Tapatalk

[valkraider]

Any chance you guys might turn on the Tapatalk plug-in for IPBoard so that we can browse the forums natively on our iPhones, Androids, and iPads?

 

[MarkBC]

I agree that a smartphone-friendly version of WTW would be great ...but on the stock Android browser it is possible to view and post now -- I'm posting this on my Droid Bionic.
But, yes, either a dedicated app or just a mobile version for browser would be a worthwhile improvement!

 

[valkraider]

I agree that a smartphone-friendly version of WTW would be great ...but on the stock Android browser it is possible to view and post now -- I'm posting this on my Droid Bionic.
But, yes, either a dedicated app or just a mobile version for browser would be a worthwhile improvement!


I posted that from my iPhone.



It is just so much nicer using Tapatalk - I have all my other forums in there... Car, Truck, Motorcycles, Geek stuff, it's all there. They make plug-ins for almost every forum site software that exists and all forum admin have to do is just turn it on... This board uses IP.Board and Tapatalk support is built in, if they just turn it on.

 

[MarkBC]

It is just so much nicer using Tapatalk.....if they just turn it on.

Well, I ain't agin it.

 

[valkraider]

Just in case anyone is interested, here is what I am referring to:

Tapatalk forum app

 

[Janet H]

Thanks for the suggestion - we're looking at this and several other options and will keep you updated..

 

[BobM]

If you need motivation, Exedition Portal does work on tapatalk

 

[valkraider]

Any progress on this front?

While on-the-road wandering it is much easier to participate via Tapatalk than it is via the web interface.

Our new toy is on it's way from the factory to be delivered and I am sure we will want to post stuffs about it from our phones.

nudge nudge

 

[MarkBC]

Any progress on this front?

Uhh...yeah...well, I've been told that the Administration (the site owners) decided to have dedicated apps (iOS and Android) made for the site instead of enabling Tapatalk. And that app-writing is in progress.
That sounds fine...but I don't see why Tapatalk functionality couldn't be installed/enabled as well, since the add-on/plug-in for it is free for the site. Maybe it has something to do with ad revenue...

 

[valkraider]

Uhh...yeah...well, I've been told that the Administration (the site owners) decided to have dedicated apps (iOS and Android) made for the site instead of Tapatalk. And that's in progress (app writing).
That sounds fine, except I don't see why Tapatalk functionality couldn't be installed/enabled as well, since the add-on/plug-in for it is free for the site. Maybe it has something to do with ad revenue...

Oh well. I'm not going to install it then, having a separate app for each forum is really annoying. Stuck with desktop access only (unless your mobile template improves).

Thanks for the update though.

 

[MarkBC]

...having a separate app for each forum is really annoying...

I'm opposed to the "appification" of the web in general (not just forums) -- having a separate app for each website.

(this post is my personal opinion, not as a Site Team member)
This practice started with the iPhone, partly because they chose to not support Flash, so a dedicated app was needed to access the features of many modern web sites. And gradually businesses started feeling like they needed to have an "app", too, to meet the expectations of their customers -- even if they already had a mobile-browser-friendly version of their site.
A website that recognizes mobile browsers and delivers content in the appropriate format (by "style" or by redirecting to their mobile site) is all that's really needed. I'm a member of a local non-profit organization, and our website (built on Wordpress) automatically delivers the mobile version when I access the site with my smartphone; it can't be that hard to implement.

To me, having a different app for each website you view is like having a different car for each place you drive: "This is my atm car, and this is my haircut car, and this is my coffee-shop car..." You end up needing a really big garage.

Still...I will install the WTW Android app when it's available.

 

[valkraider]

Ironically, it looks like the mobile theme of this site ("IP Board Low Fi") doesn't have the advertisements either so when I use it from my iPhone, I get no ads anyway. So Tapatalk would be no different from an ad revenue perspective..
The "IP Board Lo-Fi" mobile template is lightweight and gets rid of a lot of the extra cruft. However, it is not a good iPhone layout, and I am not sure if this forum software has built in native iPhone or Android interfaces (like wordpress does).

My company does this for our apps. We make iPhone and iPad and Android versions of everything we do. It isn't that hard anymore - almost every web platform supports the layouts pretty automatically. Things like vBulletin, PHPBB, and other forum software do as well, as far as I know (without looking it up).

Here are my complaints about how this forum works on iPhone (and why I would prefer Tapatalk):

1. Cannot upload images in a post. When I am out and about, I would like to be able to post images.
2. Text is too small and has no "awareness" of the size of my screen. This means LOTS of zooming/scrolling just to use the site.
3. It is hard to save login credentials across sessions. The remember-me function just uses cookies, which breaks if cookies are deleted.

I agree with your opinion of "appification" as well: we have an app Tapatalk which is used by over 30,000 forums, is supported by all the major forum platforms, and is easy to set up and use.

Yet some sites insist on doing it their own way (not just this one - the official BMW and Triumph motorcycle forums built their own apps too). This means WTW ownership will incur technical overhead to develop and support an app that they could have had for free (probably off-setting any gains in ad revenue - especially considering things like ad blocking and whatnot already eat into ad revenue as it is).

Tapatalk even covers the ad-revenue question in their FAQ:

Q: Will I lose revenue from my current web properties?

A: Tapatalk app is an optional service to your members - it drives more engagement and participation to your forum. While you may lose some pageviews up-front, in a long run you will have a more engaging forum as people are free to post new content on-the-go. Though we also have Link Affiliation (Powered by VigLink) and Donation (Mobile Payment) integration to help you earn extra revenue.

One single app, that has built in support for the 8 most common forum platforms (and more), requires no development or support, and is used by over THIRTY THOUSAND forums.

I have too many other forums I use that turned on Tapatalk for me to really want to help this one out by downloading yet another disparate forum app...

I get that the new owners (Social Knowlege) are a company that is growing their own list of communities, and that is great. They currently have maybe 20 or so, and claim around 1.7 million registered members. More power to them if they want to write their own app.

It just makes it a pain in the ass.

So with that I will call my input on this topic done, as there is no sense in beating a dead horse so-to-speak.

(Social Knowlege does claim their site members are passionate and subject matter experts - so I guess I fit in to those in some ways, eh?)

 

[MarkBC]

Thanks for the thorough, well-thought-out comments, valkraider.
FWIW, sounds like a great argument to me.

 

[Oryguntroutbum]

Any news? When I type in "wander the west" it prompts me to the Apple App Store as if there is a WTW app but obviously there is not.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Any news? When I type in "wander the west" it prompts me to the Apple App Store as if there is a WTW app but obviously there is not.

That happened to me also the first time I accessed WTW on my Ipad.But then the site went to bookmarks and the app request hasn't returned.
Frank

 

[ptySteve]

Another request for Tapatalk.