I get a lot of Ezines in my Inbox and I'm currently working to reduce the list. Since I got my Blackberry, I've appreciated the fact that I can read on the go without anyone asking "What are you reading?". This appreciation has crossed over into my Ezine reading.
The beauty of smart phones… – you can have it with you literally wherever you go.
During a regular day, if I'm at my desk, I don't read Ezines or watch videos unless I absolutely have to. I don't find them as enjoyable while sitting upright at my desk. However, on the couch, in my car, under the hair dryer or any other non-conventional place adds an element of excitement to my Inbox. I read all of my Ezines on the go. Many times I don't even see the pictures until I'm cleaning out my emails from my desk and happen to click on it.
Most recently I've noticed a few technical glitches or oversights that could easily be corrected in Ezines. This is also helpful if you communicate via Twitter, Facebook, or anywhere else online.
- Using content within a graphic.
This means instead of actually typing a message your image has the text content. Unfortunately I don't see images via email on my phone. Only if I click to view in my browser do I see the images. More times than not, I choose not to check out the online version. It's too time consuming when I can just read from my Inbox. Ezines that use content within their graphics for the majority of their information end up in file 'D' (DELETE) or I just unsubscribe.
However if you utilize the alternative text which displays whenever your image cannot, your reader can at least read what they otherwise would see in the image. If the text says "Gala Apples" then your reader knows exactly what they would be seeing had the image displayed.
- Another common thing is not being able to see videos. Flash player is not available on all smart phones, namely iPhone and Blackberry. It's also not available on the iPad.*
If you have a lot of flash on your site or include a link to a video in flash, your mobile viewer cannot access it. The solution:
- Don't use flash on your website
- Use YouTube or something similar for your videos
- Test your website or Ezine on a smart phone
Note: Formatting may be slightly off; however, you're checking for content readability and whether or not your video can be viewed.
Sep 19, 2010 9:39:46 AM
www.twitter.com/lynnterry: Stats: there are 5 billion+ cell phone users vs only 1.8 billion internet users. Of those, 51 million use smart phones.
Will your Ezine be ready for them?
*Resource
www.infoworld.com
www.mercurynews.com
