Donnie Goth Web Comic Abandons Exclusive Facebook Model and Launches New Website!

Donnie Goth, the first web comic to use a Facebook application as its sole means of distribution has now abandoned that model and re-launched on its own website, donniegothcomic.com. The comic grew quickly on Facebook, swirling to over 10,000 fans in 4 months, but recent Facebook changes caused the creator to reconsider his Facebook only approach. "The real problems that were limiting the growth of the fan base were the user authentication requirements and the Timeline redesign of the Facebook fan page. Both of these aspects were forced on us by Facebook and it hurt in readership and the ability to use it as a business platform." says strip creator Ricardo Porven. "Everything was just harder than it had to be. For the fans and for us, the developer." he added. "After our first successful season, I had to step back and look at the strengths and weaknesses of what we were doing. Facebook was great for amassing an audience and communicating with them, but it lacked sorely in the user interface experience, the ability to reach across mobile and tablet platforms, etc. Even screen real-estate was limiting." said Ricardo Porven. Still, the creator admits there were many positive aspects to being on Facebook, including developing a loyal following and fan base that the webcomic creator expects will follow him to the strip's new home at www.donniegothcomic.com.

Is this the end of the relationship between the comic and the social network? "Not at all. Facebook will still be home to the fan page. I've made a lot of friends there. We even started a twitter account this season, so social networking is still high on the marketing priority list. This season, we're making many changes and bringing on new help to allow us to make the strip more frequent, expand into other media, like video and be more responsive to our fans. The move to a proprietary site will help make this happen." Ricardo explained.

The new site boasts a healthy amount of features for a web comic, including a store that sells limited edition collectibles and t-shirts, a blog, art gallery and of course the comic strips, in large full color panels with a responsive interface to navigate through them. There's also an entertaining character biography section where each character talks a little about themselves. Recent Facebook changes (including a move to the Timeline format) may have caused the strip to move to a new home on the web, but with all the new features and its beautiful, simple interface, the fans will actually benefit from a better overall experience. And that's something to definitely hit the like button for.Donnie Goth the web comic is the brainchild of creator, Ricardo Porven. It features the misadventures of a teenage goth boy and his zombie-raising salamander. The stories run the gamut from, horror, to romance, to humor – many times in the same story. Ricardo Porven is an artist, writer, filmmaker and freelance advertising creative director that works in the South Florida area from Miami to the Palm Beaches. His work has been published both as a writer and illustrator and his films have been shown in festivals around the country. He works for select advertising clients, creating both traditional and digital campaigns, branding materials and websites.

Connect with Donnie via these sites;

http://www.donniegothcomic.com/

http://www.facebook.com/donniegothcomic/

http://www.twitter.com/donniegoth

http://www.youtube.com/user/donniegoth