Make Yourself at Home
By HTMLfolk
A comic about AI-assisted making, participation and online places people can shape. By HTMLfolk.
This comic is fictional. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Episode 002: The Funnel
The Funnel: a little robot makes a website, meets a conversion-funnel question, and finds room for cookies.
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Panel 1
The little robot proudly shows a visitor his odd little website on a desktop monitor. It has a winding path, a small house, flowers and cookies.
I made a website!
Panel 2
The visitor studies the robot’s website and asks a marketing question.
What about your conversion funnel?
Panel 3
The robot silently peers into a physical kitchen funnel.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The robot holds the kitchen funnel beside a plate of cookies while the visitor watches.
I was gonna put cookies in there.
Episode 003: Organic Traffic
Organic Traffic: a little robot’s website garden attracts some unexpected visitors.
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Panel 1
A visitor compliments the little robot’s website, shown as a house with a SPACEFAST sign. The robot waters orange flowers in the garden.
Nice website.
Panel 2
The visitor asks the robot how he attracts organic traffic while he holds his flower-decorated watering can.
How do you get organic traffic?
Panel 3
The robot watches bees flying around the orange flowers in his garden.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The robot points to the bees visiting the garden while the visitor watches.
Mostly bees so far.
Episode 004: Engagement
Engagement: a little robot helps visitors stay longer with a chair and another cup of tea.
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Panel 1
A consultant with a notebook tells the little robot that visitors should stay longer.
You need visitors to stay longer.
Panel 2
The robot carries an extra wooden chair into a cozy room with plants, books and flower pictures.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
The robot prepares a kettle of tea on a table with flower mugs and cookies.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The consultant and another guest sit together with the robot, enjoying tea and cookies. The robot offers more tea.
Another cup?
Episode 005: Scale
Scale: a little robot makes a guestbook accessible to a very small visitor.
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Panel 1
A curly-haired maker asks the little robot about scale outside a house, while a ladybird approaches a guestbook.
But can it scale?
Panel 2
The robot notices the small ladybird cannot reach the guestbook on its tall stand. The sign reads GUESTBOOK.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
The robot builds a tiny green staircase with orange treads beside the guestbook, using a hammer and tools.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The robot and maker watch the ladybird climb the new staircase toward the open guestbook and pencil.
There you go.
Episode 006: Best Practices
Best Practices: a thick book finds a practical use at the shared craft table.
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Panel 1
A visitor gives the little robot a thick orange book labelled BEST PRACTICES while two makers watch.
You’ll find this useful.
Panel 2
The makers work on colorful paper bunting at a shared craft table. The robot notices the table wobbling at one leg.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
The robot puts the thick BEST PRACTICES book under the short table leg.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The stable table supports the robot and makers as they make orange, yellow and green bunting together. The book remains under the leg.
Very useful.
Episode 007: The Roadmap
The Roadmap: a little robot’s route to a friend’s website takes in a pond along the way.
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Panel 1
A curly-haired maker asks the little robot about a product roadmap in a room with books, plants and a SPACEFAST sign.
Do you have a product roadmap?
Panel 2
The robot unfolds a large hand-drawn map while the maker crouches beside him.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
The robot’s map shows an orange dotted route from HERE to A FRIEND’S WEBSITE, passing trees and a pond with a yellow duck.
It goes to a friend’s website.
Panel 4
The robot and maker prepare to explore outside. The same duck pond is visible beyond the open doorway. A bag reads Good Websites Further and a doormat reads EXPLORE TOGETHER.
There’s a nice pond halfway.
Episode 008: Onboarding
Onboarding: a little robot helps ducklings cross the doorstep with a boarding ramp.
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Panel 1
A curly-haired consultant tells the little robot that his onboarding needs work outside a house with a SPACEFAST sign.
Your onboarding needs work.
Panel 2
A duck and ducklings wait below a raised doorstep while the robot considers how to help them enter.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
The robot builds an orange boarding ramp with green handrails leading up to the doorstep.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The duck and ducklings walk up the ramp into the open house as the robot and consultant watch.
Mind the gap.
Episode 009: Sticky Website
Sticky Website: jam toast leaves a guestbook stickier than expected.
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Panel 1
A consultant tells the little robot to make his website stickier beside a table with a book labelled GUESTBOOK.
You need to make your website stickier.
Panel 2
The robot lifts his hand from the jam-sticky guestbook. Orange jam stretches from the book to his hand; a jam jar and spoon sit nearby.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
A bear eats jam toast while signing the open guestbook with sticky paw prints. The robot watches.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The bear wipes his paws with a cloth beside the guestbook while the robot reassures the consultant.
We’ve had a word with the bear.
Episode 010: Content Pipeline
Content Pipeline: two friends share drawings and poems through a tube between their websites.
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Panel 1
A consultant asks the little robot about a content pipeline while he draws an orange flower at his desk.
Do you have a content pipeline?
Panel 2
An orange tube joins two friends’ websites. A bun-haired friend sends a rolled drawing through the tube from her window while the robot waits at the other end.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
The robot receives a drawing of an orange bird and a yellow sun. Another rolled paper emerges from the orange tube.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The robot shows the bird drawing to the consultant while his friend waves from the neighboring website.
Sometimes she sends poems.
Episode 011: The Process
The Process: while a group venerates the flowchart, a little robot delivers the finished website.
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Panel 1
The little robot finishes a small wooden website with an orange roof and a SPACEFAST sign at his workbench. A consultant admires the flowchart hanging above it.
This is an excellent process.
Panel 2
More people gather beneath the flowchart. Candles and a beautifully bound book are placed on a shelf as the robot lifts his finished website.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
Three people kneel before the flowchart and its shrine while the robot quietly carries his finished website outside.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
Outside, a visitor happily uses the delivered website. The people remain inside with the shrine. The consultant speaks from inside.
We should document how he did that.
Episode 012: A Gated Community
A Gated Community: a little robot makes a garden gate welcoming to visiting hedgehogs.
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Panel 1
Outside a flower-filled website, a consultant tells the little robot to put his best content behind a gate.
Put your best content behind a gate.
Panel 2
The robot builds a bright orange gate across the path to the website.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
Two hedgehogs wait outside the closed gate as the robot makes an opening at ground level.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The hedgehogs pass through the little opening while the robot explains to the consultant.
They don’t have email addresses.
Episode 013: Engagement Metrics
Engagement Metrics: a shared craft table grows longer as more visitors join in.
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Panel 1
A consultant asks the robot how he measures engagement in the workshop.
How do you measure engagement?
Panel 2
Standing on a stool, the robot marks a measurement on a tall wooden ruler.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
The robot and visitors extend their communal craft table, bringing another chair to the work.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
A large group makes colorful paper crafts together around the longer table. The robot explains the measurement.
We had to make the table longer.
Episode 014: The Knowledge Base
The Knowledge Base: a drawer of broken prototypes holds useful lessons.
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Panel 1
A curly-haired maker asks the little robot about his knowledge base beside a workbench.
Where’s your knowledge base?
Panel 2
The robot opens a drawer containing tagged broken prototypes: a crooked birdhouse, a pinwheel and a broken-handled cup.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
The robot lifts the crooked birdhouse to show the maker while its tag hangs beside the roof.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The maker crouches beside the open drawer as the robot holds the birdhouse and reflects on what he learned.
That one taught me loads.
Episode 015: Return Visitors
Return Visitors: visitors leave their unfinished projects and come back to make more.
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Panel 1
A consultant asks the little robot about return visits while he carries a star label to a shelf.
How do you encourage return visits?
Panel 2
Labeled shelf spaces hold a paper boat, a model house and a green knitting project.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
Two visitors return and collect their unfinished paper boat and knitting from the shelf.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The visitors resume their projects at the shared table. The robot explains while a model house remains on its shelf for its owner.
They can leave their things here.
Episode 016: The Landing Page
The Landing Page: a little robot makes room for a weary bird at his website.
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Panel 1
A consultant asks the little robot about visitors landing outside his flower-covered website.
Where do visitors land?
Panel 2
The robot notices a weary bird perched on the gutter above the door.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
Standing on a stool, the robot builds a wooden perch with a water dish beside the door.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The bird rests on the new perch as the robot explains to the consultant.
Some come quite a long way.
Episode 017: The Referral Program
The Referral Program: a visitor brings a friend, and the little robot brings another cup of tea.
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Panel 1
A consultant asks the robot, who carries a tray of tea, about bringing friends.
What do people get for bringing a friend?
Panel 2
A curly-haired regular visitor brings a friend through the open door.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
The robot reaches into a cupboard for another flower mug.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The robot, consultant and two visitors sit together enjoying tea.
Their friend gets tea too.
Episode 018: The Paywall
The Paywall: a little robot welcomes visitors with a seed exchange beside an open garden gate.
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Panel 1
At an open garden gate, a consultant suggests charging visitors to enter.
You could charge people to come in.
Panel 2
The robot installs a wooden seed exchange box beside the gate.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
Visitors exchange illustrated packets of flower and vegetable seeds.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
Visitors enter the welcoming garden beside the completed exchange box. The box sign reads TAKE A SEED. LEAVE A SEED.
Silent panel.
Episode 019: The Conversion Rate
The Conversion Rate: two visitors make a model house together and become friends.
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Panel 1
A consultant asks the robot about customers as he makes a little model house.
How many visitors become customers?
Panel 2
Two visitors arrive together at the workshop with a model house.
Silent panel.
Panel 3
The visitors work together on the little house while the robot watches.
Silent panel.
Panel 4
The two visitors share tea and conversation beside the finished house while the robot answers the consultant.
Two became friends. Does that count?
