Keep these considerations in mind when you run a forum for mobile participants.
Tablets and smartphones
The mobile forum view only renders for smartphone users; tablet users will see the desktop forum view.
Image upload support
Mobile participants can upload images directly from their devices. The uploaded images can then be used in profiles, posts, or replies.
Certain versions of mobile operating systems do not support image uploads, which may affect forum participation rates. For example, if you conduct an ethnographic study that requires participants to take a picture with their phones and upload it, participants who have mobile phones with older operating systems will not be able to participate.
The following table outlines image upload support by mobile operating system and version.
| Mobile operating system | Version | Image upload support |
|---|---|---|
| iOS | 6.1 or later |
|
| Android | 4.2 or later |
|
| Windows Phone | 8 or later | |
| BlackBerry | 10 or later |
|
Video upload support
Participants cannot upload videos from their mobile devices, but they can upload videos in desktop view.
Formatting
Any special formatting in the forum's description, posts, or replies (for example, bold, underlined, or italicized text) does not appear in mobile view. However, the special formatting does appear in desktop view.
Links
To create a link in mobile view, type http:// or https:// in front of your link to make it active. Links created in desktop view also become active with the same formatting.
Themes
Unlike desktop forums, mobile forums are fairly set in terms of appearance, but you can customize the header's appearance and system text color in your Community theme. For more information, see Community themes.
Moderation
When you are moderating a forum for mobile participants, keep these points in mind:
- Write concise forum description and conversation-starter posts. Lengthy text forces mobile participants to scroll a lot, which may affect participation rates.
- A forum that contains lots of images in posts and replies forces mobile participants to scroll a lot, which may affect participation rates.
- Mobile participants are likely to post shorter responses than desktop participants, which may affect the quality of responses.