Confusion over serving ads on mobile responsive forum

[LostInCyberLand]

What is the best way to provide my users with a mobile responsive website that also serves them Adsense ads?

I have noticed my forum currently comes with a 'default' vBulletin mobile skin, and am wondering to have ads displayed is it just a case of inserting mobile Adense ads?

I am guessing it is not. By having this responsive skin that is unable to display ads I am therefore having to reconsider if vBulletin is the product for me.

I am wanting a forum that automatically becomes mobile responsive when people view it, and that displays Adsense ads, without the need for the user or myself to pay for a app.

Forum Runner and Taptalk seem to get a lot of criticism because of the other content that the user has to wade through when using them. Forum Runner, owned by vbulletin, is not even compatible with the latest mobile OS.

It seems a lot of people are migrating from vBulletin to xenForo and using the Artodia responsive skins with Mobile Adsense ads to allow users a similar experience to Taptalk and Forum Runner without all the spam while maintaining the viability of their monetized sites.

I would go with vBulletin owned Forum Runner in a heart beat if they could offer something similar to this, but if they are unable to I am going to have to consider other options.

When I see forums running on free forum software such as phpBB using the Artodia responsive skins that display Adsense ads while allowing the user to automatically view the forum on a mobile device, with the Adsense ads, I get angry that I have paid a lot of money when I could have got a better user experience for my members and made my job at generating revenue easier.

[CAG CheechDogg]

My forums display Adsense ads just fine on mobile devices and about 90% of my members use Tapatalk and have no problems and neither to do ....

"I" am confused as to what you are really trying to do here with this thread ...

[LostInCyberLand]

Not trying to do anything, just sharing my thoughts. Being honest. Maybe I just had a moment after viewing a phpBB forum on my mobile and having it display perfectly with Adsense ads while my paid for forum doesn't. Tap Talk doesn't serve Adsense ads as far as I know, and serve their own separate Ad scheme.

I am just confused why vBulletin owned Forum Runner does not provide responsive sites that display Adsense ads automatically to users the way Artodia does and we have to rely on Tap Talk or downloading an app.

Seems crazy to me. Yes I have heard a lot of people like Tap Talk so I guess that is what I am going to have to end up going with.

[CAG CheechDogg]

So how do you explain my forums displaying Adsense adds ?

[LostInCyberLand]

Your forum does not display in an easier to use mobile version when I access it from a phone. Either that or I can't find the tab that allows me to access mobile style.

I am meaning having a forum that automatically changes to mobile style when accessed via a phone and displays ads like all the free phpBB forums with responsive skins.

[RichieBoy67]

Not trying to do anything, just sharing my thoughts. Being honest. Maybe I just had a moment after viewing a phpBB forum on my mobile and having it display perfectly with Adsense ads while my paid for forum doesn't. Tap Talk doesn't serve Adsense ads as far as I know, and serve their own separate Ad scheme.

I am just confused why vBulletin owned Forum Runner does not provide responsive sites that display Adsense ads automatically to users the way Artodia does and we have to rely on Tap Talk or downloading an app.

Seems crazy to me. Yes I have heard a lot of people like Tap Talk so I guess that is what I am going to have to end up going with.

Tapatalk does serve ads now though I do not think they are adsense.

[HM666]

Your forum does not display in an easier to use mobile version when I access it from a phone. Either that or I can't find the tab that allows me to access mobile style.

I am meaning having a forum that automatically changes to mobile style when accessed via a phone and displays ads like all the free phpBB forums with responsive skins.

Huh? Your mobile skin does not select by default when a user visits your web site via a mobile phone? Then something is wrong and you did not change the settings properly to allow for that. Did you set the mobile skin as the default skin for Settings > Options > Style & Language Settings > and set "Default Style for Old Mobile Browsers" & "Default Style for Modern Mobile Browsers" to the mobile style you want them to use when viewing your site from their phone. Also you might want to set "Allow Users To Change Styles" to yes.

[LostInCyberLand]

Thanks, I will try this.

Does this enable mobile adsense ads to display? And are you referring to installing a responsive style as at the moment I supposedly have a responsive style and am only having the 'default' vBulletin mobile style show up that I have heard does not allow users to post pictures.

I am hearing a lot about Taptalk, but how do I generate a profit from that? Do I get a separate paycheck from Taptalk if I make a unique forum app with them?

[HM666]

Thanks, I will try this.

Does this enable mobile adsense ads to display? And are you referring to installing a responsive style as at the moment I supposedly have a responsive style and am only having the 'default' vBulletin mobile style show up that I have heard does not allow users to post pictures.

I am hearing a lot about Taptalk, but how do I generate a profit from that? Do I get a separate paycheck from Taptalk if I make a unique forum app with them?

I'm not sure about the ads displaying but setting your responsive theme as the default will stop people from viewing the site in the built in vb style for mobile phones. If you have adsense coded into that responsive theme then technically it should show your ads.

As for Tapatalk and ad payments that is something you will probably have to ask the Tapatalk people if no one on here knows.

[LostInCyberLand]

I just use the default mobile style as my 'responsive' style as I find it makes viewing the forum on portable devices easier and I don't have to go through taptalk. I have found an example of a forum who offers the default mobile vb style to serve adsense ads. The forum is seniorforums.com and displays in the default mobile style when viewed on a phone. Although you only put mobile AdSense ads on the default mobile style.

My forum is technology orientated so I may have to invest in something more heavy duty later as I daresay a lot of the users will naturally expect a mobile responsive forum and found a website jtribe.com.au who makes apps for mobile responsive sites and who I may make inquiries with if my forum gets popular in future.

[HM666]

Then I would say if you want to have adsense ads showing on a mobile browser get your mobile adsense code and pout it into the mobile template where you want it to show on your forum, probably at the bottom would be better that is where I see most ads on my phone.

[LostInCyberLand]

Thanks for the tip HM666. I recently got this announcement in my admin cp

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum/vbulletin-announcements/vbulletin-announcements_aa/4252202-vbulletin-mobile-1-9-released

I am not sure if this is for forumrunner or vb5 only.

[HM666]

Neither, that is for the mobile suite.

[LostInCyberLand]

Oh no, I just realized I have made a huge mistake going with vb4, I should have gone with vb 5 mobile! I have also been reading a lot about forums and how they are in decline. Mine is just a few months old and I am finding it very difficult to get members.

I am thinking of abandoning any ideas about making money from AdSense and just running the forum because I am interested in the hobby it is about.

[ozzy47]

Well I would worry about drawing traffic to the site first, before worrying about adding ads, without alot of traffic, your paydays will be very few and far between.

[LostInCyberLand]

I will persevere and keep going with the forum, try and make money with AdSense, if that fails I will just keep it for the enjoyment of the hobby.

It would be good if vBulletin could enable upgrades of forums to Mobile or vB5 while keeping the old style. Although then again I look at a lot of forums, and look at myself, and to be honest I wonder if the figures of mobile user are accurate, as I rarely surf the web on a mobile device.

Reading posts on here I get the sense that most people are like me and beginning a forum to make money?

Anyway thanks for the advice.

[Gio~Logist]

If you enable google analytics, you'll get some good numbers on your mobile vs desktop traffic.