Is it the hits/visits? The collection and the collector itself? Presentation? Style? What do you... [autonamed]

Is it the hits/visits? The collection and the collector itself? Presentation? Style?

What do you think? I have been wondering about this for a while. For me, I think it is collection itself along with how the owner expresses him/herself's likes/personality/etc through it is what makes a gallery popular.

Honestly I think it's the collection itself -if- the collection is from a popular series (large fan base or current big title or both). Although presentation, curator, style might have an effect, I think it is a trifle one especially for new visitors. Just looking at the hits of my pieces (I collect a mainstream series and a vintage/obscure one), the mainstream wins hands down... Although I must say that getting a compliment for the obscure collection is much more satisfying for me.

I agree with hajimenokizu to a point. Yes, if you collect from any popular mainstream title, your gallery will receive more hits. Your gallery will also receive more hits if you belong to any webring. If people are looking for Naruto artwork and you're part of a Naruto webring, chances are your gallery will be visited.

This can be a bad thing as well. With image theft being so prevalent, even if you take proper precautions, your mainstream artwork will end up on other sites with likely another person claiming that they just happen to have the same screen name as you and they own all your artwork. Or, as in the case of several Sailormoon collectors, your artwork will end up on a collective website where, despite lobbying the carrier to shut off services until your artwork is removed, it can be downloaded, edited and reuploaded ad infinitum.

i wonder if i should post this in beta too ^_^

I don't think it has anything to do with how many hits or visits a gallery already has. I don't think people search for those with the most hits and then decide to visit more often. I think there are three factors:

1. What shows you collect. If you collect from more popular series, you will get more hits because there are more people interested in looking.

2. Quality of images/rarity of cels. People want to see the most beautiful images from the show, so it follows that if you have amazingly rare and gorgeous cels, people will want to see them more than if you got them out of the 5 dollar bin at Mandarake.

3. How often you update your gallery/post about it. Every time you update your gallery, it gets bumped to the front of the 'updated galleries' and curious people will want to see what you've done. And if you are the type to post about it on Beta or elsewhere, you will generate even more traffic. I find this actually even trumps the two above; the galleries with the most hits are actually the ones that are updated the most frequently accompanied by update posts on forums.

Cheers,
Remi