A lot of interesting posts. I'd like to make a few more:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/a_social_media_bubblehttp://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_22/b4086044617865.htmThe gist of it is about social networking, which is one of Drunk Duck's power points. Comic Genesis was the first place I used to host Super Temps because it was the starter host of several other comics I was reading at the time, but it doesn't have the ability to generate feedback like I see on DD.
Baker and Green
Since our story, major investors and corporations have focused on the profit potential of social sites. Like Baron's Twitter crowd writ large, they promise relationships, millions of them. Such media could be worth a fortune. Strike that: They'd better be. Over the past three years, tech and media companies have been opening up their checkbooks for these properties. Google gobbled up YouTube for $1.65 billion; NewsCorp (NWS) bought MySpace for $588 million; and Microsoft (MSFT) bought a pricey slice of Facebook that put a $15 billion valuation on the company. Venture firms, meanwhile, have been racing to fund socres of social media startups.
For many of them, the business plan remains blurry. Even giants like MySpace are struggling to figure out the financials. And there's no guarantee that Web masses will stay loyal for the long haul. If investors lose faith in these new ventures built on relationships, all hell could break loose. This could convulse Wall Street, deepen the recession, sink pension funds�you name it. But you know what? The next day, we'll be back on the blogs and social networks, checking up on each other, uploading our analyses, and sussing out opportunities in the storm.
Even if the bubble bursts�and we predict it will�the power of social media to transform our businesses and society will only grow.
That applies as much to DD as it does to Facebook and MySpace. After all, what is Drunk Duck but a central location to self-publish and comment within a community?
If Platinum wants to see some returns, maybe it's time to look at the DD community instead of some flagship items. Granted, some of us are poor. But we're all essentially working for free to promote our projects, and as they're hosted on DD by extension we're promoting it as well. That's a heck of a lot of free labour, isn't it? What's more effective: paying for advertising, or having an entire community go out there and try to bring people to the site that showcases their projects… for free?
Yes, there's advertising on the site. But what if, as a comic creator, you were able to choose your own sponsors, and it was up to you if you wanted any at all? Let's say I wanted to have Workopolis (because Super Temps has being ‘super as a regular job’ as part of its theme), a local coffee seller Has Beans (due to Skiv's constant coffee drinking), and the company I work for (Response Generators) all as my sponsors? The sponsors do practically nothing – all they do is give me permission to link them, and maybe provide me with a banner. They pay some piddly amount for click-through.
But the power – these aren't just random ads. These are specific companies I want to represent my comic as much as they want my comic to represent them. It's saying “I like these companies” because I have selected them and they approve of my work.
After all, which would you listen to more: A random ad spewer, or someone you know recommending something?
The heart of this thread seems to be DD's problems. DD needs attention from its backer to fix these problems. Well, if DD can turn a profit, it will get attention. Then it gets moved to the priority front. Then things get fixed, and they get fixed FAST because failing to do so costs them $$$. And what I think the powers that be just need to see the sheer volume of dedication, time and community that is just waiting to use its potential.