ok but like, man
i remember a time when anyone could get to the front page based on views and traffic alone
sometimes it was based on a comic's longevity, like how long it had been around and made itself a presence, sometimes it was based on hard work advertising and word of mouth to get the sub counts up, and sometimes it was just pure luck
but for the most part, everyone had an equal chance (as equal as you can get with all those factors combined, way more equal than it is today). and most importantly, the comics that were consistently on the front page were there for a reason - for being unique comics with great content, often times entirely managed by one person who just loved what they did.
like 80% of the comics on the front page now are comics that you've paid to be up there, and as a result it's always the same shit. either the same comics every day, or an assortment of comics that are all the same thing (don't get me started on the 'based on novels/comics' category, you've got every premium series in there highlighted TWICE).
I legit haven't added a single comic to my subscribed list in the last like, 6 months, because they're always either hidden behind a permanent paywall (and I can find plenty more comics that are better quality and probably need the support a lot more) or because the front page has been the same wall of garbage for the last 2+ years. All the series in my current reading list are either good free to reads that are still going (ex. Scurry, A BETTER PLACE, etc) OR old comics that either died or relocated years ago (ex. My Perfect You, Two Cent Slice, Hello My Name Is Benny, etc), the latter of which were from a time where the front page was constantly changing, variety was in abundance, and you could get the front page banner just by asking.
Anyone who's been here longer than a few years can attest to this. We're not idiots.
like bruh I've straight up turned my ad blocker back on for the main site because I know the creators only get a fraction of that money which is miniscule to begin with (it's been like 3 years since I've hit the stupid $25 withdrawal minimum lmao and I've seen people only hit the halfway mark after a solid year) and any creators that I do want to support I'm already supporting with real money (either via online donation pools like Patreon, Ko-Fi, etc or through commissions and purchasing merchandise) that I know goes directly to the artist further than any fictional currency like 'ink' can (and I keep my ad blocker off for the free to read comics that I want to support). Patreon may also take a chunk of the money but at least it's open to everyone and I don't have to burn my money to turn them into app points first for series I don't want to read. And at least with Patreon the creators know how much money they're getting based on the pledges that month and don't have to cross their fingers that Tapas' biased front page doesn't shoot them in the foot with shoddy visibility and subsequent shitty ad revenue.
The Witch's Throne is the only series so far from y'alls Premium selection that I like and even then once I hit that paywall, that's it. Over. Y'all ain't worth giving my money to anymore, especially considering all the free to read creators are already paying for your services through their free labor and content. At the very least, don't they deserve a decently working website with all that hard work and loyalty? The fact that people still use this platform after you screw them and their series over time and time again is just exploitation of loyalty at best.
Apologies for the big wall of text. Not apologizing for the words in it because a lot of it is shit that I've been holding back on saying for years. The new UI is just the tip of a very big iceberg which can be classified as simply as "LACK OF ACCESSIBILITY."
And I know this isn't solely your fault, Michael, because you and the original dev team were what helped make this site great back in the day. But the reason I say 'helped' is because you all seem to be forgetting what really made it great - the community that built it to this point. Whether it's the devs or the investors or the higher ups, I don't care at this point - Tapas as a whole has exploited the love and dedication so many people have or once had for this place, and it's sickening. And the whole UI design problems are merely a symptom of that. Until you guys get your act together, problems like this will just keep happening over and over again, just like they already have (do I need to remind people who were here about the TOS debacle from a long time back?)
The UI interface problems are a side effect of a bigger problem. As for fixing that bigger problem... start looking to the community that built you a little more (and not just after you fucked up because we all know it's more for PR at that point, we're not stupid). You guys spend hours on the backend, but we have the most experience as readers and as creators. We're all here talking about these issues because we want to see better for this place many of us call home. Do you think I've raised this much of a fuss over Webtoons or SJ every time they fucked up? I haven't because I genuinely care for this place among all others and I want to see it do better, everyone here does. Please don't take advantage of that loyalty and dedication.