[Locked] Front Page Overflowing With Book-Purchases?

Lots to say so I'm going to point by point and use spoilers, read only if you enjoy long posts.

Nyara:


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Der Hexer:

"me and my friends hate it so everyone must hate it". Where I said I hate it? Can you quote it? No? Fine, don't assume it, then. Even more, I'd say that just some of my friends hates it, not all.

By other hand I'm not overstating or substating anything. While you can see results on short time sales, we don't know if that sales will increase, decrease or anything. Clearly it wasn't for the stand alone advertising that the firsts books were successful but rather for the huge advertising of the site itself for it's long time free content. It's always a hard thing to understand, though, and very easily to broke the balance for the mid and long term (flux of users constantly vary for best or worst).

Now if changes comes or not, it's just a thing of Jabob itself, I'm just offering feedback (by giving my opinion) and a few suggestions.

That sounds pretty brilliant, actually-- and seems like an easy enough solution to implement.

You get to either argue that this affects a large number of people negatively or that you your friends are part of a small niche group that don't like the changes, you cant make both points. We dont fully know for sure where our purchases came from, all we have is sales figures which are good, so we avoid speculation and changes until we see the need for them. We have not lost a large number of users, our page views and unique visitors are trending as they did before so it very much sounds like your overstating the problem and effect its had on us.

edit: Jake just told me traffic is up 20%, whether that has to do with books and the wani deal remains to be seen but its the only number we have.

There's also a border between optimism and reality. (No, you're not pessimistic, not-in-support is not-in-support, Hexer-kun). As Waar state, FAKKU cannot change simply because of minor negative feedbacks, at least when the situation is still positive, and for it to remain positive we need people who understands why it is this way, not people who just wants their entitled free stuff and is pissed they can't be in the "party" because they can't pay (There are others who can't pay too, as I stated, but their fine with it, and still support the books). I get the part about "too much is annoying" but none at all on the front page is just against the site's intention. And be it at the sacrifice of people who can't get the Wani story and left, if Jake wants a company, he gets a company. (Praise unto thee, Lord Jacob, may I get a Napata work?)



Waar probably answered all the technicality. But I'll just give you a little sentiment on this. Being a observer during the time in which Wani was banning stuff. I remember panicking that I won't get to read any of the stuff Fakku is publishing now. Maybe you're right, Nyara, when the hype dies down, there might be people who won't buy books anymore, but this won't affect the forum community by much because we're more than a Fakku's community already as Freaky has proven. It sure will affect the comments communtity, by eliminating all the underaged kids who doesn't know a thing, and the entitled users who thinks everything is theirs, but not guys like Zero and AssasinZAssasin, or any other people who makes it fun, because they come here not mainly for the hentai (that's why you always see guys saying you should go to Ex and stuff), but for the fun of it, and I don't think we're losing any creativity power, and we having our own new line of products, that's some cool shit if you ask me.

Only time will tell-- but if it turns out to be related to Fakku Books, you guys have something pretty special on your hands.

1. I'm not Der Hexer. I don't agree with his sentiment. I just understand his complaint, but I don't agree with his attitude toward it.

2. I have not brought Books not because I think "buying Hentai is crazy", nor anything like that. I think it's nice actually, I have not brought because:

- No money. And for real. No, it's not I not have money for Hentai, I don't have money for any luxury. Heck, I'm an avid gamer since I have memory, with more than 200 games (owned) finished... and I haven't brought any game on 2013 and most 2014 for the same reason. I've selling stuff, actually.

- If I were ever to buy I would buy physical ones because I found them better. Yet I have not privacy nor I'll have in the near future (because illness, mom helps me with it and so). I never be too much of the type of buying something for conformation and that would be the reality for me with digital ones.

- I'm just for Yuri and at some degree for Femdom (I read some other stuff from time at time, but aren't favorites). I'm not really excited until something like that is released.

As you see my reasons are just personal, not really anything against it.

3. What? I have to be from neither of both extremes to have a point? I'm just saying if we're now with a 20% improvement that would decrease to, let's say 17%. It's just a thing about improving efficiency rather than "life or death, or a way too risk" or anything like that. Heck, it's a mere homepage. Though new users tend to use a lot the homepage, so that would make an impact higher than I trough in the future, but not sure.

4. Don't care about new users? That would be a problem... Elitism is bad and have killed pages and communities since Internet exists. Though I'm sure that isn't the sentiment, but saying that non-paid users are almost non-important is rude and isn't too different from elitism. It's by non-paid users you get paid-users in this case, neither by community, references, massive linking, free advertising, or, the most common, non-paid users becomes paid users soon or later. Not like the site is expressing that (with the last update the contrary!) now aside your rude comment, but I hope things don't turns that way in the future. Balance is important.

5. More than the overflowing I think the bigger problem is how hard is to identify em' if they are or not pay content. The "Publisher: FAKKU" on small letters ninja using the place of Translator is definitively hard to see, specially when you get used to ignore the translator (they are important, it's just people doesn't care about them, and I know it because I've translated stuff before). Specially troublesome with the pay chapters over there that aren't necessary on the top of the page. My suggestion in this case is to change "FAKKU" to "FAKKU BOOKS" and add a small icon alongside (maybe a book with a F?).

6. I think we all agree that pay users should have comfy access for what they are paying. Yet the current system isn't specially comfy unless you're buying a new release (and the disordered sample chapters aren't too helpful nor comfy). The solution is quite easy with a "Books" navigation button above already suggested, hopefully with a showcase more like Games are now, or Videos, or Store style, or something like the already done on profile, for easier checks. Along my suggestion with a "New" alongside that button each time a new book is released.

7. While overflowing isn't a big deal, it's still annoying and unfriendly for new users. Sure, the books themselves are fine, but a spam of single chapters releases is a bit too much. For example considering the order where new chapters will be released for each book, and the flow of new free content, on one week we're gonna have the homepage with about 40% of pay only stuff, I don't think that would be exactly good for the business because new users (that would become in the future paid users or bring paid-users) uses a lot the homepage. As for a suggestion, I think when a new chapter of a book is released, the previous chapter should disappear from the homepage to don't overflow.

8. Heck, it can even become sightly uncomfy for some pay-users that uses the homepage because I don't think too much people will buy each book released ever. Though take in account it's just a single page, the homepage, so it isn't "death or life" or anything extreme like that, though the homepage is also the most important one with respect of single pages (I bet you have more traffic there than anywhere else in the web).

9. The "Introducing Fakku Books" banner is so uninteresting. That space, or above, or below it you would put more Books stuff like a mini-list of each book released so far until a year ago and so, or frankly anything.

Those are my points, suggestions, opinions, points of view and feedback. I'll leave it on that.

Lots of good feedback in this thread. I'll be making some changes to how the books appear but they will always be featured on the front page. That will not change. Keep in mind we are already hiding Renai Sample and PuniKano from the front page already because I felt like having more than three books was too much. And I plan to add a dedicated "Books" section sometime in the future.

If it's feasible Jacob (not sure if it'd mess up code) you could make the paid books icons smaller in width. While this would make them look a little less attractive potentially and maybe skew the thumbnail, not only would it allow you to fit more paid books at the top, but people would be able to differentiate easily.

Both of those sound like pretty good ideas, I think. It's nice to see the more recently released books up top-- and having a books section that we can just click on and access without navigating through the store will be nice too.

It's funny actually, several months ago on the flight back from Japan after securing our publishing deal I sketched out some mockups for the new front page. I'll have to dig up that notebook and see if I came up with anything good.

I have to say, a colored outline for the paid content seems a good idea to me. I think it would look much nicer than the other suggestion of using a different background color, although both together could work as well.

The idea of making them smaller doesn't sound so good, all uploads should be equal, paid or not, and even the idea originator admits that this could make them less attractive, which is clearly the opposite of what you (and we) want for them.


The reason of "all uploads should be equal" is also why, unlike some others here, I have no problem with the paid content chapters showing up on the main page. As content published by Fakku, they have the same right to be displayed there, if not more.

just a thought but what about adding a Paid Book Tag or something similar along the lines of that? The only reason why I'm suggesting this is to let users/visitors know that those books are only available when you buy it.


thats my 2 cents on the matter

Well, I personally don't see an issue with the whole thing. I mean it would be nice if it wasn't so blended in so when I explore the releases after being away for a while I dont have to remember the name of every purchase only book and artist but what can you do, it is what it is...

I have been here on Fakku for at least 3 years and I plan to stay for countless more.

Simple Solution: Everyone owning the Book sees the Chapter releases of the owned Books. Everyone else just sees the x(Amount "Featured" Books on top of the Page.
For Visual aspects: Big Frame around the x Books with a single Banner saying "Featured FAKKU Books" or anything.

Or add in Brackets if the Chapter is connected to a Book so we see if it part of a book before we click it.

or create a new tag for payed content so u can blacklist at least the chapter releases.... i mean if we know the first 2 on top are payed content okay.... if 4 of 6 new releases are chapter inside these books..it's kinda annoying since the chapter are even shown in notification even though i can't read them YET ;)

I mean i read a few comments and read "u know other hentai sites" - 1st the argument but others...is a parent argument which can't bring a good reason...
so in fact some site show u free content and some sites actually have a news page with a list of new releases BUT actually the ones u can't read a free user are not clickable(if we can't click it there should be a info which book it is part of)

or be at least consitent: some chapter of the books actually have "Fakku" as publisher name, which makes them noticeable...but not all new chapter releases the books have these (repeater has, Welcome to Tokoharu Apartments - Chapter 2 has not) just make every release of payed content marked with a publisher

it's not that hard... i mean advertising is important but from my point of view there is room for improvement ^^(yes bought books already and i will buy the 3 books so yeah im a paying user xD)

ADD: and the new releases are even in notification...i mean i get a notification for content i can't read yet :V

Fakku Gold Option to hide Fakku books releases?

Genius!

I agree with making it more obvious at a glance whether an update is a pay2read book or not. Perhaps adding a bold colored outline or border w/ a tiny non-intrusive decal. Or maybe just sticking the fakku girl over the corner of the book picture.

Simple and elegant. I like.