First off, smartphones are a huge part of every facet of our lives, and so is writing, so that’s an easy one to answer. I know I could never make it through a day without my phone. I use it for so many things, it’s a little scary. I feel about that the same as I did when ATMs took over the world. What would we do without them?

Now, I am the first to admit that as a society we are far too dependant on electronic gadgetry.

We really are. Ine one week, 81% of us browsed the Internet, 71% of us used a search engine, and 48% of us watched a video. Yeah, don’t let me digress off into THAT territory. Anyway, 63% of us visited our friends on a social media site from our smartphones…how many actually saw those people in person, or used the PHONE part of the smartphone to talk to the friend like it was created to do?

It’s easy to see how this gadget has permeated our life. Still not convinced?

39% of us use the phone while using the restroom
33% of us used it while consuming other media
22% used it while reading the newspaper (what???? you mean people still do???)

So, it’s easy to see how most of us are phone-addicted. Some people would give up their favorite things to have a smartphone, others would give up stuff just to be able to KEEP theirs.

Now, what does all this have to do with our writing life?

Glad you asked!

Smartphones being the invasive insect that it is is where we are all doing our shopping. Yes, for books too. 79% of us use a smartphone to help with our shopping. 70% of us actually use our phone WHILE we are shopping to help us get the best deals and discounts. 54% use it to find retailers, 49% to compare prices, etc. etc. etc.

So if we are using it all the time — for everything from restaurants to prices on hammers — don’t you think it is crucial to make a user want to visit and STAY on your website?

You gotta get an updated, mobile friendly site folks. You just gotta. Imagine a reader searching for your site. Imagine them landing on a non-mobile friendly landing page. What do they do? Go elsewhere. So, how do you expect to get them interested in you as an author if you have not managed to keep them on your site?

Something to think about as you traverse the waters which are now infested with smartphone sharks.