Make Yourself at Home
By HTMLfolk
A comic about AI-assisted making, participation and online places people can shape. By HTMLfolk.
Episode 001: The Good Room
The Good Room: a little robot and a maker discover the difference between an online showroom and a home that makes room for them.
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Panel 1
At the first house, a sign reads ELSEWHERE. A bob-haired homeowner welcomes a curly dark-haired maker and a tiny white robot. The robot carries a flower drawing with orange petals, a yellow center and a green stem.
Welcome to our online home!
Panel 2
Inside the bare showroom, the maker tries to sit on an unused angular sofa. An empty table and plain floor underline the sterile room. The first homeowner stops the maker.
That couch isn’t for sitting.
Panel 3
In a closer view of the first house, the little robot offers his orange flower drawing. The bob-haired homeowner refuses the contribution.
Contributions need to follow the brand guidelines.
Panel 4
At a different home with a SPACEFAST sign, a welcoming host with short curly hair and a small beard makes room for the maker and robot. A bun-haired guest shares the couch. Mismatched worn furniture, cushions, books, crafts, biscuits, mugs and a plant fill the welcoming room. The same orange flower drawing hangs crooked on the wall. This welcoming host is a different person from the first homeowner.
Come on in. We’ll make room.
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 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?
