Is It Funny Today?

[joerules]

So isitfunnytoday.com is one of these new social networking/bookmarking sites for web comics that started up this week and for some reason (gay Transporter) JLCM is a big hit over there. I have no idea why but I'm not complaining.

In fact I'm telling you guys so that you can both take advantage of the nice little set up they have as well as toss a vote my way if you should feel so inclined. I won't be able to fight of XKCD forever...

[Tom Brazelton]

I've never heard of this site before. I'm almost afraid to check it out. But I'll throw you a vote if you're racking up traffic!

[joerules]

It started on Monday as near as I can tell so it's really new.

[Tom Brazelton]

How did you find out about it so fast? From your referral links or did they solicit you?

[joerules]

I saw the referrals on Monday afternoon but as got an e-mail form the guy that runs it warning me how it works. At the time I was in the number 1 spot but he wanted me that as soon as I update my ranking starts over. I don't think he was aware of my comic before hand or anything. It was more of an informal introduction.

[MrBawn]

Hey, I just found this place linked from IsItFunnyToday. Looks pretty funny at first glance. Where are the RSS feeds?

[LincM]

You're above Cyanide & Happiness??!??!?

That's damn impressive, considering their current practical dominance in the webcomic popularity. Those guys who created that won't ever have to work again thanks to the money they make over there.

[Mongbert]

Cyanide and Happiness is 90% shit.

[LincM]

Agreed, but they're consistently on time, which is astounding for a daily comic run by teenagers (even though there are 4 of them).

But I find they're good for a chuckle, and you can't deny that they're huge. Hell, both Eminem and Britney mention them in songs this year.

[joerules]

Hey Mr.Brawn, here's the feed - feed://www.digitalpimponline.com/rss/rss.php


After a three day's of really liking this site I've hit the inevitability of a comic that people don't think is funny and it's crushing my self esteem.

[Tom Brazelton]

Eh, it was bound to happen.

Look at it like a positive. Even though the site doesn't provide a forum for feedback (thank God) maybe you can use the rating to help you figure out what your fans like and what they don't?

I know when I instituted my 5 star ranking system on my site, it was interesting to see what floated to the top.

Of course there are comics in the archive that I personally think are excellent that sometimes don't rank highly. But that doesn't diminish my enjoyment of them.

Humor is subjective. You can't let it get to you.

[joerules]

The thing is - I'm not sure it's a fair ranking of my readers. The site has a lot of people dropping in and dropping out, which is good because it's exposure. At the same time it encourages these drop ins to make snap judgements which isn't so good. I'm not sure how seriously I could take it but it's definitely hard to see a joke you like not be embraced.

[Tom Brazelton]

I totally agree with you. Everyone would hope that their jokes go over with as many people as possible. But you can't take it seriously. Think of it like Digg or Reddit for webcomics. These people are channel-surfing the internet. Their value judgements ultimately mean nothing from a crticial perspective. It's just exposure. And that's not a bad thing.

I know it's tempting to look at the rankings, but I think you're better off having your comic on the list and then never looking at it again. If it brings you more traffic, that's really the extent of the exchange between the creator and the site.

[joerules]

That's a good point. It's tough not to take personally though.

[Tom Brazelton]

Very tough not to take personally, I agree.

But this is the vocal minority we're dealing with. But you never know... those people who might have said comic "X" isn't funny might come around to JLCM because of the exposure you're getting. Those critics might end up becoming your most vocal supporters!

You gotta put the right spin on it!