Computers vs Phones for forum activity

[\o/]

Which is almost a half. So which half is better?

 

[Kaelon]

Which is almost a half. So which half is better?

If you're choosing between audiences, you're playing the wrong game. It's got to appeal to both, and I'll give the edge to the one that (a) has been steadily increasing, year-over-year, and now constitutes a majority; and, (b) is the overwhelming dominant device among young people.

 

[\o/]

Do all of your forums primarily target young people?

 

[.Rogue]

I use mainly a computer. I find it easier to type and get around forums. I do use my mobile on occasion but only for a quick check or reply.

 

[Kaelon]

Do all of your forums primarily target young people?

I like large and growing audiences, which probably puts me in the minority of forum owners. All of my boards, websites, and community projects have been "big boards," and have hundreds of thousands of registered users. So, understandably, yes. I target young people because they are the largest growing demographic.

 

[southernlady]

Do all of your forums primarily target young people?

I target a specific health group, not age group. The fact that most of that group are older just happens.

 

[ge66]

I myself use a desktop because I think it is easier, but my users don't.

If I look at the last year 80% use mobile, 17% use a computer and 3% use a tablet.

The forum is old, it has been around for 25 years, my users age have about 15-20% in every analytics age group from 25 years and up.
Users below 25 are only 5% but that might be expected.

 

[NYCGuy76]

I use my iPhone when I’m out and about but I prefer to use my laptop. In my opinion you get to appreciate and experience a forum better from a larger screen as opposed to a phone.

 

[Tiffany Bello]

Even my mom, who is a "very senior" in age, prefers the mobile phone for browsing and posting. We just talked on the phone today as she was browsing my website from her cell phone, asking questions while she was using her earbuds to talk to me. It's Amazing!! She uses her PC for the more serious browsing with a lot of reading.

I think it was this thread that a member mentioned an extended keyboard to use for the mobile phone. I just bought a mini wireless keyboard the other day, with the RGB lighting of course, Thank you!! ~T.

 

[DigNap15]

I'm an older guy from DOS and Windows 3.1
I have two desktops and 3 screens

Of course I have a mobile but I only use it for calls and texting
(I bought a tablet so that I could see what my forum looked like on a tablet)

So its desktop for me
I could never run my forum my a phone

But I image that more than 50% of my users are on mobile, so I am luckly that XF made it mobile friendly.

Desktops will always be around for admin, office work, development and gaming.
So will mobiles for most people and especially in third world countries

 

[Odis]

It is always better to use the mouse. I use computer.

 

[FTL]

My desktop PC is always the most comfortable to use, especially for posts of any length and it's easy to manage attachments. However, I'm often away from it, so the iPhone will do. Forums based on XenForo are very easy to use on smartphones, so it's not too bad.

 

[sactown]

Haven’t had a desktop computer in at least a decade. My laptop is rarely on my lap, it sits on my desk, and my iphone is pretty much always with me. So when a forum works OK on my phone I use my phone. There are times using the phone for online activity is horrible so then I get to the laptop (ie chat support or actively using/monitoring multiple browser windows). If I had to guess, my web activity is about 80%+ via phone. And I’m older genX, fat fingers, yada yada. I simply value the mobility, dove in and adapted. Heck my first mobile phone was one of those motorola bricks almost 30 years ago, been doing mobile most of my adult life and haven’t stopped.

 

[Nebulous]

Half on my phone and half on the compute really.