Length of Hub and number of photos
In the fairly recent past there was a post on here in which the whole smart-phone was mentioned. At the time I wrote my "thoughts" on it, but then I decided the post would be too long (and maybe I'd polish it up and do something else with it).
Since you've raised the smart-phone issue again, I thought I'd dig up that reply I wrote for the other thread. I suppose one reason I held off posting was that (believe me, based on the state-of-affairs that my own account is in at this point, I'm really not someone who other Hubbers should be listening to) in view of the fact that my aims/ideas about "quality" are mine, and HP's ideas about a "quality Hub that will do well" are a whole other thing; I didn't think my thoughts on the whole smart-phone thing necessarily applied.
Anyway, since your post kind of backs up what I said in that thing I didn't post on here, I decided, maybe, those "thoughts" had a place in discussion about smart phones after all.
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It kind of surprises me that so many people still kind of seem to think that one size fits all rules about what works/doesn't work well still apply. Just as a potential searcher, myself, if I'm out somewhere and searching for something I'm not going to use my smart phone for anything that will involve reading. I may have another device with me for reading, or may not). Either way, I don't use my phone for looking for anything but something like, for example, a train schedule or menu for a restaurant. Depending on the situation, I may look for something that will involve more reading on, say, a Kindle Fire (which lets people set their device to whatever reading settings (etc.) they want; so basically, that kind of "mobile" isn't a tiny smart phone screen. (Besides, there's most often turning devices sideways to get a wider screen or leaving them "vertical" if that works better.)
OR, if I'm home I may be using a desktop or other computer, or - again, - other device that is not a smart phone. I wouldn't think too many other people don't have some similar version of how they approach searching. (Kids/students most often have devices beyond just whatever phone they have. I think most people do. When it comes down to it, however, if I had only one device and that was a smart phone; and I seriously wanted to search for something that would require reading, I wouldn't be "above" that either After all, it would be that or nothing. And, BTW, if I was searching for something that would more substantial material/reading, if I searched on my smart phone I wouldn't want space taken up with unnecessary images or "frittery". Instead, I'd just want clear, well spaced, paragraphs and mostly the words (or a limited few images if it were really necessary). The size of the font/type can always be adjusted on mobile devices; but if the mobile device I absolutely had to use was a smart phone I'd truly not want unnecessary images and other stuff.)
So to me, I just see the thing about "smart phone talk" related to, say, Hubs as either not entirely/always applicable at this stage in the "all-changes-since-Panda" game; or else as kind of having a discussion about (even if not necessarily comparing) apples-and-oranges. In other words, I don't think the person who has fewer well developed and longer Hubs has to worry about who will be searching for that KIND of Hub/information on a smart phone (for the most part). I'd think, depending on how searchable/search-friendly the particular subject and type of Hub is, the existence of, and reliance on smart phones these days, might have far less impact than so many people seem to automatically assume (again, with regard to the longer, well developed, informative, searchable Hub).
I'm not saying that I don't think making all Hubs mobile-friendly is a wise/important thing to do these days. I just think that suggestion that "everyone" is using smart phones these days (and therefore doesn't want to read "long stuff" on them ) either isn't factoring in people who ARE searching for stuff that HAS TO BE longer if it's to compete with authority sites and whatever else is out there, doesn't understand the potential audience for SOME types of material, or else is locked into that old "Internet/content thinking"
that so often had/has nothing to do with caring about/understanding the potential reader/searcher; and instead was/is looking for a way to come up with quickie content with a set of one-size-fits-all rules about "what works best". HP has already addressed the matter of making Hubs mobile-friendly. People write all kinds of different types of Hubs (needless to say). Respectfully, I don't really see the need or point to bringing up the matter of smart phones time and time again (particularly within the context of "how long a Hub should be".
).
The one question/concern I'd have with something like smart phones, though (and this because my own practices and general understanding of SOME things related to this particular thing; might be how likely a searcher may be to "search now with the idea of reading later" (and in some cases, say, copying and/or e.mailing material to be read "somewhere else" later). That's always kind of been an issue. I just wonder, now, how much this type of behavior associated with smart phones, may be cutting into what otherwise would have been people finding something at HubPages and staying there to read it (or at least bookmark it). At least with regard to what I think is now being emphasized on HP, this kind of thing would, to me, be more of a smart-phone-related concern than the "nobody wants to read a long Hub on a smart phone" thing.
Weird, hey?
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