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Yeah, it feels like a downgrade. Plus the recommended titles on a discover include "originals," even though theres enough advertisement for them. At least make it only "canvas" artists
It's kind of weird. I don't have too much a problem with "Canvas" being the new name for Discover (even if I have to say "Canvas Creator" instead of "Discover Creator" lmao. The latter just has a better ring to it.) I don't really like the new name for the Featured comics.
Wonder why they changed it. I've seen no problems with the old names.
It's kinda dumb. It's not as intuitive as "Featured" or "Discover."
Being a reader, I would be like "Canvas??? WTF IS THAT?!"
I noticed this as well!
It seems as though the mobile version hasn't updated yet, but the desktop version is showing the changes for me. I'm not sure if this was here before, but I noticed a "creators 101" tab on the top bar which sends you to a bunch of quick links regarding webtoon tips and webtoon creation.
Either way, I'm really indifferent with the new "Canvas" title. I don't think there was any need to change it in the first place, but I don't think it's as negative as everyone is making it out to be. It's just another label, and people can read into it as much as they like, but I'm quite sure readers are smart enough to figure out it's an area for unofficial comics within a minute of exploring the page.
Edit: The update just hit the mobile version. While not much has changed, they seem to have added a "Find your Favorite comic" survey that allows you to select your favorite art styles and genres in order to find a comic that suites your tastes. However, it only recommends "Original" (cough featured cough) comics and resets after you're finished. It also added the creator 101 link in the canvas section of the app.
Instead of changing the names of some categories they should maybe, I dunno, make it so you get notified when someone comments.
Exactly, like even new readers would become WELL aware of what it flooding the popular sections. They dont need hand holding to find those, but a little guidance and advertisement for the smaller folks could definitely help. Especially as featured comics starts ending, they'll need supported discover comics to replace them
I think it'd be SUPER cool if there was an option for us to choose what is recommended at the end of our comics. I;d love that, but I know that's totally never gonna happen XD
I also wish it shared our "also made by this author" comics even if they havn't been updated recently. I have comics that have finished and I wish my readers could still be told about those, but it seems if it's been over 2weeks I think, then the comic doesn't show up anymore.
And speaking of finished comics. I really really wish they could let us mark our finished comics as complete so I could stop getting that really annoying email all the time that nags me to update my finished comic.
ANd lastly, since i"m listing everything else that'd be nice to change my as well add my no1 complaint. Their top priority for future updates should be making it harder to delete your series. Why can't they just move the delete buttons? WHY webtoon?!?
Just received an official announcement by Webtoon:
Creators, we're excited to announce updates to the platform!
Featured series are now WEBTOON Originals,
exclusively available on WEBTOON.Discover is now Canvas. It's still the self-publishing platform where stories have infinite possibilities.
The new updates are coming with personalized recommendations that include series from Canvas. Publishing consistently is now more important than ever as readers will be recommended suggestions based off their reading history.
This is only the first of many exciting changes coming soon. Stay informed by following our YouTube channel, Twitter, and Instagram!
Doesn't sound like creators will have any say in what is recommended. Instead, it seems they'll use a recommending engine that is based on collaborative filtering: the engine will recommend series that "similar" webtoon users have read/liked/subscribed to. Which means the recommendations will change based more on the user than on the series they're currently reading.
I did 6 months of research on recommending engines years ago, so I might well be reading way too much into the message.
there's plenty of things Webtoons could improve. renaming their sections is not on top of that list.
that being said, I don't mind the change, whatever.
I don't mean to sound negative but... This sounds bad.
Originals I can understand because it basically makes it clear that these comics you can only read on Webtoons, but Canvas? That makes no sense. Who knows how many people will ignore it completely because it's such a vague description. Discover was obvious, and you knew you'd discover stuff if you clicked there.
The recommandations could work but algorithms aren't automatically unbiased. It could end up recommending only the most popular comics because those have the most subcribers. There could also be hidden algorithms that push originals on top of canvas comics on recommendations, who knows! I'm not an expert on algorithms and recommandations but from the direction most social media sites are going I'd say there's a pretty good chance they'll do something similar; stuff they want to promote on top and then the rest.
But we'll see... I think the biggest problem with Webtoons is that there's no proper community so it's hard to discuss with creators and users on the problems of the site. Not to mention give feedback to Webtoons directly en masse.
I'm pretty sure you're right. Ideally, a recommending engine should recommend content that:
- The user will like
- The user did not know of beforehand
But that's only the theory. In practice, platforms have little interest in promoting the stuff you really want to get to. As far as I know, webtoon only makes money on series that have 40k+ monthly views in the US. So, I really wouldn't be surprised if the developers who tweak the recommending engine were told to push such series as well as those that are just below the threshold, instead of obscure series barely anybody has seen.
Exactly!
Webtoons is a business format first and foremost, which means they will prioritize the comics that bring in the profit. I think it's only a question of just how much they are willing to prioritize them over non-profit comics.
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Frankly, I don't think their management is optimal for readers either... To me, it seems like they care first and foremost about advertisers. 
As a reader, it's frustrating that:
- you see the same series recommended to you all the time, even if you've already checked them out, read them or even are subscribed to them
- you are only notified when someone replies to a comment thread you started, but not when someone replies to you on another thread
- the difference between Featured/Originals and Discover/Canvas is hard to get at first... it's not emphasized coherently on desktop and mobile and across the platform... frankly, I might be dense, but it has taken me a while to understand what people meant by "Discover squad" in all the comments
- the rules for offending content are way too strict, leading to a lot of censorship that I personally find unnecessary
- plenty of other small things, but listing them all would feel like nitpicking
i'm perfectly fine whatever they wanna call them.
In fact i think "Originals" is more clear than "Featured". I just don't understand why "Canvas" over the much more clear and fun "Discover"...? At first i thought it was like a fun little new feature to doodle on or something, which of course it isn't.
I also like the new recommended section BUT...
1) wish it didn't promote Fe-- i mean, Originals alongside Canvas. OR at least actually promote Canvas comics on Original pages too! : /
2) it would be nice if we, as creators, can have any kind of control over what's recommended in our own pages. I have so many comics i know //MY// readers would enjoy AND could use some love that i'd love to advertise in a separate section instead of applying it to the episode itself like we do now.
I saw the email and hoping against hope the next updates include an actual notification system and it would come sooner rather than later XP