Friday Archive Dive: Understanding Facebook's Edgerank System

Today's dive into the archives of Webcomics.com takes us to May 7, 2012, when we discussed how Facebook works.

In a thread on Facebook Fan Pages, member Zachary Smith provided some excellent information on Facebook's Edgerank system -- the system that determines what you see (and from whom) when you sign into your Facebook account. I wanted to pull it out front to make sure you didn't miss it.

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Penny Arcade's Podcast Kickstarter - Content is not free

Webcomics powerhouse Penny Arcade unveiled a Kickstarter yesterday, and there has been a pushback that reveals amazing things about the state of webcomics (and Web entertainment in general).

Here are the broad strokes.

There's a strong demand for the return of a podcast they started a couple years ago called "Downloadable Content." The podcast faltered and stalled because (1) it wasn't able to be easily monetized and (2) it required time and resources to produce that couldn't be justified abecause of reason #1.

They set the goal at $10 (and, obviously, they met their goal and have gone well on their way towards acheiving several Push Goals). Why $10? According their their FAQ:

We basically wanted it to be pay what you want.  People have been telling us to make this stuff for years, it was never about the goal.   We thought might as well set it at a level where even one backer would get us there. That way, no matter what, we’re committed to creating and delivering a radical new era in podcasting (it will probably be very similar to the previous era).

The pushback was startling. And it tends to come down along the same lines:

• Penny Arcade doesn't need the money.
• They could do the podcast without funding
• The $10 funding goal proves the above two points
• Therefore they're asking for money for doing something they're willing to do anyway

So, who's the villain? Penny Arcade for trying to monetize a podcast? Or readers overreacting to a Kickstarter campaign?

In the words of Walt Kelly: "We have met the enemy, and he is us."

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Pay What You Want

This week, I released my monthly digital comic pre-release on a pay-what-you-want basis using Gumroad. The reader response has been good, but the creator response has been surprising.

@geekscomicstrip @webcomic_alli @guigar went to pay what you can from his fixed prices?That's not giving me a happy feeling.

— Shawn Granger (@MrGranger) May 7, 2013

I wanted to let my numbers mature a bit before discussing this, but when I saw that yesterday, I knew what today's post had to be.

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Character Design Hot Seat: Nathan Nit and Juggles

This is the next in a series of discussions of character design. Rules are the same as all Hot Seat discussions. I'll open up with a few remarks, and then the members at large can take the discussion further. Up first, Nathan Nit, and then Juggles from A La Mode. 

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Self-Employed Mortgage Loan

Today's post comes courtesy of Webcomics.com member John Bogenschutz:

For anybody who draws a comic they have thought about, at one point or another (if not all the time!), wanting to make it their full time job. That’s the goal right? Fortunately, I have been able to do my comic full time for the past year and a half, and I couldn’t be happier.

 

Well, except for the fact that when you are self-employed getting a mortgage loan is even tougher than if you have a “real” job.

 

For the last 5 months my family and I have been trying to get a loan so we can move back to the Cincinnati area, where my family is from and where we will be in a more central location for music education conventions (where I exhibit with my comic). We found out last week that we were denied and told that we should wait another year until we get back our 2013 tax returns (which will show a more favorable return than 2011).

 

I am typing this article for you cartoonists who want to make your living as a cartoonist to help you avoid the same pitfalls I fell into, if you want to get a mortgage loan.

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