Who Needs Friends?

Everyone does, but it the type of friends that's important. This is brought up because it was suggested that we create a MySpace page for Duck and Cover Studios. Reason being is that it would be good promotion for our work and we could get "friends" added.

Well that's not really the "friends" I'm looking for. The purpose of the site is not to make friends, it's to build an audience. Let's say we did create a MySpace page and gather about fifty "friends". How many of those so called "friends" would actually bother to read what we do regularly? Odds are: not many. Let's face it, MySpace has it's uses and sure if we did go that route it could serve to bring a few more folks to our table, however your average MySpace user doesn't give a damn about what people put on their pages. They want to up their "Friend count" and give themselves the illusion of popularity.

Your typical MySpace friend doesn't care about you.

Then there's the friends that do care about you. These are the ones that want you to succeed. They're vital for support, but usually useless for a critical opinion. I'm a karate man. The concept of my friend kicking the crap out of me for my own good is not a foreign concept to me. It's vital for a creative person to have feedback from those not afraid to hurt their feelings. A little sugar coating is nice, but if it gets to the point that it's no longer honest then it's useless.

If you only want friends that will support you and praise you unconditionally, grow up.

Then you've got the friends that want something from you besides your friendship. I've seen this a bit even in my not-so-spectacular forays into the comic field. At a convention when I'm at my table that's usually the only thing separating me from the people I'm talking to. I'm not big money. I don't have a big name. Still, I'm in the weeds with the rest of the crowd trying to put out work and get readers where I can. This attracts people. Some of these people want to be your "friend" in the hopes that if you make it somewhere in your endeavors that they'll be remembered and somehow compensated for declaring themselves your "friend".

If you don't think I'm smart enough to know who really has got my back and who doesn't, you're in for a very nasty surprise.

Then there's your real friends. They might not get it. Their eyes may glaze over when you start talking about your latest project. They may tempt you with that night out at the bar when your deadline is fast approaching. Still, push meets shove, they're wishing you well and pitching in when you need it. They'll tell you when you're doing good. They'll tell you when you suck.

So, I'll be passing on the MySpace thing. I want readers and slowly but surely, Chris and I are getting them. We're patient.

We've already got friends. Doesn't mean we're not looking for more. Just means our friendship isn't going to be a notch on anyone's virtual bedpost.