Storygrounds

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!

Sometimes you have to make extremely hard decisions as a founder and team. We have made the decision to REMOVE all AI features from Storygrounds. Since last November, we’ve been in Alpha mode and have learned AN ELEPHANT LOAD. 🐘 Some Learnings: - Readers are enjoying visual quests, sharing their ideas on stories, and getting feedback from comic creators. - Readers want quests to have even more impact on the comic 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. With the consent of our creators, we tested GenAI as a visual communication tool between creators and their fan communities (never part of the comic making process). We’ve gotten quite mixed feedback, its clear that a lot of creators and readers don't want AI in their creative platforms. 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 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 creators. The speed and proliferation of GenAI is incredible, I think there are going to be some amazing breakthroughs and people are developing incredible tools and products for the next gen of consumer. I just believe that flying 4,000 mph headlong into the AI revolution isn't necessary to fix a lot of problems for content creators and their fans today and deliver the best stories possible, and that is where we are going to be focused. There is time to do a lot and grow a lot and see where things go, and to see how creators and readers feel about the content that is created with AI and the tools themselves. We continue to ship awesome features, sign amazing creators, and create incredible stories with mind-blowing art. I am excited for our definitive product release soon, and starting to scale. Thank you Linda Giang for being an amazing voice to our community. Thank you to the entire Storygrounds team for being the best team in the business, and thank you to our partners at Makers Fund and Fabric Ventures (and others) for being incredible partners.

Webcomics are going to be HUGE! Webcomics are visual stories formatted for your phone. They are a $7B market. The largest Webcomic company is going public this year on NASDAQ. Currently there are an estimated 230M readers worldwide, mostly in Korea and Japan. They are currently a younger audience and trend and trend more for young girls and women. There are TONS of issues with the current Webcomics industry. Mostly in regards to retention and monetization. Storygrounds team have built some of the most engaging story-driven games products of all time. We know how to retain and monetize. We are going to change this whole industry. Come join our next alpha by signing up here. https://lnkd.in/g4ztMcsK

✨Meet Tanner✨, our Senior Software Engineer!! Always up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices, Tanner is 🔥ed up to help us create some never-before-done stuff within the webcomics space. United with his pup, Wilma, Tanner will help us make our platform ideas, Pawsitively Paw-sible. 🐶 #engineer #softwareengineer #softwareengineering #webdev #webcomics #manga #anime #comics #games #manhwa #manhua #sgteam #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #petfriendly #employeeculture

✨Meet Hayden✨, our Senior Webcomics Producer!! As one of the pioneers of webcomics, Hayden joins us with 6 years of experience within the WAMMM (Webcomics, Anime, Manga, Manhwa, Manhua) space from Viz Media and Tapas. Energized by his creator-first mentality and his furry in-home coworkers, Hayden is primed to Produce only PAWESOMENESS. 🐾 #producer #webcomics #manga #anime #comics #games #manhwa #manhua #sgteam #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #petfriendly #employeeculture

I am SO beyond excited that Storygrounds is launching our next Alpha in May 2024, and everyone can now register at storygrounds.com! :D Most people still don't understand that web comics are not a niche, a fad, or small thing, but a new content medium that has unlimited potential. It is a $7.6B global industry!! WEBTOON the largest in the space generates over $1B in revenue every year. This ain't a joke!! We are at the cusp of massive shifts in genre and consumption habits and the market is still early (as its only really 10 years old). While the market is huge and exciting, we do perceive massive issues in web comics and for creators in general. Social-based engagement and monetization is broken! It's too bifurcated between non-payer, payer, and ad viewer (just like big OTTs). Storygrounds' team is bringing F2P engagement and monetization to narrative media to help web comic creators and and their fans! And we have the team to do it. Come join us on our journey! #webcomics

I'm sorry for what you're about to witness. 🙏 🌌 Launching May 2024. 🌟 Pre-register --> www.storygrounds.com

Happy International Women's Day!! To all the amazing women of the world, sending you tons of 🌼 and 💛. As for Storygrounds, our team wouldn't be where it would be today without our talented team of women. Thank you Tammy Hu, Chris Durbin, Jil Lulu Perrevoort, Tiffany Martinez, Amy M., and Linda Giang. In celebration of today and also Chris Durbin's new shrimps that she's awesomely named after all of our lovely gals (yah, we know... 0 correlation + our team is ridonk), Amy M. has amazingly brought this visual to life. I don't know about yalls, but this needs to be a webcomic. 😂 #internationalwomensday #internationalwomensday2024 #teamculture #weareweird #webcomics #manhwa #manhua #manga #anime #comics #gamesindustry

If you're not already on our socials... it's feral. 🐰📱 Find all our faces in all the places @Storygrounds OR simply on our ✨ shiny new website --> www.storygrounds.com #webcomics #comics #games #narrative #stories #anime #manga #manhwa #manhua #sequentialart #remotework

We're fully remote but when we do get to meet, it's a 💃🐰🕺. #dayinthelife #storygrounds #remotejobs #teammeetups