Cyberdevil 2018-12-05 06:04:36

Happy this place is changing minds lately, though it's a shame that prejudice still lives. NG's been working in the shadows I guess, could've used some promotion. :) Welcome aboard!

Innocuous-Robutt 2018-12-05 06:58:30

It's definitely come a long way since 2007. Seems Tom has been keeping to his hobby if working on this site while not really promoting it.

Cyberdevil 2018-12-05 07:04:12

Ah, no prejudice then, just no prior knowledge? It has had it's ups and downs over the years, with Google blacklisting us after one too many a controversial game, the slow decline of Flash, moving to new formats and methods of financing all the while staff's been dwindling, all the while competing with social giants with a huge sponsor base.... definitely been seeing some crazy growth now though! We're thankful for y'all joining up here. It's been kinda cozy with a more close-knit userbase before this but to be financially stable this is what we really need after all. Anyway let me know if you have any questions about anything setting up, it's a big place. All the best!

Cyberdevil 2018-12-05 08:31:56

Haha yeah, it seems it does! Power to the artists!

Maybe a good thing not everyone heads over here first though. We can handle this kind of influx but everyone...? That'd be insane. Probably require a whole new hosting setup. Hopefully with time though. Twitter's one of those gigantic corporate entries too at this point, after all...

That's the dream now. :) Hope we do this the right way and don't keep people out or get people confused. A better intro when you sign up seems like a pretty important addition but I guess staff's too busy with more functional things.

Such are the ways of new places. :) As for help, not sure what to offer really... what do you need? Being here so long you forget what it's like just signing up. And it's such a different place now compared to how it was back when I was new here.

Cyberdevil 2018-12-05 18:07:33

Well exposure comes with time, in a dual sense. The more time you spend here the more you get. ;) Ways to reach out quicker with your art in particular though: https://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/forum/14

...could check out what other have posted there and take a similar route. Some uses have art threads where they regularly post their WIPs, some post single pieces and ask for feedback. Outside of the art section itself that's basically where the community is.

Newsposts are the other obvious way, and interacting with fans, collaborating, maybe joining in on a contest when there's one going on? There's usually a little list of ones coming up on the front page, top left, though also smaller ones occasionally popping up via forums and newsposts.

Hmm, maintain relevancy.. consistent uploads and/or activity is probably the main thing. The more fans you gain the faster that build-up goes too, but it's hard for aspiring artists to really stand out here just like it is elsewhere. Especially now with so many new artists signing up. As I see it there are a few alternatives you could go with:

- The NG way: just keep going and outlive the competition. ;)
- The CD way: be everywhere, do everything, interact with everyone and bring in followers one at a time, slow but steady...
- The harder artist way: focus on your craft, listen to feedback, interact with fans as much as you have time for but don't make it a priority, and just keep making great art. Fans should come to you. Build up both a persona and a repertoire with time.
- The easier one: sacrifice integrity for audience and do whatever fans want you to, and you'll probably manage to build up a base of supporters a bit faster, but not one that really supports you as much as they want the content.

Not really specific to NG though... I'm not sure what'd be different here or elsewhere. The navigation's a bit different but all interaction forms are pretty similar I think?

Yes, the reblog thing just isn't a thing here. If you stumble upon things you like: favorite them! They'll show up on your page, and others can browse through those things there. If you have an opportunity to promote work you can take that too, but generally this place doesn't really work that way. Our stream of content is the main stream of content on the front page and each individual section, our feeds, and occasionally the submissions that get promoted, win contests etc. Getting your work frontpaged is the best way to get new viewers, but those are hand-picked and rare, getting listed there's a real honor. Think of it this way: individual streams are built up overtime, by all users who follow you, and the main stream is how you grab those fans: submitting artwork that people want to see, at the right times, on the right themes, so people click in on it when it passes by.

And yes, users here have social media elsewhere too, but not all have as big a following elsewhere as they do here actually. It really depends on what kind of content they submit, and how committed they are to the community. One thing pretty much all the top creators have in common is they've consistently showed love to this place, and kept posting here in parallel with other platforms even if those became for profitable for them: https://www.newgrounds.com/rankings/bookmarks

...people respect that, of course. But don't be restricted to just the one platform. Promote yourself elsewhere too if you can; grow your fanbase both here and wherever else is relevant. It's great to have some alternative outlets, and it shows you're committed too; really want to reach out as much as possible. Some people post links to their submissions here on other sites, some do vice versa. People like Jazza have been drawing in new users here via contests and such, but generally the biggest dudes are bigger on other platforms than they are here. NG's smaller, but generally more supportive. It all depends on what kind of audience you want to aim for; what your ultimate goal is.

titan-kaose 2018-12-30 08:10:33

welcome home my friend.