Articles - Page 112

Bland Brands Beware: Optimizely’s New Identity Brings Human Creativity to its Agentic AI and AEO Ambitions

matt-garrepy

Despite <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a>‘s ever-changing algorithms, it can still provide an excellent means for businesses to build a community around their brand. Whether you want to increase your Facebook likes or drive more traffic back to your site – using Facebook contest apps will do wonders for your inbound marketing efforts, and it’s also a great way to engage with your online community.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/facebook-793048_1280550x0-is.jpg" />According to the revised Facebook rules, you can now run a contest on your Timeline or via a Facebook app, but there are also a few third party apps that can make the process much easier for both you and your customers.Of course, finding the right app takes a bit of time and research; both of which are pretty scarce when you’re running a business. So, I’ve narrowed it down the search for you.Here’s my list of 7 Platforms To Supercharge Your Campaigns.<h2>1. WishPond</h2>Wishpond has a ‘keep it simple, stupid’ mantra that makes the app extremely user-friendly. Creating a campaign is simple and there are a number of contest types available. Wishpond also provides users with a range of well-designed templates to choose from. If you are looking to run a Facebook contest, this is one of the best apps there is.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-08_at_21_47_08.png" />The reporting function is really Wishpond’s strong point, with a number of key filters and segmenting options available.New users can avail of a 14-day free trial, and packages start at $19 per month after that. The packages are scaled according to the features needed, and users can unlock extra features by moving up to the next tier. For more on Wishpond, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wishpond.com/">click here</a><h2>2. Heyo Free Contest Builder</h2>Heyo is a drag-and-drop platform that makes it simple to launch your new Facebook application and drive traffic, sales, or leads. Heyo is aimed at entrepreneurs and SMB’s, and includes a variety of templates such as contests, deals, and promos.This app really encourages creativity and there are fully editable templates available to suit your brand, with no coding skills required.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-08_at_19_23_29.png" />This is a simple and intuitive platform that’s really geared towards businesses who want to get a Facebook contest set up quickly with zero hassle. That said, it still has an extensive offering.There are over 30 widgets available, which you can drag or resize to your specific requirements; every contest you run is mobile optimized (so that you look good from every angle), and you receive a free Smart URL for your marketing campaign.Sounds like a pretty good deal, right?The pricing setup is simple and users can avail of a 7-day free trial to get started. After this, you can move on to the Business plan for $25 per month or get in touch with Heyo for a quote on their Agency package. For more on <a target="_blank" href="http://heyo.com/">Heyo</a>, just click here.<h2>3. ShortStack</h2>ShortStack makes it simple for users to create Facebook contests, landing pages, campaigns and apps. This app allows businesses to create custom tabs and contests on their fan pages, and users can also add videos/pictures to their contests or promotions.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-08_at_19_41_57.png" />There’s a bit of a learning curve in comparison to other apps such as Heyo, but the platform is easy to navigate once you get the hang of it.The free plan includes unlimited campaigns, 5,000 campaign visits per 30 days, promotions, share functionality, and a Facebook fan allowance of 25,000. So it’s a pretty great option for small businesses.Paid plans start at $29 per month, and scale up to the ‘All you Can Eat’ $499 per month – so you can move up a gear as your business grows. These fees are also reduced if you choose to pay annually. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.shortstack.com/">Click here</a> to learn more about Shortstack.<h2>4. AgoraPulse</h2>AgoraPulse offers an all in one package when it comes to managing your Facebook page, and it allows users to easily create mobile-optimized apps and measure their results in-depth.It’s easy to use, and businesses can use the Facebook Contest App to create a Facebook contest in minutes.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-08_at_20_03_08.png" />However, this is really more than just a contest app, with a great CRM and analytics suite also available – so it may appeal more to users looking to tick all boxes.AgoraPulse provides packages that will suit every business size, and paid plans start at $19 per month for up to 6,000 fans. To learn more about AgoraPulse, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.agorapulse.com/">click here</a>.<h2>5. Easypromos</h2>Easypromos makes the world of Facebook Contests very accessible to users, with prices starting at free for your first promotion and $15 per promotion after that – for fan pages of up to 5,000.The options available on the free trial include photo contests, sweepstakes, and text contests.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-08_at_20_24_11.png" />Businesses can also avail of subscription packages which kick off at $29 per month for the basic level, and users who sign up for a year can avail of a 2 month price saving. For more on Easypromos, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.easypromosapp.com/">click here</a>.<h2>6.PageModo</h2>PageModo provides a solid Facebook promotions tool with a range of widgets and features, and it won’t break the bank either. There are several theme options available, so you should have no problem with finding the perfect fit for your company (or as close as you can get, when it’s predesigned for you).<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-08_at_21_49_14.png" />The free plan allows for one page and one tab, but if you’re planning on collecting analytics data from your content then you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.PageModo's basic paid plan normally costs $6.25 per month but there’s a 48-hour sale on as I write this post, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the site in case it pops up again. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pagemodo.com/">Click here</a> for more on PageModo.<h2>7. Woobox</h2>Woobox is a popular Facebook contest app that’s mobile optimized and priced pretty competitively too. There are a number of premade templates available, but this app isn’t as easy to work with as the others I've mentioned.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-08_at_21_50_34.png" />Woobox offers a downloadable list of entrants to both paid and free users, and the contest forms are completely customizable also, which means that you can get the exact information that you need for your lead generation.Users can try Woobox out for free or opt for a paid plan starting at $30 per month. Prices and packages vary according to whether you opt for a monthly or annual payment, so it’s worth checking out in detail. <a target="_blank" href="https://woobox.com/">Click here</a> to visit the Woobox site.<h2>Make It Happen</h2>If you’ve been thinking about running a Facebook contest, but haven't had the time to do the research – now is the time to make it happen! Any of these apps will get the ball rolling for you, so all you have to do is pick your favorite and get started.Have you tried out any of these apps? Or maybe you have a preferred Facebook contest app that I haven't mentioned? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

Facebook Contest Apps: 7 Platforms To Supercharge Your campaigns

grainne-logue

<a href="/products/motocms">MotoCMS</a> is a popular website builder that’s been around since 2009. The site takes a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) approach to website building, and allows users to design, edit, and publish their own website.The WYSIWYG setup means that this process should be pretty simple and intuitive.The software is updated on a regular basis and is designed to appeal to beginners and professionals alike. But does it?I decided to check it out for myself. Read on for my MotoCMS review.<h2>Getting Started</h2>They don’t make this easy. To get setup with MotoCMS, you have to go on a bit of a field trip. Here’s how the process went down:First, you click on the button to get started. This will take you to a screen where you select your chosen industry design.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-05_at_12_40_29636x0-is.png" />After you’ve done this, you can select a template.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-05_at_12_40_53725x0-is.png" />Then, a box pops up to insert your email address and your name.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-05_at_13_46_53490x0-is.png" />And when you’ve done all of this, you receive an email confirmation. Once you click on that, you’re all set.It all felt a bit time-consuming for my liking and it tainted my first impression of the site. There’s an optimal phone verification feature built into this process also, but I felt it just got in the way at this early stage – especially since it doesn’t replace mail verification.Whilst the setup is generally pretty simple, I’ve reviewed a few of these sites now and I’ve come to expect a speedier signup process.<h2>Usability</h2>Once you get to the main site, users are greeted by a ‘Welcome To The Future’ slogan with the MotoCMS logo presented on a plain background. This is bordered by the admin panel, and the overall look is pretty sleek and sophisticated.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-05_at_12_47_14902x0-is.png" />The admin panel utilizes the WYSIWYG system and drag-and-drop functionality, which means that you can see each change as it's implemented. This is especially useful for novice users.A number of step-by-step tutorials are available via popups and this makes the process pretty easy to navigate – especially when it comes to adding pages.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-05_at_14_12_41710x0-is.png" />To add a new page to the site, you simply click on ‘add page’ and a popup will come up asking for the page name and URL. You can then edit the page properties using the options in the right-hand column, such as assigning a URL name and assigning parent pages.If you head over to the ‘Design’ section, you can also edit page specific options such as hiding certain page sections – e.g. the header and footer. By clicking on the viewing tool, you can preview the page to see the exact results.I found the editor to be perfectly fine – the interface was quite quick and lag-free on all the contemporary browser platforms. The UI seemed to lag on the older versions of Firefox, which might be a concern to potential clients on older machines.<h2>Design</h2><h3>Responsiveness</h3>MotoCMS have made great efforts to make their templates as responsive as possible and there are a wide variety of mobile screens to test your designs on. The platform also allows users to hand edit certain elements of the templates. This is a pretty useful feature, as some of the native content can look a little disjointed.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-06_at_22_54_05.png" />This screenshot is a random example. As you can see, the picture box is slightly misaligned. Whilst this won't be a massive issue for everyone, it may irritate the design perfectionists out there.<h3>Templates</h3>MotoCMS offer a wide range of premade templates in various styles and tones. There’s enough variety to meet the design requirements of most businesses, and the templates are arranged by industry type to ensure an easy selection process.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-06_at_22_57_59476x0-is.png" />However, as I mentioned earlier, some of this design excellence is lost in the transition to mobile.<h2>Features</h2><h3>Social Media</h3>MotoCMS have a social media widget that is quite easy to use and allows you to integrate <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/?lang=en">Twitter</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a>. It does this quite well, but it would be great to see a few more integration options available.<h3>Extras</h3>In MotoCMS, each template has an option for a few extra paid plug-ins like an SEO Audit and in-Depth Preloader Customization. These vary according to template.MotoCMS do have some basic features like Google Analytics available for free, but that’s a bare minimum for most CMS these days.<h3>Widgets</h3>A wide range of useful and functional widgets are available as drag-and-drop items on the page editor. This selection includes galleries/portfolios, contact forms, text boxes, videos, and google maps.The eCommerce widget is a premium extra and it’s quite expensive (up to $159), but there’s no other option if you want eCommerce functionality on your MotoCMS site.<h3>Blogging</h3>Only some of MotoCMS’s templates feature a blogging section, which will create a bit of a roadblock for many potential users. They have a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.motocms.com/blog/en/motocms-templates-with-blog-functionality/">few</a> templates with blogging options as standard, but the selection is extremely limited.<h3>Pricing</h3>MotoCMS offers a 14 day free trial period. After this, you're provided with a range of price options that are arranged in pack sizes. This applies to your own drag-and-drop creations.Their basic price option includes a MotoCMS 3 website template for $199 and a HTML template for $139. There are optional extras available such website installation, an eCommerce plugin, an Advanced eCommerce plugin, or a ready-made website.All of their plans and templates come with 24/7 customer support which doesn't discriminate by price. The pricing is very straightforward and transparent.<h2>Pros:</h2>The full hosting package gives users a comprehensive website including hosting.The site has a nice range of contemporary templates that are perfectly suited to their ‘genre’.The WYSIWYG interface is straightforward enough.Sleek UI and UX design means that navigating is a breeze.<h2>Cons:</h2>The interface is a little clogged with sales pitches, offers of customer support help and calls to action. Distracts a little from the experience.Signup feature is a little clunky and time consuming. Too much market research crammed in.The responsive versions of the main templates look very disjointed.Only some templates have blogging features as standard.<h2>Conclusion</h2>MotoCMS is a decent CMS option for small businesses. It’s a bit lacking in the features department, and the page editor is just about average, but it does provide good value and excellent hosting capabilities.The template selection is decent and their template + hosting package is definitely good value.The problem with MotoCMS is that it isn’t really the obvious choice for either the beginner or the professional. It sits on the fence a bit in this regard.The design professional may not be overly impressed with the features available, and the less experienced site builder may find it a little too complex. Not a massive issue, but it’s worth noting.Overall, MotoCMS provide a decent service at a reasonable price, and you can mix and match the plugins as you need. The lack of a blogging platforms available will be an issue for some, but this is still a site builder that’s worth checking out.For more information, visit the MotoCMS site <a href="/products/motocms">here.</a>Have you used MotoCMS or are you interested in trying it out? We'd love to hear from you in the comments section below.

MotoCMS Review 2016

Joomla is a popular open-source content management system used on millions of different websites. It has hundreds of great features built into its core system, and many more that can be installed using a convenient plugin system. Webmasters who use Joomla need to become familiar with the various features so that they can build the best website possible. One of the most powerful features (which is often overlooked or under used by site owners) are the access control lists (ACL). Access control lists give the site owner the ability to decide who can do what on the site. Learning about this great feature is essential for anyone using, or considering, Joomla as their CMS.
<h3>What is the Joomla ACL?</h3>
Joomla’s ACLs allow an administrator of a website to create and control various different roles. Users of the site, as well as visitors, can then be assigned to specific roles according to their roles or activities. The ACLs are broken up into two separate sections. The first are the user viewing access levels, which are for visitors to the site. The second is for user action permissions, which is for administrators, content contributors, moderators, and others who will need to perform actions on the site itself.
<h3>User Viewing ACL</h3>
The user viewing ACL will allow you to set up groups with different permissions based on a variety of factors. The most common way to use this system is to have one group that is for users who are visiting the site as a guest, and another group for those who have registered with the site. It is also possible to create child groups under each parent group to further control who has access to what. For example, a popular type of child group would be for users who have not only registered for the site, but also made a purchase. These users may need access to pages such as a return policy, a dedicated customer service area, or a billing page.
When creating any parent group, it is important to remember that all the child groups under it will inherit the same permissions. So, the highest level parent group should be given the most restrictive permissions, and additional permissions are added in child groups as they are needed.
<h3>User Action ACL</h3>
The action permission system works in much the same way as the viewing ACL system. The difference is only in regard to what type of permissions will be granted. The permission options for actions are broken up into several levels, which include global configuration level, component level, and article level. These apply as follows:
<ul>
<li>Global Configuration Level – This level will grant all users who will have any type of action permissions the basic controls they need. This will include things like allowing the user to log onto the site, into the administrator page, offline access, and more.</li>
<li>Component Level – Under the component level users can be assigned permissions to edit specific components of the site. This could include banners, contacts, languages, plugins, and more.</li>
<li>Article Level – This is the level where users are given permissions to create, edit, and publish articles on the site.  It can also be used to provide access only to specific articles, or to articles that this user published.</li>
</ul>
An example of how the permissions setting look in Joomla can be seen in the image below. This image is showing some of the options available for global configuration:
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image-13.png" alt="Permissions setting in Joomla" /></figure>
This ACL system allows the administrator to allow moderators, writers, and others to have the ability to access the portions of the site that they need, while still restricting them from areas that they shouldn’t control. Setting up access control lists properly from the beginning will make the management of a Joomla site in the future. There will be no need to adjust permissions on a case by case basis, and the users will only have access to that which they really need.
<h3>Joomla ACL Addons</h3>
The access control list system included with core Joomla is powerful and will allow an administrator to precisely grant and restrict just about any permissions they desire. While this will be more than sufficient for most site owners, there are additional options available through Joomla addons. These third-party addons provide additional functionality or adjust the user interface for ACLs, which some people may like. Whether addons are used or not, the Joomla access control lists are an essential part of running any site.

Introduction to Joomla Access Control Lists

michael-levanduski

If you’re a digital marketing professional, you’re probably familiar with the <a href="https://chiefmartec.com/2020/04/marketing-technology-landscape-2020-martech-5000/">Martech 5000 “Supergraphic”</a> that’s published annually by Chiefmartec.com. It depicts the complete landscape of marketing technologies across a range of categories such advertising, content management, eCommerce, and more – all with tiny, painstakingly positioned logos.
Now, if you haven’t seen this graphic before, consider yourself warned: you’ll never look at digital marketing technologies the same way again.
The 2020 edition of this mindboggling compilation was released a short while ago, and while the persistence of COVID-19 has consumed every facet of the daily news cycle, it’s worth a hard look. Why?  Because once again, the field of technologies has ballooned at an unimaginable pace.
According to Martech Conference Chair Scott Brinker (the “Chief Martec” and creator of the graphic), the entire landscape grew by 13.6% to a total of 8,000 tools. In addition, 1 in 5 of the solutions were new to the diagram since last year, which is nearly the equivalent of the entire 2015 Martech landscape.
Perhaps the most compelling metric? Since 2011, the landscape has swelled by a remarkable 5,233%.
Brinker also reported that the churn rate – which might include a technology being acquired, sunset, or going out of business – was 8.7%. 615 tools were removed since last year’s 7,040 count, but even with that, the growth of net new tools was 24.5% with 1,575 new tools added.
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/martech-landscape-2020-martech5000-slide.jpg" srcset="/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w600/2020/06/martech-landscape-2020-martech5000-slide.jpg 600w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w1000/2020/06/martech-landscape-2020-martech5000-slide.jpg 1000w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w1600/2020/06/martech-landscape-2020-martech5000-slide.jpg 1600w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w2400/2020/06/martech-landscape-2020-martech5000-slide.jpg 2400w" /></figure>
What’s New in the 2020 Martech 5000 Supergraphic
Let’s start with the obvious: for the first time, the graphic looks like a piece of abstract art. Or maybe even a map of the Kingdoms of Westeros.
Regardless of your interpretation, this new design is a marked departure from the previously structured compositions, which accentuates the organic nature of the ecosystem. It also reflects how fluid and amorphous the industry has become, and how the shape is constantly shifting.
The concept of a map is perhaps the best metaphor, with the technology logos being organized compactly into six “continents” with a number of sub-categories as “countries.” These include:
<ul>
<li>Advertising &amp; Promotion: SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and Social Media Advertising</li>
<li>Commerce &amp; Sales: Sales Automation, Customer Support, and CRM (Customer Relationship Management)</li>
<li>Content &amp; Experience: CMS (Content Management Systems), SEO, and Marketing Automation</li>
<li>Data: Data Analytics and Web Analytics</li>
<li>Management: Project Management Software and Communication Software</li>
<li>Social &amp; Relationships: Social Media Management</li>
</ul>
The other big change is where the growth is happening across these categories. Below is how much each has grown since last year:
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/martech-category-growth.jpg" srcset="/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w600/2020/06/martech-category-growth.jpg 600w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w1000/2020/06/martech-category-growth.jpg 1000w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/2020/06/martech-category-growth.jpg 1600w" /></figure>
While stalwarts like Advertising and Promotion appreciated modest gains, Data lead the way with double-digit growth. Specific areas such as Data Governance and Privacy, Video Marketing, Conversational Marketing and Chat, and Project and Workflow management saw the highest percentages of change, signaling that companies with mature stacks are now focused on harnessing their data assets and optimizing their investments.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Martech
Brinker’s 2020 research was collected before most of the world had ever heard the word “coronavirus.” The Supergraphic was published in the thick of the COVID-19 lockdowns – and while many areas of the world have reopened, resurgences in places like the U.S. continue to stir uncertainty in the markets.
In his article supporting the 2020 Supergraphic, Brinker taps his crystal ball, forecasting that the marketing technology industry will remain strong despite the effects of COVID-19. While he believes there will be short-term damage, the long-term outlook is positive.
While the future is always a little foggy, the pandemic has further obscured the prospects for the Martech landscape. First and foremost, companies may be more risk-adverse, pushing off digital transformation projects to meet budget cuts. Additionally, venture capital investment may be more difficult to secure, putting more pressure on startups.
On the bright side, this challenge has forced brands and organizations to pivot their operations to digital. Consider <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/23/21232401/zoom-300-million-users-growth-coronavirus-pandemic-security-privacy-concerns-response">Zoom’s jump from 10 million daily users to over 300 million</a> since the beginning of the lockdown; this ripple effect was felt across many categories as a direct result of the crisis. As companies continue to embrace digital operations – from collaboration to eCommerce to service – Martech may continue to experience broad growth.
An Interactive Martech 5000 Database
Including 8,000 logos inside a graphic is not an easy task. And if you’re trying to decipher the various players from a printed page, you might need a magnifying glass.
The good news is the Martech 5000 Supergraphic also comes in the form of an interactive database, making it easier to browse the companies along with their domain names, year founded, headquarter location, and even their Linkedin and Twitter handles if available.
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/martech5000-database.png" srcset="/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w600/2020/06/martech5000-database.png 600w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w1000/2020/06/martech5000-database.png 1000w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/2020/06/martech5000-database.png 1209w" /></figure>
You can sign up to see the database <a href="https://martech5000.com/about">here</a>. To read the Chiefmartec article and download the Supergraphic in all of its glory, <a href="https://chiefmartec.com/2020/04/marketing-technology-landscape-2020-martech-5000/">click here.</a>
About Chiefmartec.com
<a href="https://chiefmartec.com/">Chiefmartec.com</a> is a leading online authority for marketing technology. Started in 2008 by Scott Brinker, the blog offers deep insights on strategy, management, and culture – as well as articles and interviews with Martech leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Scott also serves as VP platform ecosystem at Hubspot.

Marketing Technology Landscape Grows 13.6% in 2020, Supergraphic Now Features 8,000 Tools

paris-tuzun

Check out our more expansive <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/list-of-social-network-software/">List of Social Networking Software</a> in our Product Directories/Software Lists.
So you want to start a Social Network do you? Fear not, there are tons of way to do so, from software you can download to online solutions that are both free / require a fee. There's definitely more than one way to make it happen. Check out our list of Social Network Software below for some great options.
What you'll find below is a mix of free and commercial solutions designed to make starting a social network as easy as can be. Some of these require customization and some offer great out of the box solutions that might fit your needs, either way, there's something for everyone.
<h2>Self Hosted Solutions</h2>
The solutions below are scripts or software packages that you can download to host on a web host such as <a href="https://www.hostgator.com/">Hostgator</a>.
<h2>1. BuddyPress</h2>
BuddyPress was conceived in 2008 while working to add social networking features to a WordPress MU powered site. The first official stable release was in May 2009. The platform has grown and morphed considerably since then, into the dynamic, easily extensible package you see today.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen.png" alt="BuddyPress" /> BuddyPress
Just like its parent project WordPress, BuddyPress is a completely open source endeavor. Everything from the core code, to the documentation, themes and plugin extensions are all built by the BuddyPress community. This means anyone can help the project by contributing their time and knowledge.
Cost: Free
More Info: See some sample sites that are running BuddyPress in their <a href="http://buddypress.org/showcase/">showcase</a> or give it a whirl on the <a href="http://testbp.org/">demo site</a>.
<h2>2. Elgg</h2>
Elgg is an award-winning open source social networking engine that provides a robust framework on which to build all kinds of social environments, from a campus wide social network for your university, school or college or an internal collaborative platform for your organization through to a brand-building communications tool for your company and its clients.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wordpress-vs-ghost1_tok7el.jpg" alt="Elgg" /> Elgg
Cost: Free
More Info: You can read our <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/elgg-review/">Elgg review</a> to get a more detailed look at the system, test it out on their <a href="http://community.elgg.org/">community site</a> or download it from <a href="http://elgg.org">Elgg.org</a>
<h2>3. Commons (formerly Drupal Commons)</h2>
Commons is a ready-to-use solution for building either internal or external communities. It provides a complete social business software solution for organizations.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wordpress-vs-ghost-editor_z5lcxv.jpg" alt="commons" /> commons
Commons helps organize content into topic (organic) groups with blog, discussion, document, wiki, and event content types. It also allows users to create (user) relationships with each other in order to follow each other's activities on a site. Authenticated users can view a personalized dashboard containing content from all their subscribed groups. Site owners can quickly and easily change the theme (powered by Fusion from Top Notch Themes) to incorporate their own branding. Plus many other features for community-building.
Cost: Free
More Info: You can test it out on the <a href="http://commons.acquia.com/">Commons demo site</a>, download it from the <a href="http://drupal.org/project/commons">project page</a>. There is also a commercially supported version of it available from <a href="http://acquia.com/products-services/acquia-commons-social-business-software">Acquia</a>.
<h2>4. SocialEngine</h2>
SocialEngine is a commercial product that has been designed for an advanced social network. Complete with a wealth of features and available plugins, it is a great option for those looking to start their own network without a high level of required customization.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/socialengine-580x478.png" alt="SocialEngine" />
SocialEngine
SocialEngine gives you a good-looking social network out of the box with minimal setup required, you simply customize from there.
Cost: $299
More Info: <a href="https://www.socialengine.com/">SocialEngine.net</a> or read our <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/socialengine-php-review/">SocialEngine Review</a>
<h2>5. JomSocial</h2>
JomSocial is an addon for Joomla that adds social network functionality.  You can easily enable social networking to collaborate with your community with features such as activity streams, flexible templating &amp; design, photo gallery, video support, organic groups, event management, social graph management, customize profile, private messaging, external social network integration and many more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia14_zkpv5t.jpg" alt="JomSocial" /> JomSocial
Cost: $99 – $499 (depending on license) 

More Info: <a href="http://www.jomsocial.com">JomSocial</a>
<h2>6. Ning</h2>
Ning competes with social sites like MySpace, Facebook and Bebo by appealing to people who want to create their own social networks around specific interests with their own visual design, choice of features and member data.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia13_sv9tsk.jpg" alt="Ning" /> Sample of a site running on Ning
The central feature of Ning is that anyone can create their own social network for a particular topic or need, catering to specific membership bases.
Cost: $2.95 – $59.95 / month
More Info: <a href="http://www.ning.com">Ning</a>
<h2>7. SocialGO</h2>
SocialGO is similar to Ning in that it offers you an opportunity to start your own hosted social network. It allows you to build your own social network with drag and drop tools. Some of the features include: personalized profiles, easy messaging, sub groups, event promotion, text and video chat, forums, blogging, photo &amp; video sharing, facebook integration and more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia13bw_q6ugl9.jpg" alt="SocialGO" /> SocialGO
Cost: Free – $149 / month depending on plan
More Info: SocialGO
<h2>8. Spruz</h2>
Spruz allows you to create your own website with full member and social features. With Spruz you can create your own social network, blog, business website, or a site about almost anything.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia16_oxxf4o.jpg" alt="spruz" /> Sample site running on Spruz
We have many features built into our website platform that makes it easy for you to create a website that is very robust. Add blogging, forums, discussions, galleries, calendars, and much more! And the best part you can create and use your website completely free!
Cost: Free to $49.95
More Info: <a href="http://www.spruz.com">Spruz</a>
<h2>9. PhpFox</h2>
PhpFox is a featured packed social networking solution. Our goal is to provide your community with features found on major social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace right out of the box. phpFox is built on a platform that gives you full control with your websites layout giving you the ability to easily create a unique look direct from the comfort of your Admin Control Panel.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia21_amyixd.jpg" alt="phpfox" /> PhpFox
Cost: $99
More Info: <a href="https://www.phpfox.com/">PhpFox</a>
<h2>10. Dolphin</h2>
Dolphin is an open-source, downloadable, scalable, customizable, full-featured, independent and free software package for building social networks, dating sites and niche communities. Dolphin is the only “all-in-one” bundle of PHP community scripts, Flash plugins, Adobe AIR and Mobile apps that provide full control, freedom and flexibility.
Cost: Free to $999 (depends on license)
More Info: <a href="http://www.boonex.com">Dolphin</a>
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a large number of options that should fit most needs. Do you know of one we haven't included in this list or have experiences with any of these (good or bad) that you'd like to share? Please do so in the comments below!

List of Social Network Software

mike-johnston

BuddyPress 1.2.9 has been released and includes fixes related to the new version of jQuery (1.6.1) that comes packaged with WordPress 3.2. These changes affect the javascript and ajax behaviors in the bp-default theme. You can read more about them on the WordPress development blog. If your BuddyPress site runs bp-default (or a child theme of it) you’ll need to update to BuddyPress 1.2.9 immediately after updating to WordPress 3.2.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen.png" alt="BuddyPress" />
Download BuddyPress 1.2.9 from <a href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddypress/">WordPress Extend</a> or <a href="http://buddypress.org/download/">BuddyPress.org</a>.

BuddyPress 1.2.9 available

Best Video Experience

Give your audience the best video experience

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As of January 14th, Microsoft has officially stopped supporting Windows 7. If you’re still using this operating system on your computer, there are some important things that you need to be aware of. The end of support may have a significant impact on both your day to day computer usage, and any activities related to running your website(s). This end of support is a normal part of the Microsoft planned life-cycle, which promises technical support for ten years for each operating system. Windows 7 was first released in October of 2009.
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image-12.png" /></figure>
<h3>What Support is Ending?</h3>
For the last several years, Windows 7 was technically only supported under their ‘extended support’ solutions. This means that they continued to provide security updates and software updates to support new devices. Users could also get direct technical support if they were willing to pay for it. All of these options have now come to an end and Microsoft will not be patching or updating this operating system at all going forward. Individuals and businesses who choose to continue using Windows 7 will not be able to get any support from Microsoft engineers.
<h3>Risks of Remaining on Windows 7</h3>
While Windows 7 will continue to function normally, those who do not upgrade to Windows 10 (or at the least, Windows 8.1, which is still supported through 2023), will face additional problems. The following are the most significant risks users need to be aware of if they keep running Windows 7:
<ul>
<li>Regular Security Patches – Microsoft will not be releasing any further updates to Windows 7, which means their normal security patches will end. This leaves users at risk for viruses, malware, and other issues. A computer infected with these types of things can easily spread them to their managed websites as well.</li>
<li>Known Security Fixes – When a significant security issue is found, Microsoft will no longer provide ‘zero day’ fixing. While under support, a patch would be developed and rolled out very quickly to combat major security flaws that were found.</li>
<li>Updated Drivers – Drivers will no longer be updated, which means computers running Windows 7 will be increasingly unable to run new types of hardware.</li>
<li>Support for Software – No new software, or updates to existing software, will be made to run on Windows 7, and Microsoft won’t update the operating system to run modern software. Over time, users will have more and more problems running the latest software (including CMS’s).</li>
</ul>
<h3>What Options Do You Have?</h3>
Those who are still running Windows 7 have several options available to them. For the vast majority of people, the best course of action is to simply upgrade to Windows 10. This is the latest version of Windows and is the best supported. While the initial roll-out of Windows 10 did have some problems, the OS has been greatly improved and most people are now very happy with it. That being said, it will have a slight learning curve associated with it, so keep that in mind.
To get Windows 10, users can purchase it (currently $139) online and install it. For now, Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 users can also participate in Microsoft’s free upgrade program, which gives a full version of Windows 10 to all users. This program was scheduled to end back in 2016, but is still active. Instructions on this, click <a href="https://www.cnet.com/how-to/rip-windows-7-upgrade-to-windows-10-free-heres-how/">HERE</a>.
The least popular option is going to be to upgrade to Windows 8.1. This version of Windows is still supported through 2023 using Microsoft’s extended support category. There are no real advantages to moving to Windows 8.1 instead of going directly to 10, however, so this isn’t a good option for most people.
The final option, which is not at all recommended, is to remain on windows 7. While most users won’t experience any immediate issues, they are putting themselves at an ever growing risk. It can make sense to keep running Windows 7 for a short period of time while preparing for an upgrade, moving up to Windows 10 should be a priority for all users.

What You Need to Know About the End of Windows 7 Support

Ubuntu MATE is a powerful desktop operating system that is based on the popular <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ubuntu.com/">Ubuntu</a> Linux distribution. What makes Ubuntu MATE unique is that it comes with the advanced <a target="_blank" href="https://mate-desktop.org/">MATE</a> desktop environment which was originally created as a continuation of GNOME 2.  Given it's popularity in the Linux world, I've written this Ubuntu MATE Review to help show you what it's all about and decide if it's the right OS for you.This review has been updated and is now based on the most recent Ubuntu MATE 19.04 (Disco) release.<h2>What are the goals of the Ubuntu MATE project?</h2>According to the website, the following are the objectives / goals for the project:<ul><li>Accessible to all, regardless of language and physical ability.</li><li>Increase both Ubuntu and MATE Desktop user adoption.</li><li>Ubuntu alternative for computers that aren’t powerful enough to run a composited desktop.</li><li>First choice Ubuntu platform for remote workstation solutions such as <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ltsp.org/">LTSP</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://x2go.org/">X2Go</a>.</li><li>Recreate the halcyon days of Ubuntu for users who prefer a traditional desktop metaphor.</li><li>Use themes and artwork similar to Ubuntu so that Ubuntu MATE is immediately familiar.</li><li>When possible contribute to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.debian.org/">Debian</a> so both the Debian and Ubuntu communities benefit.</li><li>Software selection will favor functionality and stability over lightness and whimsy.</li></ul><h2>Ubuntu Mate Hardware Requirements</h2>Most users will meet these requirement without issue as most modern computers are far past the minimum hardware requirements but when it comes to Linux, lots of people enjoy revitalizing old hardware with Linux distributions. I recommend reviewing this briefly to make sure that your hardware meets the minimums.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ubuntu-mate-review-hardware-requirements_riwfap.jpg" />Hardware Requirements for Ubuntu Mate<h2>What has changed in the most recent Ubuntu MATE release?</h2>Numerous things have changed with 19.04. One thing that I found quite intriguing is that with this release, if you have an NVIDIA GPU connected to your computer and select Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware during installation, the NVIDIA proprietary drivers will be installed automatically. That's pretty slick and makes the experience more desirable for new users to Linux as installing these drivers could (at times) be overlooked by new users if they are unaware of the need.There are some other changes, of course, but it's always best to read about them from the source so if desired, you can read about everything new with this release here: <a target="_blank" href="https://ubuntu-mate.org/blog/ubuntu-mate-disco-final-release/">https://ubuntu-mate.org/blog/ubuntu-mate-disco-final-release/</a><h2>Installation</h2>Installation of Ubuntu MATE is no different than any other Ubuntu distribution. Since it has pretty much unchanged in the past several releases, I'm not going to go through the process here but what I do want to point out, that's a relatively new(ish) addition is that you can now choose either a normal installation which includes the default selections of software chosen by the Ubuntu MATE developers or a minimal install for those who want more control over what is installed with their OS.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ubuntu-mate-review-1_db3bhh.png" />Ubuntu Mate review – Choosing the installation type<h2>The MATE Desktop – Your First Look</h2>Upon booting into the desktop for the first time, you'll be greeted with a themed wallpaper as well as a few simple icons.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ubuntu-mate-review-2-the-desktop_nx1fjo.png" />The MATE DesktopI also was prompted by a Software Updater pop-up to install the latest updates. Now, one thing that's a bit odd here is that I chose to have these installed during the installation so why I am having to update even further now is beyond me. I assume the “Download updates while installing” feature either doesn't work period or doesn't work properly in a virtual machine environment (which I'm using for this review). Either way, just something to keep in mind.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ubuntu-mate-review-2-software-updater_vdcdeh.png" />Software Updater doing it's job.Another trend that you'll see more and more with large distributions nowadays is the introduction of a Welcome Screen of some kind to give new users a quick overview of how to use their new environment / distribution. This is something the developers of Ubuntu MATE have had for quite some time and they've done an excellent job of making it super useful.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ubuntu-mate-the-welcome-screen_bigxxt.png" />The Welcome ScreenWith this (and more previous) releases, the Getting Started button followed Updates and Extras is super handy as it includes quick install buttons for codecs, screensavers, themes and more. Under Getting Started and Optional Tasks you can configure various things such as Backups, Network Shares, Users and Firewall Settings as well.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ubuntu-mate-additional-options_mcu8jh.png" />Another Configuration Screen in the Welcome Dialog<h2>Tweaking your Ubuntu MATE Desktop</h2>Under the MATE menu in the top left (by default) you can access the menu which contains all of the software, preferences and system tools installed with the distribution. You can easily access a handy app called MATE Tweak which, if you click on the Panel tab once launched, lets you choose between numerous included panel layouts.What these do is basically change the structure of the desktop, sometimes moving the menu to the bottom left (similar to Windows) or adding a Mac style layout to the desktop. There are several options to try, I recommend checking them all out before coming to a conclusion as to which is best.The default panel layout is called Familiar so if you make changes here and decide you don't like them, you can revert back to that layout to get the default look and feel. To get a breakdown of what each of these panel layouts looks like (and the differences between them) read this article on the official website: <a target="_blank" href="https://ubuntu-mate.community/t/choosing-and-changing-panel-layouts-ubuntu-mate-18-04/16502">Choosing and Changing panel layouts.</a>You can also tweak your Window Options from within MATE Tweak. This allows you to change things such as the compositor, window decorations, animations and even where the window controls (minimize, maximize and close) are located in the window (left or right side basically).<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ubuntu-mate-window-options_ornof7.png" />Ubuntu MATE – Window OptionsIn most layouts, you can also choose to add extra applets which are basically small apps that run inside your panel and expand the functionality. To manage them, and add more, simply right click on a panel and click Add to Panel and the following dialog will be presented:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/adding-applets-to-the-panel_zkmpgj.jpg" />Adding applets to the panelFrom here, you can choose from a growing list of applets that you can add to your panels to give you even more capabilities. Try some and find your favorites!<h2>Adding Software to your Linux Distribution</h2>By default, Ubuntu MATE comes with the usual software such as Firefox, Thunderbird, Transmission, LibreOffice and more but installing others is very simple.As I'm sure most of you know, there is always more than one way to add software to Linux but assuming you aren't a console person and you prefer to avoid the traditional apt commands, you can also use the Software Boutique app which can be found in your menu under Administration.Software Boutique allows you to browse available software that you can install quickly and easily.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ubuntu-mate-software-boutique_adfocp.png" />Ubuntu MATE software boutiqueClicking on the icons along the top (scissors, gamepad, etc) will take you to the applicable categories and present  you with a list of available software to install. Keep in mind, however, that one of the strengths of Linux; and specifically Ubuntu; is the breadth of repositories out there so if you don't find what you are looking for here, you can learn more about repositories and how to add more here: <a target="_blank" href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Repositories/Ubuntu">https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Repositories/Ubuntu</a><h2>Ubuntu MATE Performance</h2>Let's take a quick look at how well Ubuntu MATE performs in general when it comes to CPU and RAM usage. To be fair, this is going to vary widely and can be different given the fact that I am performing this review within a Virtual machine environment, however, it's still relevant.With nothing but the Software Boutique running and the default desktop itself, performance is quite good as you can see from the System Monitor:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/system-monitor_fmlqls.png" />System MonitorFor more advanced testing, I recommend installing the distro and running tests with the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.phoronix-test-suite.com/">Phoronix Test Suite</a> or check out some existing benchmarks on <a target="_blank" href="https://openbenchmarking.org/s/ubuntu%2019.04">OpenBenchmark.org</a> as results can vary widely depending on software installed, hardware capabilities and other variables.In my usage and from experience running Ubuntu MATE for several months, it's still one of the fastest and leanest distros out there.<h2>The Control Center</h2>The control center is where you'll find most of the system settings for Ubuntu MATE. You'll find this in the menu labeled the same.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ubuntu-mate-control-center_vpqrmn.jpg" />Ubuntu MATE control centerYou'll find everything from power management to printer installation in the control center and I advise you to explore it thoroughly so you are aware of how to modify your system as needed.<h2>Conclusions</h2>I've always found Ubuntu MATE to be a reliable distribution. The layout and functionality of the system is easy to use and zippy and everything feels well put together. I highly recommend giving it a try if you aren't a fan of the current Gnome desktop and are looking for an alternative. It's also a great choice for older hardware as it's less resource hungry than the default Ubuntu desktop. I personally feel as though MATE is a more functional desktop than Gnome itself so perhaps I'm a bit jaded there.What do you think? Are you an Ubuntu MATE fan? If not, what do you prefer?

Ubuntu MATE Review

Data visualization, in the form of banner ads, digital presentations and infographics in particular, have gained popularity around the web in recent years.
Bloggers, marketers and some of the biggest companies in the world make use of such visual mediums in order to explain process, simplify information, and drive home facts and stats.  
 Take infographics as an example. The aim for marketers has always been to make relevant information more snazzy and approachable, and infographics have now become the world's chosen method of doing that. Just take a look at <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/trends/explore#q=infographic" target="_blank"> Google Trends' record for the word “infographic”</a>. The graph – rather ironically – speaks for itself. 
 Obviously though, not all of these data visualization mediums are equal. Some are rough, unprofessional and dreary to look at, whilst others are beautifully crafted, easy to read and yet extremely simple in nature. <a href="http://www.visme.co/" target="_blank">Visme.co</a> is a tool which aims to create the latter type. 
 Formerly known as EWC Presenter, Visme.co is a flexible, browser-based tool which makes it easy to create any of the following:
<ul>
<li>Infographics</li>
<li>Presentations</li>
<li>Banner Ads</li>
<li>Graphs &amp; Charts</li>
<li>Product Demos (Coming Soon)</li>
</ul>
Visme is free, and also offers premium features for those looking to go above and beyond.  
 During the course of this review, I'll get to grips with just how well Visme can fuel the world's thirst for visual material. Let's begin with a video.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/104754559?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>Initial Thoughts</h2>
Although Visme is technically still in beta, it gives users a warm welcome on its website. 
Right off the bat, Visme invited you to “Visualize your ideas”, and “Start Creating”. That's precisely the type of language you want to hear from such a tool. 
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.png" alt="Visme" /> However, for a service which is pushing visual products, I kind of expected Visme's website to be a little more elegant. There's nothing particularly wrong with the website, but with bland backgrounds and unimpressive graphics mean that it doesn't exactly stand out.  
(Edit: Following publication of this review, Payman Taei, Visme Founder, has informed me that a brand new Visme website is set to go live in just a few days).
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-2.png" alt="Visme" /> Having said that, Visme's functions are explained well, and it's pretty easy to to sign up for the free service.  
 There's also a regularly updated Visme blog, which is always nice to see – no matter what kind of product or service is on offer. Active blogs indicate life and personality, I only wish that more software vendors understood that. 
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-3.png" alt="Visme" />
<h2>Getting Started</h2>
After signing up with Visme (which can be done with either an email address or Facebook account) and naming my first project, I was presented with the dashboard. 
 Here, I could choose between Visme's three core project types; Infographics, Presentations and Banner Ads. 
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-4700x0.png" alt="Visme" /> The dashboard is once again simple and functional, but once again, it lacked the zest that I was expecting to see from such a visually driven product. It all just looked a little flat, and not in a good way either. 
 In any case, I'll now take you through all three of these project types, how they work, and whether or not they work well.
<h3>Infographics</h3>
First up is infographic creating. 
 There are well over 50 different (and good looking) infographic templates, which is a healthy amount. After all, an infographic needs to look unique, so having a wide range of templates to begin from makes that easier to achieve, once you get to customizing.  
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-6700x0.png" alt="Visme" /> Speaking of customizing, simply clicking on any of the templates will get you started.  
 Inside the editor, I found a very responsive interface, which finally looks the part. It's sleek, simple, and professional. 
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-5700x0.png" alt="Visme" /> The editor presents a toolbar down the left hand side, shows you how many objects are currently on the infographics, and highlights each object as you hover over them.  
 Editing each element is extremely easy. You only need to click on them in order to edit text, move things around, and so forth. Many formatting and other general options pop up when you click on any object.  
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-8.png" alt="Visme" /> In addition, the toolbar located on the left hand side gives you a lot of customization options.  
 From amongst those features, is the following:
<ul>
<li>Background images/fill colour</li>
<li>Text boxes</li>
<li>Shapes</li>
<li>Images/Vector Icons</li>
<li>Charts/Graphs</li>
<li>Video</li>
<li>Audio</li>
</ul>
All of the above can be easily selected, and then dragged-and-dropped into place. All feature menus are easy to understand, fast and and look good too. 
 Visme's font offerings really impressed me too. There's a long list of all the most common fonts, along with some lesser used styles too.   
 Although, infographics are only as good as the visuals found within them. Thankfully, Visme has that are well and truly covered with thousands and thousands free images and a wide range of background types, shapes, vector icons, graphs and charts. Plus, they all look clean and professional. 
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-9.png" alt="Visme" /> YouTube videos can be embedded, and images can be uploaded in bulk if the free ones don't take your fancy. 
 So, not only is it easily to customize and lay out these objects, but all the building blocks you need to build an eye-catching infographic is there on the sidebar. I for one quite enjoyed building my very own infographic, and it only took me a couple of minutes too.
<h3>Presentations</h3>
Visme's presentation feature is a nice alternative to programs like PowerPoint. 
 The dashboard lets you choose from only seven templates, which is a little under-whelming. The templates themselves aren't much to look at either. 
(Edit: Following publication of this review, Payman Taei, Visme Founder, has informed me that new presentation templates are on their way).
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-4700x0.png" /> The customization features for presentations are the same as the ones found when creating an infographic, which I listed above. The same drag-and-drop interface is used, and everything runs just as smoothly. 
 The only major difference here, is that you're working on slides instead of a longer canvas. Naturally, this means you can add new slides too. 
 All you need to do is click “New Slide” on the right side bar this time, before selecting the type of slide template you wish to use.  
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-11.png" /> As with infographics, you can insert text, images, videos, icons and more.  
 Visme gives you a preview of your slides in the sidebar, and allows you to quickly delete slides, duplicate them and even hide them from view. Plus, you can configure settings to do with transitions between slides. 
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-13700x0.png" />
<h3>Banner Ads</h3>
Finally, Visme also enables you to create banners.  
 The dashboard allows you to select between a wide range of banner dimensions, which is handy if you're looking to create a banner which is of a standard size for websites to display, or for ad networks like Google Adsense. You can also configure a custom size. 
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-12700x0.png" /> Like with infographics, Visme once again offers a large selection of templates for each dimension, which is great if you're struggling for design ideas. What I noticed here, was that the banner ad templates were of a higher quality than the presentation templates, back on par with the infographics. 
 However, there was one snag. 
 The banner ads were giving me an option which I wasn't given with the infographics or presentation templates. Whenever I hovered over a banner ad template, I was given the option to “Preview” the banner, as well as the option to select it. Good news, or so I thought. 
 Each time I went to preview a banner, I was shown an error. 
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-14.png" /> Not a huge deal, but it doesn't exactly add to the experience, and it's definitely something the Visme team should fix.  
 Once you do select a template, it's back to using the same, trusty editor – which is now proving to as flexible as it is easy to use.  
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-17.png" /> As usual, you can drag-and-drop in images, text, icons and more. 
<h2>Notable Extras</h2>
On top of the three main project types, Visme has some other extras to offer. Here they all are.
<h3>Animations &amp; Previews</h3>
Throughout all three project types, Visme gives you the option to animate objects. So, after you place them on the canvas and customize them, you can liven them up a bit too.  
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-15.png" /> Using this feature, you can specify when objects appear, how they appear, transition times, and so forth. This all includes options like images sliding in from the left, icons slowly fading in, etc. It's all useful stuff, and it's easy to use too.  
 Another handy feature, is the preview option.  
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-16700x0.png" /> This option goes hand-in-hand with the animations feature, as it allows you to see the animation in real-time, as an end-user would see it. It's a great way to test things out.
<h3>Custom Dimensions, Layers &amp; Special Effects</h3>
Alongside presentations, infographics and banner, is the option to create a custom dimension project.  
 This simply allows you to work on a blank canvas of a size which you personally configure. You have all the same options available, so you can create whatever you like. Posters, flyers, banners, and everything in between. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-19700x0.png" /> Another notable extra, is the feature which allows you to insert layers into projects. This is particularly useful for when dealing with images and backgrounds. Designers will know exactly what a useful feature this can be. 
 Similarly, special effects can be added to images, such as opacity, reflection, blur, and so on.  
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-18.png" />
<h2>Getting Help</h2>
Visme gives its users a healthy range of support documentation via its support page. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-20700x0.png" /> You can search through the documents via the search bar, and find information regarding things like animations, working with text, and so on. 
 That's all great to see, but I would have liked to see a little more personality about the support procedure. Where is the support email, live chat or ticketing system? For anybody well and truly stuck on an issue, the documentation will only be able to help so much. Visme need to offer an alternative route to help and support.
<h2>Pricing</h2>
Visme offers a completely free plan, alongside two premium plans. Here they all are. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-21700x0.png" /> Now, those prices are very reasonable, and that's great to see. In fact, starting at $4,50 I don't think Visme has any major competitors currently beating it for price. Pikochart for example, starts from $29 a month, whilst Infogr.am starts from $18 + tax.  
 However, instead of having a problem with Visme's prices, I have a problem with the pricing structure. Piktochart and Infogr.am for example, offer non-profit organizations and educational institutions a different pricing route. This is something Visme will need to offer if it wishes to attract such organizations.  
 Similarly, a business package which extends Visme's services to multiple users under the same subscription would make a lot of sense for businesses.  
 However, if you're a marketer, blogger or somebody who wants to put a project together for their employer, Visme makes perfect sense when it comes to price. 
(Edit: Following publication of this review, Payman Taei, Visme Founder, has informed me that an educational license is due to be released soon).
<h2>The Verdict</h2>
Visme is a very handy weapon to have in your marketing arsenal. 
 It serves up a huge range of free images, icons, infographic visuals, fonts and so forth. You can sign up to Visme with no media assets to hand, and publish a professional looking piece of content just minutes later. It's all right there in the editor.  
 The design process is also extremely easy, and quite fun to use at times. You can drag-and-drop elements across the canvas before customizing colours, sizes, effects and even animations. There's so much to customize in fact, that producing unique content with Visme is almost guaranteed.  
 There are some drawbacks though. 
 Visme's biggest attraction is probably it's price though. Because it starts from just $4.50 a month, pretty much anybody who needs professional looking visual content can now afford it. And that's awesome.
Here are some pros and cons to help you weigh up what Visme has to offer.
<h3>Pros</h3>
<ul>
<li>Visme allows you to create beautiful presentations, infographics and banner ads quickly and easily.</li>
<li>Plenty of Infographic and Banner ad templates, all of which look highly professional.</li>
<li>The editor interface is sleek and very user friendly. At the same time, it's packed with features.</li>
<li>Simple drag-and-drop designing.</li>
<li>Huge range of free images, fonts, icons and infographic visuals.</li>
<li>Customization including editing, deleting and moving objects is easy.</li>
<li>Objects can be animated &amp; given special effects.</li>
<li>Slideshow slide transmissions can be given special effects. </li>
<li>Handy preview option.</li>
<li>Good range of support documentation.</li>
<li>Visme is extremely affordable, even for startups without many pennies to spare.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cons</h3>
<ul>
<li>Presentation templates are bland and low in number.</li>
<li>The preview option is only offered on the Banner Ad page, and it doesn't even work.</li>
<li>Although there's lot of documentation, the support options begin and end there. No contact email in sight. </li>
<li>The dashboard and menus aren't quite as snazzy as those offered by competitors. As a result, it doesn't quite feel like a proper premium tool until you start editing. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Final Remarks</h2>
It didn't take me long to create some fairly good looking visuals with Visme.  
 Thanks to the tons of assets available and a simple drag-and-drop editor, you can quite easily start with none of your own assets or ideas, and still create something worth sharing. As previously mentioned, infographics are a booming content type at the moment, and Visme is a good way for you, your blog or company to jump on the bandwagon.  
 I don't think Visme is going to blow you away with its abilities, nor its general looks. There are more powerful tools other there. 
 Yet, <a href="http://www.visme.co/" target="_blank">Visme</a> works very well, and does an extremely good job of creating visual content as both a free and premium tool.

Visme Review

Recently, we spoke with Byrne Reese, Chairman of the Open Melody Software Group. For those who are unaware, Melody is a publishing platform based off of Movable Type 4 code that has recently <a href="/melody-cms-sees-first-stable-release/">announced</a> their first official release.
CC: Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you came to be involved with Movable Type and finally, Melody? 

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/1084612_300.jpg" alt="Byrne Reese" />
BR: My first exposure to Movable Type came way back when Movable Type was still in its infancy eight or nine years ago. Up until then, I maintained my own personal web site by hand – which was a fun for a time, but as I created more and more content, it started to become unwieldy. And when that happened, what was once fun, was starting to become a burden. To be honest, I am not sure what breadcrumb trail I followed that led me to Movable Type, all I remember is the “ah-ha” moment I had once I had found it.
And sure enough it changed how I conceptualized and how I went about building web sites overnight. But more than that, Movable Type was an application I enjoyed using. Its design really drew me in. I felt like I was using something really modern, really forward thinking, and yes, even ground breaking. I was apart of something that was big, and getting bigger. It was exciting.
Long story short, my love for the product, and my admiration and respect of TypePad, ultimately took me on a journey where I became a Product Manager at Six Apart in charge of TypePad and ultimately Movable Type. Being the Product Manager of Movable Type was a dream come true in many respects because it afforded me an opportunity to help lead the product in directions I had always wished it had taken. I helped architect and launch Movable Type Open Source, a devoted a great deal of time to fostering its community, and helped launch one of Six Apart’s most successful products ever: MT4.
When it finally was time for me to leave Six Apart, I did what I had counseled many aspiring bloggers and entrepenuers to do: build a business around what you love. And for me, that never stopped being helping people to build great products; and as you might guess my tool of choice was Movable Type.
However what I found, having thrust myself into the Movable Type Professional Community, was one challenge after another in trying to interface as professional with my former employer. Six Apart was in the midst of redefining itself, it was reorganizing itself, in the midst of all that, it simply didn’t have the resources to devote to the community to ensure that the patches and contributions being made by the outside world made their way into the product.
What I found was that the feelings of disappointment, turned frustration, were not unique to me, and in fact, many members of the community had felt the same way. So we started talking, and eventually the idea for Melody was hatched.
CC: What is your ultimate hope for Melody as a CMS?
BR: My sincerest hope is that we build a great product that people enjoy using. That’s it. Nothing grand, nor anything as ambitious as building a product that dominates an industry. We just know that there are lots of people out in the world who see a value in the publishing model that Movable Type and Melody excel at, and for those people we want to provide them with a product that elicits the same kind of thrill that I had when I saw Movable Type for the first time 8 years ago. We want to build a product that honors Movable Type’s legacy and reputation as being one of the most secure and scalable publishing systems around. And if in the process, more and more people come to the platform and select it to power their web site, then great.
CC: How well received has the project been since its first release of version 1.0 not too long ago?
BR: I think the product has been very well received, but I also think a lot of people still don’t know about it. We made a very conscious decision to break with Movable Type, and its name, because we wanted to free ourselves of certain legacies of its brand. That has helped the product a great deal, because it allows our users’ impressions of the product to be shaped more prominently by their direct experience with it, rather than by the FUD perpetuated by it predecessor’s competitors.
CC: Do you have any major customers running it as of yet that you’d like to share?
BR: The most recent site to have launched on top of Melody is The Morton Report, a site that was launched in concert with the Royal Wedding – by acclaimed biographer Andrew Morton.
What is interesting however in my opinion is not exclusively who has built a site on top of Melody itself, but how many Movable Type users have built websites and products that rely on Melody technology. When we started Melody, it was always our desire not just to create a CMS, but to infuse the Movable Type community as large with tools, resources, plugins, and themes of all kinds.
And because Melody’s design centers around a more modular approach to feature development, many of Melody’s primary underpinnings, like Config Assistant, Theme Manager, and more, power many Movable Type blogs and web sites today as well, and are considered indispensable in every Movable Type professional’s tool belt.
And in that way, Melody has been a huge success.
CC: What is your position with regards to static publishing (Melody) versus dynamic publishing (WordPress)?
BR: It is hard to argue that there is a technology that scales more effortlessly and cost effectively than static publishing. And if you are operating a high traffic web site, no matter what platform you use, be it WordPress, Drupal or anything else, the technology involved in making it scale is exactly what Melody has been designed from the ground up to do: cache site content in order to minimize its load on the database and deliver content quickly and efficiently. So in the Melody community, we don’t think of it as “static publishing,” we think of it as pre-emptive caching. It’s a subtle but important rhetorical difference that we think more accurately portrays static publishing’s value.
That being said, we understand the importance of dynamic publishing, especially as it relates to the process of designing and building a web site. When you are in the throws of pulling a site together, nothing is more annoying than editing your site’s templates, and then having to republish a page prior to being able to see your change in a browser. Ideally, one should simply: edit template, refresh browser, repeat. That is why we are working hard at rebuilding Melody’s legacy dynamic publishing backend and optimizing it around the designer’s and developer’s workflows. Then when a site is ready for production, to provide a seamless transition to the site owner for a more scalable model of publishing and pre-emptive caching.
CC: What was it about Movable Type 4 that made your team decide to branch out from it to form Melody? Were there significant changes in MT5 that you didn’t/don’t agree with?
BR: Early in Melody’s history the community was faced with this decision. We had already begun development of Melody based upon MT4, when Six Apart announced that MT5 was being developed. They did not however tell us when MT5 was going to be released, nor were they open to sharing their source code with us at the time. So our decision was simple: wait for Six Apart to make MT5 available in a form so that we could collaborate or work with what we had. We chose to work with what we had so that we could keep the momentum we were building, rather than reset the clock on Melody’s development.
Movable Type 5 is a great product, no doubt, but I feel that it is a product to meet the needs of a market more unique to the Japanese market, where its current company is headquartered. In the Japanese market, the largest user of Movable Type are hosting companies who host tens, if not hundreds of different sites for their customers. This led Six Apart to develop the notion of “web sites” or a more hierarchical approach to web site and blog design and architecture.
Personally, I think this is a very cool feature, but I also feel that its implementation lacked polish, and made for many users Movable Type far more complicated than it needed to be. One day I hope to fold in the web site feature of MT5 into Melody, as we have done for many of MT5’s features; but when we do, I hope to do it in a way that allows simple systems to remain simple, without introducing undo complexity.
CC: Where do you see Melody fitting in best in the CMS landscape? News publications, schools, universities, etc?
BR: To be honest, I don’t think about Melody in this way. I used to spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about Movable Type in this back when I was its Product Manager. Now, I just focus on making Melody a great product, one that embodies the values of its community more closely, and one that continues to build upon those aspects that made Movable Type so great: scalability, reliability and security. I trust, that if we just focus on that, then those who share our values, values we feel transcend markets and industries, will find a welcome home in Melody.
CC: Any plans to offer commercial support or a commercial edition of the product as adoption increases?
BR: As far as developing fee-based commercial software packaged distributed through the Melody web site? Then no, we are not planning on that. Doing so would violate our community’s core principals around open source and providing a software solution free of a commercial interest.
Now, if anyone in our professional community wants to pursue a commercial software or service offering, then we would welcome it, and in fact encourage it. We see commercial software as having an indispensable role to play in virtually every successful open source project. WordPress for example succeeded in part because of a vibrant economy that was built by designers selling proprietary themes. That economy directly and indirectly fueled WordPress’ growth because every designer building and selling themes became a salesman for the platform itself. These designers were in part motivated by the love they had for WordPress, for sure, but they were also motivated by their need to sustain a living.
Speaking for myself, I love open source, and I believe Melody’s success will ultimately stem from the values embodied by the open source software movement. But for me, the GPL is just a license. It is not a religion. And while I am a staunch supporter of the GPL, and of open source licenses in general, I do not see myself as its standard bearer. I am just a guy who likes to build cool products, and who likes to help others do the same.
CC: Where do you see Melody in the next 3-5 years?
BR: I believe Melody will continue to grow, and continue to prove itself a worthy successor to Movable Type. As it does so, I believe its community will continue to grow, and with it the number of contributions received by the community. And as more and more people contribute, I see greater and greater potential for Melody to once again be the kind of indisputable leader that Movable Type once was.
CC: Are there ways in which users or would be developers can assist the Melody project?
BR: Always! Contributing though is not limited to developers, in fact, the most valuable forms of contribution rarely come in the form of code. So how does one get started on the path of becoming a contributor? The first step is easy: use the product. Then begin to imagine ways you could make your experience with the product better. Perhaps there was a piece of documentation you searched for that would have helped you in some way, but you couldn’t find it – if so, endeavor to write it. Or perhaps you appreciated the help someone gave you in the forums – if so, aim to repay the favor by becoming a contributor to the forums yourself. Or perhaps you have the opportunity to influence someone’s choice of CMS – if so, encourage them to give Melody a shot. There are literally countless ways one can contribute to any open source project, but behind every contribution is a love for the project that compels them to participate in more active and hands-on way. And every time you share your passion for the project with another, in whatever form that may take, you are contributing.
CC: Are you financially backed by any specific sources or purely self funded?
BR: Right now Melody receives absolutely no funding from any source. All work on the project is done on a volunteer basis. That being said, a number of professionals, including my own company Endevver, have begun offering services on top of the platform, and have begun channelling their clients toward building and supporting the development of software that is compatible with both Movable Type and Melody. So in that way, Melody is funded indirectly by those individuals and companies who have selected to use Melody as their CMS and who have in turn paid a professional to augment the platform to address their unique needs and requirements.
CC: Do you still contribute to or assist with Movable Type development or is your time fully devoted to Melody as of yet?
BR: Strictly speaking, all of my time is devoted to Melody. But then again, I don’t fully disambiguate between the two, given that much of the software we develop for Melody, also works with Movable Type. One day in Melody’s future, it may diverge so stridently from Movable Type that the two become distinct from one another, but for the time being  I see Melody community and all that it creates as playing an important role in not only in Melody’s development, but also Movable Type. In fact, nothing is more representative of that fact than MT 5.1 recently release notes in which is acknowledges a number of community contributors, many of whom are also contributors to Melody.
CC: Are there any major upcoming enhancements or features that you are working on for the next release that you’d like to share with us?
BR: Melody 1.1 development is already in full swing. With every release we focus on improving both the core architecture of the product as well as building new features that users would find both exciting and valuable.
On the backend we are working to create a cleaner separation between our templates and the javascript that powers much of the user interface. This paves the way for us to shed the highly proprietary javascript that powered Movable Type, and in turn embrace a more robust and well supported framework like jQuery.
We are also looking to completely retool Melody’s dynamic publishing engine so that designers can more easily take advantage of it when building and designing web sites.
We are also working to backport more of MT5’s more popular features, like its new listing framework that provides a much richer, and more flexible way of managing content within the admin UI. It also makes it much easier for plugin developers to build their own custom listing screens and further reduces the amount of Perl one has to know in order to build a plugin.
And lastly, my company, Endevver, has spear headed a project to incubate a new design for the Melody user interface. Our desire is to release the new UI as a stand alone and optional plugin alongside Melody 1.1. This will give the new UI time to mature and stabilize, and give the community time to get used to the new design… and if they like it, hopefully fold it into the core distribution at a later date.
CC: What do you see as the future for Movable Type as a publishing platform?
BR: Personally I think that never before has Movable Type and Melody been a better platform for site development, especially as products like js-Kit, Disqus and Facebook prove that they are far more effective at delivering richer, more valuable experiences around commenting and social networking then the CMS itself. The role of the CMS therefore is being refocused around its intended core competency: the management and publication of content.
CC: Thank you Byrne.
 
You can learn more about Melody on their website: <a href="http://openmelody.org/">Melody CMS</a>

Interview with Byrne Reese, Chairman of the Open Melody Software Group

Textpattern has often been heralded as one of the most flexible open source CMS available. With it's small footprint and straight forward interface, it's also a favorite of designers and developers around the world.  Today, we're going to take a look at Textpattern and what makes it so agile in this Textpattern review.
To start off with, the typical size (of this writing) of the Textpattern download is approximately half a meg. This is incredibly small for a CMS with such power and flexibility. Installation is pretty standard and there's not much to really show there that isn't typical to most CMS. You'll get prompted to enter your database credentials, create a config file and enter user details.
Once complete, you'll be taken to the login screen for the back end. Enter your credentials to log in and you'll see the Textpattern dashboard:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/relationships_gy8dce.png" alt="Textpattern Review" />
Note that the CMS defaults to the Write tab. This is due to the fact that this is likely the first thing most people will want to do when logging in. A simple but smart decision by the Textpattern development team. You may also note that there are no typical post buttons for bold, italics and the like. That's because by default, Textpattern uses textile syntax for formatting.
For those use to Wysiwyg (what you see is what you get) editors, this may be a bit of a shock. Textile is a very easy to use syntax and personally, I prefer it. You can see more about what textile syntax looks like here: <a href="http://textile.thresholdstate.com/">Textile Syntax</a>. Once you've used it, you may begin to prefer it over standard HTML.
Textpattern is all about flexibility, however, so should you prefer to use a Wysiwyg editor, you can simply install a plugin to do so.
For testing purposes and to show how the plugin installation process works, let's go ahead and install a plugin to add a new editor to the system.
First, you would search for the appropriate plugin on the <a href="http://textpattern.org/plugins/">Textpattern Resources</a> site. For this test, we'll use the <a href="http://textpattern.org/plugins/505/hak_tinymce">hak_tinymce plugin</a>.
Once downloaded and extracted, you will see three files:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/history_zqk3do.png" alt="Textpattern Review" /> 
The plugin itself is a simple txt file. This is standard for all Textpattern plugins and, as you'll soon see, one of the reasons why plugin installation is so easy to do for anyone. For this plugin, we need to upload the tiny_mce folder to our /textpattern directory on our web host, so we'll go ahead and do that.
Once we've uploaded the tiny_mce folder, we simply open the hak_tinymce.txt file in your favorite text editor and copy the contents. Then navigate to your Admin – Plugins tab in Textpattern and you'll see a box like this:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/online-reputation_qxgqbm.png" alt="Textpattern Review" />Simply paste the contents of the hak_tinymce.txt file in this box and click upload. You'll be shown a plugin preview page that looks like this:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2011-06-26-at-7_52_33-am-580x307.png" alt="Textpattern Review" />
Simply scroll down and underneath the Plugin Help: section, you'll see an Install button. Clicking on this will install the plugin. Now, as per instructions in the plugin zip file, you need to initialize the plugin. Navigate to Extensions, hak_tinymce and click the install button (Note that this process is usually not required for most plugin installs and is exclusive to this particular plugin. Most of the time, this step is not present / required at all.)
Once you click install, you'll be given a list of options to choose from for the editor. You can either modify these settings or ignore them and click update.
Head back to Admin/Plugins and you'll now see the plugin listed in the screen below:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/google_200x0_ugwxeo.png" alt="Textpattern Review" />To enable, simply click on the “No” under active.
Head back to Content, Write and on the left, you'll see a new toggle:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2011-06-26-at-8_06_36-am-580x267.png" alt="Textpattern Review" />
Place a checkmark in the Article box to turn on the editor. The result:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2011-06-26-at-8_07_16-am-580x272.png" alt="Textpattern Review" />
That's it. You now have a Wysiwyg editor.
As I mentioned during this process, the typical plugin install does not require anything to be actually uploaded, nor does it require navigating to the Extensions tab. Most of the time, you simply paste the text file contents in the plugin box and click install, then activate it and you are done.
Let's take a look at some more pieces of the admin interface, shall we?
There are two levels of tabs available. The top level represents the main tabs, while the bottom level represents sub tabs. For example, clicking on the Content tab at the top enables the following sub tabs (Category, Write, Articles, etc):
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wpi-overview-hero-splash_feta5e.jpg" alt="Textpattern Review" />
These are all quite straight forward. Let's take a look at the Images tab. Uploading images is simple, just select and upload. Once it's been uploaded, you'll be given the opportunity to crop into a thumbnail, add to a category and modify the alt text as required.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2011-06-26-at-8_16_29-am.png" alt="Textpattern Review" />Now let's take a look at the Presentation tab. Under here, you can modify your Sections, Pages, Forms and Styles. In the Sections tab, you have the opportunity to assign templates and styles to individual sections. For instance, the Articles section uses a different template and style sheet than the the About section (more about sections <a href="http://textpattern.net/wiki/index.php?title=Sections">here</a>).
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/setseed8logo_aqxl58.jpg" alt="Textpattern Review" />
As you can see, you can also determine where sections are shown and whether or not they are included in the site search. The Pages tab is next. This is where you can create and modify the templates for each page.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2011-06-26-at-8_48_15-am-580x314.png" alt="Textpattern Review" />
A very cool feature of the Pages tab is the Tag builder (shown on the left of the screenshot above). This allows you to make selections form the list on the left and it will show you which code to insert into the template to accomplish that task. This is a great feature to help you get familiar with the system.
Next are Forms.
This is one of Textpattern's key strengths. Using forms, you can separate your code into reusable chunks (more about forms <a href="http://textpattern.net/wiki/index.php?title=Forms_Explained">here</a>).
On this install, for instance, I've created a form which contains nothing more than my <a href="http://piwik.org">Piwik</a> analytics code from my Statistics system.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/jfw-foundation_fvgn9u.jpg" alt="Textpattern Review" />
Now, I simply call the form in my Page template wherever I wish using this code:
<pre>&lt;txp:output_form form="analytics" /&gt;</pre>
It's as simple as that. Now, should I need to include this analytics code on multiple pages or in more than one place, I can do so with the code above. The advantage to this style of coding is that if I need to change the code for whatever reason in the future, I simply change the code in the form as opposed to having to edit each template in multiple places. Developers love this feature, for obvious reasons.
The styles tab provides an interface to edit the stylesheets or create new ones as needed.
Under the admin section, the following sub tabs exist:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2011-06-26-at-9_10_09-am-580x37.png" alt="Textpattern Review" />Clicking on the Diagnostics tab will run a quick series of tests and provide you with either an “Al l checks passed” message, or give you some suggestions.
The Preferences tab provides you with access to the settings of the CMS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2011-06-26-at-9_13_58-am.png" alt="Textpattern Review" />
To manage users, simply head to the Users tab.  Here, you can modify privileges and details for your users. On the Visitors log tab, you can see all of the latest visitors to your site if you have logging enabled. For the most part, it's better to use an Analytics program such as Piwik or Google Analytics.
We've already seen the Plugins section, so we'll skip over that. On the Import tab, you can choose to import content from a variety of other systems and CMS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/colors_pbpwjq.jpg" alt="Textpattern Review" />
That, ladies and gentleman, covers pretty much the entire Admin interface for Textpattern. From a usage standpoint, there's definitely a bit of a learning curve to get used to the way that Textpattern handles itself, but once you do, you'll discover the true power of this system.
For me, what draws me to use it is the minimalist nature of the CMS. I love the speed of the interface (it's lightning fast compared to other CMS such as WordPress) and I find Textile for article writing to be intuitive and produce cleaner content.
There is an active community and plenty of plugins to accomplish pretty much anything you might need. If you are looking for a system that's powerful, fast and has plenty of options, Textpattern is a great choice. If you are a developer, it's even better given the flexibility of the forms system. I highly recommend checking out Textpattern.
Website: <a href="http://textpattern.com">Textpattern</a>

Textpattern Review

<a href="https://www.prestashop.com/en/">Prestashop</a> is an industry leader in the ecomerce solutions sector, with over 230,000 stores hosted online. This popular platform completely took over the ecommerce space with the launch of Prestashop Cloud in 2014 and has been thriving ever since.
Prestashop Cloud is the only free, cloud-based ecommerce platform in the world. Yep, that’s right, it’s free.
So what’s the catch?
Whilst I’d love to join the Prestashop Cloud fanclub solely on the basis of its incredible pricing (i.e. the pricing that doesn’t exist), I had to suss it out for myself. Read on for my review of the popular ecommerce platform.
<h2>The Initial Setup</h2>
This was a doddle. To get set up with Prestashop Cloud, you simply have to select the ‘cloud’ option on the homepage and a window will pop up with 3 sections.
In the first section, you type in your email address and a name for your site. In the second section, you’ll be asked to create a domain, select your home country, and select your reason for joining the site. The final section then asks for your first and last name, and a password.
The whole process takes about 60 seconds.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_16_14_55522x0-is.png" />
When you’ve completed this, an email will be sent to your inbox with a link to verify your account. Easy.
Oh, and if you don’t want to receive any Prestashop news emails from these guys, remember to untick the little box beside the fine print before confirming your details. I’ve previously expressed how much that default tick irks me on these sites and I’m sure a few of you feel the same.
<h2>The Dashboard</h2>
After signing up, you’ll be redirected on the admin dashboard. Here, you’ll find access to domain configuration, settings, support/help. There is also a link to bring you to the management panel for your online store.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_16_17_52.png" />
<h2>Help/Support</h2>
The Help section offers assistance via tickets, and each user is assigned 10 of these for free to start with. If you require more assistance, though, you’ll have to pay for it. (aha, catch number 1?).
$179.00 for some customer support? Seriously?
That said, it is a free platform – so I can't get too peeved on this one.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_17_57_03705x0-is.png" />
With the support that's available on the website itself, you may not need to access this extra help at all. There’s plenty of information available on the Prestashop Cloud forums (probably because no-one else wants to pay for it either).
The forums are packed with insider info and tips and definitely worth a look before you send off a ticket, as you’ll probably find the answer to your query there instead.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_16_16_50932x0-is.png" />
<h2>The Back Office</h2>
To get to this part of the platform, you have to select the ‘Manage My Store’ tab and log-in again to be brought to the back office of your site. I’m not sure why you have to log-in again, though, seems a bit pointless and time-consuming. Once you get there, however, you’ll be impressed enough to get over it.
In the back office, you’ll find the admin panel for each store. The layout here is easy to navigate, sleek, modern, and designed with the user in mind.
The first thing that pops up here is the PrestaShop tour, which has 4 sections to work through: Customize Your Shop, Add Products, Configure Payments, and Choose Your Shipping Options. It stays on the page every time you log in until you complete it. I’ll come back to these later.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_18_23_341076x0-is.png" />
The top menu and left-hand sidebar both provide easy access to all of the tools you need to manage your site, from latest orders to registrations, and the activity overview section is unbelievably comprehensive – considering that it’s free.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_18_19_42891x0-is.png" />
Here, you can monitor online visitors, orders, visits, product reviews, and many more relevant notifications/statistics.
<h2>Customizing Your Store</h2>
This is Step 1 in the Prestashop tour. Once you click the link, you’ll be brought to page where you can adjust the settings on your default theme or choose a new theme for your store.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_18_34_23872x0-is.png" />
Clicking on the ‘Theme Configurator’ will present you with a number of options, depending on the theme you’re using.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_18_37_13511x0-is.png" />
If you want a new theme, it’ll cost you – as these fall under the ‘add ons’ section in Prestashop. These add ons are basically how the site makes money, since there’s no sign up fee. However, there’s still a lot you can do to make the default theme ‘your own’ and it is free after all.
<h2>Adding Products</h2>
To get here, go to the ‘click access’ menu on select ‘new product’. This process can be as simple or as technical as you want it to be. The left side of the screen, there are a range of options including SEO, attachments, and more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_18_41_38735x0-is.png" />
<h2> </h2>
<h2>Configure Payments</h2>
Prestashop's official payment solution is High Pay, and the 2 other default options are Bank Wire and Payment by check. Prestashop also supports and recommends further options such as <a href="http://www.skrill.com">Skrill</a>, <a href="https://www.realexpayments.com">Realex</a>, and Cash on delivery.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_18_46_26858x0-is.png" />
<h2> </h2>
<h2>Shipping Options</h2>
Prestashop allows users to set up different shipping carriers. Users can also set default carriers, handling charges, and configure where order free shipping value starts at.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_18_41_38735x0-is.png" />
To organize taxes, you have to head over to the ‘Localisation’ page and go to ‘Taxes’, where you can add the name of the tax and give it a percentage value. To determine ‘Tax Rules’, you have to go to select this in the sidebar and go to a third page. It’s not a massive hassle, but it’s all a bit messy and could be laid out more intuitively.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_19_16_33844x0-is.png" />
<h2> </h2>
<h2>Front Office</h2>
Once you’re finished in the back office of the site, you can head over to the front office to preview the fruits of your labor. Here, you can also adjust your theme color and the fonts used in your store. There could be more done with this section, but it works fine as a simple preview tool for now.
<h2>PrestaShop Apps and Addons</h2>
This is the main revenue stream for Prestashop and there are bucket loads of apps and extensions to choose from. If you’re the type to pay $10 for a flight on a budget airline, and then spend 5 times that on ‘in-flight purchases’, then you’ll probably end up with a few PrestaShop addons in your pocket too. And I don’t blame you – sometimes you just need to indulge and Prestashop offer a number of tempting online treats.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-03-02_at_19_16_33844x0-is.png" />
Whether you need help with marketing or web design, Prestashop has your back. You do have to re-register for it though, which is a little annoying. Plus, when there’s effort required, you’ll probably think twice.
<h2>Pros:</h2>
<ul>
<li>
Completely free, cloud-based ecommerce platform
</li>
<li>
Easy to navigate
</li>
<li>
Extensive customer forums for support
</li>
<li>
Incredibly comprehensive range of features available including forecasting and analytics
</li>
<li>
Excellent ‘add-on’ options
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Cons:</h2>
<ul>
<li>
Customer Support gets a little pricey after you use up your free allowance
</li>
<li>
The add-ons are great, but they’re paid extras
</li>
<li>
Front Office section could be utilized more, it’s a little bare
</li>
<li>Taxes section is a little bothersome to navigate</li>
</ul>
<h2>The Final Verdict</h2>
Overall, Prestashop Cloud is a powerful ecommerce platform that outperforms a number of similar platforms on the market at the moment. And, it’s free – which makes it a seriously attractive option. It includes all of the core features you’d expect in an ecommerce platform and it throws in a few quality extras too.
Is there a catch? Kind of. The add-ons will set you back a bit and the payment for support is a little steep once you go over your initial 10 tickets. But who’s going to complain about that when it’s completely free in every other way? Not me.
This is an incredible ecommerce hosting platform with a strong community, an impressive design, and an array of quality features – especially in terms of forecasting and analytics.
Just <a href="http://www.prestashop.com" target="_blank">click here</a> to check it out for yourself.
Have you tried Prestashop Cloud out yet? We would love to hear about your experience in the comments section below.

Prestashop Cloud Review 2016

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