How do you find Parka Blogs after the switch from blogspot?

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

Hello everyone!

It has been more than a month after the switch from Google's Blogger platform. Seems that most of the readers from the old blogspot site have shifted over. Currently, Parka Blogs has about 170 regular readers on site per day. That's pretty amazing to me and I would like to thank all the regular readers for coming back!!

Alright, the purpose of this post is to open up some conversation and gather some feedback on the new site, to see if any improvements can be made.

So here are some questions:

First of all, where are you from?
Parka is from Singapore!

1. How do you read the content here?
There are over 40 RSS subscribers, and the rest visit the site directly. What RSS do you use? Do you prefer reading from RSS or direct visiting?

2. How are the book reviews so far?
How's the length? Are there a lot of grammar mistakes?

3. Is the variety adequate? Anything you want to see more of?
If you've noticed, most of my art books are for animation movies or from comic artists.

4. What do you feel about the Amazon links?
I bet you see a lot of Amazon links. Are they useful? Do you buy from them? If not, where do you buy your books from?

For your information, I get a small commission for every book purchase at no additional cost to readers. The money is then used to get more art books to review.

5. Are there any features you want to see?
If can be some blog widget? Maybe a monthly list of art books coming out next month?

6. Any ideas on how to get more readers to Parka Blogs?
Web marketing's not my forte. Any ideas you provide will be helpful. So far, I've only been posting some reviews on art forums.

If there are more readers, book sales might increase. My future plan is actually to do art book giveaways every month, or — drums roll — fortnight!

You can help by putting a link on your blog's sidebar today. That will help immensely.

Anything else you want to add?
Site structure, page navigation, ads, design, pictures, page load duration, frequency of posting etc.

Let me know in the comments!

And do post a link back to your website because I always visit readers' websites.

16 Comments

0. Germany 1. RSS mostly 2.

Submitted by Anonymous on

0. Germany
1. RSS mostly
2. Length ok, haven't seen any mistakes so far.
3. I know you mostly do artbooks, but but a few real comic books wouldn't hurt (if the artwork/story/whatever is good enough to fit in here)
4. amazon is ok
5. can't think of any
6. hm... do some reviews for similar websites/blogs/forums. If i had a blog, I would put you in my blogroll (maybe in the future :D)

0. Slovenia 1. Directly 2.

Submitted by Anonymous on

0. Slovenia
1. Directly
2. ok
3. i quote the above poster
"a few real comic books wouldn't hurt (if the artwork/story/whatever is good enough to fit in here)"
4. perfect
5. don't know
6. give aways!!!!! wohooo! Can't really afford to buy books atm, so the option to win some of them would be nice. Don't limit it to just US though :(
maybe you could post a link and description (picture - hi, i just got this book, heres a review on my site.) on the appropriate forums for some of the artbooks, like, on CA.org for the massive black one, the Watchmen forums for the watchmen ones, batman forums for the batman ones.... Will Eisners on some comic forums... if you get what i mean. That way you spread all over. And make sure you visit all art sites ofcourse (Conceptart.org, cgsociety.org, ...) and post some stuff there with links to here.

0. the Netherlands 1.

Submitted by Anonymous on

0. the Netherlands
1. Directly
2. Length is ok, and I didn't find or noticed any grammar mistakes
3. I wouldn't mind some more "real comic books" reviews but my main interest is the animation (CG art) related books.
4. I don't mind the Amazon links at all and if I had the $ to buy art books, I would use the links at the bottom of your post.
5. Don't know
6. commenting on some related blogs like the one in your art links list, starting a newsletter (you don't have to write new content for your newsletter, you can just do a recap of your last weeks post for example), write guest posts on related blogs, add a "share this" option to your posts, ...

I love the idea of art book give aways :)

7. www.problogger.net - One of my favorite blogs for tips and advice

First of all, where are you

Submitted by Anonymous on

First of all, where are you from?
USA

1. RSS Feed / Google Feed Aggregator

2. Length's fine. I will say I wish the reviews were a bit more balanced as you never say anything bad about the books you review. I've bought many an artbook and been disappointed that all I got was a clipbook, or massive amounts of text. I was hoping your reviews would identify those.

3. I buy mostly animation/comic art books, but I do enjoy movie/game concept books when well-done. Your occasional solo artist book reviews are interesting too (though I rarely buy them myself).

4. I buy a lot of things from Amazon, but I usually try to buy my books at half.com first if the discount is worth it.

5. Are there any features you want to see?
I'm not big on "features." More focus on content, than "extras."

6. You can re-post some reviews (or summaries thereof) to Amazon and other book review sites, with links back to your blog.

To be honest, I find the frequency of updates to be a touch too much. I have only a moderate feed list, but when I'm trying to get through everything and have too many new updates I tend to skim rather than read. Is that weird? I feel like one or two a day would be adequate...but I'm sure everyone else would say the opposite. ;)

Thanks for the

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

Thanks for the comments.

Great point on asking for more balanced reviews, from the previous reader. I always know my reviews are lacking something but don't know what. That's an area I'll look into.

0. Russia. 1. Direct. 2.

Submitted by benten on

0. Russia.
1. Direct.
2. Everything is ok.
3. I prefer all about "concept disign", "comics", "artists" and "tutorials". And "game art". I have couple game-artbooks like "Metal Gears Solid 2", "Art of Anubis", "Lineage II" which i bought second hand from Japan and Korea. Very beautiful art. Inspirating.
4. I buy books, which i can't find here in Russia, from Amazon. So these links are very helpful. Most of the books you reviewed i already have. I'll use your links for new ones.
5. Nice idea about "coming-out books".
6. Can't add something after previous reader's advices. :)

First of all, where are you

Submitted by Mu on

First of all, where are you from?
Germany

1. How do you read the content here?
Firefox RSS/bookmark

2. How are the book reviews so far?
Just perfect. Short, to the point.

3. Is the variety adequate? Anything you want to see more of?
More drawing/painting instructional books, not specially focused on comics alone.

4. What do you feel about the Amazon links?
Bought twice over those links. If they help to keep the service going, I like them very much...^^

5. Are there any features you want to see?
A windows vista sidebar gadget would be cool.

6. Any ideas on how to get more readers to Parka Blogs?
word of mouth should do the job. A facebook account/group might help.

First of all, where are you

Submitted by Anonymous on

First of all, where are you from?
Asia

1. How do you read the content here?
I use Google Reader, but if I am interested in the book I will go to the site to watch the video, look at the photos and read it.

2. How are the book reviews so far?
The length is good and there are no grammar mistakes.

3. Is the variety adequate? Anything you want to see more of?
I like the "Art Of Books" from Pixar, and Dreamworks, etc very much. But maybe more educational/tutorial books such as the Pastel Workbook and others.

4. What do you feel about the Amazon links?
Yes, they're very useful and I buy a lot of my books from Amazon.

5. Are there any features you want to see?
Yes. Coming-Out Books sounds good.

6. Any ideas on how to get more readers to Parka Blogs?
Just advertising the site on various websites.

Books giveaways sounds awesome!

The site is fairy easy to navigate, but you can update the list of art books reviewed more frequently.The posting frequency is fine. I don't mind it.

First of all, where are you

Submitted by Steven on

First of all, where are you from?
Ghent, Belgium

1. How do you read the content here?
The RSS reader in my Mac Mail application

2. How are the book reviews so far?
I buy a lot of concept art books, and i use your blog as a guide on which ones to buy, and which ones not.

3. Is the variety adequate? Anything you want to see more of?
The comics don't really interest me, i think you should focus on concept art books.

4. What do you feel about the Amazon links?
Really good, although i can't use Amazon a lot in Belgium.

5. Are there any features you want to see?
A list of coming books would be good.

6. Any ideas on how to get more readers to Parka Blogs?
No idea.

Romania. I use Google Reader,

Submitted by Dan on

Romania.

I use Google Reader, as I like the option of not losing feeds/settings if I have hardware failures.

The reviews are great! I love the quality of both your pictures and videos. What I would want, like others have requested, would be a more personal review from you (less quantity in books reviewed, more quality as in personal touch/how useful was it for you) as well as how-to books in drawing. From how many books you've read, I think you can give good information on what's good, in this saturated market.

The variety is more than adequate!

Amazon links are OK, but I use amazon.co.uk...

No features from me.

Do reviews for the books in the Amazon pages, linking to them so people here can vote on them. More than that, I can't help. :)

First of all, where are you

Submitted by Siye on

First of all, where are you from?
Toronto, Canada

1. How do you read the content here?
RSS - Google

2. How are the book reviews so far?
They're alright. A bit longer would help and maybe a tad more images. I can't recall.. but do you criticize at all? I think you should bring up negative points as well.

3. Is the variety adequate? Anything you want to see more of?
I'd like more Japanese art books please!

4. What do you feel about the Amazon links?
Amazon is okay. I use them for domestic books.

5. Are there any features you want to see?
Maybe monthly release lists.

6. Any ideas on how to get more readers to Parka Blogs?
I don't know, really.

Anything else you want to add?
Just more variety in reviewed books!

Hi Siyae, Right now the

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on

Hi Siyae,

Right now the number of photos posted for each book review is around 10 on average. If the book is thinner, there will be less images. It's got to do with copyright as I still want to honour the people/artists who made those art books possible.

I do criticize but only for books that are really bad. E.g. The Dark Knight: Featuring Production Art and Full Shooting Script and Pure Animation: Steps to Creation With 57 Cutting-edge Animators

Art is subjective, so for books I might not like personally, I'll state specifically the type of readers that might still find the book interesting. E.g. Animators, concept artists, or strictly for fans (as in the case of Watching The Watchmen).

When I buy books, I check out reviews also. That helps filters out a few art books as well, such as Coraline: A Visual Companion.

So far in general, most of the art books are actually quite good. My bias is toward 3D animation art books and those that have lots of text on behind-the-scenes production process.

First of all, where are you

Submitted by Vertigo on

First of all, where are you from?
Spain

1. How do you read the content here?
Firefox, direct visiting?

2. How are the book reviews so far?
They are greats reviews, the video´s book is a great Idea.

3. Is the variety adequate? Anything you want to see more of?
The variety is more than adequate, maybe I would include reviews of video "making of" of specials editions.

4. What do you feel about the Amazon links?
Perfects. You deserve the commission, you do a great job!

5. Are there any features you want to see?
A "top of books". The essentials books that we would like to have.

6. Any ideas on how to get more readers to Parka Blogs?
You would write about this blog on internationals comunities. Talk with their administrators to make a permanent thread. I see Parka blog becouse I did read a post in cg-node.com, a spain comunity.

Thanks very much for your work :)

First of all, where are you

Submitted by Gisele on

First of all, where are you from?
Argentina :)

1. How do you read the content here?
I read from my Google Reader, and enter often the site to copy links to send my friends. I just love your artbooks reviews!!

2. How are the book reviews so far?
I love them. I love how innovative is the adition you do of videos of the books. Love it. Love it.

3. Is the variety adequate? Anything you want to see more of?
Well, I have to say my favorite is the Disney books reviews. I want them all but can't afford them so I enjoy seeing about them here.

4. What do you feel about the Amazon links?
Useful for sure.

5. Are there any features you want to see?
Well, not really. I love the blog as it is xD

6. Any ideas on how to get more readers to Parka Blogs?
I think your giveaway idea is pretty good. But also networking works. For me the free templates & link to resources in other sites really worked. And the contest that ask people to post about you to participate.

Anything else you want to add?
I love your blog!! If I can ever come handy to you for anything, let me know!!

First of all, where are you

Submitted by Andre Kishimoto on

First of all, where are you from?
Brazil

1. How do you read the content here?
I read the content in Google Reader and ocasionally directly (e.g. when I copy-paste the link to a friend).

2. How are the book reviews so far?
Not lenghty, straight to the point. I like that. Videos and images are great. Not sure if there are grammar mistakes (I believe not), but I understand the texts.

3. Is the variety adequate? Anything you want to see more of?
Asian artbooks. It's rare to find here and when I do, they are very expensive. So sometimes I'm not sure if I'd like to spend precious money on a expensive book I might not enjoy much.

4. What do you feel about the Amazon links?
I like them and I already bought some books via your blog. As someone said before, you deserve commissions!

5. Are there any features you want to see?
The "upcoming" link is a very nice one.

6. Any ideas on how to get more readers to Parka Blogs?
I believe all CG people would love your blog. So, spreading the word in these communities would get more readers, I guess.

Anything else you want to add?
Keep the amazing work! :) Thanks once again!

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