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Best of Webcomics.com – July. 2015

Now, more than ever, it’s easy to see what a subscription to Webcomics.com will get you.

Every Friday, you can read the entire Archive Dive post without a subscription. This is a post from the site’s archive that I pull out front again because it still has relevant information you can use today. This is especially nice for newer subscribers (or anyone else) who may have missed it when it originally ran.

Plus, at the beginning of every month, I do a wrap-up that highlights some of the best posts — from the site as well as the private forum — from the preceding month.

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Please note: The links below will lead you to content that is “subscription-only” content. Why do I do this? Simple. If you see something that intrigues you and decide to subscribe, you can come back here and use this post to jump right to the post that caught your attention. And once you do that, use the other Best Of posts to drill even deeper into the site!

Best of the site

Patreon’s decline pledges: When Patreon experienced a glitch that resulted in a large number of declined pledges, we alerted you to the situation, and told you what to expect as the problem was being addressed.

Understanding Patreon revenue: A Patreon pledge total is never the amount a creator sees at the end of the month. Even after the (reasonable) amount that gets taken out by Patreon and Swipe (the company that handles the credit-card transactions), there are other variables that affect that final tally.

Convention fan art: Funimation released an official statement in regards to convention fan art. Our analysis reveals what this means for creators exhibiting at cons.

Google Webmaster Tools: Google provides some great tools for better understanding your site and your traffic. We give you a quick start-up tutorial.

Adding a sitemap using Google Webmaster Tools: Now that you’ve started using Webmaster Tools, we give you a tutorial on setting up a sitemap.

“On the Spot” Hotseat critique: We finished up the most recent Hot Seat critique series. This one looked at a participant’ site and comic on one, random day.

Gumroad Affiliate links: Gumroad added an affiliate program that you can offer your readers. We give you a head start on implementing it.

Orphan Works Hysteria: A YouTube video and a mass of mailings from some very well-intentioned people spread panic throughout the comics community. Creators were told that legislation in front of Congress was going to change everything about copyright. There was no legislation. And the potential changes being considered are less threatening than we were being told. Katie Lane, a lawyer specializing in creative professionals, took time out from her blog, Work Made for Hire, to give us an educated analysis of the Copyright Office’s planned changes from the perspective of a lawyer.

Studio Tour — Adam Huber: Bug Martini’s Adam Huber give us a guided tour of his studio space.

Webcomics Panels: I’m hosting webcomics panels in Chicago, Columbus (Ohio), and Ft. Lauderdale. If you’d like to participate, please get in touch.

Patreon improvements on the horizon: Patreon has some important improvements planned — and some of them are overdue. We give you an guide to what to expect.

Combatting Patreon’s “ghost pledges”: It’s a big problem or some creators who use Patreon — “ghost pledges” from people who either disappear before their cards get charged or whose cards are declined.

A “Comics Oasis” in Las Vegas? Please: From time to time the rumors about Comic Con International leaving San Diego resurface. One of the often-pitched replacements is Las Vegas. Here’s why that’s never going to happen.

Google, Minus Plus: Google has made some changes in how it pushes Google Plus on users. Many are forecasting this as the death knoll for Google’s “Facebook killer.”

When a “publisher” proves s/he has no grasp on the business model: This site offers continuous warnings about signing contracts with pseudo publishers and cyber “studios.” One of the main reasons is this: It’s easy to set up a Facebook page or a swank Web site, but it’s really difficult to actually run a publishing business. And if you sign on with someone who’s faking it, it’s your business that he or she is going to drag down. This case study is an excellent example of what I’m talking about.