so, how do you know you have dedicated readers? do you go by how many comments you get, how many page views you have, your comic rank?

I've been here a while now, i updated pretty frequently...maybe too frequently...i dont get many comments, and i really cant compete with how many page views i hear other people are getting on this site, most i've ever gotten is 310. I think my rank was as high as 322 at one point, it's since dropped down to 1,685.
I dont really trust the page views, since its so easy to just refresh your own page a couple times, but for a while now i've been getting an average of 30 views a day. Should i consider this my main fan base? it could be as small as 3 people or indeed 30...

either way, how many of you would you say you have a large fan base on DD?

When they send email death threats for not updating.

Yeah, the problem with looking at pageviews, as I've discovered, is that about 75% of all pageviews are probably just you, the author, looking at your own comic.

Hehehe they can be.
Get a counter on the page as well to verify it if you want to be sure. You can block your own IP with your own counter.

I'd say posts are the best way to check. Usually fans will persistently post, even if it's just to rate a page.

To be honest, there is no way you can know if you have fans. All these ways, stats, page views, comments, they're all unreliable if you want to know about your fanbase.

You just have to take a leap of faith at times, you know.

The regular commenters are one way to gauge your fanbase, as well as PQs about the comic -- but you still know there's many more who read but may not comment. So you'd never know for sure, but the pageviews are a good general indicator (I know when I look through my pages and how many pages I check or how many times I check for comments, etc.).

I have a counter with statistics. I can look at the referring URLs (and time of visit) of recent visitors. (People who get there via certain Google searches are probably clicking on accident.) It compares page views to unique visitors, so I can see if it is one person looking at five pages or five people each looking at one page. Also, I can see how many first time vs. returning visitors I get for the day. I figure that the handful of returning visitors are "fans," at least at the moment.

The regular commenters the best fans. It is nice to even get a blank comment, because it shows that someone is reading. I also like to know if they have read the archives or not. (It helps me decide what to write in my commentary for the page, so no one is lost but also no one is "talked down to." ) But I'm sure people read and don't comment. I'm guilty of that with a few of the comics I follow.

I wouldn't take a guess as to how many (or few) people are regular readers and enjoying my comic, but a couple regular commenters assure me that SOMEONE is, and that's enough to make me happy.

usedbooks
The regular commenters the best fans. It is nice to even get a blank comment, because it shows that someone is reading. I also like to know if they have read the archives or not. (It helps me decide what to write in my commentary for the page, so no one is lost but also no one is "talked down to." ) But I'm sure people read and don't comment. I'm guilty of that with a few of the comics I follow.

I wouldn't take a guess as to how many (or few) people are regular readers and enjoying my comic, but a couple regular commenters assure me that SOMEONE is, and that's enough to make me happy.

I agree with this. I love to get comments from people. It's nice to know that they took the time to write you something. It's even better when I see the same people commenting from page to page or going back to old pages to comment days after they were posted. That's really awsome. As long as there are people like that, I don't care how many people read my comic daily.

Fans? Well, there's one on my living room ceiling... 8D

I measure popularity with favorites. Last I checked I had 12, but that was a few months ago, before my computer rejected the alerter. A lot of people will comment hoping to get you to read their comic; there's a good chance they only read the page the commented on. And hits don't mean anything. Just because someone visited your comic, doesn't mean they read it. But when someone favorites your comic, it means they are going to come back and read some more.

Used to be by comments...

But I haven't had a single comment for the past six or so pages. :(

Generally they tell me. ^_^

The most interesting is when people search you out in other places, though- either an e-mail, or finding me on DeviantArt/Livejournal. It always surprises me and makes me smile. :)

E-mails and private quacks are the big one for me. I get flooded with them, even though my e-mails more or less hidden. My private quacks folder is broken. Its almost always blue and pops up with the "you got a new private quack" message. My mistake is that I try to reply to everything... causing them to reply back and correspondence begins.

Really the best things have been when I get instant messaged "HEY DUDE YOUR COMICS ARE GREAT" on aim. Or "hey are you marine from DD!? YOU SO FUNNY!"

Also I take into account the amount of comments a page gets, which is usually minimal. Most of the people that read my comics prefer to stay to themselves rather then out themselves as penis readers.

I'd like to think I've got a lot of fans. But for some reason I mostly have people that don't like me or my comics. Its like people are mean, selfish, cold hearted pricks or something.

My comic is getting a lot of views at the moment. But I don't think I have many actual "fans". Honestly, I don't. My comic has a lot of faves too, but again, I don't think that means "fans"...

What's a fan though? Someone who hangs out for ages for your next comic, speculates on the coming storylines, cheers on the characters they like etc? There are some loyal commenters on my comic that sometimes do that, and it's nice that they do ^^
But I don't think I've got the kind of readership of a comic like Charby or Star Crossed Destiny that'd seek me out at cons and things, there's nothing wrong with that, I just don't (although, I'd say that I fail in my work in this respect). heh, I think with a comic like mine people like to look at it rather than get too involved.

-That's probably what gives you "fans"; work people can get emotionally invested or interested in to some degree. How do you know if you have them though? Well, like people have said; comments asking about characters, when the next page will come, that sort of thing I suppose.
It's not a subject I'm that qualified on though, obviously.

ozoneocean
What's a fan though? Someone who hangs out for ages for your next comic, speculates on the coming storylines, cheers on the characters they like etc? There are some loyal commenters on my comic that sometimes do that, and it's nice that they do ^^
But I don't think I've got the kind of readership of a comic like Charby or Star Crossed Destiny that'd seek me out at cons and things, there's nothing wrong with that, I just don't (although, I'd say that I fail in my work in this respect). heh, I think with a comic like mine people like to look at it rather than get too involved.

Hmm... so, you meant to say you want stalking fans? lol!

Yes, and they must send me their undergarments through the post as proof of devotion! ^^

ozoneocean
Yes, and they must send me their undergarments through the post as proof of devotion! ^^

I dunno if this is the kind of post you meant, but .

As for me, I throw fan art and actual meetings with people as a part of my gauge. I put out paper advertisements everywhere where I live, so I've met someone who has read my comic in the past at a convention. There are few things more satisfying than meeting a fan in the flesh.

usedbooks
I have a counter with statistics. I can look at the referring URLs (and time of visit) of recent visitors. (People who get there via certain Google searches are probably clicking on accident.) It compares page views to unique visitors, so I can see if it is one person looking at five pages or five people each looking at one page. Also, I can see how many first time vs. returning visitors I get for the day. I figure that the handful of returning visitors are "fans," at least at the moment.

where do you get something like that?

RobertTidwell
where do you get something like that?

Bravenet.com

I keep hearing from people that they want other characters above others. That they'd rather see more Starguy than Big Angry Black Guy and then I get people who want more Starguy over Big Angry Black Guy...

I even got an e-mail from a guy who wanted more of The White Devil who appears over in my DD zombies pages. Its hard to gauge when to do what with who. Because you've got to keep growing as a creator, but at the same time you've got to cater to your fan base. You can't hold their hand and walk with them either though. Its tricky figuring stuff out. Researching your audiences demographics helps figure out who wants what and why and how much of it to give them.

Kohdok
There are few things more satisfying than meeting a fan in the flesh.

I get quite a few people who had nervous reaction meeting me... As if I'm some kind of super star that they have no idea how to approach to me... =_=;

But I usually talk to them as friends so that they won't get themselves too nervous of me.

@ Eunice:

I wouldn't know, but maybe you're hot?

Cuz I just can't imagine anyone being nervous meeting a comics artist. A mayor, yeah... but a comics artist? :\

i would have to say that people who have been reading my comic from the beginning and are still reading it are fans. anyone who found it and read the archive and are still reading it are also fans. if you sell stuff like t-shirts, mousepads, hard copies of your comics, or flamethrowers and people buy them then they are fans too.

I just kind of assume I don't have fans since I don't get many comments or pageviews.

I do get the odd IM every so often, but they never talk about my comic. They usually want me to draw their comic for them or want something else from me.

mlai
@ Eunice:

I wouldn't know, but maybe you're hot?

Cuz I just can't imagine anyone being nervous meeting a comics artist. A mayor, yeah... but a comics artist? :\

I'm such a fan of Garth Ennis's work, and I've seen him speak on a extra thing on the Punisher DVD, I just don't know if I want to meet him or not. I'd love to, lot of things I'd like to ask about Punisher, Preacher, Just a Pilgrim, The Demon, Hellblazer, and some of his other comics, but I'm afraid if I met him he'd give smart ass answers or half answers to questions. So its not even worth asking them.

There are several comic artists I'd be nervous to meet. Any artist whose work you enjoy can be like that.

No stalker/fans for me yet on my DD comics, but another comic gets me a fair amout of comments. They're really nice to have, but aren't the reason I keep making comics.

mlai
@ Eunice:

I wouldn't know, but maybe you're hot?

Everybody knows I'm almost a nerd with a child-like face. :p

I guess it's exactly like Warren says. When people really enjoy your stuffs, they tend to get nervous meeting the creator whom they have not much knowledge of his or her personality.

when people plug your comics for you ^_^

subcultured
when people plug your comics for you ^_^

Amen. It also doesn't hurt to ask for feedback in your posts. My comic, Gunplay , has been running on Drunk Duck for only a short time but folks seem to lean into it and feel free to leave feedback. You might also think about commenting frequently on other people's comics. Not only will the creators reciprocate, but I bet many of their frequent readers will follow your link back to your strip and maybe leave comments for you too.

I love the rough look of your comic too, man! Nice stuff.

ah, i'll assume that compliment was intended for me then, thank you. thats what we where going for.

and congrats on being a challenge finalist! you have my vote sir, it sounds like a great comic.