Public Journal

Friday Archive Dive: Hitting the Jackpot with a Comic Strip

Brad Guigar — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:00:17 +0000

Today's Archive Dive comes from Aug. 17, 2009 when we discussed the unique reader-grabbing power of the simple comic strip.

Take a moment, if you will, to appreciate the beauty of the comic strip.

It's long enough to promote character development and reader involvement. And yet it's short enough to produce on a daily basis.

It seems to be the dominant webcomic format. And for good reason.

The daily comic strip is a nearly perfect construct to attract and keep readers for a very simple reason: It's addictive.

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Webcomics Weekly: Episode 67

Brad Guigar — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:48:04 +0000

Join Scott, Kris, Dave and I as we talk with Jim Demonakos, show organizer for Emerald City Comic Con. We preview the premiere comic convention of the U.S. northwest,get an exclusive announcement, and fall into more ratholes than you can shake a stick at. Episode 67.

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Google Analytics: Tracking Ad Performance

Brad Guigar — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:00:38 +0000

As part of this continuing series on using Google Analytics to its fullest, I'd like to talk about using its tracking abilities to chart the performance of the ads that you create for your comic. You can use this system to identify the ads that work the best and/or where they're working well.

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Travel Tips

Brad Guigar — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:20:32 +0000

With Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con this weekend, I thought it would be a good time for a little round-up of some of the great travel advice featured on Webcomics.com. Safe travels, everyone.

Keeping Air fare / rental-car prices down.
Airline baggage guidelines
iPhone apps for travellers
You can't rent a car with a debit card. No link. You just can't. Trust me.
Getting your merchandise to the convention.

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Small, Manageable Tasks

Brad Guigar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:00:35 +0000

With convention season in full swing, and taxes right around the corner, it's pretty easy to get overwhelmed. And it's easier still to start forgetting to do important things.

You probably have a To-Do list scribbled on a piece of paper or you've attempted to use a digital substitute such as Things.

But just looking at the list is enough to give you hives.

OK. Take a breath. Let's regroup.

This post describes some easy strategies to get organized in the face of a massive amount of responsibility. Log in to read the entire post.

Art Process 101

Brad Guigar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:39:26 +0000

This group has a pretty wide range of cartoonists, and I'm noticing that some of you are very interested in topics that cover the basics. So every now and again, I'm going to take a few minute to brush up on rudimentary skills and processes. Today we'll talk about proper lighting, working in an assembly line and doing lettering before inking.

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Convention gear: Convertible Hand Truck

Brad Guigar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:00:32 +0000

As convention season warms up, I'm going to spotlight a few things that have made my experience as an exhibitor go much more easily. And top of that list is the convertible hand truck.

This is not going to be something you can easily use on a convention trip that involves air travel, but for any cons that are driveable, this thing is worth it's weight in gold. Here's what to look for in a good one:

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Best of the Private Forum

Brad Guigar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:00:09 +0000

From time to time, I'm going to post a round-up of some of the topics from the Private Forum that I've found most interesting and/or useful. This is for two reasons. First of all, if you've missed them, it gives you a chance to go back and read them. Secondly, it will help people searching for those topics later on find them more easily.

Feel free to add links to your favorite Private Forum posts below.

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Webcomics Weekly: Back on the Saddle

Brad Guigar — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:07:47 +0000

After a long hiatus, the Webcomics Weekly podcast has returned!

Just a quick note, because there has been some confusion: the Webcomics Weekly podcast is not part of the Webcomics.com subscription. It is a separate entity.

I will continue to alert you to updates in this space, however. :)

Direct MP3 download

Subscribe to the podcast RSS

CPA suggestions

Brad Guigar — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:30:02 +0000

Let's make this short and sweet so it's easily searchable by those who need it. Is your CPA good at handling the needs of self-employed, small businesspeople and/or freelancers? Please list them below in the following format.

Name
Contact information
City, State (Country)

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