Flipboard Review

1. 0

   felishiyafiammaposted 7 years ago

   Hi Hubbers,
   
   I am quite curious to know that, when you started using Flipboard, did you find it completely user-friendly or you had to check out help repeatedly to proceed further?

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   1. 78

      CatherineGiordanoposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I found FB really hard to use. Almost gave up, but finally figured out I had to create magazines. Then I got 2500 views on HP the first day.

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   2. 91

      Natalie Frankposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I am a computer idiot (aka Computer Challenged) and at first I had a bit of difficulty figuring out if you could upload articles separate from incorporating them into magazines and how magazines were organized and laid out.  I finally decided to just take the plunge and created two magazines based on subjects I have written on and put my articles in them.  While I had a bit of difficulty flipping an article from a niche site this was ironed out.  The rest seemed pretty user friendly as the layout is done automatically so I just needed to make a couple decisions about settings (e.g. leave the background photo the same of switch it with every new addition) and I was good to go.  I know there is more to it than this and have been reading advice articles on using the platform (especially what to do to make sure your magazines aren't seen as spam).  There are a lot of good articles and Youtube tutorials on the basics of using the platform. Check Glen Stoks article on Letterpile - it's a great resource.

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2. 93

   agilitymachposted 7 years ago

   I find it not user friendly.  I can't figure out how to link the articles to their topics.  Without being able to link my articles to dog training, they just kinda sit there not being read by those who would be interested.  IDK.  I never "got" Pinterest either.  They are similar.

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3. 87

   WryLiltposted 7 years ago

   I found it quite un-user friendly, especially when moving between the app and website.
   
   The algorithms don't make sense.
   The method of adding content is confusing (I have the Flip It button now).
   There's no easy way of doing most things (for instance, deleting or moving an article if you put it in the wrong magazine.)
   There's no easy way of using search to find what you want and follow it (following a magazine for instance takes multiple clicks.)
   
   I really like Flipboard for my social media management, as it gives me lots of content to schedule. However I find it very difficult from a social media optimisation perspective.

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4. 95

   Solarasposted 7 years ago

   I gave-up on it. The articles it did give topics to, it placed under the wrong topics. Greek names for dogs is under Mythology etc...

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5. 64

   WordCrafter09posted 7 years ago

   I found it tricky, thought it was me or else, maybe, my machine, and deleted the whole business.  I figured (still do) that I may go back and start over when I'm in not there because I'm too tired to do much of anything else (including clean up/speed up my machine).  Later saw that it probably wasn't "me" OR my machine.  Still may go back and give it another shot some time.  I see potential for my own purposes (unrelated to any Hubs or anything else I may write or have written).  Knowing ahead of time that it is a little tricky will, I think, make for less wild muddling and aggravation.

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   felishiyafiammaposted 7 years ago

   I am relieved to know that I am not the only who got frustrated with it the very first time.
   Flipboard has failed all my logics. While using it, I couldn't predict what will happen next time.
   I could not even upload a profile picture even after multiple trials.
   I opened my profile page, everything was pretty fine; my description, all magazines were visible, number of magazines and articles were totally correct.
   Twist comes in the story, when I refreshed my page and there was no magazines and description. It was like I have not done anything till now.
   Then, I enter my '@' URL, check my magazines and return to the profile from the same page and to my amusement, everything is there. It is not tricky or un-user friendly, I think it's MAGICAL.
   Pinterest is somewhat less complex than Flipboard, everything stays there, no matter how many times you refresh the page.

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7. 93

   agilitymachposted 7 years ago

   I'm also glad I'm not the only one flummoxed by it.  I thought maybe I was just being a tech idiot.

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8. 95

   Susan Hambidgeposted 7 years ago

   I find it a bit 'clunky' too. But - I do like that I get caught up in articles and find myself following topic after topic, going completely off on a tangent and finding new things to read. I do not find myself doing that at all on HP. Even when you look on something like this Discussion, at the bottom will be Discussions of a similar ilk but they will be from 4 years ago! Rarely making me go 'ohh that looks interesting, I'll click on that' Just me?

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I did extremely well with it at first, but now just get a hand full of views daily.  However, I like to use it as a place to save articles I like to read.  I have found the site awkward to use, however, and feel that it needs a lot of work in order to really function well for writers.  For example, they cache the work you post, so if you try to edit it, you can't!  Weird!

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      1. 96

         Glenn Stokposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         If you edit and change a title to a hub, it will update your flip eventually. They will update the cache the next time their bot reviews your hub. I talked about that timing issue in my Flipboard hub.
         
         By the way, any changes you make to the caption of a flip will be there immediately. You just need to refresh your browser to see the changes. I mentioned that one too in my tutorial.
         
         Magazines can be moved by dragging with your mouse. This is useful to put the best magazines near the top so they get more views. But if you want to move a flip from one magazine to another, the only way is to delete it and flip it again. Or you can leave it in both (no rule against that).

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         1. 96

            DrMark1961posted 7 years agoin reply to this

            I still am not able to leave comments, either on my own or on other flips. Any ideas?

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            1. 86

               TIMETRAVELER2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

               I had the same problem until I realized that at the bottom of an article, after a good sized piece of white space and in very small, pale letters, is the word "comment".  WHAT can the people at Flipboard be thinking!

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               1. 96

                  DrMark1961posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  No, when I click on that "comment" I am not able to leave a comment. My topic article this weekend had about 6 comments, and I would have liked to reply to a few, and was not able to.

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                  1. 96

                     Glenn Stokposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                     Tell me exactly what you see.  It starts by clicking on "Add comment" at the bottom of any flip. Then it opens a new window and you place your mouse pointer in "Start a conversation" and type your comment. The you press enter.
                     
                     If there is already a comment from someone else, you will see "1 Comment" or whatever number there are. Just click on that and then you will see "Add a comment" where you can type your comment.
                     
                     Where in these steps do you get stuck? Hopefully I can help.

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                     1. 96

                        DrMark1961posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                        When I click on "add comment" a window pops up on the right side of my screen with a photo, title, the number of flips and likes, and a box to add the comment. However, there is no way for me to type in that box. I have tried to move my mouse there and click, have tried entering, etc.
                        Edit that: I just started typing in another box above where the comment is located, and it allowed me to comment. I am going to go back and delete a few flips, reflip, and leave some comments. Thank you again for all of your help in this area!

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                           Glenn Stokposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                           Glad my detailed description helped. I think I'll add that to my tutorial hub.

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                              DrMark1961posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                              My flipboard views were down to a few hunded a day so I just added another one this morning. I was not able to leave the caption at the same time, but the edit you suggested did work. I just did so right away, and the hub is already posted on the "dogs" topic page, which has over a million followers.

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                                 Glenn Stokposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                                 Good for you Mark!  Adding captions does indeed help get more traffic.
                                 
                                 By the way, the app lets you add the caption when you flip an article. But when you flip using the website you need to edit it immediately and add the caption that way, as you discovered.
                                 
                                 I wish they would make the site work the same way as the app.

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            2. 96

               Glenn Stokposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               It works for me and I also see comments left by other people. How are you trying to leave comments? There is no post button. You just press the return key. Do you see my comment on your reptiles as pets flip?

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9. 84

   Don Bobbittposted 7 years ago

   I have to admit that I use Flipboard.
   But, I only use it as a free magazine, mostly for myself, where I can place links to articles I like on two main subjects; Cooking Methods (not recipes) and some of my lower performing Hubs on RV's and Camping. Its easy to use, people find them on their own, and I have a quick central reference to tell people about. And their method of occasionally prioritizing my magazines give me that kick every now and then.
   DON

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      WordCrafter09posted 7 years agoin reply to this

      The use I have in mind for it (if I ever get my online-writing-only writing, and if it's ever not 90 degrees and super-humid out) is just for it to be a resource/link to categorized things that interest me as far as writing-subjects (mostly - maybe I'd throw in a couple of personal interests).  I'd like an "additional-reading" type of resource to stuff that - if what I have online as an author (again, assuming I organize it better) - if people don't like what I have, or are interested in one or another category/subject, would just be a nice "feature" to offer associated with my page(s) as a writer.   (I never really followed through with Pinterest because it's not as aimed at writers (or at least with the kind of stuff I write/plan to write) as Flipboard.) 
      
      I'd like my "online-writer name" (for whatever it is worth or not worth) to offer better balance to people who get to my page(s) (once I take a bunch of settings off, essentially, "Don't List My Stuff Anywhere"  )  ) than just  "about me" (and some of the usual social pages that I don't use because all I really do online is write.  I see Flipboard as an easy (??) way to offer people all kinds of well organized  (very legitimate and screened) resources related to my overall efforts (such as they are these days) with the online-writing stuff.
      
      I don't care if anyone knows and/or searches for my name as author  I figure if anyone happens upon a page and finds a resource beyond just "here's my stuff" (whether that's a Flipboard link or something else along those lines) it offers them something (without all the baloney that so many social sites involve - and without the "nothing" and foolishness  that my present, barely used and personal, existing ones have on them.).
      
      Dumb or not, I have no intention of ever promoting anything I write online on social sites.  I do see Flipboard as an easy way to offer a resource of substance across one's "authorship" (does anyone even use that word any more?) pages, separate from any "page-exclusive", hand-selected, resources on any page.

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10. 93

    FatFreddysCatposted 7 years ago

    It's a weird site to be sure, and I'm still not 100 percent sure how it works.
    
    Sometimes I post links to my stuff there, and traffic will blow up like gangbusters for a day or two before it drops completely off the face of the Earth. On the other hand, sometimes I post stuff and it simply goes "pffft" and never takes off at all.
    
    The "gangbusters" have outnumbered the "pffft's" enough times for me to keep fooling around with it, anyway.
    
    I have yet to crack whatever the Da Vinci Code might be that could turn those quick blasts of traffic into a semi-regular stream.
    
    In the meantime, I also post links to other articles/pix/pieces (from other sources, i..e. stuff not by me) that I find interesting and they've followed the same pattern - some have gotten lots of likes and "flips" and others just fall over and die. So at least I can take solace in knowing that it's not personal, it's not just MY stuff Flippers are ignoring....they're just picky.

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       DrMark1961posted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Part of the problem seems to be how articles are categorized, and we have no control over that. I just found one of my articles on accupressure for dogs with arthritis on the accupressure topic board, that has a grand following of 252 followers! It would have done okay on the dogs topic board, but as it is no one even saw it. I saw another one about dogs under contraception, and on of Solaras´s about dogs under pregnancy. Right.
       I really wish we could change that. I can imagine where they are sticking some of yours. Your titles probably have to be very obvious--like "The Simpsons: Bart Gets In Trouble". If you added a hub about "Bart Gets in Trouble" it will probably get added to the topic page about subways in San Francisco. I imagine that one would go pffft.

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          TIMETRAVELER2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Two days ago I sent a long email to the people at Flipboard voicing the concerns that many of us have and telling them that it is to our mutual benefit for them to upgrade their site to fix them.  I got a nice note back thanking me for my input and promising to bring everything up to the powers that be.  Let's hope it does some good.  I'm down to 12 views a day from them!

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             sallybeaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             Just thought I would chip in here to say that I received a note regarding the Magazines which were added to our pages, namely Picks etc.,
             They said:-
             We experienced some service issues last week that resulted in magazine behavior like what you are describing. Please clear your browser cache and restart your browser.
             Perhaps our troubles are now over.

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       2. 96

          Glenn Stokposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          I see that you are not adding any captions to your flips. This has been known to help their bots tag your flip to the correct topic category. It's not perfect, but helps. If all it has to go with is your title, then it will make mistakes like those you just mentioned. It seems to put a lot of weight on the keywords in the caption.

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             DrMark1961posted 7 years agoin reply to this

             Are you adding the captions at the same time that you are flipping your hub?

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                Glenn Stokposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                I use the website and sometimes I add flips using the app. One allows you to add captions at the same time as adding a flip, and the other does not.  I don't remember which is which and I hate the fact that they are so different.
                
                To answer your question, I add the caption at the same time if I can. If not then I need to go back later and edit the flip. But it takes a long time for changes to get reflected in the tagging, which is another problem with Flipboard at this time. So it's better to add the caption immediately.
                
                There are other issues that cause it to get tagged wrong. I sent them a detailed report on my analysis I did, including some examples.  I discovered that a link to an unrelated article can make it tag to that other article's topic. I also found that if you have seven or more repetitions of a word, it may take it as a keyword and tag to it. These things don't always happen, but they do influence it.

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    NateB11posted 7 years ago

    After reading here that some people are using the site to bookmark articles and sites, I decided to give it a try; because I'm generally wary of using sites just to promote my work. But it does sound like a good resource for bookmarking and maybe adding some of my own work to a magazine or two also.
    
    So far the site is kind of weird, going to have to get used to it I guess.

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