MGoMobile Anyone?
As a fellow MGoBlogger, I check this site a lot during the slow times of my day. Unfortunately, I'm not able to just be sitting at my computer all day and be free to check the site as I please. I often find myself checking MGoBlog on my cell phone. I think that it would be an excellent idea for Brian to try to set up a mobile version (MGoMobile?) of the site. An IPhone App is another possibility. My cell phone is often slow getting this site loaded, and it would be much appreciated to be able to have an easier site to run. I'm not sure how this would work exactly or how it would work out, but I think it would be a solid idea.
My question is, how hard would this be to set up for anybody and how many people find themselves checking MGoBlog on their mobile devices?
Brian's said that it was something he was going to work on at some point... but with that being said, I would love a MGoMobile; during the season I end up trying to check stuff when I'm out of town via my Treo.
I'd love a mobile version without the right and left side links.
Except I don't think I can do that yet
ESPN mobile (on the iPhone at least) would be a good role model.
Good thread topic.
I think Brian mentioned something about this at the start of the summer. I would certainly use it. Comcast is too damn expensive for one person... Ok, so an iPhone is just as much if not more, but who would turn one down if they were still on the family payroll and didn't have to pay for it. Reading the blog/board to and from North Campus makes the ride more enjoyable.
But it takes a bit to load, even on a 3G network. And with long threads, forget about it. So MGoMobile would be nice, yes, please and thanks you.
That said, it's fairly low priority for me. #1 is to get Naked Guy back in the banner.
[Edit: I should add that turning off javascript speeds up the load time considerably, but large threads are still a pain sometimes]
Hahaha +1 to naked guy
I have trouble with slow loading time on my Blackberry too. I can't access the site from my work because all blogs are filtered so I am constantly checking the site from my phone. MGoMobile would be a VERY nice change.
I recently moved to the Blackberry from a Treo and while I like the screen better, the body text for posts on MGoBlog is a weird pale blue on a white background and is nearly impossible to read. I realize I may be an idiot, but I can't find a way to change that preference. Is it me? My phone? The blog?
Other than that, I've long wished for (and suggested way back when the site was moved to Drupal) a slimmed-down version for the phone. I read the site often on the train or on a plane and the load times and scrolling are somewhat crushing with the sidebars. So, I'll throw my vote in with the others for Other Chris's suggestions.
Brian said a good way start things like this is to throw around some ideas/write it ourselves. I'm going to take the initiative. So for MGoMobile, what sorts of things would we like to have on it? Brian's posts only? Separate MGoBoard and MGoDiaries sections? Comments?
Strip it down to the basics: Brian's posts, MGoBoard, and comments. Everything else just seems to clutter the page up on a mobile device. I actually like the mobile ESPN MLB gamecast in terms of simplicity, loading time, and functionality.
[edit] Would there have to be ads?
I second that approach !!!
and yes
1) Definitely take OC's suggestion, and strip off the sidebars.
2) No need for a search function.
3) Access to profile settings
4) Keep Brian's posts (in case there was any question), as well as MGoBoard and the Diaries. On the MGoMobile home page, link to each one of these sections only or put links to the most recent threads/stories, so load time is minimized. The Chicago Tribune mobile site comes to mind as a model.
5) Option to fully load MGo, in case people still want the above features.
6) Naked Guy (I'm pushing for it).
Links to each of the sections would be good.
I saw the same exact poster of "Naked Guy" Burt Reynolds at a garage sale my neighbor was having. I couldn't help but laugh, especially since it was this little old lady's poster.
This is another reason that I made the thread. I wanted to see what people wanted on it and how it would work.
i started using skyfire on my cell to check the site. it goes MUCH faster than iexplorer or opera. It also displays the sight correctly.
Good to know, thanks for the info.
I'd just like to mention that I'm on my Palm Pre right now, and the site looks just fine. The obvious solution is new phones for everyone!
Stop making me jealous...haha
I love Skyfire...it runs everything on the server side so I can watch Hulu and run java stuff on my Nokia E71. It's really sweet. I highly recommend it.
I was hoping that this thread was about a car - but I don't think America is ready for a Dodge Dart with the naked guy logo.......
downloads the blog very well, I have no trouble reading it while traveling. Still, a dedicated mobile version would be nice. Who has the programming chops?
As I scroll or resize the screen, I'm forever inadvertently popping open new windows. And I'm pretty facile with the old iPhone and don't have fat fingers, so I figured it was a common problem. One pane with the articles and links to the boards and diaries, which are also single pane would work well. There's also this metatag tells the iPhone to display the content the default width of the screen:
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width">
My office is cracking down on personal internet usage, so absolutely, MGoMobile!
Yeh that would be a beauty that way I could check at work. But, Brian please make it accessible to Canadians. All these great ESPN things only work in the US of A, if MGoMobile were to be the same it would break my hart.
http://mgoblog.com/content/unverified-voracity-tweaks
"I looked into Drupal's mobile support. It's not good. The relevant modules are out of date. I'm still going to try to get something up, but it will take some more time." - Brian
Still won't expect any support for mobile MGoBlog for awhile. Loads perfectly fine with my iPhone 3G, so no complaints here.