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white pine

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Hi everyone;
O.K. I've hired a design company, looking again at websites. Using my net-book, I notice a few things. Because my screen is small, some sites have such small pictures and fonts I can't see them unless I enlarge, which is frankly, a pain. Sites with lots of tiny or pale lettering don't show up well at all.
Likewise what I can see on my screen before I have to scroll down is limited, so I think it is important to confirm who and where you are right up top. My question is, not having an I phone, or other small device, does this get even worse with those screens? As we move toward a more mobile future, how do we alter our presentation for those TINY screens?
 
On my iPhone websites look just like they do on a "real" computer, and since I'm holding the thing 10 inches from my eyes, it's all quite readable. Of course you have to enlarge some things, but on the iPhone that's just "pinch" the screen together and apart to shrink or enlarge things, then drag with a finger to move around, so there's no great effort.
I love my iPhone. I spent the weekend at a seminar in Chicago and spent a lot of time browsing this forum on the iPhone. It looks exactly like it does on a desktop, and is just about as easy to use. Really nice.
 
On my iPhone websites look just like they do on a "real" computer, and since I'm holding the thing 10 inches from my eyes, it's all quite readable. Of course you have to enlarge some things, but on the iPhone that's just "pinch" the screen together and apart to shrink or enlarge things, then drag with a finger to move around, so there's no great effort.
I love my iPhone. I spent the weekend at a seminar in Chicago and spent a lot of time browsing this forum on the iPhone. It looks exactly like it does on a desktop, and is just about as easy to use. Really nice..
Thanks,
I do the "pinch" on the netbook, but I think it is a pain. I like to be able to read things right of the bat. Love my netbook tho! Next phone will probably be the iPhone or a similar one. Do you plan to use it for credit card swipes?
 
Important stuff. Most of the time, I use a netbook...but, our BnB computer (Which is much newer) has the same landscape orientation monitor. I thought things would be easier to read because it's so much bigger, and the images *are* bigger, but by default, I only see the same amount of the screen. IOW, if I want to see what someone with a protrait orientation monitor sees, I have to shrink everything down.
sad_smile.gif
After realizing this, I went back to the store and looked - most all the computers (desktops) had these landscape oriented monitors.
Now, on my phone...I have a myTouch (similar tech to the iPhone). It's actually easier for me to see some sites, because I can use it protrait OR landscape orientation. Yes, I have to enlarge some things, but it's pretty transparent. The thing I run into with my phone is that the browser (whatever it is) won't allow me to type into certain types of forms...like the one on this forum. We were OTR (well, actually in the air) yesterday. Somewhere (airport, taxi, IDK) I checked in and tried to respond to a post. Then I remembered that my phone browser just doesn't recognize something on this site and no way would it allow me to type into the response box. I don't know the specifics about why, but I personally would want someone to be able to book rooms at my place via their phone.
 
On my iPhone websites look just like they do on a "real" computer, and since I'm holding the thing 10 inches from my eyes, it's all quite readable. Of course you have to enlarge some things, but on the iPhone that's just "pinch" the screen together and apart to shrink or enlarge things, then drag with a finger to move around, so there's no great effort.
I love my iPhone. I spent the weekend at a seminar in Chicago and spent a lot of time browsing this forum on the iPhone. It looks exactly like it does on a desktop, and is just about as easy to use. Really nice..
Thanks,
I do the "pinch" on the netbook, but I think it is a pain. I like to be able to read things right of the bat. Love my netbook tho! Next phone will probably be the iPhone or a similar one. Do you plan to use it for credit card swipes?
.
Yeah, I heard about the credit card swipe deal coming. Sounds good for me. I like hi-tech.
In Chicago I stayed at the Hyatt. While I was waiting at the airport in Memphis Friday my iPhone got an e-mail from Hyatt saying I could check into my room online. I tapped the link and a few seconds later an e-mail arrived saying I was checked in. It included a barcode at the top of the e-mail and told me to use it at the check-in kiosk at the hotel.
When I got to the hotel, there was a long line of people standing, waiting to check in with a desk clerk, and there were 6 self-service kiosks. Not a soul was using them.
I pulled up my barcode e-mail and laid the iPhone down where it told me to put it, under the scanner. The thing instantly beeped, welcomed me by name to the Hyatt, and told me to swipe my credit card. Then it printed out my receipt with instructions on how to find my room, then a keycard popped out of the slot and I was on my way to the room in less than a minute! I loved it!
But I also use the self-check-out lanes at Walmart and Lowes, and I'm about the only person in the county who does. Also, I love going to the bank drive through window. There's always a long line of cars waiting at lane 1 where they get to do their business with a real person in the booth. So I drive straight to one of the 4 empty pneumatic tube lines, pop my stuff in the tube and am on my way in seconds.
I've seen that you can have airplane boarding passes e-mailed to your mobile device but haven't tried it. But now that I see that the scanners can read on-screen barcodes, I see lots of potential there.
No, I wouldn't like having to pinch to enlarge on a netbook either. But somehow it's different on the iPhone, I guess since you're already holding it in your hand. Nothing to it.
 
Important stuff. Most of the time, I use a netbook...but, our BnB computer (Which is much newer) has the same landscape orientation monitor. I thought things would be easier to read because it's so much bigger, and the images *are* bigger, but by default, I only see the same amount of the screen. IOW, if I want to see what someone with a protrait orientation monitor sees, I have to shrink everything down.
sad_smile.gif
After realizing this, I went back to the store and looked - most all the computers (desktops) had these landscape oriented monitors.
Now, on my phone...I have a myTouch (similar tech to the iPhone). It's actually easier for me to see some sites, because I can use it protrait OR landscape orientation. Yes, I have to enlarge some things, but it's pretty transparent. The thing I run into with my phone is that the browser (whatever it is) won't allow me to type into certain types of forms...like the one on this forum. We were OTR (well, actually in the air) yesterday. Somewhere (airport, taxi, IDK) I checked in and tried to respond to a post. Then I remembered that my phone browser just doesn't recognize something on this site and no way would it allow me to type into the response box. I don't know the specifics about why, but I personally would want someone to be able to book rooms at my place via their phone..
Interesting...perhaps this isn't too big a deal for small screens. I think maybe that I have been looking at A LOT of websites and noticing that there are some with wide borders and small type size and small pictures, or pictures which should be cropped and enlarged to better show the subject matter. Frustrated me, and made me think larger font, fewer words, larger photos would be good. Maybe a factor of having past the mid-century mark tho!
It would be good to find out what is going on with the limitations for your phone, I agree, that is a real set-back. The whole point would be to be able to use it away from home...I wonder why only on some sites not all?
Similarly, I think, clicking on member websites here, some came right up others got zapped with my pop-up blocker. Not too savvy here, I clicked to allow, but did not see a real difference on the site. I wonder how this could be prevented?
 
Important stuff. Most of the time, I use a netbook...but, our BnB computer (Which is much newer) has the same landscape orientation monitor. I thought things would be easier to read because it's so much bigger, and the images *are* bigger, but by default, I only see the same amount of the screen. IOW, if I want to see what someone with a protrait orientation monitor sees, I have to shrink everything down.
sad_smile.gif
After realizing this, I went back to the store and looked - most all the computers (desktops) had these landscape oriented monitors.
Now, on my phone...I have a myTouch (similar tech to the iPhone). It's actually easier for me to see some sites, because I can use it protrait OR landscape orientation. Yes, I have to enlarge some things, but it's pretty transparent. The thing I run into with my phone is that the browser (whatever it is) won't allow me to type into certain types of forms...like the one on this forum. We were OTR (well, actually in the air) yesterday. Somewhere (airport, taxi, IDK) I checked in and tried to respond to a post. Then I remembered that my phone browser just doesn't recognize something on this site and no way would it allow me to type into the response box. I don't know the specifics about why, but I personally would want someone to be able to book rooms at my place via their phone..
Red,
Scroll below the comment window and click on. Change to plain text editor then you can post
 
On my iPhone websites look just like they do on a "real" computer, and since I'm holding the thing 10 inches from my eyes, it's all quite readable. Of course you have to enlarge some things, but on the iPhone that's just "pinch" the screen together and apart to shrink or enlarge things, then drag with a finger to move around, so there's no great effort.
I love my iPhone. I spent the weekend at a seminar in Chicago and spent a lot of time browsing this forum on the iPhone. It looks exactly like it does on a desktop, and is just about as easy to use. Really nice..
Thanks,
I do the "pinch" on the netbook, but I think it is a pain. I like to be able to read things right of the bat. Love my netbook tho! Next phone will probably be the iPhone or a similar one. Do you plan to use it for credit card swipes?
.
Yeah, I heard about the credit card swipe deal coming. Sounds good for me. I like hi-tech.
In Chicago I stayed at the Hyatt. While I was waiting at the airport in Memphis Friday my iPhone got an e-mail from Hyatt saying I could check into my room online. I tapped the link and a few seconds later an e-mail arrived saying I was checked in. It included a barcode at the top of the e-mail and told me to use it at the check-in kiosk at the hotel.
When I got to the hotel, there was a long line of people standing, waiting to check in with a desk clerk, and there were 6 self-service kiosks. Not a soul was using them.
I pulled up my barcode e-mail and laid the iPhone down where it told me to put it, under the scanner. The thing instantly beeped, welcomed me by name to the Hyatt, and told me to swipe my credit card. Then it printed out my receipt with instructions on how to find my room, then a keycard popped out of the slot and I was on my way to the room in less than a minute! I loved it!
But I also use the self-check-out lanes at Walmart and Lowes, and I'm about the only person in the county who does. Also, I love going to the bank drive through window. There's always a long line of cars waiting at lane 1 where they get to do their business with a real person in the booth. So I drive straight to one of the 4 empty pneumatic tube lines, pop my stuff in the tube and am on my way in seconds.
I've seen that you can have airplane boarding passes e-mailed to your mobile device but haven't tried it. But now that I see that the scanners can read on-screen barcodes, I see lots of potential there.
No, I wouldn't like having to pinch to enlarge on a netbook either. But somehow it's different on the iPhone, I guess since you're already holding it in your hand. Nothing to it.
.
I love the self-checkouts too. Have printed boarding passes at home. Generally I like technology--the problem comes when it doesn't work, or when things go DOWN at the worst time. Having a way to deal with things manually is important too, which is why I like to have hard copies of things--proof in hand!
 
Important stuff. Most of the time, I use a netbook...but, our BnB computer (Which is much newer) has the same landscape orientation monitor. I thought things would be easier to read because it's so much bigger, and the images *are* bigger, but by default, I only see the same amount of the screen. IOW, if I want to see what someone with a protrait orientation monitor sees, I have to shrink everything down.
sad_smile.gif
After realizing this, I went back to the store and looked - most all the computers (desktops) had these landscape oriented monitors.
Now, on my phone...I have a myTouch (similar tech to the iPhone). It's actually easier for me to see some sites, because I can use it protrait OR landscape orientation. Yes, I have to enlarge some things, but it's pretty transparent. The thing I run into with my phone is that the browser (whatever it is) won't allow me to type into certain types of forms...like the one on this forum. We were OTR (well, actually in the air) yesterday. Somewhere (airport, taxi, IDK) I checked in and tried to respond to a post. Then I remembered that my phone browser just doesn't recognize something on this site and no way would it allow me to type into the response box. I don't know the specifics about why, but I personally would want someone to be able to book rooms at my place via their phone..
Interesting...perhaps this isn't too big a deal for small screens. I think maybe that I have been looking at A LOT of websites and noticing that there are some with wide borders and small type size and small pictures, or pictures which should be cropped and enlarged to better show the subject matter. Frustrated me, and made me think larger font, fewer words, larger photos would be good. Maybe a factor of having past the mid-century mark tho!
It would be good to find out what is going on with the limitations for your phone, I agree, that is a real set-back. The whole point would be to be able to use it away from home...I wonder why only on some sites not all?
Similarly, I think, clicking on member websites here, some came right up others got zapped with my pop-up blocker. Not too savvy here, I clicked to allow, but did not see a real difference on the site. I wonder how this could be prevented?
.
I fyou have a designer, have a separate page done for mobile. Short, fast, all the VERY important details, but laid out in the 'proper' fashion.
Whose website didn't come up properly, or wanted you to allow something? Obviously, at home, we all see our websites like we designed them (or like someone designed them for us) and we don't see 'errors'. I'm sure anyone you had a problem with would want to know.
 
I use an iphone and an ipad all the time and the thing that bugs me the most is when they have a site designed for mobile. You always feel like you are missing stuff. Other phones seem to give a similar experience to the iphone now so I think more and more a special mobile site is less necessary.
 
I use an iphone and an ipad all the time and the thing that bugs me the most is when they have a site designed for mobile. You always feel like you are missing stuff. Other phones seem to give a similar experience to the iphone now so I think more and more a special mobile site is less necessary..
You have both, tho. You have a link from your site to the mobile page for those folks who just want fast, I'm looking for a place, give it to me short and sweet info. They can still browse the whole site if they want, but if they want INFO NOW, they can click to the mobile site.
Then you have all the basic info right there: address, phone number, email, number of rooms, yes breakfast is included, reserve now and anwers to the popular questions: where do we eat, what's there to do, do you take kids, dogs, pythons?
And, if it is a mobile page I would put in late check-in policies, as in 'No check-ins after 9 PM' or whatever because these folks may be on the road and that will keep them from calling and bothering the innkeeper.
Essentially, it's your 'elevator speech'.
 
Important stuff. Most of the time, I use a netbook...but, our BnB computer (Which is much newer) has the same landscape orientation monitor. I thought things would be easier to read because it's so much bigger, and the images *are* bigger, but by default, I only see the same amount of the screen. IOW, if I want to see what someone with a protrait orientation monitor sees, I have to shrink everything down.
sad_smile.gif
After realizing this, I went back to the store and looked - most all the computers (desktops) had these landscape oriented monitors.
Now, on my phone...I have a myTouch (similar tech to the iPhone). It's actually easier for me to see some sites, because I can use it protrait OR landscape orientation. Yes, I have to enlarge some things, but it's pretty transparent. The thing I run into with my phone is that the browser (whatever it is) won't allow me to type into certain types of forms...like the one on this forum. We were OTR (well, actually in the air) yesterday. Somewhere (airport, taxi, IDK) I checked in and tried to respond to a post. Then I remembered that my phone browser just doesn't recognize something on this site and no way would it allow me to type into the response box. I don't know the specifics about why, but I personally would want someone to be able to book rooms at my place via their phone..
Interesting...perhaps this isn't too big a deal for small screens. I think maybe that I have been looking at A LOT of websites and noticing that there are some with wide borders and small type size and small pictures, or pictures which should be cropped and enlarged to better show the subject matter. Frustrated me, and made me think larger font, fewer words, larger photos would be good. Maybe a factor of having past the mid-century mark tho!
It would be good to find out what is going on with the limitations for your phone, I agree, that is a real set-back. The whole point would be to be able to use it away from home...I wonder why only on some sites not all?
Similarly, I think, clicking on member websites here, some came right up others got zapped with my pop-up blocker. Not too savvy here, I clicked to allow, but did not see a real difference on the site. I wonder how this could be prevented?
.
I fyou have a designer, have a separate page done for mobile. Short, fast, all the VERY important details, but laid out in the 'proper' fashion.
Whose website didn't come up properly, or wanted you to allow something? Obviously, at home, we all see our websites like we designed them (or like someone designed them for us) and we don't see 'errors'. I'm sure anyone you had a problem with would want to know.
.
My bad-- it was another site. Clicking here everyone seemed to work. Sorry.
 
Important stuff. Most of the time, I use a netbook...but, our BnB computer (Which is much newer) has the same landscape orientation monitor. I thought things would be easier to read because it's so much bigger, and the images *are* bigger, but by default, I only see the same amount of the screen. IOW, if I want to see what someone with a protrait orientation monitor sees, I have to shrink everything down.
sad_smile.gif
After realizing this, I went back to the store and looked - most all the computers (desktops) had these landscape oriented monitors.
Now, on my phone...I have a myTouch (similar tech to the iPhone). It's actually easier for me to see some sites, because I can use it protrait OR landscape orientation. Yes, I have to enlarge some things, but it's pretty transparent. The thing I run into with my phone is that the browser (whatever it is) won't allow me to type into certain types of forms...like the one on this forum. We were OTR (well, actually in the air) yesterday. Somewhere (airport, taxi, IDK) I checked in and tried to respond to a post. Then I remembered that my phone browser just doesn't recognize something on this site and no way would it allow me to type into the response box. I don't know the specifics about why, but I personally would want someone to be able to book rooms at my place via their phone..
Interesting...perhaps this isn't too big a deal for small screens. I think maybe that I have been looking at A LOT of websites and noticing that there are some with wide borders and small type size and small pictures, or pictures which should be cropped and enlarged to better show the subject matter. Frustrated me, and made me think larger font, fewer words, larger photos would be good. Maybe a factor of having past the mid-century mark tho!
It would be good to find out what is going on with the limitations for your phone, I agree, that is a real set-back. The whole point would be to be able to use it away from home...I wonder why only on some sites not all?
Similarly, I think, clicking on member websites here, some came right up others got zapped with my pop-up blocker. Not too savvy here, I clicked to allow, but did not see a real difference on the site. I wonder how this could be prevented?
.
I fyou have a designer, have a separate page done for mobile. Short, fast, all the VERY important details, but laid out in the 'proper' fashion.
Whose website didn't come up properly, or wanted you to allow something? Obviously, at home, we all see our websites like we designed them (or like someone designed them for us) and we don't see 'errors'. I'm sure anyone you had a problem with would want to know.
.
My bad-- it was another site. Clicking here everyone seemed to work. Sorry.
.
white pine said:
My bad-- it was another site. Clicking here everyone seemed to work. Sorry.
Oh sure, set off widespread panic.
wink_smile.gif

 
I use an iphone and an ipad all the time and the thing that bugs me the most is when they have a site designed for mobile. You always feel like you are missing stuff. Other phones seem to give a similar experience to the iphone now so I think more and more a special mobile site is less necessary..
You have both, tho. You have a link from your site to the mobile page for those folks who just want fast, I'm looking for a place, give it to me short and sweet info. They can still browse the whole site if they want, but if they want INFO NOW, they can click to the mobile site.
Then you have all the basic info right there: address, phone number, email, number of rooms, yes breakfast is included, reserve now and anwers to the popular questions: where do we eat, what's there to do, do you take kids, dogs, pythons?
And, if it is a mobile page I would put in late check-in policies, as in 'No check-ins after 9 PM' or whatever because these folks may be on the road and that will keep them from calling and bothering the innkeeper.
Essentially, it's your 'elevator speech'.
.
Good advice.. taken. But honest voice of ignorance asks, seems like the whole VHS vs beta thing again? I have a feeling the mobile page thing will go away as small devices become better. Remember how honking big the first cell phones were? I'm thinking of keeping the wording on the site short and sweet-- good clean photos. Kind of keep it simple....of course we don't have much to start with right now either!! More of a coming when the dust clears.....
 
On my iPhone websites look just like they do on a "real" computer, and since I'm holding the thing 10 inches from my eyes, it's all quite readable. Of course you have to enlarge some things, but on the iPhone that's just "pinch" the screen together and apart to shrink or enlarge things, then drag with a finger to move around, so there's no great effort.
I love my iPhone. I spent the weekend at a seminar in Chicago and spent a lot of time browsing this forum on the iPhone. It looks exactly like it does on a desktop, and is just about as easy to use. Really nice..
Thanks,
I do the "pinch" on the netbook, but I think it is a pain. I like to be able to read things right of the bat. Love my netbook tho! Next phone will probably be the iPhone or a similar one. Do you plan to use it for credit card swipes?
.
Yeah, I heard about the credit card swipe deal coming. Sounds good for me. I like hi-tech.
In Chicago I stayed at the Hyatt. While I was waiting at the airport in Memphis Friday my iPhone got an e-mail from Hyatt saying I could check into my room online. I tapped the link and a few seconds later an e-mail arrived saying I was checked in. It included a barcode at the top of the e-mail and told me to use it at the check-in kiosk at the hotel.
When I got to the hotel, there was a long line of people standing, waiting to check in with a desk clerk, and there were 6 self-service kiosks. Not a soul was using them.
I pulled up my barcode e-mail and laid the iPhone down where it told me to put it, under the scanner. The thing instantly beeped, welcomed me by name to the Hyatt, and told me to swipe my credit card. Then it printed out my receipt with instructions on how to find my room, then a keycard popped out of the slot and I was on my way to the room in less than a minute! I loved it!
But I also use the self-check-out lanes at Walmart and Lowes, and I'm about the only person in the county who does. Also, I love going to the bank drive through window. There's always a long line of cars waiting at lane 1 where they get to do their business with a real person in the booth. So I drive straight to one of the 4 empty pneumatic tube lines, pop my stuff in the tube and am on my way in seconds.
I've seen that you can have airplane boarding passes e-mailed to your mobile device but haven't tried it. But now that I see that the scanners can read on-screen barcodes, I see lots of potential there.
No, I wouldn't like having to pinch to enlarge on a netbook either. But somehow it's different on the iPhone, I guess since you're already holding it in your hand. Nothing to it.
.
Arks, our large airport near us has the bar code scanners for check-in and security but they haven't rolled it out to all airports yet. :-( I often have to use the self-serve check-in kiosks at other airports and print a boarding pass for return flights. I love not having to deal with paper!
 
I use an iphone and an ipad all the time and the thing that bugs me the most is when they have a site designed for mobile. You always feel like you are missing stuff. Other phones seem to give a similar experience to the iphone now so I think more and more a special mobile site is less necessary..
You have both, tho. You have a link from your site to the mobile page for those folks who just want fast, I'm looking for a place, give it to me short and sweet info. They can still browse the whole site if they want, but if they want INFO NOW, they can click to the mobile site.
Then you have all the basic info right there: address, phone number, email, number of rooms, yes breakfast is included, reserve now and anwers to the popular questions: where do we eat, what's there to do, do you take kids, dogs, pythons?
And, if it is a mobile page I would put in late check-in policies, as in 'No check-ins after 9 PM' or whatever because these folks may be on the road and that will keep them from calling and bothering the innkeeper.
Essentially, it's your 'elevator speech'.
.
Gotcha the link on the bottom to go back to the full site is what i usually use now too.
 
I use an iphone and an ipad all the time and the thing that bugs me the most is when they have a site designed for mobile. You always feel like you are missing stuff. Other phones seem to give a similar experience to the iphone now so I think more and more a special mobile site is less necessary..
You have both, tho. You have a link from your site to the mobile page for those folks who just want fast, I'm looking for a place, give it to me short and sweet info. They can still browse the whole site if they want, but if they want INFO NOW, they can click to the mobile site.
Then you have all the basic info right there: address, phone number, email, number of rooms, yes breakfast is included, reserve now and anwers to the popular questions: where do we eat, what's there to do, do you take kids, dogs, pythons?
And, if it is a mobile page I would put in late check-in policies, as in 'No check-ins after 9 PM' or whatever because these folks may be on the road and that will keep them from calling and bothering the innkeeper.
Essentially, it's your 'elevator speech'.
.
Good advice.. taken. But honest voice of ignorance asks, seems like the whole VHS vs beta thing again? I have a feeling the mobile page thing will go away as small devices become better. Remember how honking big the first cell phones were? I'm thinking of keeping the wording on the site short and sweet-- good clean photos. Kind of keep it simple....of course we don't have much to start with right now either!! More of a coming when the dust clears.....
.
I think a lot of websites were set up way back when most monitors were resolutions like 800 x 600. The text looked about right then. But when people today are using things like 1680 x 1050, the old website text becomes tiny.
Yes, as you mention, using less text, making the font larger, and using lots of big photos is the way to go. People won't read much text on a website unless they really really have to. Also, white space (empty space) also helps keep things from looking to crammed full of text.
 
Important stuff. Most of the time, I use a netbook...but, our BnB computer (Which is much newer) has the same landscape orientation monitor. I thought things would be easier to read because it's so much bigger, and the images *are* bigger, but by default, I only see the same amount of the screen. IOW, if I want to see what someone with a protrait orientation monitor sees, I have to shrink everything down.
sad_smile.gif
After realizing this, I went back to the store and looked - most all the computers (desktops) had these landscape oriented monitors.
Now, on my phone...I have a myTouch (similar tech to the iPhone). It's actually easier for me to see some sites, because I can use it protrait OR landscape orientation. Yes, I have to enlarge some things, but it's pretty transparent. The thing I run into with my phone is that the browser (whatever it is) won't allow me to type into certain types of forms...like the one on this forum. We were OTR (well, actually in the air) yesterday. Somewhere (airport, taxi, IDK) I checked in and tried to respond to a post. Then I remembered that my phone browser just doesn't recognize something on this site and no way would it allow me to type into the response box. I don't know the specifics about why, but I personally would want someone to be able to book rooms at my place via their phone..
Interesting...perhaps this isn't too big a deal for small screens. I think maybe that I have been looking at A LOT of websites and noticing that there are some with wide borders and small type size and small pictures, or pictures which should be cropped and enlarged to better show the subject matter. Frustrated me, and made me think larger font, fewer words, larger photos would be good. Maybe a factor of having past the mid-century mark tho!
It would be good to find out what is going on with the limitations for your phone, I agree, that is a real set-back. The whole point would be to be able to use it away from home...I wonder why only on some sites not all?
Similarly, I think, clicking on member websites here, some came right up others got zapped with my pop-up blocker. Not too savvy here, I clicked to allow, but did not see a real difference on the site. I wonder how this could be prevented?
.
I fyou have a designer, have a separate page done for mobile. Short, fast, all the VERY important details, but laid out in the 'proper' fashion.
Whose website didn't come up properly, or wanted you to allow something? Obviously, at home, we all see our websites like we designed them (or like someone designed them for us) and we don't see 'errors'. I'm sure anyone you had a problem with would want to know.
.
I have been playing around with a couple of mobile sites. The mobile one just gives some basic information and then I link to the Full SITE. I don't claim to know what I am doing but just found a template and my friends agreed to let me "mess with it.'
So if any one out there has a cell phone and wants to check both sites on it, let me know what you see.
Note: the full site has some flash on it..so that will not be seen on a mobile phone as I have been told.
If any of you want to take a peek feel free. Mobile Link / Full Site
 
Important stuff. Most of the time, I use a netbook...but, our BnB computer (Which is much newer) has the same landscape orientation monitor. I thought things would be easier to read because it's so much bigger, and the images *are* bigger, but by default, I only see the same amount of the screen. IOW, if I want to see what someone with a protrait orientation monitor sees, I have to shrink everything down.
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After realizing this, I went back to the store and looked - most all the computers (desktops) had these landscape oriented monitors.
Now, on my phone...I have a myTouch (similar tech to the iPhone). It's actually easier for me to see some sites, because I can use it protrait OR landscape orientation. Yes, I have to enlarge some things, but it's pretty transparent. The thing I run into with my phone is that the browser (whatever it is) won't allow me to type into certain types of forms...like the one on this forum. We were OTR (well, actually in the air) yesterday. Somewhere (airport, taxi, IDK) I checked in and tried to respond to a post. Then I remembered that my phone browser just doesn't recognize something on this site and no way would it allow me to type into the response box. I don't know the specifics about why, but I personally would want someone to be able to book rooms at my place via their phone..
Interesting...perhaps this isn't too big a deal for small screens. I think maybe that I have been looking at A LOT of websites and noticing that there are some with wide borders and small type size and small pictures, or pictures which should be cropped and enlarged to better show the subject matter. Frustrated me, and made me think larger font, fewer words, larger photos would be good. Maybe a factor of having past the mid-century mark tho!
It would be good to find out what is going on with the limitations for your phone, I agree, that is a real set-back. The whole point would be to be able to use it away from home...I wonder why only on some sites not all?
Similarly, I think, clicking on member websites here, some came right up others got zapped with my pop-up blocker. Not too savvy here, I clicked to allow, but did not see a real difference on the site. I wonder how this could be prevented?
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I fyou have a designer, have a separate page done for mobile. Short, fast, all the VERY important details, but laid out in the 'proper' fashion.
Whose website didn't come up properly, or wanted you to allow something? Obviously, at home, we all see our websites like we designed them (or like someone designed them for us) and we don't see 'errors'. I'm sure anyone you had a problem with would want to know.
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I have been playing around with a couple of mobile sites. The mobile one just gives some basic information and then I link to the Full SITE. I don't claim to know what I am doing but just found a template and my friends agreed to let me "mess with it.'
So if any one out there has a cell phone and wants to check both sites on it, let me know what you see.
Note: the full site has some flash on it..so that will not be seen on a mobile phone as I have been told.
If any of you want to take a peek feel free. Mobile Link / Full Site
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I'll check it out when my phone is done charging. I forgot to plug it in last night. oops.....
 
When I did the site for our B&B Association, I wrote special pages for mobile phones that had a couple of key features -- small fast loading pages, and and a special menu option that searches all of our availability (screen scraping webervations) and list the links and phone numbers of the B&Bs that have a room for that day. Seems to be useful.
Richard
 
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