[Post] The Geek Ponders Update Schedules

One of my favorite webcomics hasn’t been updating regularly recently.

I won’t say which one because I don’t want anyone to think less of the creator because he does have a legitimate excuse. I know he had fair reason to not update because he explained himself in the news section under his comic.

There seems to be a school of thought floating around the webcomics world that there is never a situation that would allow for missing an update. Work conflicts, illness, death nothing strikes these people as a fair reason to deprive these people of the daily requirements of comics.

I don’t agree with these people. Granted, I prefer my comics to be up everyday when I expect them to and I think those artists who are known for their consistency should be acknowledged for their dedication to their strips.

Still, life happens. People get stuck in snowstorms. Schedules and priorities change. I’m blown away by how many creators keep on plugging after major life changes like marriage or the birth of kids. Even if they switch to an easier update schedule get or become sporadic with new comics, I appreciate the artist taking the time out of their life to provide us with free entertainment.

That being said, the best way to really make it in webcomics is regular reliable updates. Get us hooked on your strip. Then we’re more likely to understand when you just run out of time.

I think the key is informing the readers. Letting us know why you’re not posting. If you tell us you had a fourty page paper to right we’ll believe you and sympathize. If you remain silent, we’ll assume you just really wanted to level up your warlock in WoW or something.

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6 thoughts on “[Post] The Geek Ponders Update Schedules

  1. So long as they\’re providing the work for free I don\’t really care if cartoonists miss an update once in awhile. Though the sites that put more effort into promoting their site than actually updating it annoy the hell out of me.

  2. Updates are important, but I would rather the artist take their time and make quality work than rush to put out something disappointing. I love Copper and that only updates once a month!

  3. I think I know which comic you\’re talking about. 🙂

    But I have NEVER been known to update my Norm & Cory comic daily! My life is never as forgiving as that- the comic is just not on the top of my list of priorities! As long as it IS updated, I am happy and the readers should be too.

  4. I could not agree more. While I hate to see a schedule change, when it does happen, it makes a huge positive impact with me when the creator(s) inform the reader about it. Even if the message is \”go to the comic\’s forum for the latest news on the schedule\”, telling us something is going on shows a lot of respect for the comics readers.

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