At 11/22/23 12:22 PM, KhaosKitsune617 wrote:
What other sites do you suggest?
Now while I am good at reading out statistics and theory, I am next to horrible on executing said knowledge. I can tell you fault of sites, but if you are oriented on growth you can probably find way to make following anywhere. I am like that nerd, who can make the formulae, but wouldn't do the run to test the shoes.
However as bad as I am in socials myself, then in theory is that, when you start from absolute 0, then without using money and marketing - easiest way to get started with still images is in Tumblr.
It has 2 good reasons why - it still (now partially, but available in full for those, who like it) respects tags. Meaning, when you tag your work let say "character X" or "this style art" (so to speak), then it can be found and discovered. It is not as good as NG in terms of discoverability from 0 up, but it maintains this certain mentality of, "when you seek, you find" - now with blaze (paid posts and content) you get lower priority in tag search vs. some popular posts, but the reblog function allows to reach out far.
In flip side we have classic social media like IG, X, FB, TikTok,Youtube then if you want to make it big, then oddly... TikTok.
This everyone in west-hates platform, but if you are a 0 (aka new user) - then out of listed traditional social media giants this is THE only platform that would allow you to be discovered. In comparison - IG does not even have 'new' feed anymore, doesn't respect tags and shadow bans people even for NOT posting reels often enough. Also IG often suppresses content even from your followers! How can you grow, if even your own followers do not see your posts! Also IG has probably biggest bot problem out of them all.
X just doesn't like free users in general, only way my few posts get noticed is, when some Hollywood guys talked to me (so people probably checked my profile as I had brief chats with industry people in open web), so ... want to be seen pay. However it is cheaper to pay X than IG and X doesn't shadowban you for not using reels or not posting every day (IG apparently has this odd posts per week check up, where you must post in intervals to not be lowered in show priority). Also unlike in IG, X does not show your posts based on speed of likes gained (which means that artificially manipulating visibility is harder in X than in IG - and that is a good thing, less botting and fake celebrities)
When you do videos, then there really is one option. Tiktok. No matter what Us based lobbied and paid off media says, then Tiktok still is best of its kind. Also to new and free user. It's algorithms will allow you to enter into a bubble zone, and when you in bubble or part of the bubble you get to the people and find people. It is horrible system in sense it builds echo chambers and fuels brain-death in some circles, but then again - if you like art and focus on art, then what you find and be found in is art-topic. Youtube shorts, twitch, Instagram reels - all that is s*** and you gain 0 visibility as new. Those are only for old accounts or for privileged rich kids with loads of money.
Sure there are tons other websites for art - be it Artstation, Reddit, Pinterest galleries and so on, and so on, and you name it, but if you want to be part of community you are in NG already with added bonus of no AI. And only added bonus of Artstation, Pinterest and few others is that they may get priority on google search, but from this year this is also useless since Google now added automated AI generation to their image search.
Reddit some artists like, some hate. I found it obnoxious and its new design is even worse. I was there exactly 2 weeks and 3000 karma's worth, then deleted all my 15 posts with a script and not logged since. You can get visibility there, but it is like some generic whine pot. So many whining posts I have never seen any single platform. I guess negative complaints are good for karma-bait.
I personally just use Tumblr and NG now, even when I have been on places from Artstation to its derivatives and whatever-imaginable site you can find in web. I just find that as nobody - algorithm based websites just do not give any space to new comers and there are literally only 2 sites left that i know of which ignore the I generated popularity freed. NG and tumblr (partially).
This is a long post, but because I couldn't sleep and forgot myself to ramble and winter storm is coming, air is loud here.