Comments on: Make Your Blog Mobile http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/ Book reviews, industry news, and commentary from a reader's point of view Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:50:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: acoucheGah http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-157103 acoucheGah Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:09:02 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-157103 Yo! Wasjust serfing on net and found this site...want to say thanks. Great site and content! Yo!
Wasjust serfing on net and found this site…want to say thanks. Great site and content!

]]> By: Charlene Teglia http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29362 Charlene Teglia Sun, 27 May 2007 19:59:53 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29362 Thanks, Jane, will be going mobile. For some reason, I hadn't even thought about browsing from a smart phone or equivalent. Thanks, Jane, will be going mobile. For some reason, I hadn’t even thought about browsing from a smart phone or equivalent.

]]> By: The Good, The Bad and The Unread » Can You Hear Me Now? http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29355 The Good, The Bad and The Unread » Can You Hear Me Now? Sun, 27 May 2007 18:05:26 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29355 [...] Jane talks about getting your website and/or blog mobile. Just like we are here. I would tell you all about it but since I didn’t even know we were [...] [...] Jane talks about getting your website and/or blog mobile. Just like we are here. I would tell you all about it but since I didn’t even know we were [...]

]]> By: Sybil http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29354 Sybil Sun, 27 May 2007 17:54:18 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29354 I have been wickedly lucky in all things web design because I couldn't find my way out of a box. Every blog, lj, wordpress and or website I have ever had or been apart of was put together by talented people. So I completely feel for authors who don't have skills, time or even want to screw with this stuff. Hell I didn't even know I was mobile until someone else brought it to my attention. But really I think that is sort of the message here. More often than not, readers are an easy bunch, we LIKE many things but we 'need' little. Lisa Kleypas had a very cute site with a picture you could scroll over to find info. Very cute - hated it. Her new site is much more simple. Julie Garwood has a very interesting site - if I had the time or want to screw with it to find info I wanted. I don't. Give us the info - book titles, backlists (printable text rocks for YOU and US), tell us what you are working on [be it out next week or in a year]. Give us a sample of your work - excerpts, free stories, out of print downloads for free or cheap. But really if a writer can't be arsed to put that information out for me to easily find - unless I am already a fan - I am one to say screw it. There are a hella lot of books out, coming out and already on Mount To Be Read. Monica McCarty has a trilogy coming out in July, I just yesterday deleted them off my to be bough list because her website was STILL 'coming soon' after over six months. Oddly enough going to get the link it looks like it is <a href="http://www.monicamccarty.com/" rel="nofollow">finally up</a>. Will I read them, maybe at some point but I already have more books at this point than I can read for July and August. So it is no longer at my top of GET this NOW. Track it down, must read, get ARC or eARC, find out more about the author because too many others I wanted to know more about during the same time frame had the info up. This could be the bestest trilogy ever but if the author doesn't care to get the info out there, why should the reader care? Writers write... I would much rather have any writer working on their book(s) than spending hours out blog hopping or myspace hunting. The bells and whistles can be nice and fun at the same times they can be too much. And at the end of the day it is up to each author what they do or don't do and how much of their time they can pony up for anything. Of course I have a jane so what do I know ;) I have been wickedly lucky in all things web design because I couldn’t find my way out of a box. Every blog, lj, wordpress and or website I have ever had or been apart of was put together by talented people. So I completely feel for authors who don’t have skills, time or even want to screw with this stuff. Hell I didn’t even know I was mobile until someone else brought it to my attention.

But really I think that is sort of the message here. More often than not, readers are an easy bunch, we LIKE many things but we ‘need’ little. Lisa Kleypas had a very cute site with a picture you could scroll over to find info. Very cute – hated it. Her new site is much more simple. Julie Garwood has a very interesting site – if I had the time or want to screw with it to find info I wanted. I don’t.

Give us the info – book titles, backlists (printable text rocks for YOU and US), tell us what you are working on [be it out next week or in a year]. Give us a sample of your work – excerpts, free stories, out of print downloads for free or cheap. But really if a writer can’t be arsed to put that information out for me to easily find – unless I am already a fan – I am one to say screw it. There are a hella lot of books out, coming out and already on Mount To Be Read.

Monica McCarty has a trilogy coming out in July, I just yesterday deleted them off my to be bough list because her website was STILL ‘coming soon’ after over six months. Oddly enough going to get the link it looks like it is finally up. Will I read them, maybe at some point but I already have more books at this point than I can read for July and August. So it is no longer at my top of GET this NOW. Track it down, must read, get ARC or eARC, find out more about the author because too many others I wanted to know more about during the same time frame had the info up. This could be the bestest trilogy ever but if the author doesn’t care to get the info out there, why should the reader care?

Writers write… I would much rather have any writer working on their book(s) than spending hours out blog hopping or myspace hunting. The bells and whistles can be nice and fun at the same times they can be too much. And at the end of the day it is up to each author what they do or don’t do and how much of their time they can pony up for anything.

Of course I have a jane so what do I know ;)

]]> By: TeddyPig http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29353 TeddyPig Sun, 27 May 2007 17:22:34 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29353 Oh and I <a href="http://www.operamini.com/download/wap" rel="nofollow">downloaded that Opera Mini</a> to my Blackberry. Way better browser! Oh and I downloaded that Opera Mini to my Blackberry. Way better browser!

]]> By: TeddyPig http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29352 TeddyPig Sun, 27 May 2007 17:08:55 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29352 Thanks! Just installed the <a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress" rel="nofollow">Wordpress Mobile Edition</a> plugin and used this demo to check. Most excellent! <a href="http://www.operamini.com/demo/" rel="nofollow">Opera Mobile Mini demo</a> Thanks!

Just installed the Wordpress Mobile Edition plugin and used this demo to check. Most excellent!

Opera Mobile Mini demo

]]> By: Bev(BB) http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29350 Bev(BB) Sun, 27 May 2007 16:44:12 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29350 Oh, neat. I just added the plug-in to <strong><a href="http://bevsbooks.com" rel="nofollow">Bev's Books</a></strong>. I will say that at first it didn't work so I had to go back and check the readme file. Duh. ;) Just simply drop the plugin into WordPress, huh, Jane? Gotta watch her like a hawk on those "easy" bits. :D Anyway, I think it's working now after a little tweaking. Of course, since I don't have Internet on my cell and rarely use the thing, what do I know. Oh, neat. I just added the plug-in to Bev’s Books. I will say that at first it didn’t work so I had to go back and check the readme file. Duh. ;) Just simply drop the plugin into WordPress, huh, Jane? Gotta watch her like a hawk on those “easy” bits. :D

Anyway, I think it’s working now after a little tweaking. Of course, since I don’t have Internet on my cell and rarely use the thing, what do I know.

]]> By: Jessica Inclan http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29349 Jessica Inclan Sun, 27 May 2007 16:41:30 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29349 When I started writing (when I was 12), I never realized that I would have to have a web site (I do) and a blog (I don't) and a myspace page (I do, though I've never sent a bulletin out to my "friends") or blog for readership (I post on other people's blogs mostly out of interest and a loud mouth). I learned very quickly that I needed web things, but I have to say much of this post left me going, "huh?" Plug ins, etc. Okay, I have a blackberry, too, but I've never read dearauthor.com on it or much of anything besides google and dictionary.com to settle arguments. So maybe I should. But I don't want readers to think I'm being negligent because I don't have such things. But as I was writing this, I turned to my computer programmer boyfriend, who explained the entire idea: that a plug in is a little bit of code that allows a server to pull a modified version of a site into a device. Okay, I could add one to my web site to make it readable on a phone. I currently have flash on my site. So--I feel edified now by this entire post and conversation, and will write to my web maven. Anyway, I hope readers don't take offense at all the things authors do or don't do. There's a learning curve with this tech stuff. Jessica Inclan When I started writing (when I was 12), I never realized that I would have to have a web site (I do) and a blog (I don’t) and a myspace page (I do, though I’ve never sent a bulletin out to my “friends”) or blog for readership (I post on other people’s blogs mostly out of interest and a loud mouth). I learned very quickly that I needed web things, but I have to say much of this post left me going, “huh?” Plug ins, etc.

Okay, I have a blackberry, too, but I’ve never read dearauthor.com on it or much of anything besides google and dictionary.com to settle arguments. So maybe I should. But I don’t want readers to think I’m being negligent because I don’t have such things.

But as I was writing this, I turned to my computer programmer boyfriend, who explained the entire idea: that a plug in is a little bit of code that allows a server to pull a modified version of a site into a device. Okay, I could add one to my web site to make it readable on a phone. I currently have flash on my site. So–I feel edified now by this entire post and conversation, and will write to my web maven.

Anyway, I hope readers don’t take offense at all the things authors do or don’t do. There’s a learning curve with this tech stuff.

Jessica Inclan

]]> By: Michele http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29348 Michele Sun, 27 May 2007 16:29:44 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29348 Jane, the reason you can't include the code in your post is that you have to convert the characters that open and close the coding. For security purposes, WP won't allow you to add php coding to a post. However, you can enter your code into this utility: <a href="http://www.tutorialtastic.co.uk/converter.php" rel="nofollow">http://www.tutorialtastic.co.uk/converter.php</a> And it will convert your code snippet into text-friendly visibility. You can then use the CODE button in your WP dashboard to add it to the blog post. Also, Firefox has an add-on called Web Developer that has a lot of handy tools for viewing and building websites. Under its Miscellaneous tag, it has an option to preview a page in small screen rendering. I've been checking my sites with that (though I'll try the Opera utility too.) Firefox users can download the add-on here: <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60" rel="nofollow">https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60</a> Jane, the reason you can’t include the code in your post is that you have to convert the characters that open and close the coding. For security purposes, WP won’t allow you to add php coding to a post. However, you can enter your code into this utility:

http://www.tutorialtastic.co.uk/converter.php

And it will convert your code snippet into text-friendly visibility. You can then use the CODE button in your WP dashboard to add it to the blog post.

Also, Firefox has an add-on called Web Developer that has a lot of handy tools for viewing and building websites. Under its Miscellaneous tag, it has an option to preview a page in small screen rendering. I’ve been checking my sites with that (though I’ll try the Opera utility too.) Firefox users can download the add-on here:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60

]]> By: EC Sheedy http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29347 EC Sheedy Sun, 27 May 2007 16:15:33 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29347 More technology to worry about. Aargh! This from a writer who is just now--finally--at last--having her web site redone. (And who can't imagine being wanted by someone's smart phone no matter how hard she tries!) Am I less than writerly when I don't blog, don't my-space, and still find it difficult to carve out writing time? ...sigh... EC (who seriously needs a reident techno-geek) More technology to worry about. Aargh!

This from a writer who is just now–finally–at last–having her web site redone. (And who can’t imagine being wanted by someone’s smart phone no matter how hard she tries!) Am I less than writerly when I don’t blog, don’t my-space, and still find it difficult to carve out writing time? …sigh…
EC (who seriously needs a reident techno-geek)

]]> By: Jane http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29344 Jane Sun, 27 May 2007 15:05:45 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29344 I think the beauty of alex king's plugin is that it is so stripped down. It's a bare bones page (although it does show the covers of the books in the post) because all it does is show the posts and comments. All the javascript that runs on the blog is not loaded using the alex king theme. But, I could easily add a link to a printed list of, say, A reviews, or something like that. I might do that in the future, but haven't seen a real need for it. I think its something an author could do. I think the beauty of alex king’s plugin is that it is so stripped down. It’s a bare bones page (although it does show the covers of the books in the post) because all it does is show the posts and comments. All the javascript that runs on the blog is not loaded using the alex king theme.

But, I could easily add a link to a printed list of, say, A reviews, or something like that. I might do that in the future, but haven’t seen a real need for it. I think its something an author could do.

]]> By: Melanie http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29343 Melanie Sun, 27 May 2007 15:00:42 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29343 Another thought/comment: Viewing your site on the Opera mobile demo is probably the *best* your site will look in mobile format because the Opera browser hands the page off to one of their own servers to format for the small screen then directs it back to the user's browser. But there's more to consider than just how it *looks* on the mobile browser - there's usability issues. I switched from using palm's Blazer brcause it doesn't handle javascript well and Opera mini does. (Think of all the blogs with portions of the post hidden behind the cut.) And if a site's navigation solely relies on flash or java or even some of the dropdown javascript menus, then the site is not navigable for mobile browsers. Having an alternate means of navigating the site in plain text would be helpful. Also, even though Opera does a great job of resizing images for the small screen, they still are large in terms of data size and transfer time. If someone is on a limited internet access plan, large images will really eat up their transfer limit but beyond that, unless you have a 3G phone and plan, it's veerrrryyy slooooow. (My solution is to surf with images off. Even though I have an unlimited plan, I don't have unlimited patience and blogs are about the text anyway.) Another thought/comment: Viewing your site on the Opera mobile demo is probably the *best* your site will look in mobile format because the Opera browser hands the page off to one of their own servers to format for the small screen then directs it back to the user’s browser. But there’s more to consider than just how it *looks* on the mobile browser – there’s usability issues. I switched from using palm’s Blazer brcause it doesn’t handle javascript well and Opera mini does. (Think of all the blogs with portions of the post hidden behind the cut.) And if a site’s navigation solely relies on flash or java or even some of the dropdown javascript menus, then the site is not navigable for mobile browsers. Having an alternate means of navigating the site in plain text would be helpful. Also, even though Opera does a great job of resizing images for the small screen, they still are large in terms of data size and transfer time. If someone is on a limited internet access plan, large images will really eat up their transfer limit but beyond that, unless you have a 3G phone and plan, it’s veerrrryyy slooooow. (My solution is to surf with images off. Even though I have an unlimited plan, I don’t have unlimited patience and blogs are about the text anyway.)

]]> By: The Stalker on Sunday « miladyinsanity http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29341 The Stalker on Sunday « miladyinsanity Sun, 27 May 2007 14:24:15 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29341 [...] DearAuthor, because we have to meet our DA Linkage Quota of 2 posts minimum per edition, this time on making your blog mobile. On Opera’s demo, my blog looks fine. Anybody seen my blog on teeny [...] [...] DearAuthor, because we have to meet our DA Linkage Quota of 2 posts minimum per edition, this time on making your blog mobile. On Opera’s demo, my blog looks fine. Anybody seen my blog on teeny [...]

]]> By: kardis http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29340 kardis Sun, 27 May 2007 14:07:10 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29340 I have a myspace page for my friends who don't like email (for some reason) and I hate it! I never try to find an author's myspace page, I just go to their website. Every time. Of course, I think I'm older than the demographic that authors are looking to catch on said evil page so maybe that's part of it. In any case, I'd much rather have a smartphone! I have a myspace page for my friends who don’t like email (for some reason) and I hate it! I never try to find an author’s myspace page, I just go to their website. Every time. Of course, I think I’m older than the demographic that authors are looking to catch on said evil page so maybe that’s part of it. In any case, I’d much rather have a smartphone!

]]> By: TeddyPig http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29336 TeddyPig Sun, 27 May 2007 13:38:01 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29336 [quote comment="29333"]Thought this a great suggestion, but I've come across a problem. The template I'm currently using when combined with that plugin shows nothing. Which is definitely a worse place to be than having it load slow. Guess I'm ditching the pretty pull down menus and looking for another template to re-skin for the rest of today. Meh, who wanted to do housework anyway? AnneD[/quote] I love <a href="http://themes.wordpress.net/columns/3-columns/704/wp-andreas01-12/" rel="nofollow">WP-Andreas01 1.7</a> or <a href="http://themes.wordpress.net/columns/2-columns/831/mistylook-101/" rel="nofollow">Mistylook 3.3</a> In fact I bought a template from Sadish called <a href="http://palnila.com/" rel="nofollow">Pal Nila</a> The guy makes some great highly functional templates for Wordpress. [quote comment="29333"]Thought this a great suggestion, but I’ve come across a problem. The template I’m currently using when combined with that plugin shows nothing. Which is definitely a worse place to be than having it load slow.

Guess I’m ditching the pretty pull down menus and looking for another template to re-skin for the rest of today.

Meh, who wanted to do housework anyway?

AnneD[/quote]

I love WP-Andreas01 1.7

or Mistylook 3.3

In fact I bought a template from Sadish called Pal Nila

The guy makes some great highly functional templates for Wordpress.

]]> By: Melanie http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29335 Melanie Sun, 27 May 2007 13:13:08 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29335 As a reader who reads blogs frequently on her Treo (including this morning), let me chime in with an "amen." (On the downside, I can't seem to post a response with Opera mini - have had to switch browsers to Blazer. Oh, to have one browser to do all I want it to.) As a reader who reads blogs frequently on her Treo (including this morning), let me chime in with an “amen.” (On the downside, I can’t seem to post a response with Opera mini – have had to switch browsers to Blazer. Oh, to have one browser to do all I want it to.)

]]> By: Anne Douglas http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29333 Anne Douglas Sun, 27 May 2007 12:42:11 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29333 Thought this a great suggestion, but I've come across a problem. The template I'm currently using when combined with that plugin shows nothing. Which is definitely a worse place to be than having it load slow. Guess I'm ditching the pretty pull down menus and looking for another template to re-skin for the rest of today. Meh, who wanted to do housework anyway? AnneD Thought this a great suggestion, but I’ve come across a problem. The template I’m currently using when combined with that plugin shows nothing. Which is definitely a worse place to be than having it load slow.

Guess I’m ditching the pretty pull down menus and looking for another template to re-skin for the rest of today.

Meh, who wanted to do housework anyway?

AnneD

]]> By: Nice Mommy~Evil Editor » Blog Archive » Mobile! http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29332 Nice Mommy~Evil Editor » Blog Archive » Mobile! Sun, 27 May 2007 12:37:39 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29332 [...] to Jane at Dear Author’s post of today, I’ve installed the WP Mobile plugin on my blog so it’s now easier to view my blog on [...] [...] to Jane at Dear Author’s post of today, I’ve installed the WP Mobile plugin on my blog so it’s now easier to view my blog on [...]

]]> By: Angie http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29330 Angie Sun, 27 May 2007 11:40:31 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29330 Funny, the timeliness of this blog. I was trying to read blogs on my Blackberry Pearl last week when I was traveling to/from Georgia and it was frustrating. Thanks for the plugin, I'm going to use it on my own blog! Funny, the timeliness of this blog. I was trying to read blogs on my Blackberry Pearl last week when I was traveling to/from Georgia and it was frustrating. Thanks for the plugin, I’m going to use it on my own blog!

]]> By: Sarah McCarty http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29328 Sarah McCarty Sun, 27 May 2007 10:51:17 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/05/27/make-your-blog-mobile/#comment-29328 Just reading this gave me palpitations. *G* I'm a techno phobe of the highest caliber. I contemplated a myspace page but the time to create one was just the beginning of the drain this type of promo requres, and I don't have that much time, so for this year, I'll be myspaceless. I don't have a blog for that same reason. It looks like getting my page mobile isn't going to be a time suck so I have no excuse. *sigh* I will have to gird my nether parts and go yet another step in the direction of technology. Dammit! *G* Thanks for the technololgy update. Just reading this gave me palpitations. *G* I’m a techno phobe of the highest caliber. I contemplated a myspace page but the time to create one was just the beginning of the drain this type of promo requres, and I don’t have that much time, so for this year, I’ll be myspaceless. I don’t have a blog for that same reason. It looks like getting my page mobile isn’t going to be a time suck so I have no excuse. *sigh* I will have to gird my nether parts and go yet another step in the direction of technology. Dammit! *G*

Thanks for the technololgy update.

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