Hosting, KeenSpace, Etc.

[lanaswift]

So, it's been a LONG time since I did a webcomic. When I did mine before, I used KeenSpace (...back when it was still called KeenSpace) to host my comics-- as much for the general promotion and attention as for the hosting itself.

I've been working on a new comic lately and I'm trying to decide what the best hosting plan is. I'm plenty familiar with hosting websites in general, so I don't need help with that; I just want advice on whether I should just host it myself, host it through someone, etc.

All advice greatly appreciated.

Comments

[magycmyste]

My thought would be that it depends on what you want to do with it. When I first started Muse's Block, I hosted it on Comicgenesis. It didn't take me long to figure out that I had no clue how to use it properly, even after reading the wiki (never got past the first strip there). Apparently, that's just a problem with me, as it seemed that a lot of other people had absolutely no problem using ComicGenesis.

I'm hosting it on my website now, but the website is general is meant to promote me as an author. Most of it doesn't get updated very regularly, though. When I decided I wanted to start Muse's Block up again, I figured I'd go ahead and host it on my own space. It also helped that I found Comicpress, which was incredibly easy to use (and I would totally recommend). Now if I can just figure out how to code the comic pages to look how I want it to, like I did with the rest of the site, I'll be happy. I really need to look at the code properly. Sorry. Rambling. Part of the reason I hosted it on my own space was because I had total control over it, and the other part is that since it was going to be regularly updated (or so I'd planned), it would help draw traffic to the site in general.

Anyway - do you just want to publish the comic for its own sake? Or do you want it to be part of something bigger? What are your goals for the comic? If you don't have a website of your own and/or don't want to spend any extra money on the comic, it seems like hosting it somewhere else might be a good idea (i.e. Keenspace, Wordpress.com, etc).

[lanaswift]

I suppose it'd be best to say I want to publish the comic for its own sake. I don't have grand dreams of it being the next Penny Arcade or whatever, but I'm not planning on making it part of a larger site.

That said, I'm a web marketer by trade; getting a domain name and host is really no problem. I guess what I really want to know is if anyone has been using KeenSpace for a new comic recently enough to be able to tell me whether the added readership is worth it, because all in all I'd rather host it myself.

[magycmyste]

ah, can't help much there, then, as I never used it enough to be able to tell.

That said, I know when I've searched for comics, the only ones there I'd just sort of browse and start reading were the ones on Keenspot. Any others I found hosted on Keenspace were usually referred by the comics I was already reading. But that's just how I find comics. I don't know whether a lot of people usually browse through the index, or how they find other comics on that site.

[raerae]

I suggest hosting it with someone first. Personally, I find SmackJeeves to be less headache-inducing(and more willing to promote your comic. (It appears on the front page when you update and such and you get a discount at dreamhost if you move your comic to them after). You can always host it yourself when you feel ready, so why not start with the free option?

[lanaswift]

Well, speaking as a web marketer, moving a site is always a hassle-- not just the move process, but also moving all your readers over.

...But you have to GET readers before that becomes any kind of issue. I'll definitely check SmackJeeves out.

[raerae]

XD Offer them goodies like wallpapers or a side comic to smooth over the transition is always a fun idea. Make it a big celebratory deal rather than a hassle(from the outside, anyway).

[brigid]

I've heard really good things about Webcomics Nation. I used it for a short while and it was really easy to upload stuff, and I know other people who've used it for a much longer time and had really great results. It has its limitations, of course.

You could also get your own domain and space and use wordpress and comicspress, which I've also heard good things about except comicspress can be a bit dicey to set up apparently.

[anarchicq]

Persuming you know CSS and it's not a sprite comic, there's http://comicdish.com