Articles - Page 121

Agentic AI for Agencies in 2026

bmckeiver

This week, <a href="https://hygraph.com/?utm_term=hygraph&amp;utm_campaign=EN_GL_Brand&amp;utm_source=adwords&amp;utm_medium=ppc&amp;hsa_acc=2816788452&amp;hsa_cam=17743993835&amp;hsa_grp=141602476209&amp;hsa_ad=610084431591&amp;hsa_src=g&amp;hsa_tgt=kwd-1681477926128&amp;hsa_kw=hygraph&amp;hsa_mt=p&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjww4-hBhCtARIsAC9gR3YU9uocJkJ2l80xEp1BlGTD-17eTEyFU6i_A1B0oVIDPhzZxjfOz7AaAtL0EALw_wcB" target="_blank">Hygraph</a>, an enterprise-level federated content platform, announced a closing round of Series B funding for $30 million, led by the investment firm <a href="https://onepeak.tech/">One Peak</a>. Other existing VC firms <a href="https://openocean.vc/" target="_blank">OpenOcean</a>, <a href="https://peak.capital/" target="_blank">Peak</a>, <a href="https://squareone.vc/" target="_blank">SquareOne</a>, and a new angel investor, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/boris-lokschin-aba53013/?locale=en_US" target="_blank">Boris Lokschin</a>, co-founder and CEO of Spryker Systems, completed the funding round.
“The demand for connected digital services shows no sign of slowing down, but building everything custom is costly and an innovation bottleneck. Today, organizations not only need to distribute content to multiple devices, but they also need to access and serve up content from a myriad of sources,” said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-lukaszczyk/" target="_blank">Michael Lukaszczyk</a>, Hygraph CEO and co-founder. “In the same way the headless CMS changed content distribution, Hygraph is disrupting the integration of content and data to enable the creation of new digital services and business models in the content economy. Our new funding round will allow us to further scale our business, as we aim to do for content management what the likes of MuleSoft did for integration.”
<h2>Hello, Hygraph</h2>
Last year, GraphCMS – the first GraphQL-native headless CMS – <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/graphcms-rebrands-to-hygraph-launches-new-federated-content-platform/">rebranded itself to Hygraph</a> and focused on a new federated content delivery platform. Since its rebrand, the Berlin-based company currently employs 70 people globally, and boasts more than 400 customers, including Dr. Oetker, Shure, Samsung, and Philips.
<h2>What is a federated content platform?</h2>
Hygraph calls it the “next generation of content management,” particularly in the next step beyond the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/">headless CMS</a>. The focus of Hygraph has been to replace “middleware development,” which has naturally occurred since the rise of headless and composable architecture. Through Hygraph’s product, users can connect siloed content across the entire software stack via a single API. Through this approach, content teams can compose content, distribute it and scale it more quickly than by using a traditionally headless system.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/03/hygraph.png" />
<h2>Hygraph = high growth</h2>
With this new round of funding, investors are anticipating Hygraph to grow their business and expand the reach toward implementing their innovative federated content platform, particularly in North America.
“Despite the rise of the composable enterprise, many organizations are unable to unlock full value from their content,” said David Klein, co-founder and managing partner, and Tatjana Kast, director at One Peak. “Hygraph solves the customization and integration challenges that continue to slow the creation of new or complex digital services at scale. We have been hugely impressed with Hygraph’s strong and capital-efficient growth trajectory and believe that its federated content platform presents a sizeable market opportunity. One Peak is incredibly excited to back the excellent Hygraph team and its founders in their next phase of explosive growth.”
“We are honoured to be able to continue to support Hygraph’s journey,” said Ekaterina Almasque, general partner, OpenOcean. “The Series B validates the company’s unique position as an emerging leader in the next-generation enterprise content management stack. Its powerful GraphQL-native federated platform enables customers to build products like streaming services or fast-moving catalogs with unprecedented speed and ease, without relying on large engineering teams. We’re delighted to be involved in the strides that Hygraph has made since our early-stage investment to reposition the company, rebrand, and show their unique proposition to the enterprise market.”
<h3>About Hygraph</h3>
Hygraph is the enterprise-grade federated content platform that enables content creators to rapidly build and deliver tomorrow’s connected digital experiences at scale. As the next generation of CMS, Hygraph powers a many-to-many relationship between different content sources and devices. Hygraph’s modern API approach allows organisations to innovate faster and at lower cost, whether it’s building content-rich applications, or managing large product catalogues or internal knowledge management systems. Hygraph is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and currently works with 400+ customers globally including Dr. Oetker, Shure, Samsung and Philips.
For more information, visit <a href="http://www.hygraph.com" target="_blank">www.hygraph.com</a>.
<h3>About One Peak</h3>
One Peak is a leading growth equity investment firm with approx. $2 billion in assets under management that invests in technology companies in the scale-up phase. One Peak provides growth capital, operating expertise and access to its extensive network to exceptional entrepreneurs, with a view to help transform innovative and rapidly growing businesses into lasting, category-defining leaders. In addition to Hygraph, One Peak’s investments include Ardoq, Brightflag, Coople, Cymulate, DataGuard, Deepki, DocPlanner, Emnify, HighQ, Infermedica, Keepit, Lucca, Neo4j, Orgvue, PandaDoc, Paysend, Quentic, Spryker Systems, and many more.
For more information, visit <a href="http://www.onepeak.tech" target="_blank">www.onepeak.tech</a>.

Hygraph Secures $30 Million in Series B Funding

mk-patterson

Image of new Hygraph logo against a dark background with a graph pattern

MotoCMS is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.motocms.com/">website builder</a>, capable of building professional-looking responsive websites.The latest major release, MotoCMS 3.0, brought about enhancements to speed, user experience and mobile responsiveness.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/untitled-3.jpg" />MotoCMS is equipped to handle eCommerce sites, portfolio sites and businesses sites alike, boasting an array of well designed templates to give users plenty to work with from the get go.In short, it’s a website builder, and like all website builders, it's designed to be beautiful on the outside, and simple on the inside.The plan is, you use it to modify and tweak existing MotoCMS templates, before purchasing your finished website and hosting it yourself, however you see fit. It's a model designed to get you crafting a website quickly and professionally, without any ongoing expenses.Let’s see how well MotoCMS lives up to its website builder label.<h2>First Impressions</h2>The MotoCMS website is sleek.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1807x0-is.png" />Vibrant purples dominate the design, information is plentiful and a range of languages can be switched between to appeal to a worldwide market.Clicking the “Get started” button on the homepage gets you into the action. After selecting my template, I was asked to type in my email, my name and my phone number, although only the email field was mandatory.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-2723x0-is.png" />I was able to try out the optional phone-activation feature though, only to find out that it doesn't replace the email verification feature. You'll need to verify your phone number first, and then verify yourself again via email in order to log in to MotoCMS. Long winded stuff.As usual, I'd recommend sticking to email verification only.<h2>Getting Started</h2>Thankfully, things got better when I was eventually granted access.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-51050x0-is.png" /> “Welcome to the Future”.It may sound a little cheesy but that’s totally okay with me. Cheesy, in this environment, can definitely be a good thing. Especially when the platform actually delivers on its futuristic promise.The dashboard page itself though, is empty.It simply gives you that “Welcome to the Future” message, and then forces you into clicking away to other areas of the admin panel. Perhaps here would be a good place to have a short instructional step-by-step guide, or perhaps a video? Anything would be better than the emptiness it currently boasts.<h3>Pages</h3>After heading over to “Pages” on the navigation bar, a help window pops up explaining how to use the interface.The window is useful and easy to digest. It’s good that it’s there, but it’s not so good that it isn’t centered on the screen, nor is it small enough to comfortably fit on the screen. A minor issue, but an issue it is.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-6621x0-is.png" />The options down the right-hand side allow you to edit page names, URLs and assign parent pages. Switching over to “Design” section provides you with page-specific design options that enable you to hide sections of the page, like the header or footer.Pointing and clicking at any section of the page though, brings up new options.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-12743x0-is.png" />You can edit text and insert widgets like sliders, galleries, images, contact forms, iframes, videos and maps, all right there on the page. It's WYSIWYG technology at its traditional best. It works just as you'd expect it too, which is precisely how it should be.Adding a new page is simple, too. You just click “Add New” button on the top left corner, and insert your page name and URL (or slug).You can then proceed to edit and tweak as you would with an existing page.MotoCMS also lets you instantly preview your website through the screen or a desktop, tablet or smartphone. A handy feature.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-9940x0-is.png" /><h3>Design</h3>The “Design” section within the admin panel controls, well, the design.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-2-1936x0-is.png" />MotoCMS gives you a lot of ways to edit their existing template, and it's quite simple to do as well. Settings relating to the theme, font, text sizes and widgets can all be configured. It's pretty detailed.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1-2936x0-is.png" /> Elements like social media links, page dividers, buttons and so forth can all be configured.No doubt this is where a website builder earns its stripes for being, well, a website builder. For me, MotoCMS does enough to make life simple for inexperienced web designers looking to re-brand and re-jig a template.<h3>Media Library</h3>Another option within the admin panel is Media Library.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-3-1745x0-is.png" />As the name of the section suggests, here is where you can manage media files for your website.MotoCMS throws in quite a few images that come bundled with the theme. Plus, there are categorized sections for videos, sound files, documents and more.Clicking “Upload” is how you add your own files to the mix.<h3>Extras</h3>I'd like to take a moment here to focus on MotoCMS's templates. Because they're excellently crafted.You can choose between six upon signing up (not sure why the number is limited in this regard), although more can be found at their <a target="_blank" href="http://www.motocms.com/website-templates/">template marketplace</a>.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-4-1611x0-is.png" /> Each one looks highly professional, and thanks to some detailed customization options within the MotoCMS admin panel, you can quite easily make your chosen theme unique to your brand. Starting templates are important for website builders, and MotoCMS has excelled in this area.Unfortunately though, other than templates, MotoCMS is lacking severely in the extras department.It does an awesome job of actually building highly professional websites, but that's pretty much all it does, unfortunately.There is a “Settings” page on the admin panel, which governs general website settings, basic SEO options, code injections and so forth. Blogging doesn't seem to be something that comes easy with MotoCMS either, as there aren't any settings to configure an actual blog.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-5-1738x0-is.png" /> As for eCommerce features, you'll need to dish out an additional $99. Yet for blogging, there's not even a purchasable add-on available.The only other extra functionality is the ability to configure Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools codes. It's bare minimum, to say the least.<h2>Getting Help</h2>MotoCMS does well when it comes to providing support.Every page on the admin panel has a “?” icon that leads to their Help Centre. That help centre, is home to a searchable knowledge base, and can also be used to submit a support request.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-6-1725x0-is.png" /> Furthermore, the MotoCMS community can be accessed from here, where users ask and answer questions in order to help eachother out. There's also live chat available for sorting out smaller issues.<h2>Pricing</h2>As far as pricing goes, MotoCMS gives you a free 7-day trial to get your website together. You can tinker away for that first week, but thereafter, you'll need to purchase your (modified) template in order to keep it and use it.Templates advertised on the MotoCMS <a target="_blank" href="http://www.motocms.com/website-templates/">template marketplace</a> start from $139. However, when I went to purhase my own modified template, I was asked for $199. Although this is probably down to the template I selected.Extras like the eCommerce plugin and an installation service can also be purchased at the time of checkout.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-7-1524x0-is.png" />For me, the pricing is probably about right. The templates are awesome as they are, so after a week of editing, it's worth the relatively reasonable price tag.<h2>The Verdict</h2>To describe MotoCMS, one word springs to my mind again and again; crisp.Their website, their interface and their templates are all delicately refined. I'm a big, big fan of the MotoCMS visual user experience across the admin panel, too.However, a CMS needs to be more than just a pretty face.With no blogging features, and eCommerce coming at an added price, the average startup might pass on this attractive platform. Plus, despite being WYSIWG, I wouldn't say it's the easiest website builder to use, as you're never too far away from some technical options.Would I recommend MotoCMS to first-time website builders looking to start a business? Probably not. But I would recommend it to a web developer who wants to churn out classy websites for clients who need static websites. Because that's where MotoCMS really shines.<h3>Pros</h3><ul><li>MotoCMS is a very sleek and beautiful platform. That makes it a joy to use.</li><li>Templates are plentiful, and expertly designed.</li><li>It's fast. 40% faster than WordPress, according to MotoCMS.</li><li>Editing as you preview your website on desktop, tablet and smartphone is simple and slick, just like a website builder should be.</li><li>Widgets like galleries, contact forms, maps, iframes, sliders and so forth help kit out the feature set.</li><li>General editing is easy, with point-and-click interfaces and extra menus for more sophisticated tinkering.</li><li>Live chat, a knowledge base and an online community make up the decent support system in place for MotoCMS users.</li></ul><h3>Cons</h3><ul><li>MotoCMS is not hosted. You'll need to source your own web host.</li><li>There are some (slight) display issues when it comes to help windows.</li><li>The eCommerce Plugin requires an extra $99 payment.</li><li>MotoCMS doesn't really offer much as a blogging solution.</li></ul><h2>Final Remarks</h2><a href="/products/motocms">MotoCMS</a> prides itself on offering awesome looking templates, and rightly so.A quick look at their template selection tells you that you can build a pretty slick looking website. They're beautifully crafted, and the website builder itself makes it quite easy to build on what's already there.However, it just feels like a slight technical step above the most basic website builders on the market. For web design newbies, that spells trouble. But for experienced web developers with clients on hand? It's a platform worth exploring, for sure.MotoCMS needs some touching up, but it seems to be coming along nicely. I personally like its charm, and I'll be keeping a close eye on its progress in the coming months and years.

MotoCMS Review

mike-johnston

phpFox is one of the most popular social networking software on the market but is the latest iteration of the software worth using for your social network? In this phpFox review, we'll let you know.With pricing ranging from $299 – $599, phpFox is definitely not a cheap investment so you'll want to make sure it's 100% the right tool for you before you get started.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox_review_-_1542x0-is.png" alt="phpfox review" />Fortunately, there's a demo you can use to mess around with the software. The drawback, however, is that the demo does not allow you into the AdminCP (the back end of phpFox) to see what it's like to administer the software, something I find a bit odd.Luckily, I was given a test account so I could write this review, so let's take a look and see what the admin interface looks like. Once logged in, you'll be presented with the menu for a logged in user (top right) where you can select the small gear icon to enter the AdminCP.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox_review_-_2889x0-is.png" alt="phpfox review" />Once you've entered the admin interface, you'll be greeted with the following screen:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox_review_-_3879x0-is.png" alt="phpfox review" />From here, you can administer your phpFox instance. The dashboard link on the left menu gives you the screen you see above, which shows basic information about who is using your site, who is logged in, etc.Under the Apps menu, you can add new Apps to your phpFox instance, allowing you to expand the functionality for your members.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox_review_-_4687x0-is.png" alt="phpfox review" />Keep in mind, of course, that a lot of these apps will have costs associated with them as most are commercial plugins and not free.On the Themes tab, you can choose to apply a free theme or purchase a new premium one from those available. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox_review_-_5765x0-is.png" alt="phpfox review" />From the languages link you can change the language of your installation to one of the many available translations. Unfortunately, I'm not versed in anything more than English so I'm not able to tell you how accurate the translations are but perhaps someone can leave a comment and let us know their experiences. Available languages include French, Dutch, Russian, Romanian and Polish.The user editor allows you to modify user profiles. One thing that I found slightly annoying (from an aesthetics point of view) is that everything is single column all the way down. I would think it would be easier (and make things look cleaner and more professional) if the fields weren't full width for everything like Zip Code, Gender, etc. It just makes it look a bit sloppy and I think some basic work to clean these up would make it look more professional as it currently does not.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox_review_-_6-1753x0-is.png" alt="phpfox review" />I'm on a 1440×900 screen so seeing these fields stretched the whole width just looks sloppy. I realize this is a minor gripe but still something I felt necessary to point out.While on the topic of gripes, one thing I found rather distressing was the complete lack of help throughout the AdminCP. Not only are there no tooltips or even a “?” icon to click on for help with an area of the admin but there isn't even a help link in the menu system on the left, which I found rather disheartening. For a system this far along in the development cycle (phpFox has been around for many years) this simply is not acceptable.Moving on to the Pages component of the Admin, we're greeted with an editor that, sadly, only allows you to enter in HTML code.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox_review_-_7894x0-is.png" alt="phpfox review" /> I was personally hoping for something a bit more useful like a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor akin to WordPress or other CMS but that was not the case. I'm also a bit take aback by the way the interface seems to scale on my Macbook Pro. I'm at a screen resolution of 1440×900 as mentioned before and as you can see from the screenshot, things like even the “save” button seem cut off and not scaled appropriately. Even if I attempt to scroll, the button for Save still does not show fully which I consider unacceptable. (Note: phpFox claims that a proper editor will be present in the upcoming 4.5 release, so perhaps this will change)The Blocks interface within phpFox lets you control which components you wish to show on specific areas of the site. For instance, you can create custom HTML or PHP blocks and show them based on specific pages or to only specific user IDs or groups.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox_review_-_8772x0-is.png" alt="phpfox review" />The Phrases area within the admin appears to be a place where you can rename or provide friendly names for specific phrases within your social network. I'm not 100% clear as to how it works because, as mentioned before, there's absolutely no help or even description telling you what this area is for so I'm stating this based on guesswork and common sense.The bulk of the settings for your installation can be found under, wait for it, the Settings link. Here you can configure everything from server settings to SEO settings and more.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox_review_-_9496x0-is.png" alt="phpfox review" />To their credit, there are a lot of settings exposed here and everything from module configuration to payment gateways and more is all listed here and easy to configure. I still, however, am frustrated by the lack of any kind of help while within any of these areas. In most cases, there aren't even descriptors to help enlighten you as to what each of the areas within the Settings are for.The Modules, Announcements and Newsletter sections are all similar in look and feel. Within the Announcements and Newsletter dialog, you can configure and set announcements and newsletters to go out at certain times.Under the Status menu, there is a Site Statistics link. Within here, one would expect to see reports or graphs showing statistics for your website. Instead, this is what you are shown:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox_review_-_101179x0-is.png" alt="phpfox review" />I'm not sure about you but I'd have expected that if I clicked on a menu called Site Statistics, I'd want to see some nice, pretty graphs and a decent spread of analytics. This type of stuff is not hard to provide, even if just embedding some basic Google Analytics reporting. All in all, my whole experience with the software seems to echo this frustration.I'm going to conclude this review here as there's not much else to cover and I think I need to explain why I'm being as picky as I am about the design, implementation and issues I'm encountering here. You see, this software is not just marketed as the best solution for social networking but it's also priced at a level that should reflect well coded, beautifully crafted software. All of these niggling issues and poor design choices I'm encountering make me think that if I had purchased this software, I'd feel upset and like I had not received enough value for my dollar. Furthermore, I'd expect things to be intuitive, come with excellent help and generally be more useful. I find it very difficult to be lenient in instances such as this and rightly so.When a company is asking for hundreds of dollars of my money for their software, I expect quality of a high level. You don't buy Adobe Photoshop for several hundred and expect it to be sloppy and not scale properly to your screen size nor should you expect the same here. Is comparing phpFox to Adobe Photoshop or any level of similar priced software fair? I think it is. We're talking about software that has been around for over a decade and the level of quality you'd expect from software that has been around for this long simply isn't reflected here.When it comes to help, nothing is present within the adminCP. There are no quick links to available help resources, no help within any of the sections of the site and no live chat or anything to warrant the cost associated with this software. Even more annoying, support links are buried within the footer on their main website as opposed to being easily accessible and visible.Note: this isn't to say that support resources don't exist, there are tons of them: <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.phpfox.com/">https://docs.phpfox.com/</a> &amp; <a target="_blank" href="https://community.phpfox.com/">https://community.phpfox.com</a> for instance but the fact that they are not linked to or highlighted within the AdminCP is still a big miss. Why have no links or method to access any of these great resources evident when using the software? Hiding them away somewhere else without making it easy to find or use them means you miss the “ease of use” mark.When you look at the pricing, the lack of support is even more evident. Even with the most expensive package ($599 for the Pro edition) you only get help via the community forums and for two months through support tickets. To get support for a longer period, you have to pay a quarterly amount depending on the package you select (screenshot below).<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox_review_-_11906x0-is.png" alt="phpfox review" />Even with the support packages, you are only allowed to submit one ticket at a time. Overall, I'm generally disappointed with the way support for this software is handled.I don't mean to be Mr. Negative here but I'm just generally not very impressed. In 2012 when I wrote my first phpFox Review, I was impressed with the way things were put into place because there frankly wasn't much else out there. 4 years later, however, I'd have expected the software to have evolved far further than it has. I'd also have expected support to be far more advanced and complete. Sadly, that's simply not the case.Would I recommend phpFox?If you are comfortable doing things yourself and need a leg up, perhaps, but overall, no I would not. This software simply just doesn't feel worth the price they are asking for it. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.phpfox.com/">Check it out for yourself at phpFox.com</a>

phpFox Review - Is This The Right Software For Your Social Network?

“Finally!”, will be the word on the lips of most Pinterest users this week. Buyable Pins are now becoming a reality, with Shopify becoming the first avenue for small and medium-sized businesses to sell using Buyable Pins on Pinterest.
Shopify is one of the world's leading eCommerce solutions, powering thousands of online stores across the world. The platform is known for its excellent level of integration with a wide range of popular third-party apps and platforms — which now includes Pinterest.
Here's how Shopify users can now profit from Pinterest.
<h2>Blue Means Buy</h2>
<a href="https://business.pinterest.com/en/buyable-pins" target="_blank">As Pinterest announced</a>, Buyable Pins will start appearing across desktop, iOS and Android devices within coming weeks. To spot them, just look out for Blue.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pinterest-buy-button.png" />
The Blue “Buy it” button lets consumers checkout and pay for products they discover on Pinterest. Currently, Apple Pay and credit cards make up the only two payment gateways.
To sell products on Pinterest as a Shopify users, all you need to do is add the new Pinterest sales channel to your Shopify account. This will automatically enable Buyable Pins for all of your products found on Pinterest. All of your Pinterest orders, products and customers will automatically be synchronized with Shopify, just like any other sales channel.
Also, there’s no additional cost to list or sell products using this new Shopify channel.
The setup process sounds very Shopify-like, by being remarkably simple.
To find out more about this new Shopify and Pinterest feature, check out <a href="https://www.shopify.com/blog/27719428-you-can-now-sell-on-pinterest-with-buyable-pins-and-shopify" target="_blank">Shopify's blog coverage</a>.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/shopify/" target="_blank">Shopify via our CMS Directory</a>.

Buyable Pins: Shopify Teams Up With Pinterest

It’s time to kick off another featured week here on CMS Critic, and this time we’re joined by <a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank">Contentful</a>.
Contentful is a cloud-hosted content management system that works around a two-pillared philosophy: developer friendliness and isolated content management.
<a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/contentful.png" /></a>
With customers like Nike, eBay and Red Bull, it’s safe to say that Contentful is a platform capable of handling all projects – from responsive websites to apps – no matter the size.
Let’s now take a look at what Contentful brings to the table as a CMS.
<h2>What is Contentful For</h2>
Contentful is all about getting content where you need it, no matter where you need it.
Here’s Contentful in their own words:
<blockquote>
“We believe that one CMS shouldn't attempt to please everyone. Whereas most CMS try to be omni-purpose and cover as much use cases as possible, Contentful focuses on several specific applications to truly excel in its realm.”
</blockquote>
Those specific applications that Contentful is suited for, include:
<ul>
<li>
Cross-platform publishing
</li>
<li>
Mobile content management backend
</li>
<li>
Integration with existing applications
</li>
<li>
Rich web experiences
</li>
</ul>
Some use cases include in-store touch screens for Nike, and the mobile backend for Krush, a mobile lifestyle app.
<h2>API-first, Not Browser-first</h2>
Contentful makes all content accessible via an API, so that developers can take, access, and display content anywhere – and in any fashion.
Multiple API keys enable granular access control, while content can be imported from other sources using either the API or custom scripts.
The powerful APIs of Contentful give developers a simpler way to load content into apps, websites, or even to build completely custom editing interfaces.
<h2>Pure content</h2>
As the name suggests, Contentful puts content before anything else. Traditionally, content management systems have catered to a page-centric model, using HTML-based templates. But by “[separating] the content from the presentation”, Contentful help their users to organize and structure their content more freely.
Instead of providing pre-defined templates, Contentful focuses on delivering the content, leaving the user to present it in any way they like.
In other words, Contentful delivers the content, and you design around it.
To find out more about <a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank">Contentful, visit their website</a>.
And of course, stay tuned for more Contentful coverage throughout the week, as we explore the various benefits of this enterprise-grade platform.

Contentful: The API-first Content Management System

Your company needs a developer – or maybe a team of developers – to build your online presence. Whether it’s a website, an app, or both, the developers will be at the forefront. As new channels like smart watches and in-store screens emerge, your development team needs to be as unrestricted as possible.
That’s where <a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank">Contentful</a> comes in.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/contentful.png" /> During this past week, we’ve looked at the general features of Contentful and its response to emerging trends. We’ve also spoken with their CMO, Chris Schagen, and examined its approach to content strategy,
Now it’s time to take a look at how Contentful helps developers.
<h2>Finally, a Developer-friendly CMS</h2>
Developers are at the front and center as far as Contentful is concerned.
Contentful is an API-first platform, which endeavours to make content as accessible and as flexible as possible in the hands of a developer. By isolating content, instead of imposing it in the form of a traditional template, developers are totally free to present content in any way, and through any channel.
It’s called being headless, which means Contentful doesn’t care about the front-end of your operation. You can structure and style your content to look precisely as you imagine it, because your content is raw and ready to be moulded to any device, any screen, any channel.
Furthermore, Contentful provides SDKs for major platforms along with comprehensive documentation. So, instead of building apps from scratch, developers can make use of open-source sample apps that offer templates as a starting point
Plus, preview apps enable developers to test their work before it goes live, in a controlled environment.
<h2>APIs Come First</h2>
With Contentful, APIs come first. Well, four of them do, actually.
<ul>
<li>
Management API to import and programmatically create and updates content – perfect for importing or for building custom editors on top of Contentful
</li>
<li>
Delivery API to deliver content. The API is built on RESTful principles, and responds in the JSON format, so popular nowadays. The content is delivered through global CDNs for ultra-low latency.
</li>
<li>
Preview API to implement staging and review possibilities for editors
</li>
<li>
Images API to replace whole different asset manipulation issues (instead editor uploads one master image, and the front end/app client decides on resolution, compression, size depending on device and networking conditions)
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Smarter Mobile Delivery</h2>
Mobile content delivery is hard. Spotty bandwidth when consumers are using subways or traversing the countryside for example can hinder their experiences.
Further to those example, expensive (and vastly varying) data charges from around the world greatly impacts the end user, especially when you have a global audience. Think London reader vs Nairobi reader, and the cost of a 5MB video file.
Thankfully, Contentful native API features are built to tackle these issues. Here’s how:
<ul>
<li>
API Request Bundlings: Instead of multiple HTTP requests with 100ms latency tax each, you can have just one “big” bundled HTTP request and pay the tax only once
</li>
<li>
Sync API: Only update incremental changes, and do so when there is non-spotty bandwidth or WLAN connectivity
</li>
<li>
Images API: Allows the client to configure the best file size depending on mobile networking situation. For example, progressive JPEGs while on the subway, and low-res images in small bandwidth environments).
</li>
</ul>
So, with Contentful, it’s easier to keep the user experience smooth, no matter where the content is being delivered to.
<h2>Backend-as-a-Service</h2>
On top of all these technical capabilities, Contentful describes itself as a “Backend-as-a-Service”. That means that developers (as well as the rest of the team) don’t need to worry about servers, scaling, or security. Because Contentful takes care of it all.
This is paired with ultra-low delivery timings, with different specialized CDNs for JSON docs, images, and videos, bringing about a smooth and fast user experience.
To conclude, Contentful works from a variety of angles to rapidly speed up development and maintenance for development teams.
To find out more about Contentful, <a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>.

How Contentful Helps Developers

<a target="_blank" href="https://flodesk.com/c/2FQH39">Flodesk</a> says they’re “the world’s most intuitive email builder,” and they’re not exaggerating. With Flodesk, you can create beautiful emails that match the overall style of your brand in minutes, even if you have no technical, design, or marketing skills. But because Flodesk is still so new, it can’t quite match its competitors in terms of power. Read our full Flodesk Review below.<h2>Getting Started</h2>Setting up an account with Flodesk is easy. Every new user gets a 30-day free trial, which is available via the homepage. Once you fill out the sign-up form, Flodesk sends you an email verification link. Click on the link — and you’re in!<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot1_b0gn4a.png" />The dashboard is clean and extremely easy to navigate. However, you still might not necessarily know where to start, especially if you’re new to email marketing.Luckily, Flodesk understands that mastering a new site takes time, which is why it sends you a helpful email telling you how to make the most of your account. The email comes with instructions on how to:<ul><li>Set up your logo and brand.</li><li>Design a welcome email.</li><li>Embed a form.</li><li>Put it all together with a workflow (a series of automated emails).</li></ul><h2>Design</h2>Flodesk uses a visual builder, so you don’t need to know HTML code to craft an eye-catching email. In fact, the best thing about Flodesk is the variety of stunning email templates available. You can choose a pre-formatted template based on your “goal,” such as “Share News” or “Make Money.”<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot2_il3ujd.png" />Customizing your chosen template is a breeze. Simply click on any part of the email to duplicate and delete blocks and tweak things such as:<ul><li>Email layout</li><li>Backdrop and canvas color</li><li>Font type, size, and color</li><li>Line height and letter spacing</li><li>Link color</li><li>Border color and thickness</li><li>Padding thickness.</li></ul>You can save your brand’s logo and colors, further simplifying the process of adjusting templates to suit your needs. You can also upload PDFs, as long as they’re under 10 MB, and include your real-time Instagram feed at the bottom of your emails.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot3_m7cnrp.png" />If none of the templates do it for you, you can start your email from scratch, adding text (Flodesk has more than 100 fonts available, but doesn’t let you upload your own) and images as you see fit. Flodesk integrates photos seamlessly, without asking you to compress or resize them.Before you send an email, you can preview it on desktop and mobile, ensuring that it displays smoothly across all devices.<h2>Usability and Support</h2>Flodesk has a minimalist user interface. At the top of the page, you have four categories: “Emails,” “Audience,” “Forms,” and “Workflows.” These are the four features that you’re most likely to use daily.More functions, including domain authentication and brand preferences, can be found under your username icon on the top right-hand corner of the page.Flodesk has an extensive Help Center with detailed answers to commonly asked questions as well as technical how-to’s. A search button ensures that you don’t have to sift through countless articles to find a solution to your problem.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot4_lvl9op.png" />If you can’t find an answer to your question using the Help Center, you can message Flodesk on Facebook. I got a response to my query in less than three hours on a Sunday. Alternatively, you can join the Flodesk Insiders Facebook page to start a discussion with other users or email the customer support team, which promises to respond within 48 hours.<h2>Key Features</h2>In addition to pre-made emails, Flodesk is also great for making forms. Flodesk offers its users a range of form templates, from pop-ups to inline forms to full-page landing pages. Embedding the code into your website is straightforward, but you can also publish the form URL directly to the web.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot5_jyszuc.png" />Flodesk’s “Workflows” feature lets you send a series of emails to your subscribers automatically. You can set a “Time Delay” specifying the amount of time (whether minutes or hours) that should pass before Flodesk sends the next email, but there’s no option to choose a specific date or time.You can also set a “Condition.” In this case, Flodesk will only send an email if a subscriber opens a previously sent email.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot6_fdlrvy.png" />Segmenting your email list is simple, perfect for those who have several sign-up lists.Flodesk has a comprehensive statistics area, with details on each subscriber, including when and how you acquired them and their device preference. You can also see how many emails they opened, but not which ones. Also, you can’t resend an email to a subscriber that didn’t open it the first time. (Editors note: I reached out to Flodesk via Facebook to comment on this as it seemed like an odd thing to restrict. Here's their response:We do offer workflows that allow you to send to unopens after a period of time you specify—so we do offer it, just not in the one-off campaign area.)<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot7_nu5rob.png" />Email statistics are available via the “Email” section. Here, you can see the open rate, click-through rate, and the number of email addresses that bounced among other things.One big feature that Flodesk is currently missing is A/B testing. There’s no way that I could find to test several subject lines or email types. Other email marketing services, such as ConvertKit, Mailchimp, and Mailerlite, include this function.Another negative is Flodesk’s lack of integrations. At the moment, it only supports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/shopify">Shopify</a> integration, although <a target="_blank" href="https://zapier.com/">Zapier</a> should be added within a month as well.<h2>Pricing – This is where Flodesk Shines</h2>Flodesk’s pricing is simple. There’s just one plan which costs $38 per month. It gets you unlimited emails and subscribers, as well as access to every feature. This is unusual as most email marketing platforms increase your bill as soon as you grow your subscriber list. The ability to scale up without extra cost makes Flodesk great value for fast-growing businesses.Editor's Note:<blockquote>“As you no doubt know, email marketing can get incredibly expensive as you grow in subscribers. Flodesk's model of one flat (and reasonable) price regardless of how many subscribers you have is not only excellent, it's the best value out there in my opinion.” ~ Mike Johnston</blockquote><h2>Pros</h2><ul><li>Price doesn’t change even if your subscriber list grows</li><li>30-day free trial</li><li>Gorgeous templates for emails, pop-ups, inline forms, and landing pages.</li><li>User-friendly interface.</li><li>Great customer support.</li><li>Email automation.</li><li>Email segmentation.</li><li>In-depth statistics.</li><li>Coding knowledge isn’t necessary.</li><li>Easy Instagram integration.</li></ul><h2>Cons</h2><ul><li>No way to perform A/B testing.</li><li>You can’t resend an email to a subscriber that didn’t open.</li><li>Lacking in integrations (although Zapier is due within a month) but this can be attributed to how new the platform is.</li></ul><h2>Final Verdict</h2>Flodesk has a lot going for it. It has an intuitive user interface, a vast range of stunning templates, and friendly customer service. While it’s a little behind its competitors in terms of features — it doesn’t have A/B testing and integrates with Shopify only — it’s still in the early stages of development. If you’re a small business owner with growing ambitions but no coding knowledge, then using Flodesk is a no brainer.<a target="_blank" href="https://flodesk.com/c/2FQH39">Try Flodesk for yourself.</a>

Flodesk Review - Email Marketing at an Unbeatable Price

laura-martisiute

When it comes to choosing a LMS (<a href="/search/?q=learning+management+" target="_blank">Learning Management System</a>), the choice is usually based on a number of criteria, making it a seemingly overwhelming task.
However, if you keep your eyes peeled, you will see that most vendors provide similar opportunities and features (testing, reporting, live conference, communication capacities etc).
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/macbook-606763_12801079x0.jpg" />
But really, the key difference lies in the LMS installation type and it is one of the primary points that should be taken into consideration while choosing LMS. Why? Let’s figure it out.
<h2>Learning Management Systems Come In Two Types:
</h2>
<ul>
<li>SAAS (Software as a Service) or Cloud LMS (other titles are “on demand” and multitenant);</li>
<li>Installed LMS (“on premise”, deployed, licensed or in-house).</li>
</ul>
The key difference is that in the first case LMS is offered as a service and is hosted on the vendor’s servers while in the second one – as a product and is run on the servers within the company’s network.
So, why the installation type is a primary criterion? The reason is that the two above mentioned LMS types require completely different technical experience, hosting capacities, resources, company’s structure, budget and implementation goals. That is why it seems pretty logical to decide which of two types to choose and only then consider other points such as scalability, reporting capacities or others.
Let’s look closer at each eLearning software type, its benefits and disadvantages.
Cloud Or SAAS LMS SAAS LMS represents a network of remote servers hosted in the Cloud. All the clients purchase access to separate parts of standardized LMS version, run the same infrastructure and are charged monthly depending on the number of registered/enrolled users and the features necessary. The learning is delivered via browser from anywhere and anytime. SAAS LMS is a great solution if you don’t run your own website
The main benefits of acquiring on-demand LMS is no need to carry out the LMS installation and maintenance. The LMS deployment is done quickly, no need to have any hardware infrastructure or employee resources to manage the software. It means no back-ups, upgrades or licenses (everything is done directly by the LMS vendor).
However, there are Cloud data storage risks and higher total cost of ownership in the long-run period.
On-Premise Or Installed LMS Installed LMS is a software that is stored on the servers that belong to the company. The buyer acquires a license (usually annual) and after the purchase the LMS software becomes his property. Initial set-up and maintenance are internal staff’s concern (usually vendors offer installation services for an additional price). The owner has full control of LMS software and it is more cost-effective in the long-run.
The main benefits of in-house LMS are high customization opportunities, security of stored data and third-party extensions integration. 
However, in comparison with hosted LMS, the installed LMS initial deployment and maintenance requires much more time (especially when customization is necessary), resources and technical experience. In some cases, additional staff training is required.
When to Choose a Cloud LMS?
Hosted (SAAS) Learning Management Systems is an ideal solution for small companies that don’t possess necessary internal resources (both hardware and staff) and need to implement LMS and start delivering knowledge quickly without any delays.
Cloud LMS solution is to a large extent standardized and can be rarely customized or integrated with third-party extensions. That is why if the company prefers scandalized learning approach, then SAAS LMS is exactly what is needed.
One more case, when SAAS LMS is preferable, is when the company is not sure whether eLearning approach is the one and doesn’t want to invest a lot of money (hosted LMS solutions are characterized by lower initial investments.
When to Choose an On-Premise LMS?
Installed LMSs are usually chosen by large companies that have internal resources for LMS implementation and maintenance. Another case is security restrictions for storing proprietary or sensitive information (banking, financial organizations).
As on-premise LMS software can be highly customizable, it is widely used for unique idea realization (in most cases such ideas are more likely to pay off than standardized ones). 
Installed LMS Software, though it requires more significant initial investments (license, installation, customization, hosting, employee training etc.) is much more economic when considering a period of 3 years and more. As studies show, the bigger the company gets, the more it inclines to choose in-house LMS as it acquires necessary infrastructure, IT resources and expertise.
Plus, if the company already hosts another management software such as talent management or HR (which is typical for huge corporations) the implementation of one more system doesn’t involve any difficulty.
Examples of SAAS LMS software:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.blackboard.com/">BlackBoard</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.litmos.com/">Litmos LMS</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.totaralms.com/">Totara LMS</a></li>
</ul>
Examples of in-house LMS software:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.joomlalms.com/">JoomlaLMS</a></li>
<li><a href="https://sakaiproject.org/">Sakai LMS</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.learndash.com/">LearnDash LMS</a></li>
</ul>
As we see, only one point, such as LMS installation type, is capable of dividing all the eLearning software available on the market into two different groups that suit various business needs, budget and experience.

In The Cloud Or On-Premise: Choosing a Learning Management System

Weglot - The easiest way to translate a website

The easiest way to translate a website

#18164c

While many will argue that the developer should come first in any project, it’s also important to recognize the importance of the content strategist.
<a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank">Contentful</a>, despite being an API-first CMS to appeal to developers, is also just as approachable for content strategists.
<a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/contentful_1.png" /></a> So far during this featured week, we’ve <a href="/contentful-the-api-first-content-management-system/" target="_blank">explored the general features of Contentful</a>, looked at its <a href="/beyond-the-browser-how-the-fabric-is-changing/" target="_blank">response to emerging trends</a>, and <a href="/the-people-behind-the-api-an-interview-with-chris-schagen-cmo-at-contentful/" target="_blank">spoken with their CMO, Chris Schagen</a>. Now it’s time to explore Contentful through the eyes of a content strategist.
<h2>Easier to COPE</h2>
Is your brand COPEing?
<a href="http://www.programmableweb.com/news/cope-create-once-publish-everywhere/2009/10/13">COPE</a> (Create Once, Publish Everywhere), is now undoubtedly the best way to publish and push content. However, not every CMS is equipped for the job.
Here are some of the benefits of COPE, paired with how Contentful makes the most of those benefits.
<ul>
<li>
Implies presentation-free content: Contentful enforces presentation-free content by default, allowing only plain text or markdown markup.
</li>
<li>
Implies portable content creation: This means there’s no “click here” content, which usually detracts from the user experiences within certain channels, like print. Contentful has tons of field types and customizations, so that a certain quality standard can be assured.
</li>
<li>
Implies content modularity: Contentful has entry structure, and entries can reference and link to other entries. Entries themselves are a collection of customizable fields, so it’s modular content galore.
</li>
<li>
Implies being able to deliver to any channel, not just publish websites: This is encompassed entirely by Contentful API-first architecture. Device- and channel-specific API keys can be created to granularly manage API consumers, and even ensure content licensing.
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Streamlined Content Strategy</h2>
Content strategists relish <a href="http://alistapart.com/article/training-the-cms">putting content guidelines right into the admin panel</a>. It greatly helps authors build good habits and confidence, empowering them to maintain even complex projects without feeling overwhelmed. Thankfully, Contentful has a customizable entry editor, where help text and validation error messages can be customized for each field.
Furthermore, content strategists love to establish template structure thinking, so as to create order and structure in the content repository. To cater to this need, Contentful has a content type editor that allows for creating as many content template as you like, and later on update those template.
Finally, an average content strategist likes to preach about adding metadata aplenty to cover potential future uses. With Contentful, any amount of metadata fields can be added with ease.
<h2>A Product That Really Gets It</h2>
Your typical content strategist will ask a lot of questions from a CMS in today’s world, and Contentful has a lot of answers.
Karen McGrane, a content strategy expert, and advisor to Contentful, made the following noteworthy quote:
<blockquote>
“The number one question I get asked is ‘What CMS do you recommend to support true multi-device publishing?' I'm thrilled to recommend Contentful as a product that really gets it.”
</blockquote>
To find out more about Contentful, <a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>.

Contentful’s Approach to Content Strategy & Structured Content

As we continue with our Contentful featured week, it's time to get acquainted with some of the people behind this API-first CMS, that's both SMB and enterprise ready.
We have already touched on <a href="/contentful-the-api-first-content-management-system/" target="_blank">Contentful's uses and beneficial features</a>, along with its <a href="/beyond-the-browser-how-the-fabric-is-changing/" target="_blank">response to emerging trends</a>.
Now though, let's take a look behind the platform's digital curtain.
<h2>Who Is Chris Schagen?</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/contentcmo-1365x0-is.jpeg" />Chris Schagen joined Contentful in October 2014 as a marketing consultant, and then became a part of the management team as a Chief Marketing Officer.
With Contentful original DNA being predominantly technology, Chris built the marketing and customer success organisation, and reworked and repositioned the messaging with a focus on the developer audience.
Prior to Contentful, Chris was the founder and CEO of digital agency Quan Digital, search marketplace Linklift, and also a co-founder of a gaming company Wooga, as well as speech recognition company Mundwerk.
<h2>The Interview</h2>
KI: Can you tell us a little bit about your role at Contentful?
CS: I’m the Chief Marketing Officer at Contentful, and next to the typical marketing tasks I am responsible for evangelizing our developer audience. Also, our marketing does not stop with the sign-up event: rather, it encompasses the whole user experience within our apps in terms of onboarding and helping our users complete their goals. The number one metric we optimize for is user happiness.
KI: Can you briefly explain what Contentful is, and who it's for?
CS: Contentful is an API-first content management system that makes is really simple for developers to manage and deliver content to any kind of device. We are achieving this by doing a couple of things very different from your traditional CMS of old.
(a) The content in Contentful is stored free from presentation, because presentation on one platform (think HTML tags) is most often “pollution” on other platforms, making the life of front-end developers harder.
(b) Content is captured in a structured “chunk” kind of way, as opposed to page-centric unstructured “blobs” of content, so that developers can access the content in a meaningful programmatic way.
(c) Contentful is designed from the ground up to deliver the content via an API, as opposed to a browser. That way the system plays nicely with mobile apps, one-page web apps, and lots of new technologies that equally prefer an API endpoint to access data.
(d) Finally, Contentful is a cloud service that scales seamlessly and delivery really quickly – even in challenging mobile networking environments.
KI: There seems to be a big focus on delivering content in isolation, allowing developers to design their websites and apps around their content, rather than the other way around. What drives this focus?
CS: Presentation-free content is what mobile app developers usually cry for when they are trying to retroactively sanitize the existing HTML invested content – not an easy thing to do. But seriously: when you look what content strategist propagate with COPE – create once, publish everywhere – content that is free from presentation is one of the cornerstones of making this happen.
In the bigger picture, this separation is in a way just another form of decoupling. That trend has been prevalent across the board in web development. Just think of how CSS enhanced from HTML. In the beginning, web developers kept the style sheets right inside the HTML code, and it was a big mess to maintain.
While this decoupling comes with a lot of developer benefits, there typically are also some caveats. It definitely takes some adjusting for editors who are used to WYSIWIG their work and are now told to please not do this anymore.
KI: Contentful was founded in 2011. How has the market changed since then? Has Contentful adapted much to accommodate any of those changes?
CS: To be honest, when we started out in 2011, lots of things were different then. Mobile was still early, with most mobile sites – if existing – looking rather terrible, and mobile app penetration was a fraction of what we see today. JavaScript frameworks were immature, JS engines not nearly as fast as today, and even innovative platform adopters like YouTube only had 10% of non-browser based content consumption.
In short, back then there was no crucial need for Contentful, except for only a small group of early adopters. Thankfully, in 2015 we are seeing customer uptake moving beyond early adopters to an “early majority”.
Another thing that we are experiencing is how purchasing is changing. In the past, you would expect a huge RFP with vendors and their partners filling out long form checklists and benchmarks, wine and dining, and the whole shebang.
Now, we see a lot of companies adopting agile development methodologies, and somehow this also translates into agile vendor selection, where the ability to get a product shipped in a short period of time and developers having an ever larger share of voice in decision making – or better influencing.
KI: Can you tell us what's in store for Contentful in the coming months? Is there anything planned to happen before the end of 2015 that our audience should know about?
CS: First off, being a cloud service means that we are liberated from a major release cycle, where every major release causes tons of hassle and updating frenzy for customer and partners. Instead, we roll out many incremental and subtle releases, often quickly delivering features based on our customers’ or prospects’ wishes.
But not to be too anticlimactic, we are currently focusing a lot on improving the editor experience, and will roll out major improvements in the next month. Also, are going to enhance the querying capabilities of our API, as well implement a much more sophisticated audit trail and permission system.
KI: Finally, if you had just three short sentences to sum up why an enterprising company should opt for Contentful over any other competitor, what would they be?
CS: Actually, the question is twofold: Why should I choose an API CMS is the first place? And if I know that an API CMS is the right thing for me, which one should i choose?
Focusing on the second question, amongst the existing API CMS on the market Contentful is by a large margin the most established and proven choice, with billions of API requests every month and mission-critical operations by some of the world's largest brands relying on Contentful.
Also, we put a lot of effort in developer support – from great docs to lots of SDKs and librarie, to example apps that you can use as a starting template to build your own app.
To find out more about <a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank">Contentful, visit their website</a>.

The People Behind the API: An Interview with Chris Schagen, CMO at Contentful

It may have been a typically grey London morning, but the Park Plaza Hotel in the heart of England's capital was looking elegant as I made my way to the entrance. I was ready for the first day of <a href="http://www.gartner.com/events/emea/digital-workplace" target="_blank">Gartner DWS 2016</a>.
Once inside, I was directed to the registration room where I was able to sign in and print my own pass. An attendant remarked that I was the first member of the press to arrive – which only intensified my resentment for my early morning alarm.
But hey, I was on time for Gartner’s opening keynote, which to its credit, made it all seem worth it.
Gartner's Debra Logan delivered the keynote to a room brimming with attendees. She entertainingly hopped between topics like customer engagement, leadership, and risk taking in the world of business. It was an intruguing presentation with lots of imagery, perfect as an appetizer for the two days ahead.
<h2>Spotlight on Social Colloboration</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_6198-1834x0-is.jpg" />
The rest of the two-day event had a big focus on social collaboration in the workplace.
The sponsors of Gartner DWS 2016 – each of whom had a booth in the lunch and coffee hall – mainly consisted of social collaboration platforms like <a href="https://www.huddle.com/" target="_blank">Huddl</a> and Prysm, while many presentations touched on the same subject.
For example, Anthony Leaper from <a href="http://go.sap.com/index.html" target="_blank">SAP</a> spoke eloquently about how social collaboration in the workplace is changing. He referenced SAP’s social collaboration software ‘Jam’ very often, citing the impact it had been having on the internal workings of SAP and its customers.
Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.liferay.com/" target="_blank">Liferay</a>, the digital experience platform vendor, also had a presence at Gartner DWS 2016. Edmund Dueck , their Marketing Manager for Europe, delivered a short but valuable presentation that highlighted the importance of establishing a platform that was customer centric, meaningful, and that engages people on levels that they deem familiar.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_6223444x0-is.jpg" />
He referenced Tumblr’s latest video feature as an example. The Tumblr team resisted the urge to create their own standalone video streaming platform, and instead built their platform around existing ones like YouTube and Periscope. Thus, they were able to engage vloggers in a way that was convenient for them.
Other notable presentations included:
<ul>
<li>Top 12 Emerging Digital Workplace Technologies to Transform Your Business (<a href="http://www.gartner.com/events/emea/digital-workplace#">Matthew W. Cain</a>)</li>
<li>An Etiquette Handbook for the Digital Workplace Leader (<a href="http://www.gartner.com/events/emea/digital-workplace#">Carol Rozwell</a>)</li>
<li>10 Proven Ways to Find the People and the Ideas You Need (<a href="http://www.gartner.com/events/emea/digital-workplace#">Diane Morello</a>)</li>
</ul>
<h2>The Gartner DWS Atmosphere: Professionalism vs Personality</h2>
As for the overall atmosphere at Gartner DWS, it was seamlessly professional. Maybe too professional.
The Gartner bag I received at registration was filled with small booklets and leaflets about the event itself, but there was no freebie or souvenir in sight other than a train ticket holder.
When it came to lunch time, you once again felt the constant presence of uber-professionalism looming over the room. It didn't help that presentations were being made in the same room (and at the same time) as lunch. It only added to the feeling that you weren't ever going to truly relax at any stage of this event.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_6226-13264x1930-cropx0y517-is563x0-is.jpg" style="text-align:center" />
Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed myself at Gartner DWS 2016, and the presentations on show were insightful.
I also recognize that Gartner is a serious brand, but it’s sometimes nice to see a company let its hair down a little at these prolonged events, even if that just means throwing a small gadget or keepsake into the goody bag.
Otherwise, the event risks having no personality at all.
Or who knows, maybe I’ve just been spoiled by free conference loot given out at previous events.
In any case, a big thank you goes out to <a href="https://www.liferay.com/" target="_blank">Liferay</a> for kindly inviting CMS Critic to attend Gartner DWS 2016, and a congratulations goes out to Gartner on an event well hosted.

Gartner DWS 2016: How It Went Down

<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/" target="_blank">Jahia One 2015</a> is right around the corner. The three-day event will take place between June 10th and 12th in the heart of beautiful Paris.
Last year, the CMS Critic team (made up of Mike Johnston and myself) attended Jahia One 2014, the company's first ever international conference. <a href="/search/?q=jahiaone" target="_blank">We covered the event in detail here on CMS Critic</a>, and also <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic" target="_blank">live-tweeted</a> all the best parts to keep you all updated.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/logo-1.png" />
Thanks again to the hospitality of Jahia, Mike and I will be in attendance again this year, providing the same level of coverage.
Here's what you can expect to see from Jahia One 2015.
<h2>Six Customer Testimonials, Feedback &amp; Free Certification</h2>
No less than six of Jahia's customers are coming to share their experiences with the platform.
Europcar, Delta Faucet, National Governers Assocciation, Belambra, MAAF and B4Bank will all be presenting their stories and testimonials at allocated times throughout the event. These testimonials typically offer an awesome insight into how the product in question works on the ground, facing real-life obstacles.
<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/register" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/jahia1079x0.png" /></a>
Attendees will get to know Jahia's Tech Partner Program a little better, too. The program is aimed at offering off-the shelf integration with 3rd party software to enable users to build their own UXP, fully-integrated with popular third-party products. Some of those Tech Partners will be present at the event, so users can get to know them a little better.
Developers can also grab themselves a free certification exam to validate their skills and knowledge on Jahia Digital Factory 7.
And finally, Jahia have welcomed direct feedback and suggestions from users attending Jahia One 2015. They have requested that all ideas be submitted here, as the top three suggestions will be announced at the Jahia One 2015 Gala Dinner, held on June 12th.
To learn more about Jahia One 2015, and to register for the event, <a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/" target="_blank">check out the official website</a>.
And of course, stay tuned for our coverage of the event, and <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic" target="_blank">follow us on Twitter for the live-tweets</a>!

Jahia One 2015 Is Just Days Away!

Cast your mind back to 2005. A life of a website was a humble one. Your audience would come to you, pull your content, or find you via search. That was all that was expected, and that was all that was delivered.
<a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mobile-phone-572865_1280548x0-is.jpg" /></a> Then, three massive trends appeared:
<ul>
<li>
The Emergence of Social: Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms pushed their way into standing between your website and your audience, by way of learning what your connections consumed and algorithmically pushing content to you.
</li>
<li>
The Rise of Mobile: Smartphone usage is massive, yet still growing. More people now shop, watch, read and communicate via mobile devices than ever before. YouTube, for example, reports that 50% of its consumption is done via mobile devices.
</li>
<li>
Evolving Content Experience: Ecosystem gatekeepers are slowly but surely integrating their algorithmic content experience.
</li>
</ul>
Thanks to these three trends, content demand has changed dramatically. Customers are no longer satisfied by just looking at content from their web browsers.
Today, the average web surfer wants their content delivered via the smart curation architectures of the big gatekeepers. Think Google Now, Apple News, and Facebook Instant articles.
<h2>Existing Publishing Models: The Problems &amp; The Potential</h2>
In light of these increasingly relevant trends, existing publishing models face some issues.
Publishers tend to lose control over how their content is presented across different devices and channels.
Another problem is considerably less control over advertising. This manifests as a small amount of control in the gatekeeper apps, and even less control in the browser, thanks to increasingly popular ad blocking softwares.
Finally, publishers face a diminished brand impact, as the smart aggregators will simply pick the best content, which is not necessarily the branded one.
As for the potential, it’s nothing short of vast. Big gatekeepers care a lot about great content and fast experiences. One driving factor for the introduction of Facebook instant articles was Facebook’s unhappiness with users leaving their app for the slower loading time of a mobile browser.
Further to that, there is scale. For example it’s perfectly logical to assume that Apple News will attract a larger audience than, say, Flipboard. As a result, the room for growth is now far more expansive.
<h2>Capitalizing on The Future</h2>
In order for brands to capitalize on the current and future trends (instead of being left behind), it is necessary to work with a content management system that:
<ul>
<li>
Enables brands to quickly capitalize on new platforms and devices.
</li>
<li>
Structures content in such a way that existing content can easily be repurposed and ported to new platforms and through new channels.
</li>
<li>
Unlocks the potential for next-to-instant experiences with ultra-short delivery latencies.
</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank">Contentful</a>, is surely ready for such a future, having been designed from the ground up for structured content in an API-first world.
This enterprise-grade platform, which is trusted by the likes of Nike and Red Bull, makes all content accessible via an API, so content can be taken, accessed and displayed anywhere – and in any fashion.
There’s no pre-defined templates to restrict content presentation, so developers’ hands are untied when it comes to designing websites and apps around existing content.
To find out more about Contentful, <a href="https://www.contentful.com/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>.
Also, stick around for more Contentful coverage throughout the week, as we explore the various benefits of this API-first CMS.

Beyond the Browser: How the Fabric is Changing

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