What was it like getting your first comment?

[JessJackdaw]

Okay so I don't have any (because I don't have a comic out there yet), but I'm curious, what was it like getting your first comment? Also, if you still remember, what was the comment?

Was it special? Have you accumulated so many that you've forgotten how you felt when that first person reached out? Or are you still waiting for one?

Comments are a rare and precious resource. Such a beautiful little thing that creators crave but so seldom does it happen. (So as @marygold has said before, spread the love and don't stay silent).

It's rather unfortunate, but it's certainly the norm. I'm not sure if this is actually the case, but I think most readers on Tapastic are silent. If I had to just make up a ratio, I would guess only 10% of all Tapastic users comment on comics.

So if you're out there still comment-less, you're certainly not alone. I'm bracing myself for the coming silence myself. It's just an unavoidable struggle all webcomics face.

But go ahead! Share your story! : >

[phen]

Oh, such a lovely sentiment! I really hope that the ratio of users leaving feedback is higher than just 10% because, in my experience, as long as you yourself prove active with the community, you'll never be met by silence. Interacting with fellow artists and being available to your audience breaks the ice like a pleasant sledgehammer. Who better than to swing that thing than you?

OKAY! My first comment I remember very vividly because it was the first time I posted my art online. It was on a forum, cartoon zone, I think? Way back in time, the fabled year of 2006. Nervously, gut winding itself in knots, and promising myself if no one left a comment in an hour, I'd delete everything and just keep making art for me, I submitted and walked away from the computer. HALF AN HOUR, unable to contain myself, I rushed back and found several extremely cool comments from forum users (and a mod who I was like... floored to see leave me a comment -- they even made some of my very first virtual fanart)!

The very first comment, I can't remember the user, but it was someone saying that the pictures made them want to know more about the characters' stories, so I was hooked. I was ready to flood 'em with all I had, haha^^

Forums being my first real online community, encouraging words and in-depth commentary became really important. I try my hardest to leave creators my input regarding the work they post because I know how nerve-wracking it can be to put your most intimate stories and characters out there. Someone, even nameless, sharing what they think about a creator's work is so precious as fuel to keep them creating. You shouldn't feel entitled to feedback but always consider your own voice an opportunity of inspiration to yourself and to others.

[JessJackdaw]

Oh!!! That's so sweet! ;u; Jeebus, 2006 was ten years ago.... Woah. Not only does that make me feel old, but wow that's a long time to remember a comment! Gahhh, can't get over how sweet that is. Let me go and melt for a bit.

I'm not too sure about the 10% but since the Tapastic community is so huge, I sort of went with a lower percentage. Haha, maybe it's more than I think. Let's hope so!

...in my experience, as long as you yourself prove active with the community, you'll never be met by silence. Interacting with fellow artists and being available to your audience breaks the ice like a pleasant sledgehammer. Who better than to swing that thing than you?

Oh and nice advice there! I love when creators get real friendly in their descriptions, it make me want to comment more! With blank descriptions, I worry that I might offend them with a funny comment because I don't know their personality... So yeah! Creators, bring that friendly ice-breaker right down! Questions in the descriptions are great for that!

[UrMom]

Hmm. I can't quite remember the details of my first comment, but it was something nice about the visuals. It didn't feel too special, since before that I did illustrations on DA, and praise about my drawings wasn't new. The comment was on an old, not too serious project I tried out in 2009 which got discontinued not too long after it's creation. Although, the first meaningful comment I got was a more in-depth one about my characters. It wasn't extremely long, a paragraph, but it made my day because I always wonder how readers see my characters and such as opposed to how I see them. The comment was on my hiatus project, probably back in 2011 or so.
It got the gears in my head moving, which was nice.

While comments in general are a nice rarity, I feel comments that spark thought, or conversation are even more rare and valuable.

[mariusthered]

no I don't recall my very first comment but I do get the same happy feeling when I get some feedback it makes it worth while and I want to thank my people who like and comment my pages for talesfromswipecity.

feedback to creators is so very important and in truth a very small price to pay for something your reading for free, a little feedback can brighten a day when pages feel like they have no end and you start to wonder "why the hell do i do this to myself?" then you get a comment and it's " yer i do it for them" loyal fans are something I really respect and do my best to support.

I myself don't always know what to comment but I do try (or at least hit the like button)

[Michelle]

I don't recall my first comment ever, since I started posting art online like... 14 years ago? But I will say that the positive reception to my art helped encourage me to keep improving, and it was really nice of people to compliment my work when I was still very much a beginner. So I always try to be nice to artists developing their skills, because I know how easily discouraged you can get when you're just starting out.

As for here on Tapastic, I don't recall my first comment off-hand, but I remember thinking "Omg! People care about my comic!"
I'd been posting it to my website for a year prior to Tapastic, and getting actual comments from people was very rare. So to have people commenting on my work on Tapastic and getting involved in the story has been a very uplifting and encouraging experience.

[J.Z.Castillo]

I don't remember my first comment ever but I remember thinking "OH SHIT SOMEONE LIKES ME!!!" haha! Getting comments in general gets me happy as fuck because it is the main way to interact with readers and I just love interacting with people! It also makes me feel like someone really is reading and paying attention to whatever is going on!

So, please comment, most creators love getting comments and are really nice (unless you say some stupid shit and need to be put on your place immediately lol). I would rather be overwhelmed by comments than have none.

[SirGutsalot]

It's like this: OH MY GOSH! I EXIST!!

[Rhyzue]

Hmmm, I don't quite remember my first comment. It was on Deviant art, I know, but I don't think it really surprised me because at that time, I didn't really know how to navigate the site and wasn't used to it. I don't think I even noticed it until weeks later XD

[Shanny8]

I'm giddy every time someone leaves a comment coz I like interacting with my readers! I like that they think of enough of my comic to ask or make comments toward it. I try to respond as soon as I can because I appreciate the effort they've put towards reading my comic.

[tophersmith21]

Honestly getting our first comment/like was probably the most important thing that I needed when starting this. Its an acknowledgement that someone, somewhere is out there looking at our comic. Thank you Wuzzems

[MissMagicGirl]

I think for my comic I got a couple of comments when I posted it originally at my swedish site. I shared it on my blog so there where some people who found it that way. I think it was "nice drawings and good humor" and it made me super happy. I still get "dancing around the room"-happy when some one comments on my work https://tapastic.com/series/magicadvisor . it is the best feeling.

[indagold]

I have probably have 5 comments to begin with so I'm just happy someone cares.

[NickRowler]

I thought, "Wow, people are actually reading this...I could have sworn they were all just spambots".

Spambots have taken over my Tumblr and DA accounts, I rarely get real people looking at my stuff.

[Greg_Dickson]

I remember mine, since I've only been posting my comic since May. Zak Simmonds-Hurn, the creator on Monstrosity, said "Great work. Looking forward to seeing more!". While it was a simple comment, the source it was coming from blew me away, since before making my account, his comics was one of the ones that I checked out and really enjoyed from tapastic. His talent level is way above mine in my opinion, so it made me feel that if he could like it, surely my art and concept weren't as unpolished as I had thought. It's funny how such a simple comment can really motivate one to work harder. My comic used to be in black and white, but now it's in colour, and every page I try to push myself to learn something new. If you're reading this man, thanks for fueling my start, minutes after I had posted my first page. Your comic is still awesome, by the way.

[JessJackdaw]

@tophersmith21 Oh jeez, yep. Comments actually feel like someone, much more so than just a like or even a subscribe. The numbers go up, but a lot of times, you never get to know who those people are really. D: Kinda sad when you think about it.

@Shanny8 Oh yes! I love it here on Tapastic where so many times, you'll actually get a response from the creator. : > It makes me so happy to interact with them. Places like LINE Webtoon, it's so rare, that it kind of discourages me to comment because I think, why even comment if they probably won't see it. Although, that site seems more catered to the reader and interaction between other readers anyway. XD

@Rhyzue Man, if we're talking comments on art sites, my memory really gets bad. XD I don't blame you. I still remember them fondly, but...hnnghh, the actual words get blurry. Probably my most vivid ones are ones I get on Reddit or game forums where sometimes I get some of the game creators to comment on my fanart. Those are the comments that just make my mind explode! Plus, it makes me really appreciate the internet and how easy it is to interact with just about anyone. XD

...and it was really nice of people to compliment my work when I was still very much a beginner. So I always try to be nice to artists developing their skills, because I know how easily discouraged you can get when you're just starting out.

@Michelle Oh I know! I was floored when people liked my horrible MS Paint scratchings from nearly a decade ago. I don't even know how or why either.... they were so horrible.

...Oh, no.... So I dug up one of my first MS Paint comics. It's like every trope fit into one character OC. A zombie, elf, vampire, demon angel goth? How in the world did I get nice comments from this? XD

So yes, you're totally right. Encourage budding artists with kind comments, and uhh... maybe they'll stop making trashy OCs. Hnnnghh. Let me go hide my head in shame.

[demthorshie]

I actually don't really remember how I reacted to my very first comment, but I can be 100% sure that I was probably really excited that someone gave my comic feedback! I still get excited when I read and reply to feedback actually !

[Rhyzue]

I never heard of reddit before, but I've heard a lot of people mention it. It sounds interesting but I probably won't ever make an account there, I can barely manage my facebook, twitter, deviant art and tapastic accounts!

[Michelle]

Don't feel too bad... I had some incredibly cringey stuff myself when I was young, so cringey that I dare not bring them back to light. XD But yes, I too like to think that the kind words of internet peoples helped me slowly up my skills and stop making horrible soul-crushingly bad OCs.

[JessJackdaw]

@Greg_Dickson Oh jeez, @zaksimmondshurn is such an inspiration. Couldn't agree more. XD Oh gosh, was he really your first comment?! That's so dang cool!

@Rhyzue Haha, well you don't have to. It's just a site where it's really easy to interact with fans of a certain thing. There is literally a subreddit for anything, and it's really nice if you want to know about the latest news from your favorite thing, or just interact with people that like the same thing you do.

Also, because of the karma system and tough moderators, you don't find too many toxic subreddits which is nice. Depends where you look though, I guess.

@Michelle Are bad OCs just a phase everyone goes through? XD It's like....weird awkward art puberty, but instead of voice cracks and pimples, you get "super original do not stealz" OCs.

...Mmm....yap. Seems accurate enough.