UPDATE - Attn mobile users - Help me make this site better!

So that we can provide faster and better support, this forum (the "Public Suggestion Box") has been retired. Instead, please send any suggestions you have to us using the official website contact form.

This allows us to streamline our support system so that we can get to your message much faster. Instead of our support staff having to check three different places (support forum, suggestion box, and contact form messages), they know can respond to all message through one method, with that one method being the official website contact form.

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Scott
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UPDATE - Attn mobile users - Help me make this site better!

Post by Scott »

[UPDATE - April 1, 2015 - I have implemented a mobile template to the site. It should automatically detect whether you are using a mobile device or not. By that, I mean if you access the forums from a mobile device you should be shown the mobile version and if you access the forums using a non-mobile device you will be shown the regular version. However, there will also be links in the footer to switch back and forth from the mobile version or the desktop.]

This topic is especially meant for people who occasionally or usually use this website with a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. However, even if you usually use the website with a desktop/laptop but also happen to have a mobile device, you can help out by trying to use the site for a little bit on your mobile device and then reporting some feedback on the experience in this topic.

My goal is to make using the website even easier on mobile devices. This may be done by simply modifying the current site, or by making a special template for mobile devices such as when will notice other websites do like Facebook or Google (noticed by being redirected to m.google.com or m.facebook.com when using those sites on mobile devices) or a combination of both or other improvements.

I have an android phone, but I rarely use it to access the website. I almost always use the website from my desktop. So I may be especially ignorant of any issues or potential improvements for the mobile experience.

In any case, all feedback is greatly, greatly appreciated.

Please name the type of device you are using, namely whether it is a tablet or phone and what OS it is running (e.g. Android or Apple's iOS).

What kind of troubles if any do you have accessing or using the site with the device? Do you experience any frustrations? Does anything seem out of place or dysfunctional? Even if you have gotten use to something or figured out a workaround, do you remember anything being confusing or frustrating or just seeming wrong or dysfunctional when you first started using the website on a mobile device?

Do you have any suggestions for ways to make your experience better? Even if you do not think something is wrong per se, can you think of anything that could be changed to make using the site easier or more enjoyable particularly when using it with your mobile device?

Also, what works well regarding this website on your mobile device? Is there anything particular about using this site that makes using it on a mobile device a uniquely pleasant experience? If you have no complaints, can you elaborate on why you are happy with it as is?

You can post your feedback about your mobile experience as a reply to this topic. Again your feedback is greatly appreciated.
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Post by Swalka1991 »

I'm totally unable to access the forums on my mobile device. It's a Kindle Fire HD, and runs on the Silk browser. Every time I try to enter the forums, I get a screen that says "Gone. The requested resource / is no longer available on this server and there is no forwarding address."

Nothing I do will get rid of it, and even attempting to access specific postings results in the same message. It's frustrating since I'm on my kindle so much more than I am my laptop.
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Post by AMP76 »

Apple iOS iPhone.
The only thing that bothers me from my mobile is that when I am in a forum and want to reply, if I click "quick reply" it brings me all the way to the top of the page and I have to scroll down to find my reply box. Thats the only thing I have noticed so far, and its not broken, its just a minor irritation.
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Post by kumudlekhok »

hello, I am a software developer and I can help you with suggestions.
The best thing would be to redirect to a m. address with a seperate template. I can design you a template, but you will have to program and implement it. F/R mail me.
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Post by TrishaAnn92 »

I work off of a Samsung Galaxy S3 Android phone and a Samsung Note also off of Android, the only issue I really have is that when I want to reply, the screen doesn't always stay on the message box, it goes back to the top of the screen and I have to keep scrolling back down so I can keep typing. I would think a mobile address would be the easiest fix to making accessing from a mobile phone or tablet easier.
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Post by [nette] »

I sometimes go on my Droid Razor. I think the only thing that really bothers me is, like how AMP76 said, every time you try to reply to the forum, it goes to the top of the screen; also I'm not a really big fan of having to zoom into the page every time I either go into a new page, or the browser reloads. So maybe that could be a suggestion of making a mobile app, specifically for mobile devices.
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Post by Leah_jmoser »

I have an iPhone 4S the issue I have is when I go to the forum I cannot post a new post. Nor can I find a way to post new post I have to google the website to get to the main page to post a new post through a link on the bottom of the page. Now understand that I am a new user and I'm still figuring out this website.
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Post by tracy19 »

I work off a blackberry and the only problem I have is if I find a book to read, it will not let me select it for download.
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Post by gali »

I use Samsung Galaxy S3 Android phone, but just to read. I prefer to post from my PC. I would also like it if it was possible to select a book for downloaded from the cell as well.
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Post by srkilgour »

Recently I've been using my iPhone 4S to access this site more than on my computer because it's one of the sites that actually seems to run extremely well on a mobile device. The only things I now do on my computer would be to post my reviews but only because it's quicker and easier on a keyboard for me and to download the actual book (I select it and everything on my phone). The only thing that is more of an inconvenience than anything would be what everyone else has said about when do a quick reply it takes you to the top of the page. Otherwise I really enjoy using this site on my phone.
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Post by AMP76 »

Kindle Fire. I can get to the website proper, but there is no log on option. This is a problem as I wish to download a book for review onto my Kindle.
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Post by kientaoviet »

I work off of a Samsung Galaxy S3 Android phone and a Samsung Note
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Post by Zannie »

I would have to agree with others on here. The only problem I have is when I am replying to a message it scrolls to the top or I can't find the submit button (when replying more than a couple of sentences. I have never seen this site on a desktop. I use my phone and tablet.
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Post by Scott »

Swalka1991 wrote:I'm totally unable to access the forums on my mobile device. It's a Kindle Fire HD, and runs on the Silk browser. Every time I try to enter the forums, I get a screen that says "Gone. The requested resource / is no longer available on this server and there is no forwarding address."

Nothing I do will get rid of it, and even attempting to access specific postings results in the same message. It's frustrating since I'm on my kindle so much more than I am my laptop.
I would like to figure this problem out. Are you sure you are accessing the correct URL:

http://forums.onlinebookclub.org

?

Can you access the main site: OnlineBookClub.org

?

-- 19 Mar 2014 01:26 pm --
AMP76 wrote:Apple iOS iPhone.
The only thing that bothers me from my mobile is that when I am in a forum and want to reply, if I click "quick reply" it brings me all the way to the top of the page and I have to scroll down to find my reply box. Thats the only thing I have noticed so far, and its not broken, its just a minor irritation.
I will look into this and see if I can fix it. Does anyone else experience this same issue?

-- 19 Mar 2014 01:26 pm --
TrishaAnn92 wrote:I work off of a Samsung Galaxy S3 Android phone and a Samsung Note also off of Android, the only issue I really have is that when I want to reply, the screen doesn't always stay on the message box, it goes back to the top of the screen and I have to keep scrolling back down so I can keep typing. I would think a mobile address would be the easiest fix to making accessing from a mobile phone or tablet easier.
Are you using the quick reply box or the full editor?

-- 19 Mar 2014 01:28 pm --
[nette] wrote:I sometimes go on my Droid Razor. I think the only thing that really bothers me is, like how AMP76 said, every time you try to reply to the forum, it goes to the top of the screen; also I'm not a really big fan of having to zoom into the page every time I either go into a new page, or the browser reloads. So maybe that could be a suggestion of making a mobile app, specifically for mobile devices.
If you have to zoom in, that would seem to mean that the page looks to small by default. What is too small that requires zooming in? Is it just the text-size or everything?

-- 19 Mar 2014 01:29 pm --
Leah_jmoser wrote:I have an iPhone 4S the issue I have is when I go to the forum I cannot post a new post. Nor can I find a way to post new post I have to google the website to get to the main page to post a new post through a link on the bottom of the page. Now understand that I am a new user and I'm still figuring out this website.
I don't think I understand your problem, but I would like to. Are you trying to post a reply to a topic or are you trying to start a new topic? How does going to Google help with this?

-- 19 Mar 2014 01:31 pm --
tracy19 wrote:I work off a blackberry and the only problem I have is if I find a book to read, it will not let me select it for download.
But you are able to download the books using your laptop/desktop? If so, then are you able to move the files from your desktop/laptop to your blackberry and read them? In what formats have you tried downloading the books when you experience this problem?

-- 19 Mar 2014 01:38 pm --
gali wrote:I use Samsung Galaxy S3 Android phone, but just to read. I prefer to post from my PC. I would also like it if it was possible to select a book for downloaded from the cell as well.
It's possible that many of the issues one might have downloading the books with their phones is simply the way the phone handles downloaded files, which depending on the device can be configured on the device itself. There could be two kinds of problems that could occur:

1. The file does not download to the device.
2. The file downloads to the device, but for some reason the user cannot open the file in readable way on the device or cannot even find the file on the device.

With 1, the issue would most likely be a problem with my download script.

With 2, the problem is probably with the device and its configuration. The device needs to be compatible with the downloaded format. If it is compatible at all, the device will still need to be configured in a way that enables the user to open the file with the software on the file that can read the file. It's analogous to normal desktop computers in which one can download a PDF but won't be able to open it if they do not have a PDF reader like Adobe installed, or if the computer isn't configured to use the installed software like Adobe to open the PDF, or if the user does not know how to find the file (e.g. it is downloaded to a documents/downloads folder but the user doesn't know how to navigate to this on the computer). My ability to change my software/website to get the book downloaded in a readable format is limited if the issue is #2. The best I might be able to do is to help each person on a case-by-case basis and then write up an FAQ or help sheet of some sort explaining the common solutions, which may vary greatly from user-to-user depending on the particular details of the problem and the device.

-- 19 Mar 2014 01:39 pm --
AMP76 wrote:Kindle Fire. I can get to the website proper, but there is no log on option. This is a problem as I wish to download a book for review onto my Kindle.
That is odd. Can you get me a screenshot?

-- 19 Mar 2014 01:40 pm --
kientaoviet wrote:I work off of a Samsung Galaxy S3 Android phone and a Samsung Note
Have you tried using the website with both? Do you have any feedback about your experience using the website with them?

-- 19 Mar 2014 01:42 pm --
Zannie wrote:I would have to agree with others on here. The only problem I have is when I am replying to a message it scrolls to the top or I can't find the submit button (when replying more than a couple of sentences. I have never seen this site on a desktop. I use my phone and tablet.
Yes, many users seem to be having this problem of hitting quick reply and the page jumps to the top. I will work on fixing that right way.

I am concerned about this issue of not finding the submit button. It should be right below the input box. Could you elaborate on this issue? Would it be too much to ask for you to post a screenshot of the phone's screen when you cannot find the submit box?

-- 19 Mar 2014 02:44 pm --

I cannot recreate the problem of the screen jumping to the top of the page when hitting quick reply. I have tried it on many browsers included Safari on my desktop and I have tried it on my Droid. I will see if I can find what is causing it, but maybe the best solution would be to get rid of the quick reply button and simply have the quick reply box shown by default.
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"Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco." Virgil, The Aeneid
TrishaAnn92
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Post by TrishaAnn92 »

Scott.
I usually use the full.
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