendations some people seem to have here, it could be promising.