Articles - Page 110

Agentic AI for Agencies in 2026

bmckeiver

Shopify Inc.  has announced the launch of Shopify Ping, a free mobile app that brings business conversations and tasks all within one interface. With Shopify Ping, merchants will be able to manage their tasks through messaging on their mobile phones, spend more time serving their customers and grow their businesses without having to fumble between apps and tools.Shopify Ping is a free iOS app available to Shopify merchants in the App Store. It consolidates messages from other apps used to interact with customers through social media, a merchant’s online storefront, email and more in one single interface, making it easier to manage conversations and respond in real-time. In addition, it comes built-in with Shopify’s free virtual assistant, Kit, which helps merchants plan, create and manage marketing activities through a conversational interface. With these integrations, Shopify Ping will support actions like running Facebook and Instagram ads, email campaigns and retargeting campaigns, as well as quicker customer conversations.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ping_email_banner_eqkvyx.png" />“Shopify merchants are conducting many business conversations across multiple apps every day, not only to run their day-to-day operations, but also to manage customer inquiries. Shopify Ping was created to make all of this easier to manage,” said Michael Perry, Director of Product at Shopify. “It’s a one-stop messaging app that lets them spend more time on what matters most – running their businesses seamlessly and deepening customer relationships.”With almost half (45%) of Shopify’s entrepreneurs running their businesses and engaging shoppers on their mobile devices, flexibility and timeliness are key success factors. Ensuring that entrepreneurs have the tools to keep up is critical to minimizing redundancies and saving time.At launch, integration partners include Facebook Messenger, Rep.ai and Chatkit. Shopify Ping is now available in the iOS App Store for all Shopify merchants. For more information visit: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.shopify.com/blog/shopify-ping">https://www.shopify.com/blog/shopify-ping</a>

Shopify Introduces a New Way to Work on Mobile

mike-johnston

<img title="Responsive Design" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/responsivedesign.jpg" alt="Responsive Design" />
 
There’s no arguing about this fact:  Responsive Design is really important. No doubt you’ve heard of it. Maybe you know a little bit about it. Perhaps you even have a responsive site already. Whatever the case, responsive design is the new must-have of website design. Here’s why.

<h2>The Importance of Responsive Design – A Word from the Pros</h2>
The tech oracles have spoken on the importance of RWD. Neil Patel (<a href="http://www.quicksprout.com/2013/03/04/how-to-optimize-responsive-design-for-conversions/">QuickSprout</a>) wrote that “ responsive design is “ a standard that’s taking everything you know about web design and turning it on its side.” He claims that responsive design influences everything about a site, including conversion rates. He’s right. John Polacek’s masterful treatment of the subject declares that it’s a “fundamental shift in how we’ll build websites for the decade to come.” <a href="http://mashable.com/2012/12/11/responsive-web-design/">Mashable</a> prophesies that 2013 is “the year of responsive design.” .net Magazine placed responsive design at number two of their <a href="http://www.netmagazine.com/features/15-top-web-design-and-development-trends-2012">Top Web Design Trends</a> for 2012.
This is kind of a big deal.
There’s more to responsive design that just tweaking CSS or adding bits of code to a site. Responsive design is all about how the web is maturing.
<h2>Responsive design is important because mobile is dominating.</h2>
Responsive design was born because of mushrooming mobile statistics. When the market became saturated with mobile users, we all finally realized that tiny screens weren’t optimal for traditional websites. UX stunk. Responsive design was the answer. The growth in mobile is where every discussion of responsive design must begin.
<h2>Responsive design fills in where apps left off.</h2>
Apps are not the answer to a mobile-saturated society. As mobile devices grew in popularity, so did the demand and appetite for apps. Remember Apple’s slogan,  “there’s an app for that”? That was so 2010. We’ve reached a point now where apps have plateaued. Plus, the iPhone isn’t the only big player in the mobile market. There are more platforms that need to be appified. Savvy companies don’t feel the need to rush out and make a fancy app. Instead, they unleash the power of responsive design. It’s better, smarter, cheaper, and way more 2013. Besides, if conversions are the goal, why create an app? An app can often be a distraction or barrier to conversions. Responsive saves the day by allowing a businesses website to do what it’s supposed to do rather than get bogged down in app building.
<h2>Responsive meets the need of multiple devices.</h2>
Today, we've got desktops, notebooks, netbooks, tablets, and handhelds of every size, dimension, and resolution. With all these net-accessing devices, there is no way that a static site design will please everyone. The variety of devices demands responsive design.
<h2>Responsive design is a design necessity.</h2>
We can’t forget that responsive design is at its core a design phenomenon, despite its far-reaching implications. As a design feature, it is designed to take away the unnecessary aspects of a web presence. After all, when you access a responsively designed site on your mobile device, you don’t see everything that you would see if you were to visit from your desktop browser. Responsive design is about simplicity. In order to meet the scaled-down sizes of tablets, minis, and mobiles, responsive sheds the excess, and offers the beautiful and simple core. This is a design trend that’s not going away soon.
Regardless of what CMS you use, what industry you’re in, or what your role in your company is, responsive design is important. Now, it’s time to do something about it.  If you are on WordPress, check out our list of where to get <a href="/where-to-get-responsive-wordpress-themes/">Responsive WordPress themes</a> to get started in your transition to a responsive design.

Why Responsive Design is So Important

daniel-threlfall

If you run a school, university, or training company, you'll want to adopt an LMS (Learning Management System) to help you manage your educational material and keep tabs on all the students who access it.
A learning management system is also an excellent way to expand the reach of your institution by allowing students to access and study course content from anywhere in the world.
But before we discuss anything else, let's take a brief look at what an LMS actually is.
<h2>What is a Learning Management System?</h2>
<h2><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/computer-768696_12801280x629-cropx0y0-is786x0-is.jpg" /></h2>
A learning management system – also known as e-learning software or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) – is a software application designed to help companies deliver educational material through a website, app, or both. A well equipped LMS also has features for tracking student progress, managing multiple courses, storing student information, and so forth.
The LMS space is packed with software solutions, but only a select few truly deliver when it comes to quality. To help you avoid the lesser systems out there, here are my top learning management system recommendations.
<h2>1. <a href="https://moodle.org/" target="_blank">Moodle</a></h2>
Moodle is perhaps the biggest name in the LMS space, and for good reason.
It's a free and open source e-learning software platform that can be configured to manage many types of learning environments for education, training, and staff development. Features include highly customizable design, personalized dashboards, calendars, file managment, user roles, bulk course creation, and more. Plus, Moodle has hundreds of native plugins to help bolster the platform's functionality.
<h2>2. <a href="https://www.neolms.com" target="_blank">NEO LMS</a></h2>
NEO is a simple, powerful, cloud-hosted LMS that has been designed for individual teachers, schools, and universities. It is a freemium product, with a rich set of features in its free plan and additional “power” features in its low-cost premium plans. It boasts mobile apps, portals, built-in gamification, learning paths, lots of integration, and a stunning user interface.
They also offer a platform called <a href="https://www.matrixlms.com/" target="_blank">Matrix LMS</a> – which is for businesses and private institutions. Matrix LMS dishes out the same features, but it's priced a little differently.
<h2>3. <a href="https://www.learnupon.com/" target="_blank">LearnUpon</a></h2>
LearnUpon is a renowned cloud-based Learning Management System, meaning that you can sign up and begin offering courses within a matter of hours.
Their SaaS (Software as a Service) learning management solution is secure and scalable, and comes with award-winning 24/7 customer support. Features include a wide range of course importation options, Salesforce integration, exams, certifications, built-in student reports, eCommerce functionality, and much more.
<h2>4. <a href="https://www.absorblms.com/learning-management-system" target="_blank">Absorb LMS</a></h2>
With a visually superb interface, Absorb LMS has seduced big brands like Sony, Nikon, and Getty Images. The cloud-based platform is ideal for large companies looking to train their staff, but it's also suitable for course selling and educational institutes.
Its features include instructor-led training, the ability to embed web content like YouTube into courses, eCommerce, reports, bulk purchasing, and contests. Also, Absorb LMS Integrates with SCORM, GoToMeeting, Cisco, Adobe Connect, and more.
<h2>5. <a href="http://www.talentlms.com/" target="_blank">TalentLMS</a></h2>
TalentLMS is a free LMS, but it also brand itself as being able to handle enterprise-grade environments.
With features like single-sign on, course building, website customization, learning paths, eCommerce, and gamification. TalentLMS is geared towards brand looking to train staff first and foremost, but it has the features to help companies sell courses to the public, too.
<h2>6. <a href="https://elearning247.com/" target="_blank">Nimble LMS</a></h2>
Brought to you by eLearning247, NimbleLMS is a cloud-hosted platform with a solid range of features. The pricing is somewhat unique, as you can either pay-as-you-go, or pay for an annual license with far less restrictions.
NimbleLMS has features such as automatic course backups, progress tracking, eCommerce, bulk CSV importing, certificates and lots more.
<h2>7. <a href="http://omniupdate.com/products/oucampus/" target="_blank">OU Campus</a></h2>
OU Campus is a learning management system developed by OmniUpdate. It can be accessed via the cloud or deployed on-site, and is marketed towards higher education institutions.
The OU Campus team boast that their platform is backed by top-rated customer support that is customized for the higher education market. Plus, modules and user-friendly editing makes it easy to create course content.
<h2>8. <a href="http://www.oracle.com/us/products/applications/ebusiness/human-capital-management/053815.html" target="_blank">Oracle Learning Management</a></h2>
OLM is an enterprise-grade learning management system (LMS) that lets organizations manage, deliver, and track training participation in online or classroom-based staff training environments.
Learners can find the content they need, and carry out their learning activities in the most appropriate delivery mode (in a classroom, virtual classroom, or via e-learning). Instructors can manage their own schedules, classes, and rosters, while executives can measure the effectiveness of learning activities and ensure alignment with organizational objectives.
If your company is relatively small, this solution isn't for you. But if your brand requires a hard-hitting LMS from one of the world's most prolific software vendors, then I suggest digging deeper into how OLM can help.
<h2>9. <a href="http://www.ispringsolutions.com/ispring-learn" target="_blank">iSpring Learn</a></h2>
iSpring Learn LMS is an on-premise LMS solution featuring an easy-to-use Power Point-integrated authoring tool. Plus, it has relatively stellar CMS functions that help administrators to produce and manage website content.
Key features include progress tracking, single-sign on, eCommerce, certificates, portals, and a native mobile app. The pricing is pretty heavy, so I wouldn't recommend it as a solution for newbies.
<h2>10. <a href="http://www.edubrite.com/oltpublish/site/cms.do" target="_blank">EduBrite</a></h2>
EduBrite helps organizations produce and manage their educational content with enterprise-grade efficiency.
With EduBrite, you can make use of eCommerce functionality, micro-sites, mobile apps, courses, tests, surveys, and all the other fundamentals that a good LMS invariably has. Plus, it can integrate with loads of third party platforms like Salesforce, GoToMeeting, and Lynda.
<h2>11. <a href="https://www.canvasvle.co.uk/" target="_blank">Canvas</a></h2>
Canvas is cloud-based, scalable, and geared towards educational institutes.
It serves up hundreds of add-ons, automated tasks, a mobile apps, integrated media, a fast marking system, and much more. They deal almost exclusively with universities, so if you aren't part of such an institution, I'd look elsewhere.
<h2>12. <a href="https://www.joomlalms.com/" target="_blank">JoomlaLMS</a></h2>
Joomla is one of the most popular content management systems in the world, and their LMS arm isn't too shabby either.
It delivers features such as online course building, quizzes, surveys, progress tracking, reports, and monetization. It's not the prettiest or most feature-rich platform on the list, but if your website runs on Joomla, then using JoomlaLMS is a no brainer.
<h2>13. <a href="http://www.uscreen.tv/" target="_blank">UScreen</a></h2>
If you're looking to offer your students video-based educational material, you'll want to hear about UScreen.
It's a video hosting platform that can cater for Subscription businesses, online training course providers, course selling, staff training, and pretty much anything else that involves hosting and delivering videos to people. It's technically not an LMS is and of itself, but it has features like quizzes, course tracks, certificates, and more.
<h2>14. <a href="http://www.docebo.com/" target="_blank">Docebo</a></h2>
Docebo offers a cloud-based SaaS (Software as a Service) Learning Management System.
They have over ten years of experience in the LMS industry, serving up solutions for midsized organizations all the way up to enterprise. Docebo sets itself apart by offering third party integrations (via API), 24/7 support, eCommerce features, gamification, and a range of extensions.
<h2>15. <a href="http://learncore.com/" target="_blank">LearnCore</a></h2>
LearnCore is a learning management system built to provide a user-friendly experience for both administrators and learners. It is primarily used for companies looking to train their staff.
LearnCore has a charming user interface, personalization features, collaborative tools for administrators, light gamification elements, and a range of integration options.
<h2>16. <a href="http://www.litmos.com/" target="_blank">Litmos</a></h2>
Litmos is an award-winning LMS that packs a punch for small, medium, and enterprise-grade companies.
You can use it as an online course builder and an eCommerce solution, plus, it has features like instructor-led training, messages, notifications, gamification, surveys, quizzes, reports, and pretty much everything else an LMS needs. It's a serious player in the LMS space, and their free trial is well worth checking out.
<h2>17. <a href="http://www.elcomcms.com/en-au/solutions/your-requirement/learning-management" target="_blank">ElcomLMS</a></h2>
elcomCMS is a super functional content management system that can also handle your staff training projects. For example, car manufacturers Volkswagen and Kia already make use of elcomCMS to manage all of their dealership training programs
The platform features a simple visual user interface for mapping training programs, reports for employee progress, user profiles, to-do lists, visual qualification pathways, and more. Also, elcomCMS bridges the gap between its solutions by enabling organizations to offer their training courses through their elcomCMS intranets or portals.
<h2>An LMS Worth Keeping</h2>
Switching softwares is difficult at the best of time, but switching LMS? I wouldn't wish that on anybody, particularly because migrating content and courses between one LMS to another is no easy task. In fact, it's almost impossible unless you start from scratch.
So, do yourself a favour and stay within the confines of the list above – because each of them are worth sticking around for.
Have you used a learning management system before? Tell us about your experience in the comments section below!

Top 17 Learning Management Systems

Pop OS by System76 has been around for a while but for the longest time, I hadn't tried it simply based on the fact that I had heard (incorrectly) that it was basically Ubuntu with some themes applied. Recently, however, I've discovered this is not just an Ubuntu distro with themes applied and I wanted to share my experiences in this Pop OS Review.
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pop-os-review-1_rpyrri.png" alt="pop-os-review-1" /><figcaption>Pop OS Review – The Desktop</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Installing Pop OS</h2>
The installation process is straight forward and involves pretty much the same process as you'd expect from most installations nowadays with a few exceptions. Where most installations involve going through the entire process immediately, Pop OS goes through the partitioning and installing process and then reboots to allow you to create users, select your time zone, etc. By doing so, it feels like a faster install (whether this is true or not, I'm not sure as I haven't tried to time in it comparison to anything else).
Another interesting change to the process is the option to enable full-disk encryption out-of-the box during the installation, another hint that Pop OS is geared towards those who use their computer for work and not necessarily play (not to say that it couldn't function fine there as well).
Once you've completed the install, you are greeted with the desktop you see above (although I did change the wallpaper to one of their other choices). It's rather simple looking isn't it?
<h2>Pop OS Review – The Desktop</h2>
Pop OS takes the elegant and simplistic Gnome desktop environment and adds a number of improvements to improve workflow, further secure the desktop and give it a more functional and beautiful appearance. In essence, it's what the Gnome experience should be.
Hitting the Super Key or clicking in the top left will present you with the Gnome dock and show you the available workspaces.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pop-os-review-2_mtbuwf.png" alt="pop-os-review-2" />
Initially, there are only a few items such pinned to the dock such as Firefox, Nautilus (file manager), Gnome terminal and the Pop! Shop (System76's version of the software store).
The Pop! Shop is where users can install new software and adjust software sources, etc. In addition, for those who prefer to use a GUI over the terminal, updates can also be installed from within it.
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pop-os-review-3_qaeqci.png" alt="pop-os-review-3" /><figcaption>Pop OS Review – The Pop! Shop</figcaption></figure>
There's a good selection of software available to install and from my testing, everything seemed to work well without issue.
<h2>Pop OS Review – Installing Third Party Drivers</h2>
One thing I did notice that was disappointing was that there is no easy way for users to install drivers, something that is present in most other Ubuntu based distros.
While you can drop to the terminal and run ubuntu-drivers autoinstall it would be nicer to have an icon to launch the driver manager and run it as well.
I'm not 100% sure why this was not included but perhaps it's an assumption that developers don't want a GUI and while that's a perfectly fine assumption, I think Pop OS should cater to a wider audience, but that's just my opinion.
<h2>Pop OS Review – The Menu</h2>
One thing Pop OS does very well is beautify the Gnome experience. The icons (basically their version of the popular Papirus icon set) are all in sync and everything feels clean and well presented, as you can see below.
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png" alt="pop-os-review-4" /><figcaption>Pop OS – The Menu</figcaption></figure>
Installed by default, we have the essentials; Firefox, Geary and LibreOffice to get things started and I think that's a reasonable selection to begin with.
For utilities, we have a few others such as Eddy for easy package installation and USB Flasher which is a quick and efficient tool for, you guessed it, flashing USB's.
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pop-os-review-5_lsqarq.png" alt="pop-os-review-5" /><figcaption>Pop OS – Utilities</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Pop OS Review – The Tweaks and Improvements</h2>
I'm not 100% sure if USB Flasher was developed by System76 or someone else it as I couldn't find anything from a quick Google search but it's definitely a great tool and since I tend to flash USB's like it's nobody's business, I appreciate the simplicity of the app.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pop-os-review-6_v12cji.png" alt="pop-os-review-6" />
As I mentioned, Pop OS has all sorts of little tweaks to make life easier and improve the functionality of the desktop and improve workflow… another one of these is the ability to quick-switch between power management profiles as shown above. This is just one of the many little tweaks that you will quickly realize you miss when trying other distros.
In addition, there's a handy Do Not Disturb feature hidden in the notifications (found by clicking on the date / time) that will prevent notifications from popping up and interrupting your workflow.
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pop-os-review-8_m9pm8l.png" alt="pop-os-review-8" /><figcaption>Pop OS – Do Not Disturb Feature</figcaption></figure>
The main reason I love this distro (and it has since become my daily driver) is the window management additions and keyboard shortcuts that have been added.
Hitting the Super Key (or windows key) launches the window management display shown below where you can quickly drag and drop windows between workspaces and / or switch to them with the click of a mouse.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pop-os-review-7_qfstvl.png" alt="pop-os-review-7" />
In addition, however, there are tons of shortcuts that have been added to allow users to navigate the entire desktop with keyboard shortcuts, something that my fellow Linux geeks are sure to love.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
While there may be one or two missing features such as the aforementioned Drivers GUI, Pop OS has proven itself to be worthy of being my daily driver. I've installed numerous distros, one after the other, as soon as they are released but I always come back to Pop OS to get my work done and because I can't work as well without it's tweaks. I've begun to rely on them in my day to day computer usage and I do feel as though they make my work easier to do. I love the look and feel of the distro so much that I've changed nothing but the wallpaper. In the past, I'd spend hours tweaking things and not actually getting my work done but with Pop OS, I feel at home and that I don't actually need to change anything as it's beautiful as is.
If you haven't given it a go yet, I recommend doing so. Their website has a few good videos showing off the improvements that may do a better job of showcasing them than my explanations so be sure to check that out as well. Overall, I think it's the perfect distro for my needs (In fact I'm writing this post from it right now).
Check out Pop OS here: <a href="https://system76.com/pop">https://system76.com/pop</a>

Pop OS Review - Elegant, Functional, Well Done

Yesterday, LeakedSource reported that <a href="https://www.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Weebly</a>, the world-renowned website builder, had suffered a data breach back in February 2016.
As a result, forty-three million records were stolen, including customer names, email addresses, and IP addresses.
However, LeakedSource, a reliable hacking news source, spoke of their relief when it came to reaching out to the <a href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a> team about their data breach:
<blockquote>
“Unlike nearly every other hack, the Co-founder and CTO of <a href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a> <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/person/chris-fanini" target="new">Chris Fanini</a> fortunately did not have his head burried deeply in the sand and actually responded to our communication requests. We have been working with them to ensure the security of their users meaning password resets as well as notification emails are now being sent out.
This mega breach affects not only tens of millions of users but tens of millions of websites and with Weebly being one of the most <a href="http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/weebly.com" target="new">popular</a> hosting platforms in the world, this breach could have been far more disastrous in the wrong hands had they not strongly hashed passwords.”
</blockquote>
So, kudos to Weebly for cooperating with the LeakedSource team (instead of shunning them, like Twitter once did), and also for safeguarding passwords with a relatively high level of encryption.
<h2>Customer Payment Information Remains Secure</h2>
Thankfully, Weebly also confirmed in an email to customers that they don't believe any of their hosted websites were improperly accessed. They also made it clear that they don't store credit card information, so their customers are safe on that front.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weebly1164x0-is.png" />
LeakedSource also claimed that password resets were being issued by Weebly – but if you’re a Weebly user and you haven't changed your password since February, I strongly suggest changing it right away.
To follow this news as it develops, <a href="https://twitter.com/BigSecurityNews" target="_blank">LeakedSource's official Twitter page</a> seems to be the place to be. So far, they have reported details on the data breaches at Yahoo, LinkedIn, and DropBox.
And of course, we'll keep you updated here on CMS Critic if any other hacks or critical human errors occur at the expense of business software vendors – just like we did with <a href="/123-reg-deletes-customer-websites/" target="_blank">the 123Reg disaster.</a>
Have you had any security issues with Weebly over the last few months? Let us know in the comments section below.

Weebly Hacked: 43 Million Customer Records Stolen

During the <a href="/cms-critic-is-touring-north-america-and-europe-this-year/">CMS Critic North American Tour</a>, Mike Johnston had a chance to visit the <a target="_blank" href="http://ez.no/">eZ Systems</a> offices in Brooklyn, New York.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ez-logo_max600height250.png" />He caught up with Roland Benedetti, the Chief Product &amp; Marketing Officer at eZ Systems, about eZ Publish 5.4, as well as upcoming product releases and events.

CMS Critic Interviews Roland Benedetti of eZ Systems

As I stepped into the entrance of <a href="https://www.prestashop.com/en/">PrestaShop’s</a> Paris headquarters,I was greeted by a long timeline of the company’s impressive history, which stretched across the hallway leading to the elevator.
[[__Presta__]]
It was a humbling reminder of PrestaShop’s deep roots in both the eCommerce and open source industries.
When I got to the lobby, Leah Anathan, PrestaShop’s Chief Marketing Officer, welcomed me warmly with tea and biscuits (they had heard about my love for English tea), and we thus kicked off a very casual – yet highly informative – meeting and office tour.
<h2>A Chat With PrestaShop’s CMO &amp; Director of Product Management</h2>
The first thing I did was sit down with Leah Anathan and Sebastien Levaillant, PrestaShop’s Director of Product Management.
As we sipped on some well-brewed tea, we got to talking about <a href="/prestashop-cloud-review/" target="_blank">PrestaShop Cloud</a>, and efforts are being made in order to improve it.
Scalability was the word being thrown around more than any other, and I was told that an announcement regarding PrestaShop Cloud was coming relatively soon. Personally, I’m very excited to see what PrestaShop has in store for us (pun intended).
I even got to share the story of my own father’s business, a UK based training course company called The Learning Station, which is powered by PrestaShop Cloud. Leah and Sebastien were excited to ask me about my father’s experiences, and I was only too happy to tell them about his PrestaShop-powered journey.
They also told me about how much closer the PrestaShop team now is to the PrestaShop community. Their move to GitHub has made it easier for their community to submit code, and they now have at least one volunteer from the community who has been granted record levels of access and authority to the PrestaShop project.
<h2>A Peek at PrestaShop 1.7</h2>
I also got to sit through some short but extremely informative presentations given by various members of the PrestaShop development team.
I was given sneak peeks at PrestaShop’s 1.7 user interface, which has been totally re-worked in line with the feedback received from PrestaShop 1.6 users.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ps3388x0-is.png" />
Their development team had spent time with actual users in order to extract their biggest gripes with the PrestaShop 1.6 interface – and they are now working on fixing everything that was flagged up.
And to be fair, they have their plate full, because despite <a href="/hands-on-with-prestashop-1.6/" target="_blank">my adoration of PrestaShop 1.6</a>, the user interface had lots of room for improvement.
But with that in mind, I couldn’t help but compliment the newest interface when it was demonstrated in front of me. It really does look good, and you can be sure that I’ll be writing about it in more detail sooner rather than later.
If you want to learn more about PrestaShop 1.7, check out the <a href="https://www.prestashop.com/en/1.7">PrestaShop website</a>.
<h2>The Office Tour</h2>
After getting to grips with PrestaShop 1.7, it was time to explore the rest of PrestaShop’s impressive European headquarters.
Before I talk about the offices though, let me relay something interesting that Leah Anathan told me about the building itself. As she spoke of the building’s rich history, she directed me to a picture printed on the wall of the lobby, which had a French description.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_65642467x1649-cropx0y472-is577x0-is.jpg" /> To cut a long story short, a century ago, PrestaShop’s Paris headquarters was actually a popular marketplace. Today, it houses one of the world’s most popular online marketplace builders. I found that to be pretty amazing.
As for the tour, we started off in one of the three office areas that are dotted around the building.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_65583264x1858-cropx0y430-is678x0-is.jpg" />
Desks were lined with computers and laptops in typical fashion, and sticky notes with ideas covered a board in what seemed like a snap-meeting area.
This central working space overlooks a picturesque Parisian square, which PrestaShop’s employees get to gaze at (during their breaks, of course).
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ps2481x0-is.png" />
As I walked around the building, I noticed that the walls were decorated with quirky PrestaShop-themed art, with a surprising touch of Star Wars. It was a slightly odd combination – but it worked.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_6542515x0-is.jpg" />
A subtle amount of tongue-in-cheek banter was present all over the office, actually. For example, PrestaShop’s mascot – Preston the Puffin – could be found around the building in teddy form, in wall murals, and as part of some meme-inspired images.

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_6598314x0-is.jpg" />

Towards the end of the tour, I was then shown three rooms that were dedicated to the relaxation and recuperation of PrestaShop’s workforce.
The first room was a small, featureless one, with a large couch, some chairs, and a comfortable looking carpet. It’s intended for those who want some silence or some private time. I remember thinking to myself that – in such a busy working environment – this quiet room was a nice touch.
Opposite that room was another, this time with a bunk bed and shower area. Obviously, pulling all-nighters is part-and-parcel of working for PrestaShop.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ps1411x0-is.png" />
The third room, which can be found along the same corridor, is the designated relaxation room.
As the name suggests, this room was set aside for PrestaShop’s employees to simply chill in.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/relax_room_aka_bungalow5179x2765-cropx0y687-is723x0-is.jpeg" />
It was a spacious room with couches, bean bags, a wide-screen, and a foosetable. There was a beach theme going on too, with surfboards and sun lounges lined up on the left-hand side. The walls were once again full of color, but this time, the murals gave off a feeling of warmth and serenity – which is no coincidence, I’m sure.
All in all, the PrestaShop office felt incredibly homely and yet intensely energized. It was everything a modern software vendor HQ should be, and then some.
A big thank you goes out to Leah Anathan and the wider PrestaShop team for their fantastic hospitality!
Stick around for more PrestaShop coverage through this PrestaShop featured week.

Reflecting on My Visit to PrestaShop’s Paris HQ

<a href="https://www.igloosoftware.com/?utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog" target="_blank">Igloo</a> is an intranet you’ll actually like ― according to its website anyway.
Companies and projects of all sizes need somewhere to keep all ideas, events and members organized. A place for everybody to congregate and collaborate digitally.
Usually, such software comes in the form of a fully featured professional intranet, like Igloo.
<a href="https://www.igloosoftware.com/?utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/8279-2281482291.png" /></a> Igloo is a cloud-based intranet and extranet solution designed to promote communication and collaboration between colleagues and/or clients. It boasts a slew of apps and widgets, is compatible with MS Office, and can integrate with both Salesforce and Sharepoint.
Now without any further ado, let’s find out if Igloo really is an intranet that you’ll actually like.
Here’s a short video to get started with.

<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pO4QGqQyGnk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<h2>Initial Thoughts</h2>
If you are familiar with my reviews, you’ll know that I start my journey as any customer or client would; with the vendor’s website.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-8916x0-is.png" /> Igloo’s website is pleasant, but doesn't do an amazing job at getting its message across.
The front page is easy on the eyes for sure, but apart from the video half-way down the homepage, there’s little that actually tells you what Igloo does, or how it does it.
Clicking “Tour” on the menu didn’t make matters much better. There were more videos waiting for me, and although I’m a big fan of video content for when it comes to explaining softwares, I don’t see them as a substitute for good old short, simple core feature descriptions.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-12680x0-is.png" />Igloo’s website just wasn’t drawing me in. I didn’t feel like the software was going to be simple to use, simply because their website wasn’t telling (or showing) me so.
<h2>Getting Started</h2>
Igloo comes free, so it’s easy to get your hands on the platform before taking out your wallet. However, the free version will only get you 10 users, 3 team spaces, and 10 GB of storage.
To get myself started, I entered my email and signed up on the Igloo homepage. After that, I only needed to divulge my name and country of residence before clicking “Get Started”.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-2.png" /> Igloo then welcomed me to their platform by instructing me to wait for an email. There was an introductory video to give me a taste of what was to come, but the potential 30 minute wait for an email seemed far too long for me.
In the end it didn’t take quite 30 minutes, but I still had to wait longer than I would normally expect for an email to arrive.
But in any case, with the email now in my inbox, I was ready to dive in to my Igloo via the link they sent me.
When I got to my Igloo's homepage, a default logo stood adjacent to a menu containing; News, Files, Events, Policies and Staff. It was nice to have a foundation ready to build on.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-4767x0-is.png" />
Further down, a sidebar offered “Quick Links” to different default pages as well as an avenue into my profile where I could update my information.
A calendar widget was also active, as was a welcoming message from Igloo on my new activity feed, prompting me to visit the help page in needed, and also to check out some of their tips and tricks for getting started.
I was more interested in feeling my way around, though.
The top menu bar gave my access to different sections of Igloo which would help keep me and my team organised. This includes areas like To-dos, messages, bookmarks, subscriptions, communities and more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-4-1.png" /> I was also able to set my status between online, offline, away and busy.
The real action though, was the small + button on the right side of the top menu bar. Here, as an administrator, I was able to quickly add pages, blog posts, calendar events, wiki articles, files and more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-5-1.png" />This little + button was essentially the command center. One can only wonder as to why the + itself is so small and therefore so easily missed. A minor issue for sure, but one worth rectifying anyway.
<h2>Managing Pages &amp; Spaces</h2>
To hone your Igloo, you'll need to spend time managing the front page, and all the other spaces within your intranet or extranet. Here's some insight into that management experience.
To modify existing pages, you need to click on a small arrow on the right-hand side of the page. It's a very, very small arrow. A drop-down menu then appears with a few options to choose from.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-6-1.png" />
The “Edit” option is the one I'll be focusing on now, and I'll touch on the rest of the options later in the review.
Clicking Edit brings up a neat set of Igloo's widgets. Blogs, forums, wikis, polls, RSS feeds, slideshows and more widgets make up the library.
All I needed to do was drag and drop whichever app I wanted into place. I was also able to re-arrange the entire page via drag-and-drop interface. It was fluid and satisfying to use, just like any good drag-and-drop system should be.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-7-1727x0-is.png" /> So, just as the small + button is the key to adding new pages and content, the small arrow button is the key to modifying it once it's in place. My only issue is the actual size of these two very important buttons.
<h2>Apps</h2>
<a href="http://www.igloosoftware.com/apps">Igloo Apps</a> define the way in which you collaborate with other team members. Such Apps include blogs, calendars, file sharing, forums micro-blogs and more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-8-1839x0-is.png" />
Apps like calendars, file sharing, wikis and forums on the other hand, are brilliant tools for scheduling tasks, streamlining workflows, asking questions and learning.
<h3>Blogging</h3>
Blogging and micro-blogging are features within Igloo which help team members give updates and spread news internally.
The blogging feature itself is as you would expect it to be. Users can make use of a WYSIWYG interface to type, insert images and format their content. Posts can then be published, saved for later, or submitted to a moderator to approve.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-11-1785x0-is.png" />
As for micro-blogging, it's a quick, easy and potentially playful way for colleagues to update each other. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-12-1.png" />Inline images can be used, and replies are in context. Twitter fiends will be happy.
<h3>Files</h3>
With the Files app, Igloo can be used as an asset management system.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-13-1.png" />Files can be uploaded, downloaded, previewed, and locked. Plus, there's version control, update notifications and the ability to email files directly into Igloo. Not a bad little DAM solution at all.
<h3>Calendars</h3>
Events can be organized via the Calendar app. Members can receive invites from Outlook or Gmail, while the calendar itself can be updates with text and rich media.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-15638x0-is.png" />Events can be set to recur, while members can also choose to RSVP.
<h3>Forums</h3>
Igloo's forum app is there to ignite conversation. Ideas can be proposed, and problems can be solved.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-16557x0-is.png" />All posts can be upvoted or downvoted by members, and threads can even be concluded if a response receives enough praise. Threads can also be sorted and searched through in various ways.
<h3>Tasks &amp; Wikis</h3>
Tasks can be set with both due dates and priority labels at low, medium or high.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-9-1401x0-is.png" /> Tasks can also be given sub-tasks, and members can comment on them to keep everybody updated. Notifications will alert relevant members of any progress.
Igloo also lets users set up information and policy hubs in the form of Wikis.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-10-1673x0-is.png" /> Members can continuously update Wikis and Wiki articles, rate them, comment on them and link to related Wiki content.
<h2>Extras</h2>
Igloo has a few notable extras worth mentioning, which come together to round off the user experience somewhat.
<h3>View Site As</h3>
Another handy option for administrators, is the “View Site As” feature once again accessible from the top menu.
Although the feature is still in beta at the time of writing, I found it worked quite well. It allows you to quickly switch between all group types, seeing the community just as they would.
The loads are extremely fast, and the feature is very easy to manage.
<h3>Advanced, Activity &amp; Access</h3>
Clicking “Advanced” on the drop-down menu for page editing, will bring up SEO options.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1-1739x0-is.png" />
This page can be used to populate page titles, meta descriptions, keywords and robot access. All handy stuff.
Another interesting administrative feature is “Activity”, also seen as an option when editing pages.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-3-1961x0-is.png" />It gives you an overview of the changes made to the page you're looking at, as well as who made the changes. This helps keep tabs on other administrators or moderators who may have perhaps made tweaks the a page's appearance or functionality.
Access is also found in the same way, and allows administrators to set permissions per page. So, if you only want moderators having access to forums, this is the way to configure such a setting.
<h3><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-2-1738x0-is.png" />
Site Manager</h3>
Within the admin panel is the Site Manager page. Here, Igloo displays the current setup in a tree, enabling administrators to add pages and re-structure the site.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-14515x0-is.png" />For example, a sub-page of a wiki can be dragged-and-dropped to become its own, standalone page. It's a neat way to view the entire site, and it works well as a page management tool.
<h2>Getting Help</h2>
Clicking the “Help” button (which appears on every page when you're browsing as an administrator), brings up a well-populated help page.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-13727x0-is.png" />
There's live chat, phone lines, and a community forum to help solve your issues. but most impressively, Igloo's searchable “Knowledge Base” is full of documentation as well as tutorial videos.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-10875x0-is.png" />
They also have premium support packages for companies requiring personalized assistance. The prices aren’t available, but the details of each package are:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-7711x0-is.png" />
Plenty of premium support too then. However, I'm not entirely sure why the prices need to be hidden, though. I understand that varying user counts will impact the price, but Igloo should be able to provide more guidance here, as these packages may well be the difference between a company using or bailing on Igloo.
<h2>Pricing </h2>
As previously mentioned, Igloo offers up a free version of itself, giving you access to every app and feature. However, there are limitations.
With the free version, you'll only be able to have 10 users, 3 team spaces, and 10 GB of storage.
To upgrade, you’ll need to pay up $3 per user for an extranet, and $12 per user for an intranet,
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-6588x0-is.png" />
Also, it’s worth noting that Igloo requires you to make a yearly agreement based on the above pricing.
Competitor Bitrix24 also has a free version, catering for up to 12 users, with support for another 12 for just $25 per month. However, they offer less storage and no extranet option at that level.
Yammer, another intranet providing rival, offers its services from $3 per month per user.
So all in all. Igloo have their pricing set out quite well.
<h2>The Verdict</h2>
Without a doubt, Igloo is a quality piece of software.
Unlike many other intranet solutions, Igloo is extremely quick and easy to set up. Plus, the average employee with limited tech skills will be able to learn the ropes pretty fast, and that’s essential in my opinion.
A company could quite easily sign up for Igloo on Monday, and have a fully organized and in-sync office by the end of the working week. Igloo is that simple.
However, there is room for improvement.
I feel that there is a lack of control when it comes to design in particular. Companies will want to brand and customize their intranet, and apart from interchangeable backgrounds, there isn’t much wriggle room, unless you delve into CSS coding.
Another gripe I have with Igloo, is that it doesn’t make the administrative experience as enjoyable as the user experience.
The top navigation bar gives the admin features to tinker with, but to really configure Igloo on a meaningful level, users will need to delve further into the back end, which just doesn’t serve up the same panache as the front end. The interface is cramped, dark and simply not as user friendly.
Igloo will be loved by employees and team members making use of the front-facing features like micro-blogging and file sharing, but I don’t think the fun extends behind the curtain.
<h3>Pros</h3>
<ul>
<li>Igloo comes free, albeit with some limitations.</li>
<li>The drag-and-drop interface allows you to design the ways apps are displayed.</li>
<li>Blogging, micro-blogging, forums, wikis, file management and calendars all come together to make an excellent intranet solution.</li>
<li>Extra widgets like polls, slideshows, member lists and RSS feeds provide handy functionality.</li>
<li>The sign up and set up process is quick, and apps come pre-installed.</li>
<li>Igloo is very fast and responsive.</li>
<li>For (free) support, there's live chat, a phone line, extensive documentation and a user community.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cons</h3>
<ul>
<li>The administrative user experience is lackluster. Igloo provides tidy options from the front end via the top navigation bar, but things get a little dark and dingey when you wander into the back end.</li>
<li>Statistics are there, but not in a particularly pretty or useful capacity.</li>
<li>Don’t like the way Igloo looks? Well apart from the background image, if you aren’t handy with CSS code, you can’t change anything.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Final Remarks</h2>
As previously mentioned, the administrative user experience feels somewhat incomplete. The backend of Igloo simply needs more polishing.
On the other hand, it can be argued that the back of Igloo will rarely be touched. An administrator could configure the general settings, and then join the rest of the company in enjoying the front-facing features. The more technical stuff will only need to be set up once, and can then be forgotten.
Although this may be true, I still feel the need to point out the lack of fluidity when it comes to the administrative experience. It’s something Igloo should see to.
Other than that, Igloo should think about implementing some templates and simple design options to give users more room to brand and personalise.
When it comes to the everyday Intranet features though, Igloo impressed me. There’s certainly nothing incomplete about this far more important side of the platform.
Each feature, from micro-blogging to file sharing, is very easy to get familiar with. Employees and team members will enjoy the easy going nature of Igloo, as well as the handy features it comes boxed with.
All in all, I’m a fan of the platform. It may be a little finicky behind the scenes, but I take nothing away from its speedy, sleek and feature-filled Intranet offering.

Igloo Review - Intranet Software for Everyone

Shopify - The global commerce platform

Build your business with Shopify to sell online, offline, and everywhere in between.

The global commerce platform

#ffffff

No matter what hemisphere you’re in, one of the main driving forces behind business is competition. 
 When the competition gets neck-and-neck, businesses look for whatever advantage they can find; and that’s exactly what’s happening in Latin America as a result of the strong and steady GDP growth. More and more companies want – and need – that competitive edge, and they’re finding it in ECM (Enterprise Content Management).
Surprisingly, a large amount of Latin American companies are still harboring outdated idea of what exactly ECM is. For them, it is the same as the EDM (Electronic Document Management) systems of the early 80s – nothing more than a digital filing cabinet.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bigstock-ecm-diagram-21025610.jpg" />
<h2>Out With the Old</h2>
Some of these businesses still even do their internal management on paper. But many of these companies are abandoning these old-fashioned ideas when they see their competition take the lead by implementing a state-of-the-art ECM system.
 Not surprisingly, the leaders of this revolution are the countries with major and more mature markets. Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia – the usual suspects – are experiencing the most rapid integration of ECM, in some cases in the same field (or even surpassing) the economic powerhouses of other continents. 
 On its own, Brazil spent over $68 million on ECM solutions in 2013. By 2018, that amount is expected to nearly triple (estimates suggest $165 million).
It all started with big data analytics, which shone a light on the need to integrate all the information within their companies. In this difficult transition period, we see a trend of companies implementing ECM in some departments but not others, failing to achieve that total, company-wide integration for which ECM works best. But even this partial integration is being abandoned for the convenience of full-scale ECM.
<h2>Coming of Age</h2>
As a result, the companies that successfully use ECM have less paperwork, less redundancies, and more collaborative environments than to easier methods of file-sharing. We see them enjoying the benefits of organization and using their time more efficiently.
In general, Latin America is going through a phase of developing their digitization and IT infrastructure. 
Cloud computing is on the rise, as are implementations of CMS. The popularization of big data analytics, which spurred the movement towards ECM, is further evidence of Latin America’s “coming of age”.  
 These growing global economies are now adopting the techniques and tools that will allow them to compete with the rest of the world – which will no doubt be good for business!

Latin America Begins Looking Towards ECM

<a href="https://www.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Weebly</a> has introduced a brand new Blogging URL Structure, designed to improve your Weebly blog’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and user experience.
As one of the world's most popular website builders, Weebly offers a very user-friendly interface, hosting millions upon millions of websites.
In fact, more than 140M unique visitors are now going to over 20M Weebly sites every month. Weebly's integrated ecommerce and blogging features also make it a very solid option.
With this update, all of Weebly's blog post URLs now follow the following format:
Sitename/blog-name/post-name. 
<h2>A Much Needed SEO Boost</h2>
This new blog URL structure gives Weebly users something that many will have been waiting for – an SEO boost for their Weebly blog posts.
This new URL structure is far more friendly to search engines than the previous structure. Here's an example to highlight the differences:
Old URL Structure:  <a href="http://www.thewhiskeyball.com/1/post/2014/04/the-smoke-slinger.html" target="_blank"> http://www.thewhiskeyball.com/1/post/2014/04/the-smoke-slinger.html </a> 
New URL Structure:  <a href="http://www.thewhiskeyball.com/blog/the-smoke-slinger" target="_blank"> http://www.thewhiskeyball.com/blog/the-smoke-slinger </a>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/442857_orig.png" alt="Weebly Blogging URL Structure" />
Old Weebly blog post URLs will now automatically update to the new structure with an SEO-friendly redirect.
If you change the name of your blog in the future, the previous URLs will also update and automatically redirect, preserving your SEO and any linking or social sharing from previous blog visitors.
For more information on Weebly's new blog post URL structure, <a href="http://blog.weebly.com/post/enjoy-better-seo-with-the-new-blogging-url-structure" target="_blank"> 
</a>
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/weebly/" target="_blank">Weebly via our CMS Directory</a>.

Weebly Rolls Out New Blogging URL Structure

<a href="https://plus.google.com/101942254766672606204/about" target="_blank"><img alt=" Google+ Profile Cover" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot024-620x329.png" /></a> click to view profile
If you have logged into Google+ recently and found your profile page has changed you are not alone. Google+ has just released a new way of managing your profile content on Google+ and since it is one of the most vital profiles you need you ought to get the most out of it. In the process of updating my information I realised that, although Google is not traditionally thought of as a content management system, really it is. I believe you should use your Google+ profile in much the same way you would use LinkedIn and the new features allow you to do this in even more detail. It should act as a professional overview of your abilities and online presence. Google+ is a great way to expand and manage your network, not just based on who you know, but it helps you easily find people and companies who match your interests. All you have to do is search. So if you want to sell yourself online and be noticed you need to make the most out of the latest Google+ profile update.
<h2>New Look</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot027-620x128.png" alt="Google+ Profile Cover Prompt" /> click to enlarge image
The very first thing you are asked when you go to your Google+ profile is to change your cover picture. I recommend changing this to one image that resonates with you and also matches your professional image. If you are a photographer pick one of your photos that you love. Every time you take another photograph you want to showcase then use it as your cover, collecting your best work overtime into your scrapbook.
If you're not a photographer or artist a good tip is to go through your photo albums on Google+, especially the “Photos from Posts” album, and just browse until you find an image that stands out. It is good etiquette to credit the original artist/photographer, after you set your cover, by going into your Photos &gt; Albums &gt; Scrapbook Photos. Then click on the photo you are using for your cover and add a caption with the image credit, edit the photo itself or tag people in. If you don't know the credit you can do a Google search on the image (click the camera next to the search box) and try and find it. This builds a good first impression with others on Google+ that can only benefit your network in the long run.
The cover you pick should also work in miniaturised form, because when you hover over someone's icon in your Google+ stream your cover image will now encompass your profile avatar. If you have any issues with the cover crop or scale then you can find <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/101942254766672606204/posts/UWPMCv5BKie" target="_blank">a work around here</a>. You should also check your avatar and make sure the image works in the circler space it has been given in your cover, since this used to be a rectangular image. When you scroll down your Google+ profile page the very bottom part of your cover, where your avatar is, will stay frozen at the top of the screen. Therefore make sure that your cover is not an image that looks odd cut off in this fashion.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot025-620x328.png" alt="Google+ Profile Mini" /> click to enlarge image
<h2>Profile Features</h2>
The various sub-sections of the Google+ profile have been altered as well. Instead of an ‘about' page you now have a ‘story'. I would recommend reviewing whatever content you currently have in your profile and updating it to keep it fresh. It is very easy to let profile information get out of date with all the different kinds of web accounts we have in this day and age, but Google+ is one of the places where you need to keep it current. Often it is the first place people will go to decide if you are worth circling and interacting with.
If you haven't added your story before I would use the “Tagline” to give a one sentence description of who you are and what you do. The “Information” field can be used as a space to do an application letter highlighting your personal qualities, interests and skills. “Bragging rights” are your achievements and what makes you stand out from the crowd.
The work section of your Google+ profile has been extended so you can now add descriptions of your job, responsibilities and achievements. This is also true for the education section as well. There is also a ‘skills' field under the employment section where you can list all the relevant keywords that people would use to search for someone with your talents. Basic information, contact details, links and places act in much the same way they used to, just using the new style.
There is also a new section called ‘<a href="https://support.google.com/plus/?hl=en&amp;p=plus_sign_in" target="_blank">apps</a>‘ that allows you to connect your profile to third party services with your Google+ account. Just as you might use your twitter account to sign into the app <a href="http://www.Twuffer.com" target="_blank">twuffer</a> to schedule your tweets, you can now use your Google+ account in the same way to connect to games, websites and mobile apps. Google also provides you with the option of viewing your profile as yourself or as the public would see it, so you can check if your permissions are right.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot026-620x315.png" alt=" Google+ Profile Mini" /> click to enlarge image
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Your Google+ profile is an incredibly important part of your web presence, so the content you share there should reflect you in the best possible light. Trip Chowdhry, the Managing Director of Equity Research at Global Equities Research said in an article at <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/12/05/2546884/linkedin-vs-google" target="_blank">Benzinga </a>“if you look to the long-term, I think Google+ would be a very serious challenger to LinkedIn… I think Google+ will start challenging LinkedIn, not immediately, but probably 12 months to 18 months from now” and that was in May 2012. With the recent changes in the Google+ profile I can really see how this could be so, considering all the other services Google can integrate such as Google Authorship. So get ahead of the curve and start <a href="http://plus.google.com" target="_blank">pimping your profile</a> now.
<a href="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/TECH/social.media/07/15/google.plus.male.mashable/t1larg.jpg"><img title="+You Google+ Profile" alt="+You Google+ Profile" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/_you-620x348.jpg" /></a> click to enlarge image

How To Take Advantage Of The Latest Google+ Profile Update - March 2013

niam-brown

Many organisations invest heavily into their CRM software and they expect a return on that investment. However, this can take some time to achieve – especially if your employees aren’t completely on board with the new process.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image.jpg" />
If you want to see positive results from your company's CRM, then you have to ensure that it’s being properly utilized. After working with and researching numerous CRMs over the years, I’ve identified these 10 ways for your business to make the most of your CRM.
<h2>1. Make Life Easier For Your Employees</h2>
This starts before you even purchase your CRM. You have to involve your teams in the process from Day 1.
Find out what they need from a CRM and how it can make their jobs easier. No-one wants to take on the hassle of something ‘new’ when they’re already managing a hectic workload, so unless you actually show them the value of the product – they’ll be slow to adapt.
By consulting with them first and identifying their needs, your team will be much more invested in the onboarding process from the get-go.
<h2>2. Provide Sufficient Training</h2>
Following on from the point above, it’s important to have proper training in place for employees when transitioning to a new CRM.
A 10 minute lunch-time session isn’t going to cut it – you really need to invest adequate time and preparation into training so that your teams can hit the ground running.
Otherwise, your employees will have no qualms about reverting back to their own spreadsheet systems, and you’ll find yourself forking out for a CRM every month that no-one is actually using properly.
<h2>3. Start Off Slowly</h2>
It’s usually best of implement the changes slowly so that everyone has time to catch up and get on board.
A useful way to get started is by getting your sales team to start entering in all of their contacts; they can then start tracking those prospects and generating reports in a step by step process.
Once they start adding in new elements like this on a daily basis, it’ll feel less like a chore and start to become a part of their routine.
<h2>4. Involve Everyone – Not Just Your Sales Team</h2>
A lot of companies look at a CRM as a sales automation system and they forget to include other departments in the process of onboarding. It’s important to integrate your CRM with other platforms – such as your service desk – to properly manage your customer accounts.
For example, how is a customer service rep going to answer a query sufficiently if they don’t have up-to-date details on the customer’s recent interactions with the sales team?
<h2>5. Be Consistent</h2>
It’s important to have protocols in place so that your data is consistent across all channels.
For example, in what format will names and address be entered? It can be tough to get your salespeople to type in all of the required data when they’re closing a sale, so you should have a system in place that makes it easy for them to do so.
Once you’ve done this ahead of time, it will streamline your data process so that it becomes far more efficient and effective. It’s also important to have regular data ‘hygiene’ checks to ensure that all of the contact details are correct.
<h2>6. Get Social</h2>
Most CRMs will offer social media integration and it’s essential to getting the most out of your CRM software.
By integrating customer accounts with their social media profiles, you can keep track of where they post frequently and reach out to them online.
It’s also a good idea to start using a social media listening tool such as <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttp://www.socialmention.com/%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;usg%3DAFQjCNE71aFS_ahyRDutb7jUESZ2OChrhg&amp;sa=D&amp;ust=1450260398238000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH-UH_U16wZDglqJnhBAH9uAJC4FA">Social Mention</a>, to keep an eye out for brand mentions and react to conversations in real-time.
<h2>7. Don’t Forget About Marketing</h2>
Your CRM is a hive of customer data and this data should become an integral part of your marketing efforts, but many companies forget to actually utilize it.
Some CRMs will even allow you to automate your marketing campaigns/mailshots directly from the CRM system itself.
<h2>8. Be Mobile Friendly</h2>
A mobile friendly CRM is essential when you have reps out on the road. Your sales team need to be able to keep track of leads, opportunities, and proposals – from anywhere and at any time.
Once you have a CRM in place that can be easily accessed from any device, you’ll see a definite improvement in the effectiveness of your software.
<h2>9. Think Before You Migrate</h2>
If you’re switching CRM systems, then you have to put a streamlined process in place for transferring your data – or you’re in for a hell of a ride.
Make sure that your data can be migrated in an easy to use format, whether it’s via the standard ‘import and export via excel’ route or with the assistance of a CRM data migration tool.
<h2>10. Ask For Feedback</h2>
It’s important keep up to date with how your employees are adjusting to the new system, as it will allow you to identify and resolve any issues before they escalate.
An online survey can be a good way of keeping on top of this, or you can just keep discuss it in your monthly meetings.
<h2>Stay Ahead Of The Game</h2>
Ultimately, the best way to make the most of your CRM is to constantly stay ahead of the game.
This means keeping tabs on any issues that crop up and addressing them ASAP before the have time to fester. And by ‘fester’, I mean before they have time to irk your employees so much that they get fed up with the CRM and jump ship.
Every CRM system is different and each business will have specific needs, but your employees really are the people who are best equipped to tell you whether your chosen software is actually useful – so listen to them and you won’t go far wrong.

10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your CRM

grainne-logue

<a href="https://www.episerver.com/customer-hub/ektron" target="_blank">Ektron</a> has been enjoying the 2010s so far, as the past few years have been kind to this software company from Nashua, New Hampshire.
Founded in 1998, they got their start a browser-based HTML editor (eWebEditPro), but a few years later abandoned this format for the Microsoft .NET platform. This suited them better and they stayed with it up to today, which is fortunate because in the last few years they began to get some serious recognition.
In 2011, Gartner’s Magic Quadrant listed Ektron and its Web CMS as one of the WCM industry leaders, competing head-to-head with the likes of Adobe, Oracle, HP, and SDL. That same year they landed on EContent Magazine’s Top 100 Companies that Matter Most (no ranks, just a list).
<a href="http://www.ektron.com/" target="_blank"><img style="max-width:400px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ektron_logo_400x0.png" alt="Ektron CMS" /></a> 
The next year they were again listed as an industry leader by Gartner’s Magic Quadrant – not as a newcomer this time, but as a returning champion. Today, they proudly boast being the platform of choice for more than 3,800 companies worldwide.
<h2>Ektron Web CMS Features &amp; Future</h2>
At the front of the charge is the Ektron Web CMS, which released Version 9.0 last year. Ektron targets the enterprise-level heavily – almost exclusively – which leads to complaints that they are neglecting their mid-sized customer base.
The system also features a distinct multilingual functionality and site wireframes to retain global brand consistency, key traits for their strategy of expanding and sustaining dominance in the global market. Consider these two together, and you see that Ektron has no shortage of ambition.
The Ektron Web CMS includes what they call alternately “the world’s best” and “the world’s easiest-to-use” content editor. Their editor gives users the option of authoring in WYSIWYG environment and allows them to use Ektron Smart Forms for content creation.
In this visually-focused editor, website creators and editors can drag and drop images straight into content, compose pages more easily with a convenient interface, and easily manage lists, content, forms, and multimedia. This browser-based editor also updates directly on your site, reducing the time-to-web, and integrates third-party widgets (Twitter, Salesforce, etc.), which reduces time in general.
For mobile capabilities, its Responsive Web Design gives users’ sites an adaptive quality that lets them consolidate content across all their channels, namely smartphones and tablets. The media manager utilizes a built-in WURFL Device Description Repository that detects the device, screen size, and capacity before automatically adapting, resizing, and/or swapping images.
Extras include improved SEO, geolocation targeting, and optimum performance for videos using the Brightcove Video Cloud. It seems this CMS does well in preventing clunky, awkward, and flat-out broken mobile versions.
And then there are the enterprise-specific features, the ones that made the company a success. For starters, the multilingual services are top-notch, offering consistent translations, XLIFF support, and language solutions from partners such as Lionbridge and Globalization Partners Limited. With Ektron Search, site visitors find what they need more effectively (regardless of site size) using faceted searches and metadata-driven navigation.
<h2>The Bottom Line</h2>
Specialized for enterprise and international sites, Ektron Web CMS is not for every company, but like a tailored suit, if it happens to fit you, there’s nothing better.
Try the <a href="https://www.episerver.com/customer-hub/ektron">demo</a> to see how Ektron Web CMS fits you.

A Look at the Ambitious Future of Ektron Web CMS

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