Whether on desktop or via the mobile menu, you will see the same five social media icons prominently displayed on each and every page of Omake Theater. These networks are Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram and YouTube. There is also a Patreon account, but that doesn't appear alongside the previously mentioned quintet.
All social media networks are not created equal.
Gone are the days where having a website was all you need to attract new visitors to your content. Having some sort of presence on at least one, if not all, of the social media platforms became a prerequisite for success.
What each of these aforementioned networks do, and how their users interact with them, is completely different. How I utilize each of them and what I share on them is different, as well.
Facebook — "It’s quick and easy."Omake Theater's oldest and most active social media account is Facebook. I make sure to share all comics and articles on there. The site is used to draw a lot more visitors to the website, but Facebook's algorithm for sharing content has become less friendly over the years. Gone are the days where the new posts you create are shared with all of your readers. Now, Facebook wants you to fork out more and more money just to make that minimum happen.
That said, the audience on Facebook is pretty active and are more likely to comment there than on the other sites. Definitely worth checking out.
Twitter — "It’s what’s happening."Twitter has gotten a bad rap over the past few years. It is definitely not the same platform it was when I originally joined. Still, it is one of my favorites. Sure, I don't actively comment on Twitter all the time, but I do like the ability to do so without penalties.
Allow me to explain. If I share too many posts on Facebook, their algorithm will choose to limit the visibility of current and/or future posts from my subscribers. Twitter, on the other hand, will not penalize me for making too many tweets. In fact, they encourage you to do just that. Also, to the best of my knowledge, my tweets are shared with all of my followers, which drastically increases their likelihood to get read.
Twitter is also my testing ground. A lot of the Mini-Yōikoma comics were originally tweets I made on Twitter. I just went through my history, saw tweets that worked and gently massaged them into a comic format. It's a good place to find everything, even if I don't tweet as much as some other creators.
Reddit — "The front page of the Internet"Reddit is always interesting. The subreddit for Omake Theater is slowly, but steadily, increasing. I've always perceived Reddit as my alternative to having a forum. I know I could set up a discord server, but that's just one more platform to maintain, and I really don't have that time.
Also, I am currently sitting at over 65,000 karma on Reddit. I can't throw that away. It's not a tiny number, either. It must have some sort of monetary value, right?!
Instagram — "We bring you closer to the people and things you love"I prefer to keep my private life private. That is not the point behind Instagram. As such, it is my least favorite platform. I do have an Instagram account for Omake Theater. In fact, I actually have four. So if you are on Instagram, you can add me there. Just being honest, I am not really a big user there. So, yeah...
YouTube — "Broadcast Yourself"YouTube
I cannot think of a single day since Omake Theater first began that I have not thought about the animations I plan to make for that channel. Will there be original animations on YouTube from Omake Theater? Yes. When? Good question.
Remember the Bucket List comic I made a couple weeks ago? Those animations are on it.
If you're not subscribed to Omake Theater on YouTube, please do it. Maybe that will motivate me to find the time to create them. I'm not kidding when I say every single day.
Patreon — "All power to the people"Patreon
Patreon counts as a social media platform, right? I mean, if YouTube does then I see no reason why Patreon wouldn't count, too.
I share sketches and other behind-the-scenes content exclusively on Patreon. I also use the funds that I receive from it to help offset the server costs to run this site. As of right now, that is the only direct revenue that Omake Theater receives. I plan on doing a crowdfunding campaign for the complete Friday 4Koma collection in the upcoming months, but, until then, that is the site's only source of funding.
Since it is the only way to view Omake Theater content behind a paywall, I want to make sure it is unique. I'm not trying to push the account, but I am not not trying to do that either.
And that's it.
If you're not subscribed to any of previously mentioned accounts, please do. Omake Theater has always been a labor of love for me. Seeing more people liking, sharing and subscribing to my comics just makes it that much better. Thank you.