Articles - Page 114

Agentic AI Is Coming. Is Your DXP Ready?

dsfaltudo

<a href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a>, a website builder with over 30 million users, has announced Weebly for Hosts, a solution for web hosts and domain registrars that allows them to provide an intuitive, Weebly-powered site creation service and complete ecommerce platform to their customer base.
This news comes just weeks after <a href="/weebly-for-enterprise-announced/" target="_blank">Weebly announced Weebly for Enterprise</a>. Weebly has also been selected for special coverage over at <a href="https://www.websitebuilderscritic.com/website_builders/reviews/weebly/" target="_blank">Website Builders Critic</a> as a recommended product.
Many website hosting companies already offer their own website builders alongside platforms like WordPress when users set up new websites. Weebly are aiming to have their platform offered in the same way.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weebly700x0.jpg" />
<h2>All Core Packages &amp; Multiple Integration Options</h2>
As well as publishing their customers sites using Weebly, website hosting companies will have the option of providing their customers with Weebly’s core packages, including free, starter, pro and business accounts.
This is cost saving for the customer and creates a new revenue stream for the hosts. Weebly for Hosts is a turnkey solution that requires minimal IT implementation and management on the part of hosting customers, and features a centralized dashboard that allows hosts to add staff and manage permissions, as well as comprehensive customer support provided by Weebly.
Weebly for Hosts features include:
<ul>
<li>Powerful Site Creation and Editing: Users can create and edit sites easily, choosing from a variety of responsive themes and incorporate ready-made building blocks such as text, images, buttons, contact forms, maps and videos, and publish them online within minutes.</li>
<li>Multiple Integration Options for Hosts: Weebly for Hosts comes equipped with full API, CPanel and WHMCS support (coming soon), easing the process of integration with existing host IT structures, meaning hosts can go to market with Weebly’s site creator easily and quickly.</li>
<li>Core Weebly Packages Give Range of Product Options: Hosts can resell Weebly’s core customer packages, including free, Starter, Pro and Business accounts, allowing them to service a wide variety of customers from individual online blogs to high-volume ecommerce sites. Powerful and flexible cross-selling triggers mean hosts can easily introduce customers to Weebly’s service and upgrade their account level as needs change.</li>
<li>Client-side Hosting: Weebly for Hosts allows hosting companies to house the static content for customers’ websites on their own servers, so that they can maintain and manage direct relationships and billing with their customers.</li>
</ul>
Endurance International Group and Namecheap.com are two current customers of Weebly for Hosts.
David Rusenko the CEO and co-founder of Weebly, made these comments upon the release of Weebly for Hosts:
<blockquote>“We’re really excited about opening up the Weebly platform to hosting companies and making easy website creation accessible to a broader audience of millions.Last month we announced Weebly for Enterprise, which lets organizations customize Weebly and leverage our CMS to empower their employees and customers at scale.
Today, we’re following up with Weebly for Hosts, giving web hosts and domain registrars a complete solution to offer Weebly to their customers on their terms.”</blockquote>
Weebly for Hosts is available to web hosting providers of all sizes and is built on the same technology as Weebly’s recently-announced Enterprise Platform. Website packages are available in 15 languages, including German, Spanish and French.
If you represent a hosting company which is interested in Weebly for Hosts, <a href="https://www.weebly.com/" target="_blank">check out the Weebly website</a>.
And of course, you can explore more of <a href="/products/weebly/" target="_blank">Weebly via our CMS Directory</a>.

Introducing Weebly for Hosts

mike-johnston

The popular website builder <a href="https://www.jimdo.com/" target="_blank">Jimdo</a> has made enhancements to its photo galleries, rolling out three new display options.
Founded in 2004 under the name “NorthClick”, Jimdo has become one of the most trusted website builders around.
Here's what Jimdo photographers, bloggers, and all other picture fiends can now enjoy.
<h2>Horizontal View</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/comparison_horizontal-view_21079x0.png" />
Jimdo's new Horizontal view has a more modern, dynamic feel to it. All your photos will fit seamlessly together with their original proportios.
So, no more cropping those beauties into squares.
<h2>Vertical View</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/jimdo_vertical_view700x0.png" />
With Vertical view, your photos will flow down the page.
You choose how many columns of photos you want displayed side by side, from one to six. Choose one column, and your photos will display across the full width of your content area — perfect for showing off large images.
If you choose more columns, your photos will display at smaller sizes, in columns side by side.
<h2>Slider View</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/new_jimdo_slider700x0.png" />
Jimdo's previous slideshow option has been trumped. The new Slider view is faster, prettier, and best of all <a href="http://thenextweb.com/dd/2014/04/19/rip-flash-html5-will-take-video-web-year/" target="_blank">no longer uses Flash</a>.
To find out more about Jimdo's new photo galleries, <a href="http://blog.jimdo.com/new-jimdo-photo-galleries-for-beautiful-portfolios-blogs/" target="_blank">check out their blog announcement</a>.
Plus, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/jimdo/" target="_blank">Jimdo via our CMS Directory</a>.

Jimdo Rolls Out New Galleries

<a href="http://www.dotcms.com/" target="_blank">DotCMS</a>, the popular Java, open-source, content management system, has released its latest version.
This update brings about pages-as-content, enhanced workflows, and more. <a href="/dotcms-3.0-brings-in-enhancements-tailored-for-java-web-developers/" target="_blank">DotCMS 3.0 was released</a> in early December 2014.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/dotcms-3-1-release.png" />
<h2>“More Power &amp; Creativity”</h2>
DotCMS' new “Pages-as-Content” feature allows you to extend DotCMS content concepts to pages, including; custom Page types, different versions for different language and the ability to create custom attributes per HTML page.
Pages are also able to be used in queries and searchable like other content types in the dotCMS Authoring Environment. Also added with this feature is the ability for pages to have any extension i.e., .html, .json, .dot, or even have no extension at all.
Since DotCMS' Pages are now handled as content, Custom Workflows can work with HTML Pages and you can include “whole pages” in a workflow. This capability will help user experience designers use dotCMS custom workflows more effectively and efficiently, with less code.
Furthermore, by popular demand, Pages can now be added to the root of a website (host), whereas previous versions would allow files only.
DotCMS has also made some improvements to their Elastic search system and now supports UTF-8 encoding in URLs.
The company has said that DotCMS 3.1 will, “bring more power and creativity in delivering dynamic, content-driven user experiences across devices and platforms.”
For all the details on DotCMS 3.1, <a href="http://dotcms.com/blog/post/fresh-release-dotcms-3-1" target="_blank">check out their official blog announcement</a>.
And of course, you can explore more of <a href="/products/dotcms/" target="_blank">DotCMS via our CMS Directory</a>.

DotCMS 3.1 Released

They're calling it, “the world's most advanced website editor”. 
<a href="https://pagecloud.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PageCloud</a>, which is due to launch later in 2015, has secured $2.2m in seed funding. It claims to transform any browser and any machine into a website editor. Users can login and make spot edits or create a new page in seconds, live in real-time.
The Ontario based platform works with existing web apps like Mailchimp, Shopify, Magento, PayPal, Google, Vimeo, Volusion, Eventbrite and more. 
Here's an introductory video to give you a taste of PageCloud.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IvMA1w9NeAs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Here's an overview of what PageCloud is offering:
<ul>
<li>A browser-based editor usable from any machine, that lets you simply hit ‘edit’ and make spot changes to any page you control in seconds </li>
<li>Complete integration with all your favorite desktop apps, even though this is a natively cloud-based application </li>
<li>Never before seen levels of desktop usability, with popular desktop features that have never fully made it to popular Web apps, such as: copy and paste across apps, undo/redo, page layout tools that outperforms desktop publishing apps in features and performance </li>
<li>A long awaited seamless solution to building custom font support into a user’s workflow that doesn’t rely on code </li>
<li>Complete integration with popular graphics tools such as Photoshop (™) and Illustrator (™) </li>
<li>Easy integration with e-commerce and all other Web-based widgets </li>
<li>Complete code-level extensibility for developers </li>
<li>The ability to use any page on the Web as a creative starting point</li>
</ul>
PageCloud's CEO and founder Craig Fitzpatrick had this to say regarding the news:
<blockquote>
“Existing website publishing apps require coding skills to manipulate content beyond just filling the blanks of a rigid pre-built template. The launch of this  advanced technology represents a dramatic shift in Web design, as it’s the first to deliver this professional level of desktop publishing experience to the Web.
Designers, many of whom have limited coding experience, can now go right from Photoshop to the Web with no programming required as they can simply copy and paste layers directly onto their pages and sites.” 
</blockquote>
Should PageCloud deliver on what they're promising, there's no doubt that their platform will be a game changer. Website building could finally take that extra step towards true accessibility — which is something I mentioned in my recent roundup of what I'd like to see from the world of CMS in 2015.
To find out more about PageCloud, <a href="https://pagecloud.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">check out their website</a>.

PageCloud, "The World’s Most Advanced Website Editor", Secures Funding For Launch

Despite engaging in some pseudo-journalism within the CMS industry, I don't consider myself to be a journalist in the traditional sense. Although from the outside looking in, you probably can't tell the different. Or, you know, you probably just don't really care.
My point however, is that journalists who report on the movements of large companies and organizations seem to be receiving less material to work with, forcing them to exert more effort. As a result,<a href="http://news.isebox.net/2015-journalist-survey/" target="_blank"> a recent study has found that 68% of journalists are unhappy and overworked</a>.
Here's an infographic with all the details.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/journalist-survey-results-infographic-isebox700x0.png" />
Now, although I wouldn't class my own experiences in the exactly the same ways, I definitely see where that 68% is coming from. For sure, the above infographic doesn't perfectly reflect the reality of journalism within the world of CMS, but it does hold some weight.
However, instead of latching on to this journalism sob-story, I'd prefer to take this conversation in a more relevant direction.
So, with the eyes of CMS vendors across the world being my target, allow me to explain.
<h2>Why CMS Vendors Should Do More To Help Journalists</h2>
My role here at CMS Critic has now spanned a period of almost two years, and the quality of material given to me by some vendors (and I reiterate some, not all) has been consistently lacklustre.
Of course, I'm not talking about the quality of the actual products. I'm talking about the way in which many vendors choose to promote and portray their most recent updates to their customers as well as their go-to journalists. Here is what I humbly suggest that those vendors stop doing.
Stop the boring bullet-point lists with no additional next, stop making key announcements via a casual forum post, and stop sending out boring press releases with obscenely long quotes and “About” sections.
Instead, I would kindly urge vendors to focus more on spreading the news via company blogs, video content (which demonstrate new features), short interviews, and so forth. It's about time such announcements became engaging.
Am I saying this simply to make my own life easier? No.
My role here extends to reviewing products, <a href="/announcing-this-years-judges-for-the-2014-critics-choice-awards/" target="_blank">judging products</a>, and <a href="/cms-critic-on-tour-paris-amsterdam-basel/" target="_blank">covering conferences</a>, while CMS Critic also provides consultancy services. Because of this, I feel it necessary that I do all of that extra research mentioned in the infographic, no matter how dazzling or daunting each news update is. Whatever the case, my personal workload is unaffected.
Rather, it is in the best interests of the vendor to spend more time on the presentation of their news announcements.
It will make journalists more eager to cover the story, and customers far likely to pay attention. Not to mention, the overall brand will benefit from some more stellar marketing and outreach strategies. A win, win, win.
Those are my two cents anyway. If you need me, I'll be crying into my overworked keyboard.

Writer Woes: 68% of Journalists Are Unhappy (And Why CMS Vendors Should Care)

Just weeks after the <a href="/wordpress-4.1-dinah-released/" target="_blank">final release of WordPress 4.1</a>, the CMS giant has unveiled the first beta for WordPress 4.2. 
The exact date of the final release hasn't been revealed, with WordPress only saying it will be ready for “next month” (which translates as April 2015). 
Here's what you can expect from the latest version of WordPress.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wplogoblue-stacked-rgb.png" />
<h2>Intuitive Plugin Installation, Emojis &amp; More</h2>
<ul>
<li>“Press This” has been completely revamped to make sharing content from around the web easier than ever. The new workflow is mobile friendly, and all you have to do is navigate to the Tools screen in your WordPress backend to get started.</li>
<li>Browsing and switching installed themes has been added to the Customizer interface, making switching between themes faster and more convenient. <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/31303"> </a></li>
<li>The workflow for updating and installing plugins just got more intuitive with the ability to install or update in-place from the Plugins screens. </li>
<li>Need some more Emojis in your life? WordPress 4.2 comes with Emoji support nearly everywhere, even post slugs.</li>
</ul>
As for the developers out there, WordPress has included some goodies under the hood:
<ul>
<li>Taxonomy Roadmap: Terms shared across multiple taxonomies will <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/02/16/taxonomy-term-splitting-in-4-2-a-developer-guide/">now be split</a> into separate terms when one of them is updated. </li>
<li>New <code>wp.a11y.speak()</code> functionality helps your JavaScript talk to screen readers to better inform impaired users what’s happening on-screen. </li>
<li>Named clause support has been added to <code>WP_Query</code>, <code>WP_Comment_Query</code>, and <code>WP_User_Query</code>, allowing specific <code>meta_query</code> clauses to be used with <code>orderby</code>.</li>
</ul>
To get your hands on the beta, download the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/">WordPress Beta Tester</a> plugin (try “bleeding edge nightlies” if you're confident with code). Alternatively, you can <a href="https://wordpress.org/wordpress-4.2-beta1.zip">download the beta zip file here</a>.

First Beta Released For WordPress 4.2

Hotjar - Spot what confuses

Spot what confuses your users with Hotjar & AI

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<a href="https://lemonstand.com/" target="_blank">LemonStand</a>, a cloud-hosted eCommerce solution, has introduced content blocks as its newest feature.
The platform boasts of being, “tailor-made for online stores that do over six figures per year in sales, or aspire to.” 
<a href="https://lemonstand.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/lemonstand.png" /></a> Even on its lowest monthly plan, LemonStand imposes no transaction fees, nor does it cap the amount of products that users can sell. 
<h2>Content Blocks: Increased Control Over Design</h2>
Danny Halarewich, LemonStand's Co-Founder and CEO, made the announcement in an <a href="http://blog.lemonstand.com/new-lemonstand-feature-content-blocks/" target="_blank">enthusiatic blog post full of news tidbits and examples of content blocks in action</a>.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/editor-contentblock-e1426117447815.png" />
In the post, he said:
<blockquote>
“This flexible CMS features allows you to set up content on your website any way you like, then easily edit it whenever you want. You can use it to manage the content on pages like About Us, Contact and more. You could even use it to manage more complex content like lookbooks or a list of product distributers.
We will be adding content blocks to all of our <a href="https://lemonstand.com/themes">eCommerce themes</a> very soon. In addition to that, we’ll be releasing a bunch of new themes that will also use content blocks!”
</blockquote>
<a href="http://blog.lemonstand.com/new-lemonstand-feature-content-blocks/" target="_blank">Visit the LemonStand blog</a> to find out more about content blocks, or <a href="https://lemonstand.com/" target="_blank">check out their website</a> to start your online store.

LemonStand Unveils Content Blocks

CubeCart has announced that their latest version is now ready for live environments, following a beta testing period.
According to the CubeCart team, CubeCart V6 is part of, “a whole new philosophy for online commerce.”
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/1634_1634_37_37_cubecart_logo210_1.jpg" /> Previously, <a href="/cubecart-goes-open-source-launches-extensions-marketplace/" target="_blank">I covered the news of CubeCart v6 Beta going live</a>, which brought along with it an extensions marketplace, as well as news that CubeCart is now totally open source.
Key Points:
<ul>
<li>CubeCart v6 is Open Source and 100% Free.</li>
<li>You can upgrade from v3, v4 &amp; v5 to v6.</li>
<li>No bloatware: CubeCart v6 ships with no additional extensions, and only one minimal, responsive theme.</li>
<li>Extensions such as payment gateways, shipping rate calculators, skins etc now have individual version releases which means updates can get to you faster than having to wait and upgrade your store entirely.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.cubecart.com/technical-support">Technical support</a> plans are available for experienced web masters and those with little or no technical expertise at all.</li>
<li>Developers can submit their extensions into the CubeCart <a href="http://forums.cubecart.com/topic/49315-four-reasons-you-must-list-your-extensions-in-the-cubecart-marketplace/#entry206138">Extensions Marketplace</a>.</li>
<li>CubeCart v6 is ported from v5 which means existing v5 skins and extensions are forward compatible. </li>
</ul>
It's always good news when open source is being embraced, although the expansion of CubeCart's extension marketplace is also well worth noting. Those are two highly approriate enhancements taken on by CubeCart in my opinion.
To find out more about CubeCart v6, <a href="/cubecart-goes-open-source-launches-extensions-marketplace/" target="_blank">check out my previous coverage</a>, as well as their <a href="http://forums.cubecart.com/topic/49383-cubecart-600-available-now/" target="_blank">official blog announcement</a>.

CubeCart v6 Released

Adobe has made a number of big announcements at the U.S held Adobe Summit, the company's annual Digital Marketing conference.
CMS Critic are present at the Summit, and you can follow our live tweets from the event <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic" target="_blank">via our Twitter page</a>.
To be frank, Adobe has already revealed so much that it's hard to know where to start. So, here goes nothing.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/adobe-logo-100275038-orig.png" />
<h2>IBM &amp; Vibes Partnerships</h2>
Adobe and IBM have announced a global partnership. IBM Interactive Experience will build specialized enterprise consulting capabilities around AMC.
Furthermore, IBM Websphere will soon be integrated with Adobe Experience Manager. 
<a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150309006619/en/Adobe-IBM-Interactive-Experience-Announce-Global-Partnership#.VP6FJdLF-8B" target="_blank">Read more about the Adobe and IBM partnership</a>.
Adobe has also got a new partnership with Vibes, a mobile marketing giant. The deal means that marketers using Adobe Marketing Cloud can now seamlessly integrate Mobile Wallet, SMS and Push Messaging into their existing marketing campaigns.
<a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150309006580/en/Vibes-Partners-Adobe-Power-Mobile-Marketing-Campaigns#.VP8sQfmsWSo" target="_blank">Read more about the Adobe and Vibes partnership</a>.
<h2>Internet-of-Things and Wearable Devices</h2>
Adobe has introduced AEM Screens and new functionalities in Target, Analytics and Mobile Core Services that enable brands to bring highly personalized experiences to physical spaces like retail stores, hotel rooms, vending machines and Internet-of-Things.
Furthermore, a new Internet-of-Things SDK lets brands measure and analyze consumer engagement across any of those touch points, while new Intelligent Location capabilities in AMC will allow companies to use GPS and iBeacon data to optimize their physical brand presence.
<a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150309006586/en" target="_blank">Read more about Adobe's movement on the werable device front</a>.
<h2>Mobile Marketing &amp; More</h2>
Adobe has also unveiled a significant enhancements to Adobe Mobile Services, a Core Service across Adobe Marketing Cloud, that include a fully integrated mobile app framework.
The new mobile app framework delivers the complete, integrated solution in the industry for developing and managing apps, and is the first to eliminate marketers’ dependence on an array of disjointed point solutions.
Adobe has also added six top app tech providers (Fiksu, Vibes, Kochava, Ionic, Crittercism, appFigures) to its partner ecosystem, who are integrating their tools into the mobile app framework.
<a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150309006582/en" target="_blank">Read more about Adobe's mobile marketing and app development progress</a>.
And finally, Adobe has announced a new algorithmic engine and advances in Audience Core Services to bring together the worlds of data-driven marketing. Its new Audience Core Services enable brands to connect massive audience and behavioral data. 
A new set of algorithms lets them reach those audiences with paid media in AMO. A new Audience Marketplace lets brands buy and sell anonymous first and third party data
By integrating programmatic buying natively, Adobe brings the marketplace to the marketer and enables consistent experiences across channels
<a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150309006581/en" target="_blank">Read more about the enhancements to Adobe Marketing Cloud</a>.
I told you there was a lot of news! And yet the Adobe Summit still isn't over, so be sure to <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic" target="_blank">follow us on Twitter</a> to stay on top of our live tweets direct from the event.

Partnerships, IoT & Wearable Devices: Adobe Makes String of Announcements

WordPress powers millions of websites and blogs worldwide. More than 60 million in fact, according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPress">Wikipedia</a>. And this number is constantly growing. 
‘What makes it so popular?’ you may ask. Well, the answer is simple – WordPress is easy to setup and use. This CMS allows users to build almost any type of website – from blogs to multipage websites, online portfolios and even eCommerce websites. 
One more thing to mention is the wide variety of WP themes available. As you know, a WP theme is a fast and easy way to “dress” your site, so it is not such a bad thing that the web is flooded with millions of free and premium WordPress themes, developed to serve multiple purposes. 
Below we offer you an overview of the 12 essential components to which one should pay special attention when choosing a WordPress theme. Consider these elements and build a website that will set you apart from the rest.
<h2>12 Things To Look For When Choosing A WordPress Theme</h2>
In this section you may consider 9 basic elements that most popular WordPress templates boast. Making use of them, you can not only save time and effort on site development and management, but also start a project that will be in demand among the online audience. So, read on and remember these suggestions. 
1. Responsive Design
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/heyday.jpg" /> This is one of the indispensable features any website struggling to gain customer loyalty should incorporate. It’s no secret that modern users are shifting from desktop to handheld devices, so targeting mobile shoppers is the win-win solution. 
Think about this for a moment – would you stay on a page that doesn’t display content properly on your smart device? I really doubt that. When choosing a responsive WordPress theme you may feel secure your blog or website will adapt to any screen size, showing all elements the way you intended.
 Prime example: <a href="http://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes/52087.html" target="_blank">Heyday</a> 
2. Auto Upgrades &amp; Support
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/club8700x0.jpg" /> No matter how stunning the look of the theme you’ve picked, customer service is what really sells. The good thing is that WordPress templates from trusted companies like <a href="http://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes.php" target="_blank">TemplateMonster</a> come with auto upgrades and free 24/7 support. 
Prime example: <a href="http://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes/51842.html" target="_blank">Club8</a> 
3. Navigation
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/recipes.jpg" /> You may have great content, a beautifully designed layout and several easy-to-reach social sharing buttons from which to choose, but all your efforts will be in vain unless you make your site easy to navigate. If the layout looks cluttered and users can’t figure out your site, they will simply leave.
Making your website easy-to-navigate is a key to success. So be sure to choose the theme that has a clean and intuitive navigation. 
Prime example: <a href="http://www.wpexplorer.com/recipes-blogging-wordpress-theme/" target="_blank">Recipes</a> 
4. Social Media Integration
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/explorer.jpg" /> It’s unusual to find a modern user who doesn’t have a social media account. If you are running a blog or a corporate website, chances are you are trying to attract more users to participate in discussions and comment/like/share your posts.
With the help of social sharing buttons this can be easily achieved. Social media integration is known as a proven effective way to increase page views and sharing stats. 
Prime example: <a href="https://www.wphub.com/themes/explorer/category/business/" target="_blank">Explorer</a> 
5. Easy Customization
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/yamony.jpg" /> When buying a theme, check out whether or not it’s easy to customize. Some template providers will give you a theme together with detailed guides on installation and management. Depending on what goals you pursue, check out the advanced options with which the theme comes packed; does it include the functionality you might need (like calendar, slider, galleries, portfolios, etc.); what kind of standard pages does it offer? How many color/font options will you have at your disposal, etc.?
Also, check out whether the developer provides you with packaged functionality along with the template itself. As a rule, this functionality is not turned on by default. 
Prime example: <a href="http://www.wpzoom.com/themes/photonote/" target="_blank">Yamony</a> 
6. Fast Load Speed
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elegant.jpg" /> Will you stay on the page that doesn’t load quickly? Modern users want everything instantly, otherwise they go elsewhere to get it. On average, people wait for three seconds for the website to load fully. It would seem a three second wait is not that long.
However, when online it can feel like an eternity. That’s why you should be especially selective when choosing a WordPress theme for your site. Many problems with load speed will vanish once you pick a well-coded, clean template and dedicated plugins created to speed up your site. 
Prime example: <a href="http://www.wpexplorer.com/elegant-portfolio-wordpress-theme/" target="_blank">Elegant</a>
7. Cross Browser Compatibility
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/delaila.jpg" /> People are using a variety of different browsers nowadays. Alongside such popular solutions as Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer, there are many lesser known browsers (like Konqueror) that are also being used to view your site. That’s why it’s important to know your site will perform properly across all major media platforms.
To release you from the heavy burden of checking out your web page each time changes are being applied, modern template providers make themes cross-browser compatible for you to feel safe these will look and work effectively in all browsers. 
Prime example:<a href="https://www.wphub.com/themes/delaila/category/business/" target="_blank"> DELAILA</a> 
8. Clean Layout
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/delicious.jpg" /> Apart from functionality, design factor should also be considered. It is not always recommended to pick a template heavy in design elements. Clean and minimalist layouts are always in demand. Have a look at the screen shot below.
Delicious is a clean and minimal WordPress theme best suited for developing cafe &amp; restaurant websites. Thanks to the pale background, users can focus attention on the menu and specialties rather than be distracted by heavy graphics. 
Prime example: <a href="http://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes/50762.html" target="_blank">Delicious</a> 
9. Unique Design <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/oshin.jpg" /> Those who want to stand apart from competitors and grab user attention with something outstanding, can opt for unique designs. As a rule, such resources are very interactive, allowing visitors to participate in storytelling.
For instance, Oshin is a beautifully designed multi-purpose WordPress template with 15 different layouts from which you can choose, 50 page builder shortcode modules, a bundle of free fonts, and much more. Incorporating the latest web design trends, like slow load effect, full- width visuals, ghost buttons, and grids, it was developed to catch the user’s eye at first sight. 
Prime example: <a href="https://www.cmscritic.comhttps://www.cmscritic.com/themeforestitem/oshin-creative-multipurpose-wordpress-theme/9545812?ref=cirvitis" target="_blank">Oshin</a>
10. Cherry Framework
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/car-wash.jpg" /> Cherry Framework, along with its child themes, was launched by <a href="http://www.templatemonster.com/presentations/cherry-framework-wordpress-themes.php" target="_blank">TemplateMonster</a>. This is a free parent framework that comes with various widgets, shortcodes, and solid Bootstrap options.
Originally released in December 2012, Cherry is now compatible with more than 900 child themes. The admin panel resembles the original WP interface in many ways, allowing even those of us who are not tech-savvy to set up a site and bring it to life hassle-free. Cherry is easy to install, requiring only three clicks. Overall, it comes with most of the WP features, like SEO optimization, excellent support, custom post creation, easy import/export data procedures, XML sitemap generation, and a number of other extra features. 
Prime example: <a href="http://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes/51818.html" target="_blank">Car Wash</a> 
11. Custom Widgets
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/agrofields.jpg" /> The best part about WordPress themes is that many of them are filled with widgets that you can add to your site. These range from contact forms to menus, full screen slideshows, and other features. When working on the design of your future site, these are some of the elements in the Library adding functionality to your project. 
Prime example: <a href="https://www.cmscritic.comhttps://www.cmscritic.com/themeforestitem/agrofields-food-shop-grocery-market-wp-theme-/9725100" target="_blank">Food Shop Premium WordPress Theme</a> 
12. Shortcodes
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/dentist.jpg" /> Attaching media data can be facilitated by means of shortcodes. These are known as the easiest way to embed lists, tabs, audio and video data, Google maps, grids, and plenty of other elements into your site. If you need any of the above features, then look for a WP theme that comes with shortcodes. 
Prime example: <a href="http://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes/52373.html" target="_blank">Dentist</a>
<h3>Final Thoughts</h3>
Although there is no way to guarantee success in the online world, one thing is for sure: by taking into consideration the 12 aforementioned elements you can set up a website that will be user-friendly, easy-to-customize, intuitive, easy-to-navigate, appealing and remarkable. 
Interestingly, free WordPress themes don’t lag far behind their paid equivalents, however the latter do provide a number of additional features and functionalities, like free 24/7 support, regular updates, protection from malware of any kind, etc. When looking for a template with which to build your next web project, there are several things to consider in order to obtain a product that is really worth the money. 
If you have any other thoughts or ideas on other elements to consider when choosing a good WordPress theme, you are welcome to mention them in the comments.

Choosing A WordPress Theme: 12 Things To Look For

eCommerce solution <a href="https://www.avactis.com/blog/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Avactis</a> has released the latest version of AvactisNext.
Avactis allows you to launch a cloud-hosted online store, and also gives you the option to download and self-host their software. The platform also integrates nicely with Facebook and existing websites. Signing up with Avactis gives users free access to its themes, plugins, and language packs. Let's take a look at what's new with AvactisNext 4.7.4.
Responsive Email Notification: All the email notifications that customers receive will now be totally responsive.
Ajax Filter: Users can now filter the extensions as purchased, free, and premium on your manage extensions page in the admin area without reloading the page.
Page Layouts: Page layouts have been enhanced at the manage extensions page
To find out more about AvactisNext 4.7.4, check out the <a href="https://www.avactis.com/blog/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">official blog announcement</a>.
And of course, you can explore more of Avactis through our CMS Directory.

AvactisNext 4.7.4 Released

WordPress is a monster in the CMS industry, to the point that it's almost unfair how many websites are powered by the popular open source CMS. With a whopping 23.4% of the web running WP, it's amazingly popular and far surpasses any other CMS in the world. Today, I'm going to share with you my thoughts on why WordPress beats Drupal and Joomla. I'm going to do so by sharing what I consider to be the 8 ways it does this.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/header_image-2500x0.png" alt="8 Ways WordPress Beats Drupal and Joomla" />
<ol>
<li>
<h2>Ease of use</h2>
When it comes to ease of use, WordPress is definitely the king amongst these three. Not only does it have one of the simplest and most straight forward interfaces, it far exceeds Drupal and Joomla when it comes to usability (in my humble opinion). WordPress has been used by many projects as a model for how to do a proper user interface and continues to improve with each new update. For an overall writing experience, it also offers a very unique distraction free writing mode which allows you to focus solely on your writing. Drupal, for instance, has an interface that fosters confusion and feels too complex. It doesn't feel as fluid as I'd like to see from such a powerful CMS. Joomla has some oddball ways of navigating the menus and accomplishing simple tasks and still needs some work (although over the years I've seen some good improvements).
</li>
<li>
<h2>Ease of Installation</h2>
WordPress is incredibly easy to install, the entire process is very, very straight forward and requires little knowledge. Having said that, services like Fantastico have made it much easier to install all three of these CMS with relative ease. Without Fantastico however, WordPress is definitely the simpler of the three. Even better, if you are using a hosting service like <a href="/bluehost">Bluehost</a>, it couldn't get much easier with their automated tools and WordPress managed hosting services.
</li>
<li>
<h2>Word of mouth</h2>
This is rather obvious but given the popularity of WordPress, it gets more word of mouth than Joomla or Drupal and is far more likely to be recommended as a solution than the other two. This can, however, result in people using WordPress for purposes outside the products means so it's a double edges sword in some cases.
</li>
<li>
<h2>Theming options</h2>
Sure, themes aren't the end all be all but for those looking to start a new website from scratch, they are certainly a huge help and with WordPress as popular as it is, there are literally thousands if not millions of themes out there to choose from. New theme development agencies are popping up every day offering more and more options to choose from which again, leads to more and more adoption of the CMS. Joomla is second to WordPress when it comes to theming and the situation with Drupal is just bad. There might be one or two decent Drupal theme companies out there but the work is often poor or unappealing to the masses (feel free to correct me if you know of some I'm unaware of).
</li>
<li>
<h2>Community</h2>
The WordPress community is nothing short of massive. With a huge number of blogs running on the WordPress.com hosted platform in addition to the downloadable version, WordPress has a community of millions of users around the world. This allows for a much quicker turn around for support questions and it's much much easier to find someone with the ability to assist in either developing plugins or a theme for your website. With a community this large, there are definite advantages.
</li>
<li>
<h2>Integrations</h2>
Almost any type of web software available has an integration with WordPress already in place or is working on one. This saves significant time working with code and allows users of the platform to benefit from the ease of use it's best known for. When integrating with a third party service involves a quick process rather than editing code, the world becomes an easier place for those looking to expand their websites with new functionality. Furthermore, with a massive directory of plugins, it's easy to accomplish new things and expand your website by simply installing a new plugin.
</li>
<li>
<h2>Niche Adoption</h2>
Since WordPress was a blog platform first and foremost, there was little competition other than Blogger to contend with. As a result, WP was quickly able to establish itself as the king of hte ring in this arena. As blogging became more popular, more of those individuals who first started out using WP for their blogs started to look at how they could continue their love affair with the plaform by adopting it to other niches. As a result, WordPress now can be used for far more than just blogging and continues to grow in capability.
</li>
<li>
<h2>Ease of Development</h2>
WordPress is a very simple CMS to use to develop websites. I've worked with it for years to build a number of sites including originally using it to power this very website you are reading this on. We are now powered by Processwire but I used WordPress to begin with to help me get this far. In addition, I built my wife's website, <a href="http://www.thekitchenmagpie.com"> http://www.thekitchenmagpie.com </a> (through which she ended up signing a book deal with Random House) as well as a ton of others such as <a href="http://www.baconhound.com"> http://www.baconhound.com </a> and many others. I find the development process very straight forward and since I am self taught in PHP, easy to pick up and understand.
</li>
</ol>
Now that I've shared the number of ways I think WordPress beats Drupal and Joomla, what are your thoughts? Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below (but please do play nice!)
~Mike

8 Ways WordPress Beats Drupal and Joomla

TERMINALFOUR, a digital engagement and web content management platform for higher education institutions, today announced its plans to expand its North American operations.
The expansion comes in the form of 15 new positions in TERMINALFOUR's Boston headquarters. Naturally, This growth will strengthen the support and customer service availability for TERMINALFOUR's clients throughout North America.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/terminalfour.jpg" /> 
According to TERMINALFOUR, the expansion is a result of winning 7 new significant higher education clients. This success has been largely afforded to <a href="/terminalfour-releases-new-higher-education-digital-engagement-platform/" target="_blank">TERMINALFOUR's most recent platform update towards the end of 2014</a>, which saw the introduction of 150 new features.
<h2> “A Bigger, Bolder &amp; More Pronounced Commitment”</h2>
The 15 new positions on offer cover business development and client-facing roles including account management, client support, and training and new business development. These roles will be recruited over the next 18 months with interviews already underway.
TERMINALFOUR's digital engagement and web content management platform is used by more than 155 university and college clients to power in excess of 10,000 higher education websites throughout the world.
With its main headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, the platform helps Universities and Colleges engage more effectively online to drive key results such as student recruitment numbers. Last year it announced plans to double this to more than 300 clients by 2016, although its current client portfolio already spans the globe.
TERMINALFOUR's Boston expansion is being led by Mike Taylor, TERMINALFOUR's VP of Worldwide Sales. Here's his take on the news:
<blockquote>“TERMINALFOUR has had a presence in the US for a number of years but it needed to make a bigger, bolder and more pronounced commitment to this market. While we still have significant and robust ties to the global business unit, the expansion of the Boston team is about bolstering local resources to drive our ambitious national business development plans but also ensuring a personalized experience for our US client base.”</blockquote>
The official press release for this news <a href="http://businessandfinance.com/news/terminalfour-announces-15-new-jobs-for-boston-hq/" target="_blank">can be seen here</a>. To find out more about TERMINALFOUR's latest higher education digital engagement solution, <a href="http://www.terminalfour.com/" target="_blank">check out their website</a>.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/terminalfour-site-manager/" target="_blank">TERMINALFOUR via our CMS directory</a>.

TERMINALFOUR Announces New Jobs For Boston Headquarters

CMS Kickoff 26

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