Feedback is appreciated

[Ragdoll85]

Hey everyone,

I got in trouble for promoting my online comic site on the forum, but in all honesty I just want some feedback on it. I am a independent writer who is trying to improve my craft, so if you guys get a chance check out inkbot.net. We are also looking for a group of talented creators, so i you like what you see, or are simply interested in learning more then hit me up on the website's email. Thanks.

[FourTonMantis]

There's a difference between "promoting" and "spamming"...

[Armonah]

Well, if you want feedback on your work you can go to the WIP & Critique Center (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=59) :)
You can also post new pages (or drafts of new pages) in your sketchbook and have artists comment on those before you upload them on the website.
Generally promoting your work in places that weren't meant for that (like the Lounge) at best makes it come across as rude, at worst as spam.

Lastly, the best and most accepted method of shameless self promotion is putting the link to your webcomic in your forum signature. Other artists have links to their blogs, portfolio websites, webcomic projects etc. in their signatures as well.

As for feedback:
- The images you use for the banner and the archive don't look as if there was much effort or time put into them.
- The HTML coding is pretty obvious, and makes the site look kinda ugly. The blue frame around the banner, and the white frame around everything else should be removed. You should also think of an alternative to the blue hyperlinks, it leaves a very bad first impression.
- I recommend making the text itself smaller, because this will take up too much space in the long run (when you start using the front page for regular updates and such).
- I also recommend looking for a different text color, or a different background for the text itself. White on a solid black background is pretty hard on the eyes. The light blue text also has to go, for the same reason (and because it leaves a bad impression, like the blue hyperlink text).
- The pictures of the webcomic on the homepage are horizontally stretched, which makes them look ugly. They should look more like the images in Archives.
- There's hardly a theme going on that pulls the whole site together. Right now it just seems to be a bunch of random elements thrown together.

[GriNGo]

Hey man, remove the borders, they look ugly. Remove the counter as well, it doesn't look very professional on your part. I believe the the menu bar has it's elements separated too much! (i meant the text: "intro", "blog", etc). They should be closer together. Here's a tip: try learning how to use INDEXHIBIT. It's free and not hard to configure, and you can have a cool looking website in no time! http://www.indexhibit.org/. Check it out!

[Elam]

The flash viewer you're using needs a full screen option.

[Raoul Duke]

The idea of your website is something every fanboy and wannabe creator has been begging for. So I'm going to give you some serious feedback.

I was interested in your site until I saw it. It was poorly designed and the graphic layout was uninspired. Presentation is real important when it comes to building a community that artists would like to spend their free time.

The comic reader was zoomed in 50% which was confusing, misleading and distracting. You should show both pages next to each other. Much like Radical comics reader.

As far as your funnybook is concerned there were too many issues for me to address at once, so I'll just tell you the big problem. The artwork made it hard to read. Nobody wants to read a comic they don't want to look at.

[velderia]

I also highly recommend reading Alan Moore's Writing for Comics. Read chapter 4.

[ExiledRed]

I think you'll find that you only have to accept the activeX controls if you're viewing the site locally (i.e you're opening the file from your hard drive in internet explorer, as opposed to viewing it from its location on the server). Google "mark of the web", drop that code into your head, and you wont experience the problem. On the web, most users will not experience this request and its not necessary for you to draw attention to it.

The counter is a bad idea, if your site has low traffic, everybody knows, if it gets high traffic like you want, those five digits are insufficient. Seriously though, there is no value in the end user seeing a counter.

'coming soon' pages are unprofessional, dont include pages that arent ready, until theyre ready.

Your html doesnt validate, and I'd strongly advise against the use of tables for anything other than the display of tabular data. Use div structures and CSS for greater control and cross browser compatibility.

The banner needs a lot of work, and the black and white theme looks amateurish, I don't like the typewriter font either.

What you've done however, is to create something, publish it and invest your energy into developing it further. I respect that and I wish you luck with your endeavour, your site looks better than a few I've sold in the past, if thats any consolation.

[Ragdoll85]

Thanks for the feedback guys. The only feedback I was confused with was Dukes and Velderia's because I'm actually a working writer IN COMICS, and in other mediums, so the idea of me being a "wannabe fanboy" is quite insulting. Still, I do appreciate the time you put into your responses, if nothing else at least it showed you care, I think. ;)

[ExiledRed]

Thanks for the feedback guys. The only feedback I was confused with was Dukes and Velderia's because I'm actually a working writer IN COMICS, and in other mediums, so the idea of me being a "wannabe fanboy" is quite insulting. Still, I do appreciate the time you put into your responses, if nothing else at least it showed you care, I think. ;)

Raoul wasn't calling you a wannabe fanboy, he was stating that the concept of your site is something that the fanboy demographic has been calling for and not getting for a while.

[Raoul Duke]

what he said.

[Dusty]

Also, it is wise to never get insulted at any feedback when you ask for feedback. Sometimes people will be kind and gentle and sometimes people will be matter of fact. A lot of the time people may even be rude....but when you ask for feedback, you need to sift out the message regardless of how it's delivered and choose whether to apply it or ignore it. Getting offended at something can only cloud the receiving end of said feedback.

Best of luck!

[Ragdoll85]

Your right, and I apologize. I do appreciate the time everyone put into their responses, and I certainly try to improve my site and my craft over time.

[Ragdoll85]

oops typo, meant "will try" ;)

[arttorney]

There's an "Edit" button in the lower right of your posts that appears while you are logged in and it will help you fix things like that.