By the numbers on Project Wonderful it looks like mostly Americans read English language webcomics. Think this is true?

Would you change your audience strategy if this is true?

In my personal experience I have seen that Americans make up the largest population of webcomics readers.

This is not to say that other countries do not have sizable populations of comic readers. In fact I believe that Germany is my second highest reader population after the US. This is followed by the UK, Australia, and then Canada. In fact, I have noticed a large quantity of non-english speaking visitors showing up from around the world.

Obviously not having the comic available in 360million languages is going to mean not reaching as many people. However, this is not only due to language barrier, but also internet connectivity and culture. Some countries have smaller populations, some don't have as much internet access, and some may just not be as interested in comics (in english or otherwise).

This is one of the reasons I am in the process of translating my comic into Spanish.

I get visits from all around the world. Not everyone speaks english, but a lot of people do.

I've know a couple of people from Argentina are reading Air Raid Robertson. After that, I have no idea. I don't know where any of you people are from. However, I do make the assumption that most of the folks around here are Yanks like myself.

The majority are American, since that is the largest and most internet connected English speaking country, but other nationalities are a sizeable portion of the readership.

And the mention of Germans reading a lot of web comics I find easy to believe. Even though my comic is in English, Germans are always very numerous amongst the readership, usually ranking about third or forth most numerous.

Hurra für Deutschland!

I'm not sure what your question is. That Americans prefer English-language comics over other comics? Or that the audience of English-language comics is primarily from America?

Either way doesn't surprise me. I think English is a really common language worldwide if not as a first language then often a second. I also naturally assume most people I run into on the internet are Americans like I am. It might not be true, but for some reason that's how I think (ego-centric, I guess).

According to PW numbers, yeah, I have 10 times more hits from the US than anywhere else -- I would be very surprised to see it any other way since I figure the majority are me and the family and friends I have told to look at my comics. XD I don't have many German readers. My non-US audience is primarily Canada and the UK, followed by Japan and Australia. (Mostly a DD cross-section perhaps?)

I'm not sure what you mean by audience strategy either. How do you mean by change it? Like if you have Americans reading would you want to advertise to other people? Or would you make American references in the comic or something? I don't advertise much and my audience has no effect on my writing. I don't really care who reads it or why. I'm not fluent enough in another language to translate it anyway. I think a good translator should be very competent in both languages to do the work justice.

Would I change anything about my comic to appeal to other groups? Nope. I make a niche comic. People who fall into that niche have a fair chance of enjoying it, but people outside of it won't. The particular niche it appeals to is multi-national but strongly influenced by American film traditions.

The language will remain English because that's the only language I'm fluent in. I'm not against translations, but it's extremely unlikely that this comic will ever become popular enough for people to want to read it in other languages. If it ever happens, then hey, it'll be available in other languages.

Although now you've got me seriously considering throwing in a joke page/character where the dialogue started in English, got translated to Korean, then Italian, then Chinese and back to English via Babelfish.

Changing my strategy to appeal to American readers...next chapter everyone will be wearing cowboy hats and eating hotdogs.

THE PERFECT PLAN!
A spot on the front page is as good as mine!

The US is inevitably going to make up the largest part of the readership for almost any English language webcomic, I think. The US has a huge population for a start, a high percentage of which is internet-connected, and it has what must be the largest and most well-established comics industry/culture anywhere in the English-speaking world.

My comic Shades is deliberately focused on the UK, with British heroes, villains and settings. Nevertheless, the last time I checked the geographic spread of my readership, around 60% - 80% of my readers were from the US. I'm sure that will be true for most English-language webcomics.

To be honest, I wouldn't want to change anything about the comic just to appeal to any one geographic area. The story and themes are what they are, and the whole point of being independent of the mainstream is that we don't have to try to curry favour with "test audiences" and "focus groups" in the way that, say, Hollywood movies do. We're free to do what feels right for the story.

I could try to make the spellings conform to US English rather than British English but (a) I'd probably get some of them wrong and it would end up being a mish-mash; (b) it would undermine the "Britishness" of the comic; and (c) since I already have c.80% of my readers coming from the US, it seems that US audiences are perfectly capable of understanding words with wacky Brit-spellings!

DAJB, its funny you should say that actually.
I always got the impression your comic made sure all the things they talked about were things about Britain that Americans would "get", like land marks and stuff that people outside of Britain would know about, that sort of thing.
That is not a criticism or anything, but I never saw anything in there that made me think "Would Americans get that referance?"

harkovast
Changing my strategy to appeal to American readers...next chapter everyone will be wearing cowboy hats and eating hotdogs.

I would LOVE to see that.

DAJB
I could try to make the spellings conform to US English rather than British English

Ugh, don't even mention the possibility. T___T

American English is the only variation that's like that, all other variations I've seen are pretty similar to British English. We should celebrate our colour, grey, centre, realisation, aeroplane, aluminium, metre, gaol, humour and so on...
------------------

When I still used to check my hits I caught all sorts of weird results. Strangest was the Iranian government military IP, who's comp language was Farsi.
Probably trying to steal my nuclear missile plans >_<

harkovast
DAJB, its funny you should say that actually.
I always got the impression your comic made sure all the things they talked about were things about Britain that Americans would "get", like land marks and stuff that people outside of Britain would know about, that sort of thing.

I did use famous landmarks at the beginning of several chapters, not so much to ensure that US readers would "get it" but, since the superhero genre is almost exclusively American, more to remind people that it was set in the UK. I also tried to include settings that were very British but not famous landmarks (e.g. a 1950s housing estate and a 1930s suburban street) for similar reasons.

ozoneocean
We should celebrate our colour, grey, centre, realisation, aeroplane, aluminium, metre, gaol, humour and so on...

Absolutely! Given the themes in Shades, I felt it was especially important to stick to British English but, even in other things I've written, I've stayed true to ye olde Mother Tongue!

ozoneocean
When I still used to check my hits I caught all sorts of weird results. Strangest was the Iranian government military IP, who's comp language was Farsi. Probably trying to steal my nuclear missile plans >_<

Ha! You laugh now but just wait until a squad of 50-foot tall fundamentalist Mechs start marching over the horizon! ;-)

Well, if I'd do a comic in french, I suppose not as much people would read it so I'd consider it twice before doing it. But if I really wanted to do one in this language, I'd do it.

If by Americans you men US I wouldn't be surprised they read mostly english comic.It sounds normal to me. If you mean Americans as in all America, spanish comics probably have a big place, and maybe french too(mostly in prints not in webcomics) but very little compared to english and spanish.

Also, Drunkduck is an American website. Different English-communicating countries have their own comics/manga websites that are popular.

mlai
Also, Drunkduck is an American website. Different English-communicating countries have their own comics/manga websites that are popular.

Well, yes and no.
Volte6 is American, he started the site. He asked a few people too join- most were American, some weren't. Then more people joined, mainly American since most English speakers on the net are American, but lots of other people from other places as well.

Still later of Platinum studios bought DD and hired Volte6 on as programmer. Plat is American, but they aren't DD, DD is still sort of it's own thing with Plat paying its bills etc.

The way I think of DD is that it's an English speaking international site, with the main population being American mainly because that's where most English speaking net-users come from.
There are no real international borders on the net, just language ones, and when all the people speak the same language then... ;)

usedbooks
I'm not sure what your question is. That Americans prefer English-language comics over other comics? Or that the audience of English-language comics is primarily from America?


I'm not sure what you mean by audience strategy either. How do you mean by change it? Like if you have Americans reading would you want to advertise to other people? Or would you make American references in the comic or something? I don't advertise much and my audience has no effect on my writing. I don't really care who reads it or why. I'm not fluent enough in another language to translate it anyway. I think a good translator should be very competent in both languages to do the work justice.

I mean most people that come to your comic website are American (or are simply located in the United States).

....I think things that you could change is if you have a big history back story of a non-US country in your story it's best to assume that not all of your American readers will understand it unless you go over it more or at least link to some article/wiki online.
(Same for others too.)People in the subject country will understand without much explaining but people out of the subject country might not get it all.


I just think it's just so weird that now that PW separated their ads by region, everyone advertising on the US ads. I didn't think webcomics were so popular here...


I'm not really sure what else. I really was hoping to find out more...
I'm American and I like a lot of different comics. Comics from far away places are cool with me.

JillyFoo
I just think it's just so weird that now that PW separated their ads by region

Yeah, that's weird. I don't know why they do that... I find the internet is better without geography.

My comic is in a fictional setting, but the laws and the politics and stuff are all fairly clearly American. If my non-American readers find something culturally confusing, they usually ask, and I answer.

usedbooks
[I find the internet is better without geography.

Awww.....Don't make your local Geographer cry. (Yes, I am a geographer, specifically a cartographer)

I think the internet is better BECAUSE of geography. ;)


In any case, I would definitely agree that the US just has a large percentage of net users. This is not good or bad, this just is how it is.

I personally get more excited about those 9 visits from Thailand than the thousands of visits from the US. :)

I think you can blame Teddy Roosevelt for this. I'm fairly certain that his administration made it so that America spelled color without a "u".

Of course, that beats the hell out of the system from a few hundred years before that. Where you could spell something however the hell you want to as long as it kinda sorta makes sense.

I think filthy foreigners are ruining DD for decent, God fearing Americans!
Cant we just ban them all some how?
They are undermining the freedom and liberty on which DD was founded!

True, I demand that all Dutch, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Scottish people be banned!
Except me of course...

I love how the internet brings a little piece of everything to everyone who uses it. Like that time in High School I looked up "Dragon Ball Z" (I'm old) and the link I clicked on took me to a Hindu site! Which clearly said "We have nothing to do with Dragon Ball Z but if you stick around you can learn about Hinduism!" That my friends, was truly awesome.

And on other notes if Eternity Dreams ever got any viewership outside America I'd cry a little from happy. Then I'd start hyperventilating worrying that any readers in great Britain would star correcting my bad topography of their country.

Mitaukano
And on other notes if Eternity Dreams ever got any viewership outside America I'd cry a little from happy. Then I'd start hyperventilating worrying that any readers in great Britain would star correcting my bad topography of their country.

You definitely do get viewership outside America. DD is hosted to the world wide web. I'm from Asia and I already can access and read any comics I find on DD.