Monday, April 22, 2013

Temporary Post Used For Theme Detection (d4f4cc16-f7ee-4545-b6d9-8a8bec774474 - 3bfe001a-32de-4114-a6b4-4005b770f6d7)

At www.cmscritic.com, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by www.cmscritic.com and how it is used.


Log Files
Like many other Web sites, www.cmscritic.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.


Cookies and Web Beacons
www.cmscritic.com does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.


DoubleClick DART Cookie



  • Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on www.cmscritic.com.

  • Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to www.cmscritic.com and other sites on the Internet.

  • Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.


These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on www.cmscritic.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.


www.cmscritic.com has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.


You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. www.cmscritic.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.


If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.


Temporary Post Used For Theme Detection (d4f4cc16-f7ee-4545-b6d9-8a8bec774474 - 3bfe001a-32de-4114-a6b4-4005b770f6d7)

Interview with Squarespace CEO and Founder, Anthony Casalena

At www.cmscritic.com, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by www.cmscritic.com and how it is used.


Log Files
Like many other Web sites, www.cmscritic.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.


Cookies and Web Beacons
www.cmscritic.com does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.


DoubleClick DART Cookie



  • Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on www.cmscritic.com.

  • Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to www.cmscritic.com and other sites on the Internet.

  • Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.


These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on www.cmscritic.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.


www.cmscritic.com has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.


You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. www.cmscritic.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.


If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.


Interview with Squarespace CEO and Founder, Anthony Casalena

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Four Signs It's Time to Change Your CMS

At www.cmscritic.com, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by www.cmscritic.com and how it is used.


Log Files
Like many other Web sites, www.cmscritic.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.


Cookies and Web Beacons
www.cmscritic.com does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.


DoubleClick DART Cookie



  • Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on www.cmscritic.com.

  • Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to www.cmscritic.com and other sites on the Internet.

  • Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.


These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on www.cmscritic.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.


www.cmscritic.com has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.


You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. www.cmscritic.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.


If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.


Four Signs It's Time to Change Your CMS

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Squarespace Introduces New Features, Themes and a new Calendar!

Squarespace has been busy ramping up the feature set to keep themselves on top of their game and there have been some exciting new features as well as some new Squarespace themes added to their CMS.


For those who are unfamiliar with Squarespace, they won our Best Website Builder award in our 2012 Critic’s Choice CMS Awards and we recently shared our Squarespace review of the newly releases Squarespace 6.


Let’s get down to what they’ve recently added to the system, shall we?


Squarespace Commerce now supports Canada


First off, for those of you who are Canadian users and have been pining for a chance to use their sweet new ecommerce integration, you are now in luck. Squarespace recently announced full integration with Stripe Canada and now offers the ability to tie into your Stripe account and sell via your Squarespace page. As part of this integration, you get:




  • Canadian Currency Support – The currency displayed throughout your Squarespace store will reflect the currency set in your Stripe account currency (which you select upon sign-up, and cannot be changed). All prices are quoted in CAD for Canadian stores on Squarespace.


  • Tax System Improvements – You can now define taxes internationally and locally, down to the zip code level. As before, you can choose to add tax on products as well as shipping. Easily add more fine-grained shipping rules by jurisdiction, and define local rules by a single postal code or a range of postal codes.


  • Metric System Support – In Store Settings, you may now choose between Imperial and Metric standards to define product weights and weight-based shipping options.


New Theme: Adirondack


Check out this beautiful new theme available in the Squarespace template design library:


Adirondack is a modern, clean design built with small business owners and savvy entrepreneurs in mind. Minimal navigation and full header images provide a bold framework for your company or brand. The template is characterized by scrolling effects; the header shrinks to become less obtrusive as you scroll, and the banner image fades out and moves up in relation to the distance you’ve scrolled. Navigation links can be hidden to reduce clutter, and become visible when you hover the mouse over the menu icon or the site title.


 


squarespace theme


squarespace theme - 2

It’s always nice to see new themes being added and we have to give kudos to the fact that Squarespace doesn’t just release your typical themes, they take the time to do beautiful ones that you WANT to use.


The Events Collection


Squarespace has also introduced a new calendar system that they call the Events Collection. Here’s how it looks and a bit of a breakdown on what you can expect from it.


The Events Collection comes with two viewing modes: Calendar View and List View. Each mode is responsively designed – like all other elements of a Squarespace website, your Events Collection looks perfect no matter what device you’re using. In List View, you can add thumbnail images to accompany each item, presenting your upcoming events in a compelling, elegant way.


squarespace calendar - 1


squarespace calendar - 1


Even More Features


The changes don’t stop there, however. There are a few additional features that have been added as well. They include:




  • Duplicate Pages – Since launch, we’ve gotten numerous requests for the ability to create copies of a page within your Squarespace site. As of today, this is now possible. You can find the Duplicate button at the bottom of the Collection Settings area (near the remove and save buttons).


  • Restore Deleted Collections  – Never worry about accidentally deleting a collection again. You can recover any deleted collections by clicking on “Restore Deleted Collections” under the Search bar in your Website Manager.


  • Multiple Backends for Form Builder – Unlimited and Business Account Users can now save form submissions to multiple destinations at once (Mailchimp and Google Docs, for example), instead of selecting just one.


  • Github Social Icon – We’ve added the ability to connect your Github profile to Squarespace. Look for the Github icon under ‘Connected Accounts’.


 


So what are you waiting for? Check them out or go sign up for their two week free trial (you don’t need a credit card, which is nice) and see if Squarespace is the right tool for you.


 



Squarespace Introduces New Features, Themes and a new Calendar!

WordPress vs. Joomla — A Perspective

Joomla vs. WordPress


You’re about to witness a showdown between the world’s two most popular open-source CMSs — WordPress and Joomla. The WordPress vs. Joomla question is kind of like a high school rivalry. Or maybe, it’s like the old Mac vs. PC debate. Thankfully, the discussion below is civil. My perspective claims WordPress as the winner.




In my roles as site editor and SEO consultant, I’ve used both WordPress and Joomla. Working at an agency provided opportunity to collaborate with designers, network admins, developers, and coders on the various advantages and disadvantages of respective CMSs. This article admits that CMS is a context-dependent choice, but advances the merits of WordPress as opposed to Joomla.


Your CMS — Your Choice


I picked WordPress for a variety of reasons outlined below. You may prefer Joomla. That’s fine, and we’re not going to call you names. Joomla and WordPress are both fine CMSs. Joomla may actually be better for you. Different users have different needs, and different CMSs serve those different needs.


Thus, with that disclaimer firmly in place, here are the reasons why I prefer WordPress over Joomla.


Popularity


I’m a believer in the “safety in numbers” of CMSs. If there are millions of people using something, there’s probably something good going on. WordPress and Joomla are the world’s most-used CMSs. However, WordPress is far more popular than Joomla. WordPress was founded in 2003, and Joomla in 2005. Over that time, WordPress’s growth has exponentially exceeded Joomla’s, owning a whopping 55.1% of the market share, as opposed to Joomla’s 8.8%. Furthermore, when WordPress receives a vote of confidence from some of the most intelligent developers I know, I have a greater appreciation of its capability and longevity. Of course, merely because something is popular doesn’t make it the best. Granted. However, we’re going to consider another factor below that flows directly from the popularity issue.


Community and Support


If you’re doing regular work on a site, you’ll probably need some help at some point. Both Joomla and WordPress have loyal tribes offering plenty of support for those who need it. One distinguishing factor of the WordPress tribe, however, is its sheer size. If you have a WordPress question and you can Google, you’ll probably find answers to your question on a forum, site, or blog of a WordPress devotee.


User Interface


WordPress has a much cleaner, slicker UI than Joomla. You can’t judge a CMS by its looks alone, but there is something to be said for a CMS that is intuitive, flexible, and even beautiful. For website agencies, handing over to the client the reigns of a WordPress site is something that takes an hour or two of coaching. Handing over the reigns of a Joomla site may take a bit more coaching, a few more desperate calls from the client, and a longer learning curve. The difference lies in the user interface. Of course, WordPress doesn’t have the same drag-and-drop kind of ease as something like Weebly. However, as powerful CMSs go, WordPress is as pretty as they come.


Plugins and Extensions


Plugins, or “extensions” as the Joomla moniker goes, can help to power up a site or to implement bits of complex code without the hard work of complex coding. At present, Joomla has over 6,000 extensions from the Joomla Extension Directory. Developers offer many more that are not hosted on the Extension Directory. WordPress Plugins number approximately 24,000. Although numbers don’t decide the power of plugins, it is evident from our experience that WordPress plugins possess a few advantages over Joomla plugins:



  • Easier to setup and install on the site

  • Wider selection and plugin browsing ability

  • Greater capability and power of plugins


Simplicity


Setup and configuration is simple on a WordPress site. Right out of the box, it delivers a robust CMS experience. Joomla, on the other hand, takes a bit of setup and adjustment. One CMS Critic reader who is the site manager of a large site commented, “Joomla is a hell when it comes to modify and template it.” A significant amount of Joomla configuration is necessary, including a specific server architecture, is necessary to make things shipshape. Starting a WordPress site, particularly if using the free hosted version, takes a couple minutes. Sure, you’ll have to make some sweeping changes to the bland 2013 theme, but that’s also a relatively easy affair. And, by the way, “simplicity” doesn’t denote lack of power. See  the discussion on”power” below for more on this incendiary topic.


SEO


Because my field of expertise is in SEO, I’ve done significant research and consulting for agencies using both WordPress and Joomla. Onsite optimization of a Joomla site is a headache compared to the ease of a WordPress site. It is an accepted fact that Joomla is not an SEO-friendly CMS. There are, to be fair, Joomla extensions that make it far more successful for search optimization. Suffice it to say that WordPress is the superior CMS for easy and effective SEO. This is a crucial issue, due to the all-important nature of search.


Cost


Due in part, to the lighter developmental workload, WordPress is less expensive than its counterpart. In our recent survey of notable features of the top five CMSs, I provided estimates of the setup and ongoing monthly costs of popular open-source CMSs. Here is the recap:



  • Joomla:  $2,400 – 20,000 setup; $500 ongoing monthly.

  • WordPress: $1,000 – $15,000 setup; $250 ongoing monthly


Obviously, there’s a difference in those two numbers, even if the numbers are widely rounded out.


Power


I’ve put this at the bottom of my list, because it needs a bit of a disclaimer. I’m not claiming that WordPress is the most powerful CMS on the market. I merely want to defend against its naysayers. Castigations of WordPress usually begin with an assault on its allegedly diminutive “blogging” platform. Let’s get this settled once and for all:


WordPress is not just for blogs.


I could site examples of really big and powerful WordPress sites (that aren’t blogs), but I’ll resist. Instead, let’s simply accept the fact that WordPress has passed its adolescent period as a blogging platform. It’s part of the big leagues now. Sure, you may not be able to build an Amazon.com or an eBay with WordPress, but you can have a thriving e-commerce site with zero problems. And, hey, eBay does use WordPress (even if it is for its blog).


Conclusion


These topics outlined above aren’t the ultimate criterion by which to evaluate a CMS. If you are considering a CMS, a thorough understanding of your own needs is in order before you start asking questions of a particular CMS. We’ve chosen WordPress, and, understandably, use WordPress as the CMS of choice for CMS Critic. As you make your own decision, please check out our in-depth CMS reviews to see if your choice makes the grade.


So that’s my perspective. What’s yours?



WordPress vs. Joomla — A Perspective

Friday, April 12, 2013

Review of Purple Parrot CMS

At www.cmscritic.com, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by www.cmscritic.com and how it is used.


Log Files
Like many other Web sites, www.cmscritic.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.


Cookies and Web Beacons
www.cmscritic.com does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.


DoubleClick DART Cookie



  • Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on www.cmscritic.com.

  • Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to www.cmscritic.com and other sites on the Internet.

  • Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.


These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on www.cmscritic.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.


www.cmscritic.com has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.


You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. www.cmscritic.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.


If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.


Review of Purple Parrot CMS

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Hostgator Review - Shared Hosting on the Cheap

At www.cmscritic.com, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by www.cmscritic.com and how it is used.


Log Files
Like many other Web sites, www.cmscritic.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.


Cookies and Web Beacons
www.cmscritic.com does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.


DoubleClick DART Cookie



  • Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on www.cmscritic.com.

  • Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to www.cmscritic.com and other sites on the Internet.

  • Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.


These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on www.cmscritic.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.


www.cmscritic.com has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.


You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. www.cmscritic.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.


If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.


Hostgator Review - Shared Hosting on the Cheap

Can your CMS do SEO?

At www.cmscritic.com, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by www.cmscritic.com and how it is used.


Log Files
Like many other Web sites, www.cmscritic.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.


Cookies and Web Beacons
www.cmscritic.com does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.


DoubleClick DART Cookie



  • Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on www.cmscritic.com.

  • Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to www.cmscritic.com and other sites on the Internet.

  • Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.


These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on www.cmscritic.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.


www.cmscritic.com has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.


You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. www.cmscritic.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.


If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.


Can your CMS do SEO?

Thursday, April 4, 2013

WordPress 3.6 Beta 1 is out! (With Screenshots)

If you are, like me, always eager to test the latest and greatest that the CMS world has to offer, you’ll be excited to know that there’s a new beta available for the upcoming 3.6 release of WordPress. Just released today, this new beta includes a host of new features, outlined below. I’d suggest that if you are a theme or plugin developer, you start testing right away in order to ensure your code is going to function properly with the changes in this release.


Here’s what’s new in 3.6:




  • Post Formats:  Post Formats now have their own UI, and theme authors have access to templating functions to access the structured data.


  • Twenty Thirteen: We’re shipping this year’s default theme in our first release of the year. Twenty Thirteen is an opinionated, color-rich, blog-centric theme that makes full use of the new Post Formats support.


  • Audio/Video: You can embed audio and video files into your posts without relying on a plugin or a third party media hosting service.


  • Autosave:  Posts are now autosaved locally. If your browser crashes, your computer dies, or the server goes offline as you’re saving, you won’t lose the your post.


  • Post Locking:  See when someone is currently editing a post, and kick them out of it if they fall asleep at the keyboard.


  • Nav Menus:  Nav menus have been simplified with an accordion-based UI, and a separate tab for bulk-assigning menus to locations.


  • Revisions: The all-new revisions UI features avatars, a slider that “scrubs” through history, and two-slider range comparisons.


Don’t have time to download but you’re dying to know what the changes look like?


Here’s what the new post formats interface looks like in WordPress 3.6:


new-post-format-ui-wordpress-36


 


Here is the new default theme, entitled “Twenty Thirteen” for those who haven’t seen it:


twenty-thirteen-wordpress-36


Eager to test it out? Here you go: http://wordpress.org/news/2013/04/wordpress-3-6-beta-1/



WordPress 3.6 Beta 1 is out! (With Screenshots)

Newly released EpiServer 7.1 CMS brings Intelligent Optimization and Personalization

EpiServer 7.1 was released yesterday and with it come some new features for those in the marketing world including new multivariate testing, additional personalization and more. With previous EpiServer releases, you would have to download the latest edition and follow an upgrade process. With this release, however, you can upgrade directly with a few clicks through the Add-on Store (introduced in EpiServer 7). The benefits of this type of upgrade capability are obvious; no more dependency handling requirements and more peace of mind knowing you can quickly and easily get up to date with the latest feature sets.


Also new in this release:


Multivariate Testing


The new multivariate test feature is intelligent.  It learns over time what content works best for your visitor segments and displays that more often. This allows marketers to optimize the customer experience with less effort. You will notice that you work with test and optimization following the same pattern as for content – using drag and drop.


Multivariate Testing - EpiServer


 


Personalization of Blocks


In EPiServer 7.1 CMS personalization goes one step further making it possible to create blocks in one place that later can use information about the visitor and target the message accordingly.  This information, or user context, can for example be the location of the user, what type of content he or she has interacted with on your site earlier or what device that’s being used. Since blocks can be re-used across channels this becomes really powerful. Another example is to run a multivariate test only for a specific visitor segment.


Screen Shot 2013-04-04 at 1.09.01 PM


 


Workflows and languages


Standard workflows have also made a comeback in this release. You can now use all workflows from within the UI. Active workflows are highlighted making it easy to find what’s assigned to you and take action on it. Language handling has also been improved. You can now toggle between different languages using the View Settings button and all content, including blocks, can be in different languages.


Additional improvements include a faster and more responsive UI and a settings header available on all content giving you quick access to the most important properties. Just scroll up when inside edit mode to see it.


Social Reach


A new version of EPiServer Social Reach is also available through the add-on store. Social Reach drives traffic from social media to owned media and connects the content creation process with social media communication.  The add-on allows for social messages to be created, delivered and tracked within a single interface. New features include scheduling, the possibility to re-send failed messages, and on page access to social engagement. By removing many small steps such as publishing content in social networks, creating shortened URLs, and adding analytic tracking tags, marketers become more agile in increasing traffic to their sites.


Looking to learn more? Visit EpiServer online at http://episerver.com



Newly released EpiServer 7.1 CMS brings Intelligent Optimization and Personalization

How to Effectively Moderate Social Media

Social Media Moderation


As the web world hurtles toward an intensely social environment, your CMS needs to get social, too. There are plenty of CMSs touting built-in social capabilities or plugins that can help you to “go social.” Yet for all the frenzy over “social,” it’s easy to overlook one important issue. Who’s managing all that social? More to the point, how does a company protect its brand integrity amidst the incredible amount of external social input? Is moderation possible? Today, companies need social media moderation to help them navigate the social flood.


Defining Social. Defending Social.


“Social” takes several forms. In its internal form, it refers to the social tools that allow employees to better interact. Massive enterprise products such as SharePoint and others like Alfresco, Jive, and Cartella provide excellent collaboration solutions. The other form of social is the external one — the world as it connects with your business and its products via social networks. Tools must be in place to fully manage both of these social environments.


It is the external form of social that can quickly become unwieldy. The tools designed to manage external social interaction are fewer in number than the tools designed to streamline internal social collaboration. Nonetheless, it is absolutely important for any company, whether brick-and-mortar or online, to be present and active on the social networks. Relevance demands it. More importantly, brand integrity requires it. Social media moderation is pretty much the most important way to defend your brand.


The Importance of Social Media Moderation


Notwithstanding the limited number of social media moderation tools, social management is just as important as facilitating internal social collaboration. Today, a company’s social media buzz is their brand. No longer can a company simply declare what they are, and expect the masses to blindly accept it. Now, anyone regardless of their reputation, product insight, or business acumen can make whatever statements they want to make regarding a company. With lighting-fast speed and potentially destructive consequences, a single individual can make an impact on a company of any size.


The only way that a company can protect its validity and trust in the social community is to vigilantly manage and moderate its social media. But that’s easier said than done. A truly successful marketing approach involves constant social media interaction. The larger the company is, and the bigger splash that company makes, the greater the need for managing the torrent of social likes, comments, statements, claims, counter-claims, input, tweets, and overall social buzz.


Managing Social


Social doesn’t just take care of itself, nor can you risk the unfettered reign of social in forming (or deforming) your brand. In order to adequately protect your online reputation, you must constantly monitor the social buzz surrounding your company.


Few CMSs have the ability to streamline social content management to the extent that is necessary, especially as the company grows. So what does a company do?


Social Media Management and Moderation Tools


There are some companies that have stepped into ever-widening gap of social content moderation. Here are a few of the notable ones:




  • ICUC - This multinational and multilingual company provides online content and community management services. Their products cover social listening, community management, social content services, and social ROI services.


  • eModeration - eModeration covers all social networks, news, media, advertising, and forums. In addition to complete social monitoring, they also provide specialist Facebook services, social media crisis management, and social consultancy.


  • PowerReviews - As part of their larger social package, PowerReviews offers content moderation services. Although backed by a live team of human moderators, PowerReviews provides users with the ability to set filters and maintain ultimate control over the moderation process.


  • Crisp – Social media moderation from Crisp provides human filtering for a variety of social platforms, including specific services targeted for gaming/MMOs and online communities for kids and teens.


  • LiveWorld - LiveWorld provides social community moderation, social analytics, and customer engagement. LiveWorld also relies on human moderators, and provides services in 70 languages.


  • Mollom - The Mollom service, developed by the brains behind Drupal, provides a hands-on approach to content moderation through their newly updated content moderation platform. The difference provided by Mollom is that it gives users total control over the moderation process using intuitive filters that provide a 99.98% accuracy. Although mostly a spam filtering and content classification tool, it is possible for an IT manager to set up the service, appoint several moderators, and let the system virtually run itself with periodic monitoring.


Content moderation is crucial for companies, especially as they experience growth and louder social buzz. Although no content management service or software is free, it is often worth the investment. A single tweet can create a ripple that expands into big waves, whether harmful or helpful. A small voice can have a big echo in the world of social. Part of your business responsibility is social integrity. Social media moderation is an integral component for any business in the online social world.



How to Effectively Moderate Social Media

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

CMS Expo 2013

CMS Expo 2013


If “CMS” is a part of your life or career, there’s a powerful event designed for you — the 2013 CMS Expo. Held near Chicago, Illinois from May 14-16, CMS Expo is the place to discover the latest advances in CMSs, strategies and insight for using CMS, and best practices to advance users in the world of content management.



Who Attends CMS Expo?


CMS Expo welcomes web professionals from all variety of industries and organizations — digital agencies, state and federal governments, educators, and those whose work has anything to do with a CMS. Those who are best served by the conference are online business professionals, creatives, developers, startups, educators, and agencies.


CMS Expo is designed to help everyone, regardless of their level of expertise, grow within their respective industry. Any member of a content team or web agency — admins, sales, developers, creatives — will profit from attending CMS Expo.


What kind of sessions are provided?


The nearly 50 speakers at CMS Expo will offer sessions and workshops on a wide variety of topics. Here’s a sample:



  • Content Marketing & Sales for Maximum ROI

  • Prepare for the Mobilocalypse!

  • How to Grow Your CMS Agency

  • WordPress IS a CMS


Many of the sessions provide information that is accessible for any web professional. Those who want the technical good stuff will profit from sessions like the following:



  • How to Make Your Own Responsive Joomla Template

  • Using Drupal in Higher Education:  A Flexible Tool in a Mixed CMS Environment

  • JavaScript:  Level Up Your Code-Fu!


What sponsors and exhibitors are present?


Although the three-day event is big on information, there’s also plenty of opportunity for sponsors to showcase their own value. 2013′s sponsors include ARC, OpenText, Acquia, Aluent Group, MailChimp, and Standing Cloud, in addition to dozens of CMS providers. CMS Expo welcomes both open source and proprietary exhibitors, recognizing that users can be best served by one or the other, depending on their unique needs.


CMS Expo is the shot in the arm that many professionals need to reach a new stage of knowledge and capabilities. The networking value, creative innovation, and fresh information provides incredible results for the careers and lives of the hundreds of attendees.


Registration Information


If you are interested in attending CMS Expo, you may visit their site, http://www.cmsexpo.net/, or call 1 (888) 804-9525.



CMS Expo 2013

Nuxeo releases iOS and Android App

Nuxeo has announced the release of Nuxeo Mobile, now available in the Google Play store and within iTunes for Android and iOS devices.



Nuxeo Mobile is a customizable app that enables mobile access to a Nuxeo content repository, on premise or in the Cloud, from an iOS or Android device. With powerful content management features such as downloading, uploading, editing, and collaborating on content, Nuxeo Mobile offers flexibility and convenience for remote users of document management and content management applications.


For application developers and deliverers, Nuxeo Mobile also serves as a framework, with open source code, for building their own hybrid HTML5 / native mobile apps.


Key features of Nuxeo Mobile include:


  • Browse the Nuxeo content repository from any device (tablet or smartphone)

  • Preview content instantly within the Nuxeo app, without downloading

  • Open documents in your favorite mobile app (such as Quickoffice or iWork), edit, and save back to the Nuxeo repository

  • Upload new content, such as images, image libraries, and documents, from your mobile device

  • Collaborate with team members by adding comments, liking, and sharing content

  • Bookmark documents for quick retrieval either on the desktop or on the mobile device

  • Leverage extensive REST APIs to build business-specific logic and UIs.


Check out this video showing Nuxeo Mobile in action:



Want to learn more? Visit Nuxeo at http://www.nuxeo.com



Nuxeo releases iOS and Android App

Monday, April 1, 2013

SocialEngine 4.5 has been released

A new version of SocialEngine, the social networking platform, has been released. Version 4.5 of SocialEngine PHP offers a new modern theme, a series of bug fixes and some performance improvements. Here is a list of what you can expect to gain from upgrading to this latest version.


Features & improvements



  • New Modern theme

  • Added link support to poll options

  • Performance improvements (improved loading of comment likes in feed, optimized Zend locale data files)


Bug fixes



  • Missing attach link icon in composer on mobile

  • Translation support for profile field privacy settings

  • Several missing phrases added to default language pack

  • Hiding the global header/footer using the layout editor now works correctly for mobile

  • Fixed duplicate results in message search

  • Fixed event privacy option “Group Members” not saving

  • Fixed error in Chrome on video view page

  • Forum widgets now respect forum privacy settings

  • Fixed placeholder/overtext positioning in the composer on mobile

  • Twitter OAuth now uses SSL


The new theme that is included with this release is a modern theme. Here’s what it looks like:


socialengine


For more info, read our SocialEngine Review of visit their website, SocialEngine.com



SocialEngine 4.5 has been released