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Sites you like to read & things you like to do on your mobile?
HI EVERYBODY!
Yesterday, I had a marathon 8hr redesign meeting with our awesome developer chap, and one of the things we discussed, at quite some length (after we'd gone through what all the biggest bugs and bugbears are, obvs) is how the site might function on a mobile phone.
I know the current DiS site is rubbish on mobile but we would like, with the new pages, to try to remedy this.
I was just curious what sites you look at on your mobile (especially any that are good at adapting for mobile) and also what you might like to do on DiS with a mobile site?
My guess is people would quite obviously want to
- reply to threads
- start threads
- browse threads
- maybe see the current most popular threads? (probably based on number of replies in past 2hrs)
- read some editorial (perhaps the lengthier stuff highlighted for your commute?)
- see a feed of the latest content
Any interest in hand-picked audio/video stuff on your phone?
p.s. this may interest their nerdier of you with regards some of the things we're discussing http://globalmoxie.com/blog/mobile-web-responsive-design.shtml
I don't think you really need a separate mobile site
It's not like people are using WAP any more. The ordinary DiS site appears fine on a iphone and I assume it's the same on HTCs, Blackberries etc.
A site optimised for phones is better though.
Bigger links, fewer pictures, simplified layout etc. The Guardian's mobile site is quite a good example of this - the downside is it limits what you see so actually going deeper beyond the most popular stories is difficult.
I find the current forums on the DiS mobile site okay - once I adjust to linear view (which does lose some of the magic admittedly). I can't start threads though. Probably a good thing.
i didn't think the mobile site worked anymore?!
the Guardian's is ok but I find it a bit annoying and clunky - and after clicking a link from Twitter or something, there isn't really the browsing suggestions, which I think could keep me immersed.
Sorry, I don't mean the main site, but there is a mobile version of the social board I use on my phone.
Very simple, linear format, no ads. In many ways it's better than the real thing ;)
it does!
http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/social.mobile
ha. we couldn't find this yesterday during our meeting. and i presumed it had been borked long ago and vanished.
Really?
I use it everyday. My toilet visits would be bereft without it.
You should add a little signature to all of your posts:
Sent from my toilet, while squeezing one out.
I rarely post from the loo.
Just read, then formulate a response, and type it up when I get back to my desk.
At least, this is the illusion I choose to maintain.
Feels weird using it on a real computer screen.
But some people in offices might actually prefer that (no flashing ads or neon pink logo at the top).
with the new design, safe-for-work-ness has been one of the design criteria.
although we can't NOT have adverts or I'll be living on the streets/working-at-some-cruddy-social-media-corporate-job
I'm okay with the ads.
Or at least I am now I use Chrome, before then they really slowed down my crappy work PC.
oh wow
didn't know about this.
just always used the normal version on my phone, which is shit, this, however, is not.
If you're not on 3G, the ordinary site can be slow to load,
at least, in comparison to the old mobile site.
iPhone and Android browsers are quite good
but BlackBerry is terrible at dealing with web pages.
plus when you've not got 3G, DiS is crazy slowly, especially waiting for the adverts to load.
i generally find mobile versions of sites
shit on my iphone, some are particularly bad
i just use the proper version of the site....surely i'm not alone
This is probably why DiS keeps on giving you viruses.
your Xbox will be sent out tomorrow. you just need to send another £30 for P+P
I use the DiS mobile site on my phone, it's MUCH better than the full site for mobiles.
I can't be doing with ads and shit like that on a tiny screen. But yeah, like h_y_g says, the mobile site only works with a linear view which is a bit crappy. I'd also want to see when people have this'd posts which you can't currently see in the mobile view.
^This (now you can see it in mobile view!)
The only netting I do on my mobile is browse the forums (like now)
and very occasionally reply to them (like now). Very, very occasionally I'll click through to the main site.
As Daisy's already said, I'm not sure there's a lot you can do to improve the experience, unless you can find a way to make typing on an iPhone easier.
Personally, I wouldn't make use of audio/video as I'm very conscious of my data cap, plus I loath rhe way you're forced out of your browser into the YouTube app.
May add more when I'm not typing on the phone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DtbPOXFk00
Quit posting YouTube links and improve my goddamn experience, you bum!
If you make the new mobile site the default display when viewed from a mobile
can you provide the option to switch to normal view, please? Most sites, like the Guardian, do this, but some don't and it's irritating to be tied to a mobile version when you want to see a standard site.
Just the forums please
and no need for most popular just listed by most recent reply. And stop it draining my battery.
Much appreciated.
sign up over there --->
it used to be weekly but people started unsubscribing or just not clicking on it.
it's now every 2months.
we've had to move mailing list provider due to Dada mail basically going into everyone's spam, and all the services that don't end up in spam, not accepting out 80k email addresses :-/
I don't really view websites on my phone anymore
RSS is the way forward to my regular content. Ionly really use the browser for ad hoc fact finding or timewasting.
*is no help at all
I'm not sure that I want it to be easier to access DiS AT ALL TIMES
But yeah, something really basic would be much better.
Any interest in hand-picked audio/video stuff on your phone? Yes.
maybe see the current most popular threads? (probably based on number of replies in past 2hrs) Not so much.
A designated mobile app rather than a mobile site...
is the way forward. Much more intuitive, user friendly and a lot less clunky.
Could link album reviews, recommended records, spotifriday directly to spotify app.
I agree
would love to have one but all the quotes I get back from developers are about £6k for a fairly basic app :(
A designated mobile app rather than a mobile site...
is the way forward. Much more intuitive, user friendly and a lot less clunky.
Could link album reviews, recommended records, spotifriday directly to spotify app.
I strongly disagree
:D
and you never know you could even make some money by charging a small fee for an ad-free app (whilst also making a bit from people clicking on ads in the free app).
I'm sure regulars wouldn't mind paying a nominal fee for the privelege of having an ad-free app.
That's fine, but even if only a few would pay it'll offer a much needed boost of income to the DiS coffers which Sean could then use to help pay for main site redesign and promotion.
I think sean's said before
that it's too expensive to bother making an app as opposed to, you know, just making the site much more gooderer
Decent article on mobile-optimised sites vs. apps and setup costs:
http://mashable.com/2011/02/24/mobile-app-dev-cost/
It reckons approx $30,000 to set up a decent mobile-optimised site and $30,000 for each app (so $90,000 for iPhone, Android and BB apps!).
i don't think we currently offer anything of a 'value'
that people would pay for, rather than just using the mobile browser.
but i am thinking about apps.
The main site takes too long to load on my phone
and then when it does load, I have to zoom right in to read anything.
Some articles would be nice in mobile form.....but mainly just pictures of cute animals would be good.
Nearly there.
- receiving and making calls
^what phones are for
- receiving and making calls
- receiving and sending text messages
^what mobile phones are for
- receiving and making calls
- receiving and sending text messages
- doing a whole load of other stuff
^what featurephones and smartphones are for
- doing yer mum
^what wza is for
when i looks at the boards on my HTC
it works perfectly, i just turn my phone on its side and then i can read everything in nested view. sometimes i zoom in but then my phone will realign the body of each post to fit but not the subject line so i have to scroll across when reading them. or just guess.