Storygrounds’ Post

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TLDR, We’ve been deep in alpha testing and learned some important things! One of the biggest moves we’re making is that we’ve decided to remove GenAI from the Storygrounds platform in its entirety. Watch the video or read below for the deets. 🌼 ~~~~~ Thank you to everyone who has followed along with our journey of creating Storygrounds, an interactive space that connects creators with their fan communities through webcomics. Since last November, we’ve been in Alpha mode (testing and research phase), while working & listening closely to creators, artists, writers, and fans of webcomics. We’ve learned A LOT which has given us a strong path towards making something that is not just fun but truly in support of creators and this space. Some Learnings:  - Readers are enjoying visual quests, sharing their ideas, and getting feedback from creators. - Readers want quests to have even more impact on the story. - Readers want to be able to submit their own hand-drawn creations.  - Readers wanted more organization of the actions they completed and still have available. - Making the quest experience smooth and easy to understand is key. - There are still very different opinions on GenAI (positive, negative, and indifferent). With the consent of our creators, we tested GenAI as a visual communication tool between creators and their fan communities. We’ve gotten quite mixed feedback. Given our stance towards ensuring creators are first, we are taking action on the feedback by removing GenAI from our product in its entirety. We didn’t start building this platform for AI. We didn’t make this decision to remove GenAI from the platform lightly, but it was an easy decision for the type of space that we wish to create alongside you all. As for what’s updated and new, this is how we have and are integrating what we’ve learned. More Interaction! - We’ve added Polls as a simple but high-impact option for communication. - We’ve added a new Question Type that allows readers to submit Text-Only Responses, which truly allows creators & readers to collab in a more “wordy” way (sorry that was lame). 🤭 - We’ve added Commenting and 💖-ing that allows creators and readers to provide immediate thoughts, feedback, and support throughout episodes and Quests. More Organization - Our new User Feed now shows our readers the most relevant & recent stuff, front and center. - Our new Quest - Storyworld navigator, now allows readers to easily find the Storyworld Questions that they wish to participate in the most. Everyone Gets Rewards! - We’re working on our Rewards System, which will allow new ways for creators to have more streams of revenue that are aligned with their goals. - Tied to this, we’re building new ways for Readers to get rewarded while having fun doing things that are directly related to what they enjoy… which are webcomics. GO AWAY ADS!! We don’t need a new vacuum. We’re all eyes and ears. Excited to continue building this space with you all!

Enya Lu

Associate Product Manager @ Salesforce | Stanford Design

3mo

this is actually incredible - it's great that you guys did end up listening to the community and are making this step despite the gen AI hype cycles, though a lot of creators, writers, and artists have been warning companies and platforms about gen AI for a long time to come! The webtoon space can already be very exploitative to creators/fans, wishing Storygrounds the best in this and hope the platform can stay true to creators and writers ❤️

Anthony Torretti 🧙♂️

Operations for All Things Creative + Marketing | Creative Producer, Marketing Project Manager, NoCode Guy | Building Brands & Creative Teams | Web Content, Social Media, Events, Video, UGC, Gen AI, and Beyond

3mo

That's a huge move. I remember the GenAI feature being a major talking point earlier this year, so I can imagine it took a lot to decide on removing the feature entirely. Looking foward to seeing Storygrounds evolve further.

The product development process is about listening, iterating, and doing hard things that right. This was an important step in our journey!

Em Erdman

Comics Production Specialist || Former Comixologist || Freelancer

3mo

That's great news! Removing GenAI is an excellent way to show that Storygrounds listens to creators and puts them first!

Anna Redhorse

Graphic Designer @ Self-employed | Designing Visual Content

3mo

Fantastic. I put in a general application with high hopes. 💜

Naomi Cloud

Virtual Assistant | Music & Tech Creative | The first Vtuber Virtual Assistant in the USA | Focusing on the human connection through virtual avatars

3mo

Not only do you listen to your community, you also share updates about changes and explain why which builds so much trust! I didn't know about Storygrounds before but I'm a fan now!

Audrey Fisher

Senior UI/UX Designer | Webcomic Artist

3mo

This sounds so exciting! I know it's tough getting mixed feedback from users, but it's an extremely valuable and insightful step to take. I can't wait to see what's in store for Storygrounds!

Linda Giang

Head of Content & Operations @ Storygrounds | Webcomics

3mo

💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

Carlin Cottam

Writer — Illustrator — Educator — Stay-At-Home Dad

3mo

Great news and great video!

Matt Witham

Animator • Illustrator • Composer • Writer • Director (Currently available for hire!)

3mo

This is incredible! This truly is a great move and gives artists a comfortable place to create! Bravo! 👏

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