Alathon's Site - Always always link!

Always always link! in Off Topic

ID:64553

Apr 19 2009, 2:26 am

I notice a bunch of blog posts talk about a game, maybe even your own game, but in that post there is not a single link to the game!

I would've checked out the medals for Murder Mansion, but there was no link! Yes, I can go find it in the hub, but I wont - Yet I'd have looked at the game, possibly gotten more interested etc, if there had been a link in the blog post.

I would've downloaded the newest version of Tomb Explorer, maybe even played a game or two, checked out the current standings, etc. - But there was no link to the game in the blog post!

This might make you go, 'Well if you aren't interested enough in the game to go visit the hub, sod you!'; but try not to think like that. This is an attempt to emphasize something: The easier you make it for players to find and get into your game, the more players you'll have. The more times you lure them into viewing your hub entry, the more likely they are to try it out.

So start linking to your games in posts about them, already!

#1 Apr 19 2009, 2:30 am
ACWraith	I link to the games I mention on my own blog and on outside versions of Tech Tree, but the BYOND version of Tech Tree has been lacking. I suppose I can start.

#2 Apr 19 2009, 2:44 am
Alathon	Tech Tree tends to generally be okay about linking to stuff; this was more a response to seeing 3 blog entries about peoples own games, with not a single one of them containing a link to their game: Wargames, Tomb Explorer and Murder Mansion. They're all solid games that deserve attention, but they're detracting from that potential attention by not linking back to the hub entry.

#3 Apr 19 2009, 2:52 am
Tiberath	I see a link to Murder Mansion in SSGX's post (see: side menu under "My Games") and I also see a link to Tomb Explorer in Foomers post (see: side menu under: favourited games). The links are there, you're just not looking had enough. =)

#4 Apr 19 2009, 3:00 am
ACWraith	Only a tiny fraction of the internet will find a post and of those only a tiny fraction will click any further. Developers generally want to keep that fraction as large as they can. For those who neither know nor are very motivated to look, nearby links are helpful. =)

#5 Apr 19 2009, 3:00 am

Alathon

I know there might be links on the site, but thats not the point. I'm reading the blog post, not looking at the rest of the page.

The moment you expect someone to start searching around a page to find a link to what you are interested in getting them to check out, is the moment reality meets internet. Any class on web design, visual representation etc. will teach you this as one of the first things: If it isn't in their face, its out of sight.

Add to that the fact that its no biggy just adding a link to the game at the bottom of the blog post, and its a win-win situation. You could even hint at where the link elsewhere on the page is in that same sentence, so that in future blog posts people read which draw them to the site, they might instinctively go, 'Oh yeah, Murder Mansion hub entry - Wonder whats new? *click*'

#6 Apr 19 2009, 5:13 am

Zaole

I always link back to Stick World when I post about it, yet the only person recognizable from the community side of BYOND who has ever joined was Pmitch. The community-goers are pretty apathetic towards the actual games of BYOND. :P

Not denying the importance of linking, but digging for players through the use of blog posts seems to be like ... some analogy about something that doesn't work well or something. My apathy has kicked in.

#7 Apr 19 2009, 5:38 am
Alathon	Indie game developers have it tough, everyone knows that =) But that doesn't mean you shouldn't link whenever you can. Advertisement is hard as heck, something most developers don't realize until they're sitting with a completed game and wondering where all the players are. Some companies have built their entire reputation around being incredible at advertisement (Hi, Blizzard).

#8 Apr 19 2009, 9:38 am
Yash 69	http://www.byond.com/games/SuperSaiyanGokuX/MurderMansion Go nuts

#9 Apr 20 2009, 7:33 am (Edited on Apr 20 2009, 7:38 am)

SuperSaiyanGokuX

I'm aware of the general laziness and need for instant gratification of the average internet user, so I'm aware of the need to have links included directly in front of their faces, but my own laziness and need for instant gratification led me to assume that since there are 2 links to MM's hub entry on my blog page already, an MM banner in very heavy rotation at the top of BYOND's main pages, and a link sprinkled in a few of my other MM blog posts, that those with sufficient interest should have very little trouble finding their way, and I didn't need to expend the (admittedly minimal) effort to copy and paste a link (not to mention that most followers of the game probably have a link handy somewhere of their own, on their own blog page, in their history, perhaps even favorited, etc.)

Yeah, in a way I am grossly overestimating the level of initiative of the general online public (especially when I myself can't be bothered to simply right-click & copy a link that is so readily available), but in another sense, most of my development blog posts about the game aren't so much intended as advertisement, as they are aimed at those that are already either devoted fans of the game, or at the very least somewhat familiar with it... The general idea is to get some sort of feedback/discussion (whether good or bad) on various aspects of development from those that care the most (though I tend to receive nothing but "Good work!", "Can't wait!", and "Keep it up!" types of replies, which, while good to see, don't give me the sort of feedback I want... of course, I also don't tend to explicitly request "Tell me what you think of this idea/addition!", so that's my fault as well)

Anyways, whenever I actually intend a post to push the game to new players (or players that have drifted away), I try to include a link... But for the most part, I'd like to rely on the dedication of my current intended audience to look for themselves...

#10 Apr 20 2009, 9:03 am
Alathon	Generally speaking, you need all the advertisement you can get. Subliminal advertisement works far better than targetted advertisement in many cases, so only doing everything you can in posts specifically aimed at advertising your game might ironically fall on deaf ears. I'm hard-pressed to find many indie game developers who dont want more people to try their game ;)

#11 Apr 30 2009, 10:48 pm
Foomer	I try to link to stuff whenever I make blog posts, but sometimes I just don't think about links and end up writing a wall of text. That probably explains why, when previewing my blog posts, they feel like they're missing something. Anyhow, I'll try to keep that in mind, even though I already do try to keep that in mind. I'll try to keep that in mind a little more!