Ok, school me on the whole mobile thing, please.

[shibby2]

Well, I must admit, I do't know a whole lot about viewing forums on mobile. Personally, I hate browsing the 'net at all on my phone, but I know it's not like that for a ton of people. I prefer a good old laptop or desktop.

I've sort of neglected my forums for the past few years. I still update them often, and maintain them perfectly, but haven't really 'progressed' with anything else. This is due to a lot of reasons, mostly personal. But, I'm ready to get back in this 100%.

So, what's the deal with ads on mobile apps? I use Tapatalk for my forums, but have never really used it MYSELF for viewing the forums. Am I leaving a lot of money on the table by using Tapatalk? I use Adsense mainly, so I'm getting zero revenue from Tapatalk users through Adsense, correct?

What are the alternatives? Can I design my own mobile version, where I can still use my ads? How hard is it to design for mobile? Is it just making skin/theme with a different resolution? What are the basic goals in doing so? I really want to do away with Tapatalk.

Any in-depth help is greatly appreciated! I'm really just lost here, and any insight will help more than you know!

Thanks guys!

 

[Gus]

Convert your forum to XenForo & you'll be good to go.

 

[H-DB]

Inside the Tapatalk admin dashboard for your forum you have a choice to use Viglink, Skimlinks, or AdGoal accounts for direct link affiliation. You can also use Google DFP or AdMob in Tapatalk.

 

[shibby2]

Ugh. I know Xenforo is great and all, but I'm just not sure I want to change forum software just yet. I've been using vB for sooo long, about 15 years, so I know it like the back of my hand. Besides that, is there any other options?

I already use Viglink on my forums, so I won't even make money from Viglink with Tapatalk users? I would think that wouldn't change, since it's not an ad, just works through them clicking links to merchants.

 

[H-DB]

I already use Viglink on my forums, so I won't even make money from Viglink with Tapatalk users? I would think that wouldn't change, since it's not an ad, just works through them clicking links to merchants.

If you were to enable Viglink on Tapatalk it would give you the same opportunity to make money off of links that it does on your forum. You are adding another revenue doorway... Tapatalk.

Just put your Viglink API Key on the settings page in your Tapatalk admin dashboard.

 

[mysiteguy]

My sites on average these days are earning higher RPMs than desktop. And both have always done vastly better than Tapatalk ever did.

 

[shibby2]

Wow, I had no idea I had to enter the Viglink API keys, after all these years.

Anyway, done. Do you know if Tapatalk takes a percentage of the Viglink earnings?

Thanks!

 

[Gus]

Ugh. I know Xenforo is great and all, but I'm just not sure I want to change forum software just yet. I've been using vB for sooo long, about 15 years, so I know it like the back of my hand.

Does VB have an alerts system? How do your members know if they've been quoted or tagged in any given thread? A software conversion to XF will not only ensure that your members will stay engaged and on top of all the conversations they're involved in, but you'll be completely optimized for mobile/tablet users right from the start.

I do a lot of forum posting from my phone, I'm even typing this very post on my iPhone right now. It's gotten to the point where I only stay active on XenForo forums these days because I know they'll work seamlessly on any device I happen to be using.

 

[Joeychgo]

Ugh. I know Xenforo is great and all, but I'm just not sure I want to change forum software just yet. I've been using vB for sooo long, about 15 years, so I know it like the back of my hand. Besides that, is there any other options?

Same here - I Built my first forum in 2003 on vb 3 and I've spent the last 9 months converting my forums ( I have many) to XF.

 

[shibby2]

Has anyone seen definite results from converting to XF? Did you see an increase in traffic because of it? XF users don't have to bother with Tapatalk at all?
So what exactly makes XF work better for mobile? I've used it only as a member, and barely at that. Sorry for all the questions, just don't know a lot about it.

 

[doubt]

XF users don't have to bother with Tapatalk at all?

It's not only XF.
Any scripts' users better not to touch Tapatalk.

 

[H-DB]

Wow, I had no idea I had to enter the Viglink API keys, after all these years.

Anyway, done. Do you know if Tapatalk takes a percentage of the Viglink earnings?

Thanks!

It is my understanding that Tapatalk gets paid but not from the percentage that you get. You should check your Viglink dashboard to confirm. I don't use Viglink myself at this point I am just aware as said above that it is one of the monetizing choices that you are given in Tapatalk.

 

[shibby2]

Just checking back in.. Has anyone used TapaTalk, and then switched to a built-in mobile app (like on XF), and then see an increase in revenue? Also, if I normally use 728x90 and 250x300 size ads on my forums, would I have to use different size ads when using a mobile app like XF? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just lost in all this. I've seen a definite earnings drop from using TapaTalk, and would like to get that revenue back. Not to mention, I'm not happy with the way TT does business anyway.

Thanks for any help!