Jul
3
Some of you know that I am on the road quite a bit because of my “real” job. As a result, I spend a lot of time with my trusty laptop in the hotel at night. But there is something else that helps me check in on the blog and reply to comments when I don’t have time to pull out the laptop.
Alex King is the author of a plugin for Wordpress that allows you create a mobile version of your blog. That’s right, you and your visitors can read and comment on your blog even when you don’t have access to a computer! Wordpress Mobile Edition allows your blog to be viewed from a PDA, Smartphone, or any other small screen device. Basically, it creates a mobile interface with smaller and faster pages that are designed to fit on a small screen.
Here is a screenshot of the mobile theme on this blog. If you would like to see the plugin in action just visit PureBlogging.com with your mobile device.
Installation and setup is very simple.
- Download Wordpress Mobile Edition
- Unzip the file with your file compression utility (I use WinZip).
- Drop the wp-mobile.php file in your wp-content/plugins directory.
- Drop the wp-mobile directory in your wp-content/themes directory.
- Click the ‘Activate’ link for WordPress Mobile Edition on your Plugins page (in the WordPress admin interface).
No other configuration is needed. Now each time your blog is visited with a mobile browser, the mobile interface will be displayed automatically.
Do you think it is possible after a month of being mobile you can give some comparative statistics on how many pageviews were mobile versus regular?
I’ve actually been running this for a couple of months… I’ll see what kind of stats I can come up with.
Crap. Something else I gotta do to my site!
Luckily, this one is easy to impliment!
I’d like to see statistics as well of mobile views vs regular views. I’d think that somehow you could do that, if they were using cellphones not free wireless to access the page.
Haha, I agree with Bush!
I heard about this. At the moment, I use Opera Mini on my phone, and it looks decent. However, I wouldn’t mind giving this a go!
[...] in the footsteps of my good friend David over at Pureblogging.com I have decided to take Darin.CC [...]
Great plugin! I too have implemented this feature … since I needed it just yesterday!
Thanks David for the info!
Darin
What about a photo of the plugin in action on a mobile?
But how does it work? Isn’t it supposed to place a
<link media=\"mobile\"..or something like that in the header? I don’t see it!I meant, a
<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"mobilestyle.css\" media=\"mobile\" />in the head sectionHi Andea,
I updated the post a screenshot of what the template looks like but I’m not a programmer so I don’t really know how it works. Sorry.
Thanks David, very good to know! I have to ask you though….do you really use this very much? Isn’t is cumbersome, compared to using your laptop?
I use it almost everyday… between client visits, at lunch, sitting at red lights in my car, etc. It’s sad I know.
I also respond to a lot of emails with my trusty Cingular 8125. Very convenient when the laptop is not an option.
Are you running WM5 or WM6?
I am running WM5.
This might actually be VERY useful for a site like mine where I post weekly specials. That way people can go to the site when they’re at the actual store! hmmmmm. very interesting….
Thanks for the information!
You’re welcome!
this isnt something im really interested in. I have a hard enough time trying to get regular plugins to work lol
My head hurts with all of this technology. I don’t even know what a PDA or a smartphone is.
I’m still stuck on blogger with a pitch fork and a wagon and you all are travelling the cyber galaxies light years away.
I wouldn’t normally be jealous except you guys also probably have access to really cool lasers.
This comment filed under weird.
Funny stuff… diet coke almost came out my nose.
A while ago, I installed a plugin for the Wii browser and it totally crapped out my WP install!
Sorry to hear that but thanks for the warning… I’ll be sure to avoid that plugin.
When I am browsing using mobile I hope I would get full content and not some half cooked text only version.
Opera Mini v4 does a good enough job of rendering normal pages. And its by far the most popular mobile browser. So the question is : Is this plugin really necessary? There is not point in installing a plugin just for the sake of it.
There is a point… I prefer it.
I have Opera Mini installed as well but that doesn’t change the fact that normal pages are not designed to be viewed on a small screen.
I much prefer the “half cooked text only version” when browsing on a mobile. It loads much quicker and reads much easier because it is designed for the small screen. To each his own.
If you prefer to view the normal pages all you have to do is click the “Exit the Mobile Edition” link. If you allow cookies, I think it will even remember that selection.
Can I Use it On My Nokia Phone? Until Now, I just use My phone to make calls, sms or sometimes Check Email..
I have to admit I never use the Internet on my mobile phone, although I accept that others do.
This certainly looks like an interesting plugin - anything that increases your site’s accessibility can only be a good thing.
- Martin Reed
I went moble, mostly so I can look at the site on the road … then i got an iPhone … now I don’t need it … however I’ve left it up and still got some traffic on it … go figure!
Darin