If you don’t do your blogging from an iPad, there’s one thing you might not realize about your WordPress blog. The “default settings” on your blog are programmed to send iPad viewers to a specialized “mobile view” of your blog called OnSwipe–and (speaking as an uber-frustrated iPad reader-of-blogs) the OnSwipe view is CRAP.
So I just wanted to take a moment to highlight the disadvantage to YOU, the blogger, of having your blog viewed in the OnSwipe format–and beg you to change your settings (also for the sake of ME, the reader).
-
This is the "beautiful app-like experience" touted by WordPress for iPad viewers. (screen-photo of jennswondering.wordpress.com--hilarious post, btw)
The OnSwipe view is completely stripped of the theme you’ve used to personalize your blog. It shows the text and photos of your post against a white background. None of the theme design, none of your side-bar links, none of the options to visit your “about you” page… Nothing at all but your words on a white page. (Seriously, WordPress? If we wanted our work to look like that, we’d just be posting our word-processing documents…)
- Maybe of more concern to you (although the first point irritates me to no end) is the fact that there’s no option for an OnSwipe viewer to “like” a post or “follow” your blog. Nope, none. I can not follow your blog from the OnSwipe mobile view.
- To do anything beyond read the bare text of your post, I have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the post (waiting for all the pictures and text to load), click on a link to “View Standard Site,” and then wait for the REAL blog to post in its all its wonderful technicolor personality. Yay! Only then can I use your navigational links, see your stats and profile, “like” a post, or “follow” your blog.
Why WordPress thought this mobile theme was a great idea, I can’t begin to imagine. They bill it as “a beautiful app-like experience”… Pure.Bull.Malarkey. I’ve already registered my complaints thoughts with WordPress, and I’ve already gotten my answer: OnSwipe is here to stay… Though they said they’ll take into consideration my plea suggestion that, if nothing else, they could give us, as individual readers, a chance to choose whether the blogs we view will load in OnSwipe or Standard view…
But since that hasn’t happened so far, I figure there’s one thing I CAN do, and that is to beg all of you, my readers (whose blogs I READ!) to take pity on me and please PLEASE take the two minutes to change your blog settings so your readers can go directly to the “real” version of your blog. (Instructions below–I even made pretty pictures for you–it’s super-easy!)
I promise you, I’ll be doing a little happy-dance every time I open a blog and find it’s NOT taking me to the crap-ola white-page of an OnSwipe view. (I also have this funny little feeling that other bloggers might like to KNOW that their default settings are preventing people from “liking” their posts or “following” their blogs… If you wanna spread the word…) Thanks in advance to all of you, for making my blog-reading less frustrating!
How to disable the icky mobile settings: Click on “Appearance” at the left of your Dashboard.
1) Pick “Mobile,” select “No,” click update.
2) Pick “iPad,” UNcheck the box, click save.
And if you’d like to let other bloggers know how their posts are getting viewed by iPadders…
November 8th, 2011 at 6:14 pm
I find it funny that we both use the words “icky” and “seriously?” — often
November 8th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Ýeesh, I had no idea. I’ll get that fixed immediately. Thanks for this!
November 8th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Ickiness duly removed and Twittersphere educated. Thanks Kana!
November 8th, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Did it. I think…. :)
November 8th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Yes, you did–thank you! :)
November 8th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Fixed it! I have no iPad, so had no clue.
November 8th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
Thanks! Will change.
Occupy Word Press!
November 8th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Hmm, on my WordPress theme, I don’t have an Appearance button for Mobile?? If I find one, I’ll change it!
November 8th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
I wonder if you have a differently configured dashboard with your new domain name?? I have no idea, but that might be it… :)
In any case, I’m happy to report that YOUR site shows up without the OnSwipe business… Maybe another advantage of the new domain. ;)
November 8th, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Thank you. I have changed it and passed it on.
November 8th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Changes made, and letting others know. ;-)
November 8th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
[I'm happy-dancing!! My cat now officially thinks I'm a demented, capering idiot...]
:)
November 8th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
Done deal . . . enjoy your iPad.
November 8th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
Ta-da! BTW I think all cats think we’re all demented. :)
November 8th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Actually when the swipe view comes up..at the bottom it says standard view and I click on that. I post regularly from my iPad and will check the settings…Thanks!,
November 8th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
True–in cases where you’re starting from the “swipe view” (which is pretty much the equivalent of starting from the home page), you at least don’t have to scroll down to get to the “Standard View” link. When you’re directed to a specific post, though (which is most often how I arrive there, as links to people’s posts show up in my inbox) it goes straight to the white-page where you have to scroll down to get to that same link. And either way, I’m always going straight for that link (sounds like you do too?) rather than trying to view in OnSwipe, so I’d rather skip the OnSwipe experience altogether. ;)
November 8th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
Thanks for the info (and the instructions!). Changes made… no more moblie/Ipad icky-ness! Hooray!
November 8th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
holy buckets! – ok so i have to admit it took me 5, not 2 minutes to change my settings – but phew! i have been trying to figure out how to get rid of the ipad icky-ness. some of my pictures made it kind of fun, but by and large it was annoying
i’ll do the happy dance with you :)
thanks for posting!
November 8th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Done. Not having an iPad, I had no idea. Like so many WP things I don’t understand, I’ll add this to my list and try to spread the word.
November 8th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Add me for your happy dance … thanks for the heads up.
November 8th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
Done! question tho…I had all kinds of options before I unchecked the box to pick a photo andfont and color that the ipad user would see…..It still doesn’t solve the like and follow etc isssue but is it based on the theme you have for your blog? I unchecked them but I was just wondering?
November 8th, 2011 at 10:00 pm
REALLY good question! The short answer, I believe, is “no”–selecting those options doesn’t actually import any of the elements of your theme (except, I suppose, that you could match a font type)… The “customized” choices you can make for the iPad view are simply the font style, the headline color (“accent color,” I think they call it) for that blank white page, and the “cover photo,” which is what people will see first if they go to your blog’s home address (as opposed to following a link to a specific post). I’m sure that “cover” was meant to be a flashy design-element, but all it REALLY does is add yet another swipe-and-wait step before I can get to the “good stuff” that is THE POST. :) Whew, how’s that for a long answer? Hope I made sense…
November 8th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Done… Onswipe wasn’t enabled but mobile was. Now it looks much better on the Droid.
November 8th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Done and done.
November 8th, 2011 at 11:22 pm
Thank you for letting us know!! My iPad setting was not checked so that was good but it was good to check anyways. *happy feet going wild*
November 8th, 2011 at 11:30 pm
Done and done! Hey Kana, WordPress wanted to make sure you stay busy and your mind razor sharp…. :))
Thanks!
November 8th, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Sunshine reblogged this on Simply Charming and commented: Great information sent from fellow blogger at Kana’s Notebook. I hope you take a few minutes and fix your “default settings” and pass it on to your readers….Thanks!
November 9th, 2011 at 1:08 am
Done that! Thanks a lot! I never know I can actually change that!
November 9th, 2011 at 2:48 am
Ohhh thank you~ I had no idea (of course) since I dont have an ipad – all fixed though! Thanks so much for such helpful information!
November 9th, 2011 at 3:26 am
AAAAAAAAAAAAND done. I use all windows based machines, even my cellphone is windows based (I like to understand the evil I’m using) I had no idea there was such a crap setting. Thankf or the info.
November 9th, 2011 at 3:28 am
Both done, happy dance away
November 9th, 2011 at 3:51 am
Done (I think) and thanks for the scoop. Let me know if I did it correctly; I will definitely post a link on my site to spread the word! Commence happy dance!
Oh, and about the “cat now officially thinks I’m a demented, capering idiot” part. It has been my experience that cats have always thought that about their staff, I mean owners…
November 9th, 2011 at 5:51 am
Thanks for the tip – I’m off to do this now. Jacqueline
November 9th, 2011 at 6:21 am
Thanks for the alert. I’ll change my settings as per your recommendation. Who knew? Charley McKelvy
November 9th, 2011 at 6:27 am
Thanks. I’ve changed my settings. Phil
November 9th, 2011 at 7:00 am
Thanks for the tip!
November 9th, 2011 at 7:19 am
Done!
November 9th, 2011 at 7:31 am
Done & Done. Thanks, Kana! I had no idea!
November 9th, 2011 at 7:33 am
Oh, and have a good happy dance! I am a big fan of those! :)
November 9th, 2011 at 8:23 am
Thanks!
November 9th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Done! I had no idea there were any sort of default settings for that. Thanks for blogging about it.
November 9th, 2011 at 10:27 am
Hmmm… I never WordPress did that, been as I don’t have an ipod, but I’ve changed it now. Feel waaaaaaaaay better. I can be seen, woo!
November 9th, 2011 at 10:50 am
Kana-You are really brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing that info with me. I wondered what happened to my theme and now, thanks to you, I know. It really isn’t right to apply that app without our permission or consent. There are people who don’t have or use a mobile device. Now I know why so many people don’t use wordpress. Take care, Kana! rosellezubey
November 9th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Done. As another iPad reader, that was driving me absolutely insane. I’m so glad that there’s an option to disable that crap.
November 9th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
thanks for this! 1 of my whopping 5 blog readers told me this very thing. she reads my blog from her iPad and wanted me to know that she loves me but her device doesn’t give her the option to “like” me.
November 9th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Thank you for this!!! Sooo helpful!
November 9th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Great, clear directions! Settings adjusted. I noticed the on swipe when viewing on my iPad, but like many others had not poked around with the settings to see what was root cause. Happy reading on your mobile devices, Kana.
November 9th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Done! I don’t think I have any other readers than you, in general, or who use an ipad, but I changed it anyway. Gotta keep the public (you) happy!
November 9th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
changing mine…
November 10th, 2011 at 12:35 am
I love my ipad and HATE OnSwipe. Thanks for this post!
November 10th, 2011 at 9:15 am
Bit of a technophobe but trying to learn painlessly so thanks for this. Followed idiotproof instructions in less than 2mins- hooray!
November 10th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Interestingly, I love the iPad theme that my WordPress provides. It’s pretty sweet, although a few of the images come out kind of funky. I find it much more enjoyable to read on a tablet than on a PC.
November 10th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Well, go figure–I just finished telling the WordPress “Happiness Engineer” (who’s responding to the buzz) that I hadn’t yet met an iPad user who preferred the OnSwipe view to the Standard–so you’re a First. ;) I’m curious, then–why DO you like it, specifically?
November 11th, 2011 at 5:07 am
[...] therefore pass on the credit to Kana of Kana’s Notebook for pointing this out. Not only am I grateful to her for highlighting this but this canny lady [...]
November 11th, 2011 at 5:40 am
I’ve been following a wonderful blog (maturestudenthanginginthere) and she passed on your tips concerning mobile users this morning – I’m so glad she did, because now I’ve discovered another blog and blogger I can relate to, get behind, and thoroughly enjoy reading! Adding you to the blogs I follow now. :o)
November 11th, 2011 at 5:46 am
I learn something useful, thank you!
robert
November 11th, 2011 at 11:40 am
Thank you – and I’ve passed on your link
November 11th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
I found your blog via link. I just updated the ipad and mobile versions. I have no iPad, so, I have no way of knowing how it is presented. Thanks!
November 11th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Highly informative… Thank you for the heads up! ;-)
November 11th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
Done, if a few days late. I never would’ve known. I use a third-party browser on my phone, and am never on (the Queen’s ipad). Thanks.
November 11th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
Thanks for sharing!
November 12th, 2011 at 11:37 am
Good catch! I don’t use either device but will make the changes you suggested. Thanks.
November 12th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
I think I did it, and I shared with others!
November 12th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Done. WordPress is my modern day mystery, so I’m glad you took the time to enlighten us.
November 13th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
didn’t realize… and DONE!! almost forgot, actually, until i saw your post thanking peeps who had done it. i thought “oopsie!” hope that helps :)
November 14th, 2011 at 8:37 am
Thanks, Kana. I just noticed this feature this morning. Thanks for the tips. I will pass it on!
November 14th, 2011 at 10:47 am
[...] about an hour later, I was visiting Kana’s Notebook, and found this post. It is worth a read if you care about how people see your blog on a mobile device. [...]
November 14th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
Hey there – thanks for the clear instructions helping me to rid my work of the scrambled mess that is called “OnSwipe.” And, if you should know how a guy could do the same with the new gallery “Carousel” that is equally blog-destructive, I’d really appreciate the tip.
November 16th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
I had no clue. Thanks for the info!
November 16th, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Thanks for the tip, I’ve made the changes.
November 21st, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Done and done. Thank you!
November 21st, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Am I pretty yet? I am so unsavvy!
November 21st, 2011 at 4:14 pm
You’re beautiful! (and so is your blog) Thank you! :)
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Thanks for checking out my blog, and I fixed all the settings on my post… thanks for pointing this out! Very helpful instructions for those of us who are, um, well, a bit technologically impaired. :-/
December 5th, 2011 at 3:11 am
Done! … thanks for the heads up … reading through your archives … a wonderful way to while away the late evening.
December 5th, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Mission accomplished! Thanks!!
December 7th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
Thank you! I hadn’t realized any of these things. I’m ticked off at wordpress for making me think that special views for these devices would be in my readers with those devices’ (and my) best interests. I just changed the settings. Thanks again!
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:48 pm
Done! Sorry it took me so long to get around to it!
January 4th, 2012 at 10:24 am
[...] Blogger Call to Action: Please Help Me Happy-Dance « Kana’s Chronicles. [...]
January 5th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
[...] read her post and follow the instructions she has at the bottom and change your [...]
January 5th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Hi Kana! Thanks for the info–esp. the photo instructions! I don’t use and ipad, so I had no idea about this. Please let me know if my site looks right now. Thanks again!
January 5th, 2012 at 6:14 pm
Perfect! :)
January 5th, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Done!
January 5th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
Yes, it drove me nuts, too! My cousin was the only one who seemed pleased with it. But I think it’s because he was so excited about his iPad. I told him I wasn’t changing it back.
April 19th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
[...] If you aren’t aware of the mobile them setting, it only takes a minute to change it (easy instructions here)–and all-but-one of the iPad blog-readers I’ve ever encountered will thank [...]
April 20th, 2012 at 11:02 am
thanks for the guidance! i think i did it right…
April 20th, 2012 at 11:37 am
You DID, yay! :)
April 26th, 2012 at 7:39 am
Changed it now, but the settings looked a little bit different than on your screenshots, so I would appreciate it if anyone with an ipad would have a quick look and tell me if it’s ok or not :)
April 26th, 2012 at 7:43 am
Score! It’s perfect. :)
Maybe I need to upgrade my screenshots? WordPress has probably made some changes since I posted this… ;)
April 26th, 2012 at 7:46 am
Don’t worry, the changes aren’t major. Thanks for checking!
May 8th, 2012 at 6:51 am
Please check mine (I have no ipad) and see if I did it right. I will share this with others when I know. Mine came up a bit differently, but I have to hand it to you…very clear instructions! Let me know and I’ll change the other blogs I administrate as well. Thank you for this! You’re right. It matters.
May 9th, 2012 at 4:12 am
Beautiful! Worked perfectly! :)
I suspect the dashboard has changed since I took these screenshots last Fall–maybe I’d better update the instructions! But I’m glad they got you through anyway. :)
December 11th, 2012 at 5:37 am
Not sure if mine is okay I could not find the Ipad thing to uncheck.
Would you please check it. well if you can.
Thanks
December 11th, 2012 at 8:45 am
I believe WordPress (FINALLY) changed the “default” setting so this process isn’t necessary–but I’ll double check the iPad view of yours. :)