do you recomend Keenspace?

like others, i first noticed your comic through Twokinds crossovers

twokinds, yoshi, and several other comics have motivated me to make a comic of my own. i first had practice by making a sprite comic, and for my first attempt it was really good. it wasn't just some piece of crap put together. the problem was i couldn't spread the word of my comic very well, i didn't know how. and with noone in my home supportive of my comic i begain to lose motivation.
the good thing is that i got two of my friends at my school willing to draw for me because i can't draw for ****, but i have plan's for taking lesson's. since sprite comics never get noticed im hoping things will change with drawn one.

anyway, i noticed that you have been using keenspace, and i have been considering using it to host my future webcomic. would you recomend it for a someone with limited computer knowlodge? or would you recomend i find a friend who can webdesign and pay for a website?
(i heard they are just $40 a year)

thanks for the advice in advance
-chris

PS even thought it's a mess and not in order my album for my sprite comic can be viewed here
http://www.jp-anime.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/Only%20Shot

b4 i forget whats that thing where you draw on a pad and it shows up on a computer and how much?

Alright-- first-- its Yosh not Yoshi...

And yes i recomend Keenspace to start-- its really easy- free-- and it lets you discover if you are doing something right-- but i suggest if it takes off- to get a real site-- and depending on the server you get- it costs about 5-20 dollars per month-- if you find it for less than 4 dollars a month-- its probably really crappy- low bandwidth and space - no customer service, random down time... etc etc
Im currently moving to my own server.
that "thing you draw on" is called a Tablet-- mine is a Wacom Intuos3 6X8 Tablet- current cost is around 340 dollars-- there are cheaper ones -- and more expensive ones... that are so pretty... and that double as a monitor...

Definatally recommend Keenspace (or comic gen, as it's called now) for beginners. Here's some reasons why, and some tips for getting a good start.

Why:
Automatic update abilities; you can have your updates done out weeks ahead of time, simply by naming the comics the date you want them to appear. Ex: 20060308.gif
Free; It's free.
Trustworthy; VERY limited downtime compared to other comic hosts now, with SmackJeeves falling down and I haven't heard if DrunkDuck got back up again.
Community; lots of other comics. You can join drop-down groups, which will increase traffic. That's always nice. There's a big forum, full of all kinds of help and comic forums.
Customization: Everything short of PHP works for site design. They even have special tags that do some things automatically for you, so that you don't need to write specific html.

Tips:
Make at least 20 comics before applying. This shows the host that you are serious about wanting to do a comic.
This is a responsibility. Do it because you have a story to tell, not because it would be "neat" to have a comic. If you don't have a general idea of where the comic is going; STOP. Sit down, and think. If nothing is coming, then you're better off not doing one at all.
Update schedual. Having a regular update schedual instead of random gives a sense of professionalism. People don't like having to check to see if a comic is updated, they want to know that they can visit on certain days and see a comic. You can have some leeway, take breaks, filler, etc. But it's important to come up with a schedual that you can keep to.
Do NOT apply for a subforum for your comic unless you have at least 20 comics up on your site, and still showing signs of activity. They do not want to make forums for small, dead webcomics.
Take the time to do some work on your site before you "premiere" it. It doesn't have to be the final design, but it'll look a lot better than a white page that still says COMIC TITLE AUTHOR NAME.
Use the cadet handbook. You can find the link to it in the forums. Pretty much every question relating to site design can be found there.

just a random addin but id use blogspot, only because it dosent take to much to assemble, all you gotta do us upload the comic there and post.
simple.
but hey thats just my opinion.

Yeah well Bogspot isnt made for comics-- its hardly a good way to start a comic especially when you compair it to something like the community that ComicGen has

wow thanks a lot for the advice. i wasn't expecting such a freindly responses. it reminds me of redvsblue.

anyway i don't have a huge amount of comics planned out b/c unless i gain some popularity i'm going to make it random. kinda like penny arcade, or CAD when it was starting out. Or just my current sprite comic with fewer characters. i already have 5 strips planned out.

anyway i also have a few more questions

1) does comic gen have any limitations on violence or actions? like just PG-13 or can i put stuff that would be considered NC-17 as long as i don't show porn? (i don't intend drawing porn even if allowed)

2) actually thats it. but some advise for how to make my drawings look better on the computer would be nice.

thanks a lot for the advise
-chris

o sorry for calling your comic yoshi. i guess i sub-consciously thought the ! was an i


i just remembered! where exactly can i find this cadet handbook on the forum?

1) If you only have plans for 5 comics, then you shouldn't be looking for a real comic site yet. As I said, you should have at least 20 done before applying, and really know what you're doing with it. Comic Gen probably won't give you a site if you are not going to utilize it properly. For now, put it on a free general site hosting (hell, use photobucket) and link to them from a livejournal or something.
If you are just experimenting, this is the best way. That way you don't waste any of Comic Gen's time or space. They are not a charity, they are a business. I personally did not put my stuff on Keenspace until I had been drawing comics for the school newspaper for two years. This showed the administrators that I was serious about what I was doing, that I would be updating fairly regularly, and that I was likely to continue updating in the future.

2) Comic Gen allows all manner of ratings for webcomics, so long as they are properly classified. If you get a site there, you can set various options such as what elements your comic contains, what style it's in, ratings based on different aspects (nudity, language, violence, etc.)

3) http://gear.comicgenesis.com/main.html

thanks for the advise!

but just b/c i just have 5 ideas so far doesn't mean i won't come up with more b4 my friends finish the drawings. just about all of my ideas just came to me, most of them during spanish class.

Sorry, I just have a thing against "random" comics. You see, unless you are really creative and a good writer, random comics... aren't random at all. They boil down to the same formulas and devices that other random comics use; pie, ninja, monkeys, etc. It just comes off as an excuse for lazy writing, and something I've seen 100 times before.

it's okay i understand. in your eyes im just some loser who wants to get some kicks by making a comic. but i intend on making this comic last. i made 15 sprite comics in 2 months. first i need some viewers and then i'll start coming up with an actually plot. i'm hoping that the 1st one will be done by the end of march. i finally came up with a name. "video games made me do it"

I never said you were a loser. I was just explaining my recommendations. If you fully intend to continue makign comics, that's great. Just be sure to try your best, to be origional, and don't just look to your friends for criticism.

great i took pills with alcohol for nothing

O.o you need pills and alcohol to get kicks?
i am one of those types who can have fun with almost anything.
a paper clip would support entertainment for hour on end!

hell all i need is my overactive mind

And remember, once you get to level 20 ask someone for some cowing until level 25. After that you should be able to find a norm rush up to the ancients fairly easy-- take 'em out, then baal it 'till 40. Some people like to be jerks and stay until 45-ish, but trust me 40 is the way to go. Then you can kill baal, and find a nightmare rush. Now obviously it'll be hard to get, but you can usualy give them your forge in exchange. By level 50 you should have some decent points put in teeth and dim vision, and John Madden would agree, teeth necros are the way to go yayo yayo