Forum Viewing App for Mobile Devices

[Mike Konobeck]

Figured the best way to go about making a case for a forum viewing tool install on SMC would be to take a poll.

Options being:

1) Don't use mobile device(s) to view forums.
2) Use mobile device(s) to view forums but happy with native browser.
3) Forum Runner
4) Tapatalk
5) Other

[Brian Kent]

I see that vBulletin has a Mobile Suite. I have never used a mobile device on a forum because the text is way too small using the regular browser. If available, I would try it on my iPhone. I am building a forum (not woodworking) and would like to try the vBulletin Mobile suite on that one. I can't choose any of the above poll options, though.

[Matt Meiser]

Keith mentioned in the past the the vBulletin app involves charging the site owner to develp a site-specific app, which is then published in the app stores for purchase by members. Perhaps that has changed.

I didn't see a reason for an app until I got my i* devices. On my Android phone I could take a picture, resize it with another app, and upload to the forum. The iPad/iPhone I can't post photos. The same is true of my club's forum. I wish Apple would fix this problem, but won't hold my breath on that one. There is a workaround which is to upload the photos to Photobucket and then from Photobucket to here. Of course if people use this option and just link to their photos (as opposed to allowing the forum to copy them from Photobucket) over time it will degrade the value of threads containing deleted pictures. There's nothing worse than finding an old photo essay on the exact topic you wanted and seeing all those "deleted" images from Photobucket.

Another forum I recently joined has a phpBB forum with a mobile skin which works nicely, save for the picture posting problem.

Regardless, Keith has stated that its on his list numerous times in the past And also that there's little time left to do anything once what needs to be done to keep the place running and pay the bills so I wouldn't hold my breath on seeing anything anytime soon.

[Brian Kent]

Although I hope to use the Mobile Suite from vBulletin on a different forum, I don't plan on touching this myself. Someone else would need to dedicate the time and energy for that. Until it happens automatically with the software, I am happy to wait until I get to the computer to read and post.

[Matt Kestenbaum]

I often spend time on SMC on an ipad running Safari, but that's not really the kind of mobile app you are talking about and generally its still at home not truly "mobile." I would not try and read anything like SMC on an iPhone, but if there were a mobile app format and it was cheap (say 2.99?) i would likely give it a go.

[James Watson]

I use an RSS reader to see new topics that are posted and then view the interesting ones using the native browser on my Android device. I don't often use the browser to browse & navigate threads directly, and I don't think I've ever posted anything via my phone.

[Shane Sura]

I chose other because I use mobile devices all the time but I am not happy with the experience. I would love to see a dedicated forum app applied to SMC as this is my go to forum.

Shane

[David Hostetler]

I not only view, but I post / update as well... The native browser in Android is fine... Forum Runner is pretty nice on other forums though... Maybe I would use it here... I dunno...

[Keith Outten]

I discussed this option once again with our server Admin Aaron Koehl a couple days ago. We decided long ago to provide mobile access to The Creek however we have not been able to find the time to get it done as yet. It looks like we may be able to setup the software during the Christmas break, this is the earliest time frame we have available right now.

I know it may seem like a simple task but we prefer to install new software on a test server and run it for awhile to reduce the odds of us having problems or having to go into panic mode if The Creek went down due to some kind of incompatible software, server load issue or worse a security problem.

This year our slow season has been almost twice as busy as our peak season last year. November is the start of our peak traffic period which runs through March and we don't have any idea what to expect or whether we will have problems with server loads. Adding another access point to The Creek is another issue we need to address to make sure, if that is possible, we are able to provide the service. Mobile access may very well cause us to have to add server capacity, bandwidth or both.

It is doubtful that mobile access will increase the number of Contributors here and at the same time it could double our costs which means that we will have to find additional advertisers to pay for any increase in our network expenses. We are constantly marketing, it is a never ending job that has to be done to pay the bills. We don't have a major magazine or huge company behind The Creek to jump in and take care of the kind of problems that can come our way when we grow very fast as we have in the past. SawMill Creek is owned by my one man sign company, in spite of the fact we are the largest woodworking forum on the Internet we are a very small business with limited resources.

If our traffic doubles again this fall and then doubles once more due to mobile access we could not possibly handle that kind of increase nor could we purchase new hardware or bandwidth fast enough to prevent a huge problem. Growth is a wonderful thing unless your revenues fail to keep up with the services you provide. This happened once before here a few years ago when the number of registered Members doubled in a short period of time and we were not ready on our end and we went in the red for many months. The Creek is way to large now to even think of us going in the red again, I can't cover the costs out of pocket anymore.
.

[Alan Van Art]

I love Forum Runner, and find that it makes me more likely to access the forums. I browse the AAW forums at lunch, etc... I tried Tapatalk, but found it less convenient.

[Mike Konobeck]

+1 on Forum Runner. Just started using it and it is hands down a great tool for forum viewing. Haven't tried Tapatalk but I don't think anyone could go wrong with either.

[Matt Meiser]

Keith, what about making mobile access pay it's own way by making it a contributor-only feature? Then if its popular enough to drive a big traffic increase, that should be accompanied by a revenue increase to match.

[Keith Outten]

Matt,

We need to find out how the various programs work and how they can be integrated into our software so the module installed by the user cannot be copied or shared. If the setup isn't keyed to an individual I doubt there would be any financial support involved and it could be another job for one of us to have to manage.

I like the idea of mobile access, it would be a big help to me almost every day. I can do some of the research but in the end Aaron Koehl has to decide which program will work on our server and not cause problems with any of the hacks he has developed for our vBulletin install. If we decide to use one of the programs other than the vBulletin mobile access software we would have another issue to be considered every time we need to upgrade our forum software. When we decide to upgrade vBulletin and have problems it can be worse than a nightmare to find a problem and often take many hours or multiple evenings to resolve. Turning modules on and off and bringing the whole forum up and down can be frustrating to hundreds of people, then the email and PM's will follow and it can often be thousands per day.

We will find a way to get this done but I don't know how long it will take before Aaron is comfortable with the process. He knows that I get real upset when SawMill Creek goes down for any reason so he will once again be very cautious when he makes the final decision on which way we need to go. At this point the only option i would consider is one that limits mobile access to Contributors, there are so few these days we won't have any server load or bandwidth issues. I will need to be absolutely sure that the software app can't be used by anyone except a Contributor before we move forward. I can only imagine what would happen here if ten thousand people all of a sudden had mobile access and our server could not handle the load.

There is a huge difference between server load problems and a bandwidth shortage. In both cases things slow down but the server load problem can be much more severe an issue to resolve.
.

[Rob Price]

I found is looking for a mobile version of sawmill creek. I almost exclusively read posts on the go using my iPhone browser, I just don't have time to sit in front of my computer these days. I would love to be able to post pics from my phone, I usually have it with me (or nearbye) in the shop. Plus, it's hit or miss if I try to reply using my iphone. The ipad seems to work better.

Another forum I have spent a good deal of time at is the AVSForum for home theater enthusiasts. They started using a dedicated branded Forum Runner app and it is fantastic. They use vbulletin as well.

I would become a contributor just for a forum runner app (or other mobile access), or I would pay for a forum runner app in the app store, or I would subscribe to one. I'm going to become a contributor today anyways (it's about time) but just wanted to add my two cents to the conversation.

[Peter Froh]

Hey all, just bumping this thread to see if SMC has decided to install forum runner technology on this forum? It's great software at a reasonable price for end users. The best part is that it's FREE for SMC, easy to install, even on a custom site and no users have reported any security risks from using it!

Come on SMC, let's do it!!!

[Garrett Ellis]

I think i may have voted "happy with native browser," but i would much rather there be a mobile version. i especially like sites that offer both a mobile and full version of their content. don't know which app i would prefer because this is just about the only forum i visit, but i think anything would be better than nothing, at least to start

[Michael Peet]

Just another bump.. I browse this site with the Dolphin browser on Android almost daily. About 50% of the time when I try to click a thread I accidentally click on the username below the link. So everyone, if you've noticed that I viewed your profile I just want you to know it was accidental and I am not a stalker.

The picture viewer, which I love when browsing from my PC, is terrible on a mobile device because when you try to pan it into view it closes the pic. You have to click the pic twice in order to make it full screen.

Finally, trying to post a message is a test of my patience, endurance, and willpower.

I would certainly pay a couple bucks for an app.

Mike

[jay gill]

I read the forums a lot on my iPhone, and I find the only issue I have is that the page numbers/navigation arrows are too small. I generally don't like mobile specific sites or apps as I can never find what I am looking for or the features are severely limited. That being said, I probabaly buy a SMC app to help support it.

[Bruce Page]

Just another bump.. I browse this site with the Dolphin browser on Android almost daily. About 50% of the time when I try to click a thread I accidentally click on the username below the link. So everyone, if you've noticed that I viewed your profile I just want you to know it was accidental and I am not a stalker.


LOL! I do that a lot with my iPad & fat fingers.

[Eben Fourie]

Hi, any update on this? Tried searching for sawmillcreek on tapatalk and did not get any results.....