Exit, Stage Left
“Good artists copy, great artists steal.” – Pablo Picasso
I was looking at other webcomics a few days ago and saw something I never noticed before on Matt Forcum’s website (Matt does a wonderful webcomic titled Robot Beach – click here to check it out). He has an audio blog on his site! I never would have thought of doing something like that. I have plans to do a podcast someday and an audio blog sounded like a perfect stepping stone. So I did the honorable thing: I contacted Matt and informed him that I was ripping off his idea (actually, I asked if he’d mind if I followed in his footsteps and he granted me his blessing).
So I got myself an account on audioboo, whipped up an icon for the link, and threw it in the left sidebar. But after I did that, I felt that the twitter icon looked rather shabby in comparison. So I decided to give it a revamp. I like it a lot more. The original one was cute but the new one is simpler and bolder.
Now I felt I was all done.
Then I took a long gander at the donation button. At first, I thought,”Crap, now I gotta change that one too.” But the idea of redoing that button didn’t sit right with me. The more I looked at it, the unhappier I felt about it’s presence. My plan was to remove it once I had some real merchandise to sell (books, T-shirts, posters). That way I could say, “There’s no reason to donate money to me and get nothing for it. If you want to show your support, go ahead and purchase something from my store.” But the reality is my ad revenue is paying well and that’s all thanks to you guys visiting the site so, in a way, you’re already donating to the site. Plus, I figure taking down the donation button will kick my butt in gear to make some merch.
So that’s the story behind my changes to the left sidebar. Like ’em? Hate ’em? Lemme know what you guys think.
Love to hear your getting into audio recording, look forward to it. Quick question, will you be posting on your site every time you make a new audio recording, or will i have to RSS feed that too?
Trenton Stahl
I LOVE EM~!!!
Hey Adam, love your comics.. It's a pity I can't donate, or I promise I would. I totally would. -Love, from Nepal
cute!! Can't wait for the merch tho! I want a Bug Mug!
Ooo! I like how that sounds: Bug Mug.
Bring on the merchandise! You mentioned ad revenue is paying well for you, and I am very glad to hear it. Unfortunately, I usually read your comic at work on my RSS reader, so I feel guilty that I don't contribute to your ad impressions. I am probably not alone in my reading habits, and I wouldn't mind if you added some ads to the RSS feed, so maybe a new way to bump up the revenue a little?
I love all the changes. You make me look bad. Once I get over this cold I gotta get my butt in gear and follow your example on my site.
Pish-tosh. We both know your site is much cleaner and more user-friendly than mine.
Seriously folks, go check out his site. Much nicer layout than mine.
First off.. The new sidebar icons look great! the twitter icon is so much like the Indiana Jones Bug. As well, the audioblog icon is just as fitting. Thank you so much for your comics. I have bugcomic as my homepage, so I'm always laughing first thing in the morning.
Thanks, man!
nice, only problem is now the logo looks outdated.
Totally agree. I plan to finally redo that image this weekend.
Is there any chance of getting a Favicon as well? Bug is one of the few webcomics in my Bookmarks list that doesn't have one, and it looks odd as a blank sheet.
Love the comic…and there literally hasn't been a single one that I haven't laughed out loud at. (Which while good, is bad in that when I read it at work, my co-workers think I'm a bit insane.)
I do have a favicon. I'm guessing your browser at work doesn't support it. My computer at work doesn't display my favicon either.
I can't wait for the Merch! I'm going to begin creating an outfit out of webcomic based Merch for my stage attire, once my band begins playing shows, and something Bug would be awesome.
i love the difference in the two bugs, the twitter one looks like he is about to find the truth and put those fat cats behind bars where as the audioblog, you can almost hear him complaining about big government and how the Mexicans are ruining it for all the real hard-working Americans. i may be the only one thinking that when i see them but i find the contrast amusing.
I especially like the audio blog icon. Almost looks like he's singing, and singing bugs are funny. Yeah, I know he's just talking, but still…
Twitter link is good too. I like both the old & new one, but having matching icons is definitely good. I think this one draws attention better, too, since it's simpler.
Glad I found the site in time to donate before the button disappeared. 🙂 Still puzzled as to why I hadn't heard of Bug before…
If you start doing merch, please try to make international shipping feasible somehow. There's nothing more frustrating than wanting to support your favorite webcomics, but having to pay double the prize to get your goods delivered all the way to Finland. Or even worse, not being able to order at all.
I definitely want everyone to have the ability to purchase merch, regardless of where they live. Due to my busy schedule, I'm probably going to have to find a company to process and ship orders. I'll make sure to ask if they do international shipping.
I WANT a BUG MUG!!! by Christmas.
I just un-adblocked your site.
Keep it up.
I expect hats with antennae.