Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Best Web Comics Promotion Deal Anywhere?

In one marathon session, I have overhauled the Directory of Web Comic Collectives that resides at Psychedelic Treehouse.  

Logos are now partnered with their collective, and hyper-linked to their page. Layout has been improved (though expect more improvements).

Errors have been corrected, and, almost without a doubt, new ones inserted. If you are in a collective, I encourage you to visit and check your listing, including all links. Look also for completeness: this update did not include additions of your newest members.

A couple of collectives have no logo. That's fine with me if it's fine with you, but it seems a shame somehow when everyone else has cool ones. You're supposed to be artists, after all.

A few listings have logos that are not sized well for the listing. If you want to send me a bigger version, I will swap it out.

Remember: I like links, and you like links to me. Here's why. An average web comic can easily accumulate seven or more links by appearing in multiple sections of the site, some of which are automatic. You get one just for existing as a web comic, and others include having really quality merch, being in a collective, appearing in a review, appearing in an article, and so on.

Now, if someone finds Psychedelic Treehouse because of your link, and they publicize it in some way -- blogging, linking, podcasting, etc. you've dramatically increased the chances that a new visitor is going to find their way to you, because you multiply all your links times all the new visitors. It's a little more complicated that that because of likelihood of clicking on one link and not another, or visitors not clicking on anything at all, but we know you will get traffic from this site and, in the best deal in town, all we ask for is those back links. Not ads! Not banners! Not rights to your artwork! Just links!

Two nights ago I got a letter from a journalist because he couldn't believe he'd never discovered the site, and he wrote a piece talking it up, and this one too. Why should we make it hard to find our comics? You've made choices about hosting and being in a collective, why not make the easiest decision of all and link to the site made by comics fans and artists for comics fans and artists? Psychedelic Treehouse.

Now go link. And be sure to let me know, because I especially enjoy writing thoughtful reviews of comics that link. Not biased reviews, not guaranteed reviews, but if you help the effort, I'll always try to return the favor with coverage.