Confession And Question

its smaller, and i feel smarter, and i'm playing angry birds now.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Yes, sort of. They see how you have it set up, but they see a "mobile" layout which is different. Do you have a tablet? Tablets usually default to the mobile layout, too.

You too, Nikki! I thought I was the only one who didn't own one! I do have a tablet and there is a difference in how the site is seen.

I have an iPhone and it does look different. Instead of seeing a page with all the galleries (my default) in front of you, you have to scroll down to see each individual gallery. So they are still all on the same page, but you have to scroll to see the next one. Also, tabs are located differently. Hope this answers your questions!

Nikolyn, don't feel bad. I still have an antique flip phone and will keep it just as long as it works.

Yes, me too, Jessica. In fact, mine's only a trac phone and I have to be reminded to carry it.

So tell me more about this "mobile" layout.

I have my website set to default to galleries. And when I upload new images, which I do every few days, I move them immediately back several pages - never mind why LOL So I know exactly where to find my newest uploads and they are, at least initially, in order of upload, but it would be hard for anyone who didn't know my system to find them.

When a do a new upload, I frequently get a comment or two from a follower. No mystery there - they see my new uploads in their activity feed. And I also kind of watch my visitor stats (again, don't ask me why) and notice when these new uploads are viewed. But since I rarely have time to upload more than 1-3, occasionally 5, I usually don't see any kind of activity on more than 2-3 in a row.

BUT . . . occasionally I see someone come in (visitor stats) and, starting with my newest upload, look at image after image after image of my most recent uploads. Way more than I've done that day or even week - so it can't come from the activity feed. I'm thinking maybe that when someone comes in on a smart phone (or tablet), they are dumped not on my gallery page or even my images pages, both of which I've spent much time organizing, but instead into my new uploads - which have no rhyme nor reason to them.

http://nikolynmcdonaldphotography.artistwebsites.com/

Nikolyn,et al,

I got my smart phone about a year ago, after I jumped into the pool, after working in the yard and forgot that I still had my phone in my bathing suit pocket! If you belong to Sam's or Costco or probably even go to Walmart, you can get a phone, cheap! Mine is the Samsung Galaxy 4, which since it's my first smart phone, seems great to me and costs $.99 when I got it. Buying last year's "Gotta Have Phone" is the way to go. I'm not bothered with the camera function, since I have a "real" camera, but the phone does take great snapshots and has replaced my point&shoot camera.

I also bought, on sale, after an artist here mentioned that the Amazon "Fire" was on sale and I got that, which I use ALL the time, as a tablet/laptop and I also got a stylus pen, which helps with my fat fingers, when typing.

So go and jump in a pool and then go get a new smart phone, you'll be glad you did, trust me!

Rich

I don't even know what a smartphone is, so I guess I can't help you.

Just updated my smart phone from a Samsung galaxy III to iPhone 6s plus. Besides the camera of iPhone, I am not sure WHY I have to give away all kinds of personal information to the account (I DO NOT like it ), but all the images on screen look nice :)!

I don't have one either!

According to my GA only 12.8 of my total visitors to my AW come via a mobile device.

Now, considering how many times a day or week or month that I use my own iPad or iPhone to look up something while I am away from the office, I could be maybe 50% those or more.

So, I am fairly ambivalent to the whole mobile/FAA idea.

Others are reporting much different results. And Abbie has posted numbers that are surprisingly high as to how many people access FAA via mobile devices.

I do not use the FAA ap at all on either my iPad or the iPhone. I see no need for it at all. But I do use both, as mentioned, to access the site. My AW looks exactly the same, it is only smaller and you have to scroll back and fourth and up and down.

"...don't feel bad. I still have an antique flip phone and will keep it just as long as it works."


Same here, Phyllis. 8 yr old MotoRazr flip phone here, and still using the original battery. Only a 1.3mp camera, and the other function (phone part) works great for calling and receiving phone calls. :)



Rich, glad you're still enjoying the tablet. I use mine more than my desktop computer.

Maybe we can start a club for those without smartphones. It will be a very small club!

No fancy phone over here either! I may be a bit behind the times, but if I was purchasing art I would definitely want to see it on a large screen before purchasing! May be that using a CPU so often I have gotten a bit spoiled with the large screen ;)

No smart phone here either. But I have a nice iPad tablet.

This web page reproduces a facsimile of web pages as it would be viewed by phone format of choice:

http://mobiletest.me/

It's not perfect, but it could help.

Just got my first one a month ago, partly so I can accept cc payments and let clients for my other biz text me....which client today said she sent me a text....I haven't seen it yet. Apparently you have to turn it on occasionally...he he he ! I had warned them to give me some time to 'practice' remembering to turn the damn thing on and have it close by ;o)

I reread the comments regarding your newest posts…could it be that your visitors subscribed to your image feed?

If you are mostly at home there isn't much reason for one. I use mine mostly on trips - watching movies on a plane, checking the Internet etc.

Greg,

Thanks again for that original post here on FAA. Use it ALL the time too! What do you know about the new one, $49? or so?

Rich

I still have an old flip phone also. I do have an ipad though, although the only reason I have it is because my daughter wanted a newer/ better one for herself and gave me her old one.

Seems I am the minority here... I have an iPhone 6 (the plus was too big for me) and I use it to surf the internet all the time... I don't think I would use it to buy art though

It may be interesting to note the difference between the manufacturer user base. I'm not doing a google search to find a specific article because I'm not sure it's in one - anyway I heard (or read) somewhere that iPhone users are much more willing to pay for games and apps than Android users, who tend toward the free games and apps.

As an Android user I can vouch that this is true only in my case

Whether you can do anything with this information is entirely up to you - perhaps a subscription wallpaper service for iPhone users, or incorporate your art into a promotional game or something?

Celebrities were switching to flip phones for awhile for security reasons. Brian, would your reason be security or screen size?

Mark, interesting idea.

Has anyone checked out mobiletest.me to see how different phone formats look? Especially on a Samsung?

I would be in the "no smart phone" club.

I'm pretty sure that would surprise nobody.

No smartphone for dumb people here either.....think paying the bill is outrageous.

I have a dumb phone for smart people. I have had the phone over 3.5 years so I pay $10 less on my bill
per month over the last 1.5 years.

You can scrunch up your browser while looking at your AW and get a good idea of how your AW would look
on a smartphone.

Dave

I thought I was pretty much alone, nice to see I'm not the only one not willing to become permanently tethered to an overbuilt, overpriced communication device. My coworker across the aisle from me even has a smart watch, it's so smart he has to push a button to turn the display on to tell what time it is. lol

You aren't alone at all David. I looked up the latest and security concerns are still a worry with some cell phone users even though many developers had made some changes to fix earlier vulnerabilities. There's an app out to make a smart phone dumb on command, but why not just keep a computer for the internet if the problem is that much of a concern?

Dave, the browser trick works except where there are queries that refer to style sheets that would suppress some design elements that would be problematic on a cell phone. Do you have Dreamweaver or something like it? You can also simulate a cell phone that way if you don't want to try a website.

I also have a flip phone with pay-as-you-go minutes. I use less than 100 minutes a month because I don't like talking on the phone and I don't text. Hey, with your flip phone in hand, ask a stranger to let you see how your site looks on their iphone!!--might lead to a sale!!

Rich,

I think that $49 tablet (6" I think) has limited capabilities (fewer mb, etc).



Sarah, I don't text either. My phone is only on when I leave the house, if my wife isn't with me. If she is she has her smart phone on, and mine will be off.

Used to have students complaining that people (their friends) were calling (and texting) them at all hours, even late at night, and they couldn't get any sleep. I told them to just turn the phone off. Their response was usually. "... but I might miss a call".

Thank you, Vanessa Bates, for this link:
http://mobiletest.me/

It tells me exactly what I wanted to know and I am much relieved. I do think that the "anomalies" I have noticed are the result of activity that originated from a follower's activity feed.

It was no big deal, but I was curious.

Leaving this open awhile even though it's gone in kind of a different direction because it's entertaining to me, informative, and, well, isn't doing anyone any harm :)

Vanessa,

I thought there'd be some differences. I got ya with the style sheets I think CSS. Just minified that on my WP.org

I have no dreamweaver. I just ask others to show me on their phones.
The thing I watch for is drop down menus. A year ago I could not get my website drop down menus to work well at all
on smartphones. Heads up to some of you.

Dave

PS Vanessa just worked with Mobile Test you linked us to. Great stuff. Even scrolls. Wowsa.

Don't feel bad, I don't even own a cell phone!

No smartphone but I have just bought a cheap 7inch tablet. I've only had it a couple of days but it seems good, I just need to shrink my fingers for the 'keypad'.

"Don't feel bad, I don't even own a cell phone!"

I do own a prepaid flip phone, but only because it's cheaper than a landline since I talk on the phone very little, so I don't have a landline. I pay $35 every three months and have accumulated nearly $400 worth of minutes in 5 years. I wish I could get that money back somehow!

I do have a tablet, but primarily for art, (Surface Pro 3) it's almost never connected to the internet since I don't have a wifi signal at home.

"...just bought a cheap 7inch tablet. I've only had it a couple of days but it seems good, I just need to shrink my fingers for the 'keypad'."


Barbara,

Get yourself a stylus to use on the "keyboard". They're inexpensive, and convenient. Amazon has them, and most office supply stores carry them also. Recall seeing them at Walmart too.

You're very welcome, Nikolyn. If anything, you're finding out just how many people don't use smart phones.

Dave, you have a very good point about drop down menus. I'm trying to fix a problem with one page because it's designed to scroll but on a smart phone the menu is immediately scrolled out of view. The one problem with being self taught is that it's mostly an error process with a few trials running long enough to figure things out.

Barb,

As Greg mentioned, a stylus really helps!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012CGGM0G?psc=1

and this is the one that I bought, a Bamboo Stylus, which I can use if I ever get e Bamboo Tablet,

http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Bamboo-Stylus-iPhone-CS130K/dp/B00ER52JNA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1449074240&sr=8-12&keywords=stylus+bamboo

$14.95 for the Bammboo and $4.00 for the top one!

MUCH faster, on both the Kindle Fire, 7" tablet, but most bestest on the Smart Phone!

By the way, the reason I switched from a dumb phone to the $.99 Samsung, was about emails. My family is ALL over the U.S. and they all have smart phones and that's how they communicate, by emails. My 86 year old mother was taken to the hospital and my brother emailed everyone, but I never got it. Didn't know for hours that she was in the hospital. I was a bit angry that I didn't receive a phone call, but 4 against one, so I decided to get the cheap phone from Sam's,

Rich

my cell phone has no phone in it. its just a pda to me. i use wireless for everything. a really handy tool to have on vacations. get on the net, track on gps, etc.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Greg and Rich, thanks, I will get a stylus. But not a smartphone!

Barb,

You'll like that stylus!

Rich

Wow - a bunch of people with no smartphones - I thought I was a lone survivor!

I'm kind of surprised to see how many people don't have smartphones - my iPhone is my only phone, and I love using it for email, texting, web searches, etc (as well as phone calls). But I wouldn't buy art on it!

I typed this on my iPhone while I was out to dinner with my family

I canceled my home land line and that paid for the new smartphone! Look into it,

Rich

Paying for the phone itself isn't the cost issue . . . is it?

"I canceled my home land line and that paid for the new smartphone!..."


In the past we talked about cancelling our landline service, and having just cell phones. During the ice storm of '09, no power for a week (some folks went longer without it), our cell phones didn't work (no power at cell towers either). The only thing that still worked was our landline. We couldn't contact anyone that only had cell phone service. We decided to keep our landline.

"Paying for the phone itself isn't the cost issue . . . is it?"

Depends on the phone or plan. There are prepaid smart phones now that are getting down there in cost, I'm guessing they are pretty limited though.

I just did a quick look, Verizon has one that's $30/month.....wifi only. Doesn't that make it a tablet? lol How easy is it to burn up 1 GB of data in a month?