New Reward Tier + Milestone Goal + 300 Patrons! (Patreon)

I stealthily added a new milestone goal and new reward tier on Friday, and then I wrote up a big post explaining everything and saved it as a draft.  But thanks to some new and returning patrons, we've now met the new goal before I could actually announce it. XD

So here's the background info.  I've hosted Google ads on DOTU's site ever since I launched in 2011, but I've grown increasingly dissatisfied with the ads, their effect on loading speed, and the way Google and other tech companies handle user data.  Now, after their lawsuit from the EU, Google has changed their policy for ad hosting.  If I continued to use Google ads after May 25, I'd have to have a pop-up on my site requesting consent to use cookies, and keep records of everyone who's declined.  I think this is a fair rule considering how Google treats user data, but I also know that it'll deter new readers, so now seems like a good time to stop hosting ads. (I'll also be removing Google Analytics from my site.)

The problem is that I'd be losing $75-$100 per month by removing ads.  No other ad service pays comparably to Google, and most of them have even tackier ads.

So I came up with this new goal, which I set to $80 above the previously met "2-3 pages per month" goal, and we have now surpassed the new goal by exactly $2. ^_^

(the original text of the goal actually said "if we meet this goal by the end of June," but that was a typo and I meant end of May. But either way we're above it right now.)

So basically what this means is that even though I'm losing ad revenue, we've gained enough Patreon support that I won't have to drop back to a lower page output.

There is one caveat - this month on Patreon has been super unstable!  Because I have a lot of college age patrons, I've had a record number of people canceling their pledges this month (end of semester, graduation, life changes, etc.).  I actually lost 10 patrons in the first 10 days of this month (like one a day ;_; ), with exit surveys citing "my financial situation changed."  So I can't count on us staying above the threshold, but I'll do what I can to keep bringing in new patrons!  You guys, my current patrons, are already giving so much. <3

Along with the (now passed) goal, I've added a new $35 Ad Sponsor Tier.  It's the same as the $10.01 Secret Gallery Tier, with one addition: If you have a business or creative project (including your own Patreon page), you have the option to submit a banner ad that I'll run in the sidebar instead of the current ads.  But you don't have to run an ad; you can also pledge to the tier just to support the comic, or submit something fun to put in the ad slot.  See the reward description on my campaign page and more details on my Patreon FAQ. (There is some content I won't link to, so be sure to read the FAQ first if you were interested in that tier!)

The new tier is unlimited, but banner ads will be rotated between patrons in the tier, so getting in early might mean you get a slot all to yourself for a while.  Patron ads will replace the Google ads as soon as I have patrons in the tier who want to run an ad.

So anyway, THANK YOU everyone for meeting this goal before I even had a chance to explain it! <3  Now, let's try to stay above it!

Oh, and finally..... right now, right at this moment, we're at 300 patrons! :D  It feels like some sort of miracle. XD  I mean, my comic is LGBTQ but not romance, R-rated but not porn, 100% independent without any publisher support, and... well it's a pretty weird comic.  All these things have made my journey just a little bit harder, and 300 patrons is a milestone that I honestly never thought we'd meet.  So THANKS dudes!  You guys are the ones who got us here!  And man, sometimes I LOVE to be proven wrong. ^_^