Articles - Page 126

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/andycohen">Andy Cohen</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/deane"> </a>is the founding architect of Sitecore XM Cloud. He is VP/Chief Architect at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.altudo.co/">Altudo</a>, and a CMS Critic contributor. <hr /> When people talk about personalization, they often mean “the right content to the right person at the right time.” That idea is now past tense.I have watched this shift play out up close, from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sitecore">Sitecore’s</a> early rules-based personalization, through <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentstack">Contentstack’s</a> use of edge-based personalization in a composable architecture, to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/optimizely">Optimizely’s</a> launch of Opal, a system of marketing AI agents. Personalization no longer stops at swapping content on a page. It now reaches into the interaction itself, and soon, into the relationships agents form with one another.<h3 id="when-agents-adapt-to-us">When Agents Adapt to Us</h3>That shift, from “what” to “how,” is where the major CMS players are already moving, and you can see it in the different bets they're making:<ul><li>Contentstack has put its weight behind <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/livin-on-the-edge-contentstacks-new-adaptive-dxp-might-just-rock-your-world">EDGE</a>, which they call a hyper-personalization platform. It blends their headless CMS with a real-time CDP, AI, and automation. The goal is simple but ambitious: deliver one-to-one experiences in the moment and at scale. Because it is composable, brands can adapt interactions without locking themselves into rigid patterns. What strikes me about EDGE is that it reframes personalization as something continuous, not a campaign you set and forget.</li><li>Optimizely has taken another route with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-opal-gets-supercharged-for-agentic-ai-powering-infinite-use-cases-for-marketers">Opal</a>. Instead of a single assistant, Opal is built as a collection of agents that act like members of a marketing team. There is a campaign manager agent, a personalization advisor, a market researcher, and more. With the 2.0 release, Optimizely put the emphasis on letting these agents collaborate and run multi-step workflows across content, data, and experimentation. I have seen teams spend weeks coordinating those same steps manually. Opal hints at a world where marketing execution is handled by an ensemble of digital teammates who can plan, act, and adjust together.</li><li>Sitecore has focused on bringing assistance directly into daily work. Through <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.sitecore.com/products/sitecore-stream">Stream</a>, they have introduced AI copilots that support authors and marketers in real time as they draft and optimize campaigns. On top of that, Sitecore’s partnership with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/sitecore-sharpens-ai-focus-with-strategic-partnership-and-new-leadership-appointments">Gradial</a> shows how agentic workflows can extend into campaign execution. It is not just about smarter editors or quicker drafts. It is about agents that can carry intent through to delivery and adapt along the way. For a company that has lived for years in the world of static content publishing, that is a meaningful step forward.</li></ul>None of these approaches feels like a gimmick.They are different answers to the same problem: personalization is no longer about what content you are shown, it is about how the interaction unfolds. Whether that happens through hyper-personalization at the edge, through orchestrated marketing agents, or via copilots and execution partners, the shift is real and already in motion.<h3 id="what-nondeterminism-really-means">What Nondeterminism Really Means</h3>Most software behaves like math: 2 + 2 always equals 4. Generative AI does not. Ask it to draft a thank-you note and you will get three different answers, all plausible, none identical. That variability is what we call nondeterminism.It is the very thing that makes AI feel creative, but also the reason it needs personalization to stay useful. As <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://parivedasolutions.com/perspectives/managing-the-non-deterministic-nature-of-generative-ai/">Pariveda Solutions points out</a>, nondeterminism is what makes AI flexible and creative, but it also introduces governance challenges that remain unresolved. In my own work with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/getting-loud-with-xm-cloud-sitecore-reports-100-growth-of-its-ai-powered-cloud-based-cms">XM Cloud,</a> I have seen how unpredictable outcomes can be a feature if the system adapts well – and a liability if it does not.<h3 id="when-agents-adapt-to-each-other">When Agents Adapt to Each Other</h3>The next frontier is agents adapting not just to us but to each other. Nondeterminism multiplies when two autonomous systems interact. They need ways to converge on workable outcomes.Sometimes that looks like adjusting communication style, where one agent is structured and terse, another free-form and verbose. Sometimes, it means learning to accept differences in task style, such as fast approximation versus cautious step-by-step reasoning. Other times it's about role negotiation: who leads, who validates, who escalates.And sometimes it is memory. Agents do not just adapt in the moment; they remember. That memory can look like a grudge. A search agent that hallucinated last time will get fact-checked the next. A procurement agent that botched a deal may face stricter oversight. Even first impressions stick. If an agent’s very first hand-off is sloppy, the other agent may never fully trust it, no matter how good the later work becomes.Humans behave the same way. In corporate life, one bad kickoff meeting can color a partnership for months. Agents will carry those patterns too.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.deepset.ai/blog/ai-agents-and-deterministic-workflows-a-spectrum"> Deepset calls this the “spectrum of determinism to nondeterminism</a>.” I call it relationship management.<h3 id="everyday-illustrations">Everyday Illustrations</h3>Picture a grocery agent told to buy apples if they are $0.99 a pound. A deterministic system comes back empty because they are $1.09. An adaptive one checks with you, “They are a little higher today. Should I buy anyway?” That is useful, until the store’s own agent learns to nudge yours into paying even more.Or ride-hailing. You set a $20 target. The price surges to $23. Do you want your agent to decline, wait, or decide on its own? What happens when the ride-share’s agent starts upselling yours into priority pickup at $28?Or travel. You say, “Book me a flight under $500.” The system finds none. A flexible agent returns with, “There is one at $525 with better times. Should I grab it?” Helpful, but it shows how quickly rules can bend.In the enterprise, this gets thornier. Procurement policies might cap software licenses at $50 per seat. A deterministic agent halts the deal. A personalized one negotiates to $55 and closes it. That looks like a win until you realize the vendor’s agent deliberately anchored higher, knowing yours would flex upward.Healthcare raises the stakes even more. You ask for an appointment with your doctor next week. A rigid agent says none available. A personalized one offers a nurse practitioner tomorrow or a specialist in two weeks. That looks like a better experience, but it could also push you toward higher-margin services instead of the care you really wanted.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/deterministic-ai/">Salesforce has written about this exact problem</a> of when to script agents tightly and when to let them roam. I see it every day in delivery projects. Too rigid and you frustrate users. Too loose and you open the door to manipulation.<h3 id="agents-that-carry-“you”-with-them">Agents That Carry “You” With Them</h3>Now push it further. Imagine your agent not only executes tasks but carries your personality footprint into every interaction. If you are cost-sensitive, it pushes harder. If you are time-poor, it pays more for speed. If you are detail-driven, it double-checks everything.What if you could swap personas entirely?<ul><li>"Frugal Andy" does the grocery shopping</li><li>"Executive Andy" books the flights</li><li>"Playful Andy" explores games and hobbies.</li></ul>Your agent would not only personalize to you. It would personalize as you.But there is risk in this. If the other agent knows who you are or which persona you are using, it can adapt back. That can be powerful when aligned with your goals, but it can also be exploited. Imagine a vendor agent that recognizes executive mode and steers you toward premium packages.This is not hypothetical. Optimizely’s Opal agents already act like different team members depending on context. Contentstack’s Brand Kit lets you define voice profiles and store guidelines so that every AI-generated artifact reflects your identity. Sitecore’s Stream copilots are designed to guide content creators in real time, aligning their work with brand and role expectations.These are early signals of a future where agents carry pieces of us, including quirks, preferences, and even biases, into every exchange.<h3 id="why-this-matters">Why This Matters</h3>This is why nondeterminism is not a flaw but the feature. Deterministic systems did not need personalization. There was only one output. Nondeterministic systems can go in many directions, and personalization is what prevents chaos.The best metaphor I know is jazz. Musicians improvising do not know exactly where the others will go. They adapt, they respond, they personalize their playing to the group. The music works not because it is scripted but because the players trust each other enough to bend and flex.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/seizing-the-agentic-ai-advantage">McKinsey has argued</a> that this adaptability is the defining advantage of agentic AI. From what I have seen in publishing systems, SaaS cost optimization, and large-scale CMS migrations, I agree. The resilience comes not from rigid plans but from the ability to adapt in context.<h3 id="what-leaders-should-prepare-for">What Leaders Should Prepare For</h3>Leaders should focus on their readiness in key areas. For example, trust frameworks must extend beyond human-agent interactions into agent-to-agent ecosystems. Standards cannot stay as fixed APIs; they need flexibility built in. Identity management has to protect personality profiles and alter egos from misuse. And agents must be able to remember not just what they did for us, but how they worked with others.<h3 id="the-future-of-personalization">The Future of Personalization</h3>Personalization started with content. It evolved into experiences. Now, it is moving into interactions – first with humans and then with other agents.If we get this right, nondeterminism will not be something to suppress. It will be the source of resilience, adaptability, and creativity. The companies that thrive will not just personalize their websites. They will personalize their agents. Those agents will adapt to us, and to each other, in ways that reflect who we are or even who we choose to be.And like humans, they will remember. First impressions will matter. Grudges may form. And relationships between agents will start to look a lot like relationships between people. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>October 14-15, 2025 – Amsterdam, Netherlands November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Agent-to-Agent Personalization: Trust, First Impressions, and the 'Grudge' Factor

andycohen

The People's Choice CMS Awards have come to a close and it is with great pleasure that we announce that voting in this year's awards reached record highs.
This year, we had a hard fought battle in the Best Cloud CMS for Enterprise category between contenders; Acquia, Clickability and CrownPeak.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best-hosted-cloud-cms.png" />
As always, only one can be the final winner and I am pleased to announce that the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Cloud CMS for Enterprise award goes to:
<a href="http://www.acquia.com"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/acquia.png" /></a><a href="http://www.acquia.com">Acquia</a> fought hard and managed to hold off runner-up <a href="http://www.clickability.com">Clickability</a> to maintain the lead this year.
Congratulations to everyone at Acquia on their win!

The Winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Cloud CMS for Enterprise

mike-johnston

<a href="http://www.prestashop.com/" target="_blank"> PrestaShop</a> took a big step forward when version 1.6 was released earlier this year.
They gave the PrestaShop back and front end a serious face lift and introduced some brilliant features to help merchants sell. It made the platform almost unrecognizable – but in a good way.
In fact, one could argue that PrestaShop 1.6 is the platform's most important release to date.
Yet, PrestaShop haven't been resting on their laurels. Quite recently, a brand new PrestaShop project has come to light. One which could make genuinely powerful eCommerce features more accessible than ever before.
<h2>PrestaShop Cloud</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-7700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop OnDemand" />
First announced via the PrestaShop blog, PrestaShop’s Cloud – which is currently in beta – is a cloud-hosted version of PrestaShop, offered to the general public for precisely nothing.
Yes, you read that correctly.
PrestaShop is on the brink of serving up a completely free cloud-hosted version of itself. Now, free cloud-hosting for any product is something to be excited about, but to be offered free cloud-hosting for a product as powerful as PrestaShop? It’s unheard of.
So, since it’s such an impressive step forward for PrestaShop (once again), I’ve decided to give you a peek at what PrestaShop Cloud platform is like.
<h2>A Home of Its Own</h2>
Right now, you can <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/" target="_blank">sign up for the beta via the PrestaShop website</a>. However, since PrestaShop’s Cloud version and self-hosted PrestaShop will be offered as two separate eCommerce solutions, It’s only right that PrestaShop’s Cloud has its own home. And it does.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop OnDemand" />
Those who have signed up and been accepted to participate in the beta will have been greeted by the brand new PrestaShop Cloud website. A sleek, modern and inviting digital door mat.
It’s a pleasant way for any merchant to start his or her eCommerce journey, with the easy signup form on the homepage, along with features and functions boasted about around the site in a way which is easy to understand.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-2700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop OnDemand" />
As it stands, the PrestaShop’s Cloud website will eventually function alongside the current PrestaShop website.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-3700x0.png" />
In other words, PrestaShop will soon come in two distinct flavours, enabling the platform to tap into a new market – a market of merchants who want their online stores ready-made, well-done and served up on a big, free cloud.
<h2>Getting Started</h2>
To get started with PrestaShop’s Cloud version, new users only need to provide their names, emails and store name. This is followed by a short store configuration process, where you select your store URL, where you are based, and so forth.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-5.png" alt="PrestaShop OnDemand" />
After that signing up, you’ll be presented with a new admin dashboard unique to PrestaShop Cloud.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-6700x0.png" alt="PrestaShop OnDemand" />
Using this dashboard – which acts as a buffer zone between you and the traditional PrestaShop back office dashboard – you can configure account settings, create a new store, add a new domain to an existing store, create FTP users, and so forth.
Other than that, PrestaShop Cloud platform is identical to self-hosted PrestaShop. The only difference is the speedy store creation and a further Cloud admin panel with a few, manageable settings.
It’s lightweight, and that’s a good thing.
<h2>A Free Cloud (That Won’t Rain On Parades)</h2>
PrestaShop’s beta cloud platform looks promising. I didn’t come across any faults or bugs, and because it mimics exactly what “original PrestaShop” has to offer, it would seem that – as far as functionality goes – PrestaShop’s beta cloud shouldn’t run into any problems.
The only issue I can foresee is the cloud-hosting itself. It is free after all, so one can be forgiven for assuming that speed and uptime might be compromised.
However, <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/blog/en/prestashop-beta-program-questions-answers/" target="_blank">PrestaShop have already set aside some time</a> to address this very question assumption:
<blockquote> How can we make our cloud solution totally free? 
The same way PrestaShop is completely free, through our trusted partnerships with industry leaders and the thousands of Addons extra features. These partnerships and Addons give you access to an arsenal of tools aimed at making your online store successful. It also allows PrestaShop to always remain free forever.
 The hosting is free… but is it efficient? 
We know that site speed and performance is key to maintaining a successful online store. That’s why we’ve teamed up with a powerhouse in quality hosting, OVH. You’re in good hands, OVH has over 700,000 customers worldwide, and their servers are equipped with the latest Intel processors and high performance SSD hard drives to ensure your store will be quick to take orders and make sales.</blockquote>
In short, PrestaShop are confident that the Cloud platform will run smoothly, despite being completely free. Time will tell, of course, but if PrestaShop can pull this off, it will be one of the most impressive moves the eCommerce industry has seen in some time.
To sign up for the free PrestaShop Cloud beta, <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/en/beta" target="_blank">click here</a>.
Plus, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/prestashop/" target="_blank">PrestaShop via our CMS Directory</a>, and my full <a href="/prestashop-review/" target="_blank">PrestaShop Review</a>.

Hands-On with PrestaShop’s new Beta Cloud Platform

<a href="http://www.wix.com/" target="_blank">Wix</a>, one of the world's most popular website builders, has launched a campaign called <a href="http://createthestars.com/" target="_blank"> CREATE</a>, which aims to light up the sky of New York City for one starry night.
Wix – the <a href="/the-winner-of-the-2014-peoples-choice-cms-award-for-best-website-builder/" target="_blank">winner of the 2014 CMS Award for Best Website Builder</a> – has invited people from around the world to create and dedicate their own stars using unique Wix.com design tools. After creating a star, users can dedicate it to someone special before dragging and dropping it into a virtual sky, contributing to the creation of a collective star-field.
This star-field can be seen by anybody attending the CREATE event on November 1st 2014 at New York’s Madison Square Park. There, attendees will have thee unique experience of creating stars and shooting them up into the New York City night sky.
<h2>Celebrating Web Design Freedom</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/29708-1.jpg" alt="CREATE wix" />
The CREATE campaign launches as part of Wix's collaboration with agency of record Silver + Partners, and ties directly into the company's mission to enable anyone to easily create a professional online presence, exactly the way they want.
Selected to be among the website building elite over at Website Builders Critic, Wix powers millions of websites for individuals and small businesses across the world. CREATE is just one of many great Wix ideas.
Avishai Abrahami, the Wix Co-Founder and CEO, made these comments regarding the project:
<blockquote>“Simplifying the web creation process is what Wix is all about. We give our users an advanced, code-free platform, and we're constantly blown away by how incredibly creative they get when there are no tech or design barriers to limit them.
The CREATE campaign celebrates this freedom. Wix.com lets you create anything online, and now, by simply dragging and dropping elements, you can even put stars in the sky.”</blockquote>
The Wix powered CREATE customization tools allow you to choose from a wide range of start shapes, sizes and colours. A caption of 140 characters can then be added before completion.
To create and dedicate your star, head over to the <a href="http://createthestars.com/" target="_blank"> CREATE website</a>.
Also, be sure to check out more of <a href="/products/wix/" target="_blank">Wix via our CMS Directory</a>.

CREATE Powered by Wix Set to Light up NYC

<a href="http://www.webs.com/" target="_blank">Webs</a>, a widely popular website builder, has announced the launch of “Local Search” – a new online local listings tool for small businesses.
Part of a suite of marketing products including Pagemodo and ContactME, Webs is an easy-to-use drag-and-drop website builder designed for small businesses.
This newly introduced local listings tool enables businesses to quickly get listed in more than 100 local listings sites and major search engines, exposing it to prospective customers. The listings include the top local search directories such as Google, Bing, AOL, Yahoo, Yelp, YP.com and more.
<h2>Mass Local Listings Made Simple</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/local_listings_blog_header700x0.png" alt="Webs Local Search" />
Local Search works for small businesses with and without physical presence. All users need to do is produce basic company details, taking less than five minutes to get submitted to more than 100 online directories. Once submitted, businesses can easily monitor and update their listings using their own online dashboard.
Local Search also includes a free check on whether a business is already included in top local directories. In addition to small business owners, marketing agencies can use Local Search to improve their clients’ local search results (local SEO).
Scott Bowen, Webs' General Manager, made these comments about the new release:
<blockquote>“We’ve found that most of our customers build a website to attract new customers to their business and provide a platform to sell their products online. If a company’s website or online profile isn’t easily found on local listings sites and search engines, customers will never know about that company and its offerings. Local Search isn’t just for businesses with a physical presence – it’s a tool any business looking to grow its sales can benefit from.”</blockquote>
To find out more about Webs' Local Search feature, <a href="http://www.webs.com/blog/2014/10/21/introducing-webs-local-search-get-business-listed-today/" target="_blank">check out their official blog announcement</a>.
Plus, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/webs/" target="_blank">Webs via our CMS Directory.</a>

Webs Launches Local Listings Tool

The <a href="/the-cms-awards-what-they-mean/" target="_blank">third annual CMS Awards</a> have come to a close, having attracted more nominations and voters than ever before. Thankfully though, the results are probably my favourite part!
For the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Website Builder, participants selected the industry's “big three” website builders to battle it out. <a href="http://www.wix.com/" target="_blank">Wix</a>, <a href="https://www.squarespace.com/" target="_blank">Squarespace</a>, and <a href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a>.
It is with great pleasure that I announce the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Website Builder goes to:
<a href="http://www.wix.com/" target="_blank"><img style="max-width:220px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wix-.png" alt="Wix" /></a>
<a href="http://www.wix.com/" target="_blank">Wix</a> was triumphant over two worthy competitors, as <a href="https://www.squarespace.com/" target="_blank">Squarespace</a> came in as runners-up, with <a href="https://www.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Weebly</a> trailing closely behind.
<img style="max-width:250px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/10733526_801171129939789_151468802_n.jpg" />
Congratulations to everyone at <a href="http://www.wix.com/" target="_blank">Wix</a> on their big win!
If you aren't familiar with Wix and would like to learn more, read our <a href="http://www.websitebuilderscritic.com/website_builders/reviews/wix/" target="_blank">Wix Review</a> on our new site, <a href="http://www.websitebuilderscritic.com/"> Website Builders Critic</a> where you can find <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/websitebuilderscriti" target="_blank">Wix video tutorials</a> and more.

The Winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Website Builder

After a new $2M investment and 55,000 hours of development, <a href="http://www.terminalfour.com/" target="_blank">TERMINALFOUR</a>, has evolved their product beyond its web content management roots to a <a href="http://www.terminalfour.com/pr/terminalfour-delivers-new-higher-education-digital-engagement-platform-after-2m-investment.html" target="_blank">full digital engagement platform for higher education institutes</a>. 
Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, TERMINALFOUR is a CMS focused on improving the online presence of universities, colleges and school districts across the world.
TERMINALFOUR commited to this evolution by expanding their Research &amp; Development team by 40%, all to ensure that the end result was in line with what the world of higher education requires and desires. 
<h2>150 New Feature Enhancements</h2>
In the past year, TERMINALFOUR's flagship product has undergone an extensive re-architecture. This re-architecture has seen the introduction of new structured frameworks and 150 new feature enhancements, resulting in the arrival of the TERMINALFOUR Digital Engagement Platform. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/terminalfour.jpg" alt="TerminalFour" /> Furthermore, TERMINALFOUR's solution is now available in two editions: TERMINALFOUR Site Manager 8, the core web content management product, and TerminalFour Engage.edu, the full digital engagement and web content management product.
Along with the core web content management product, TERMINALFOUR's Engage.edu solution has been augmented with a host of measurement and engagement capabilities.  These developments have all had a positive impact on user experience, performance, analytics and social media integration in conjunction with a complete redesign to the user interface.
The direction of this product is in recognition that universities and colleges are no longer only concerned with managing content across their online real-estate.  With increased demands for transparency in terms of performance, results and student involvement there is a greater need to measure online effectiveness, engage with and create personalized experiences for every visitor. Here's an overview of how that all comes together:
Manage: Significant enhancements have been made to the core web content management solution all with a view to improving the user experience.  These include a redeveloped inline editing environment called “Direct Edit”, a fully tablet and smart phone enabled responsive product interface, stronger asset management features, editing and publishing performance improvements and more.
Measure: To reflect the need for greater performance visibility and accountability, TERMINALFOUR is now equipped with a full performance and KPI dashboard, which includes for example Google Analytics, Social, CRM and ERP data.  This can allow universities and colleges to evaluate the performance of online marketing activities even at an individual course level.
Engage: To foster greater engagement between institutions and multiple target audiences TERMINALFOUR has placed a huge emphasis on developing a platform that enables universities and colleges to build unique experiences through content targeting, personalization, improved social integration and A/B and multivariant testing. TERMINALFOUR is also releasing three new higher education modules: a prospectus and course catalog builder for prospective students, an improved campus events calendar and a course search and comparison solution.
Transact: TERMINALFOUR works within a broader ecosystem of technologies and platforms in universities and colleges.  Reflecting this it has relaunched its online forms feature allowing for universities and colleges to more closely integrate with key third party systems such as CRM and higher education ERP solutions.
<h2>A Game-changer</h2>
Piero Tintori the CEO and Founder of TERMINALFOUR, made these comments upon the announcement of his product's enhancements:
<blockquote>
“This new platform has been the absolute number one priority for TERMINALFOUR for the past year. We challenged our teams, specifically R&amp;D, to think outside the confines of traditional web content management.
To visualize a platform that genuinely addressed the content, digital marketing and online optimization needs of higher education. Then they had to deliver it.We're absolutely convinced that this latest release is a game-changer in the marketplace.
This is a strong statement but universities and colleges are rightfully demanding a solution that maximizes their content, unifies their communication and online brand and contributes to business performance. We've delivered with this release and have ensured the product can continue to meet these evolving expectations”
</blockquote>
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>.

TERMINALFOUR Releases New Higher Education Digital Engagement Platform

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TechCrunch Disrupt Europe is currently taking place in London, and <a href="http://cloudcannon.com/" target="_blank">CloudCannon</a>, a platform which, “streamlines the process of deploying a simple website”, is one of the products in the spotlight.
In less than a year, CloudCannon has evolved from bedroom project to global venture, having just landed $500,000 worth of funding, along with a partnership with Rightside Group, Ltd – one of the world’s largest domain name registries. This news was revealed at the TechCrunch event, marking CloudCannon's entry into the global CMS market. 
Labelling itself as a CMS for static websites, CloudCannon aims to combine the most appealing aspects of all website creation routes, into one, simple platform. Primarily, these aspects include; complete creative freedom, a low technical skill overhead and simple visual editing. Here's a quick video.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ii7Ba7s5qTg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>Lifting the Bar on Current Web Design</h2>
In a nutshell, using CloudCannon, you can create new websites, or link the comprehensive editor to an existing website, before selecting editable regions. These editable regions can then be edited live on the page.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-2700x0.png" alt="CloudCannon" />
When it comes to building a site from scratch with CloudCannon, you can choose a template to get things moving, upload files and even connect with a number of cloud-based storage solutions like Dropbox and Google Drive. 
In short, CloudCannon offers a streamlined solution to building websites for those who have limited coding skills, yet it also gives users the freedom to get as technical as they want in a simple fashion. You can code everything yourself, or you can opt for a template before editing things right there on the page in front of you.  
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.png" alt="CloudCannon" />
Mike Neumegen, CloudCannon CEO, had this to say about the ethos behind the product:
<blockquote>
“We built CloudCannon because, as designers ourselves, we saw a need that no other product was solving. We wanted to lift the bar on current website design, by taking out time intensive technical tasks and focusing on the creative aspects.” 
</blockquote>
Furthermore, the partnership with Rightside Group, Ltd has naturally been the boost CloudCannon needed to launch globally after such a short time in existence. On a technical level, the partnership also allows CloudCannon to streamline one of the trickiest parts of setting up a website – domain name and DNS settings – making it a seamless experience.
Dwayne Walker, Senior Vice President of Business Development for Rightside, made these comments:
<blockquote>
“Designers from around the world will be able to design, build and deploy world-class websites using CloudCannon and Rightside domain branding extensions such as .social, .rocks, .ninja, .dance, .reviews, .lawyer and other Rightside new domain extensions. These new domain branding extensions coupled with CloudCannon website services offer a powerful and unique platform for web and creative designers around the world” 
</blockquote>
To find out more about CloudCannon, <a href="http://cloudcannon.com/" target="_blank">check out their website</a>.

CloudCannon Goes Global at TechCrunch Disrupt Europe

This year has been an incredibly successful one for the CMS Awards and as our third consecutive year, we've had more nominations and voters than ever before!Competition this year was very tight between contenders LightCMS, Surreal CMS and Acquia Cloud but in the end, there can be only one winner.It is with great pleasure that I announce the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Cloud CMS For SMB (Small to Midsize Business) goes to:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/lightcms-1.jpg" alt="Best Cloud CMS for SMB" />LightCMS fought hard this year and it was incredibly close between them and runner up, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.surrealcms.com/">Surreal CMS </a>but in the end, LightCMS prevailed.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best-hosted-cloud-cms.png" alt="Best Cloud CMS for SMB" />Congratulations to everyone at LightCMS (and mother company, Netsuite) on their win!If you aren't familiar with LightCMS and would like to learn more, read our in-depth  LightCMS review on our new site, Website Builders Critic where you can find LightCMS Tutorials and more.Share this using <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bestcloudcms">http://bit.ly/bestcloudcms</a>

The Winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Cloud CMS for SMB

<a href="http://www.websitebox.com/" target="_blank">WebsiteBox</a>, a Toronto-based startup that provides real estate professionals with a professional website for a one-time fee of $99, has announced a print-marketing tool called Prints App. 
Focusing on providing a powerful online presence for real estate agents, WebsiteBox serves up a hundreds of responsive templates, customization options, and options between different types of real estate websites. 
Prints App is WebsiteBox's way of giving realtors the ability to print real-estate marketing materials quickly and easily. Here's an introductory video:
http://vimeo.com/108529744
<h2>Branding Made Easy  </h2>
WebsiteBox CEO Peyman Aleagha sees Prints App as a way for Realtors to stramline their branding and marketing efforts:
<blockquote>
“Real estate agents rely on print marketing for branding, to connect with former clients, and to attract new client. While much of the real estate world is moving online, a creative and consistent print marketing campaign is still essential to increasing a Realtor’s visibility within the community.  What’s more, quick, clean messages on brochures, flyers, and other literature can ultimately drive traffic to a real estate website.
Prints App provides Realtors with a straightforward and inexpensive way to share news, tell a success story, or invite buyers to a new listing – all from one simple platform.”
</blockquote>
The best part of Prints App, is that it automatically integrates with existing WebsiteBox websites, enabling it to pull information from listings for use in print materials.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/logowebsitebox_light_background700x0.jpg" alt="WebsiteBox" />
Agents can use the app to create vibrant business cards, newsletters, flyers, postcards, letterheads, property sheets, and other materials in three simple steps:
<ol>
<li>Agents select the type of print piece and layout they want to create. The prints wizard helps users customize the piece with intuitive drag-and-drop editing tools.</li>
<li>Next, the app automatically loads data from the multiple listing service. No manual data entry is needed.</li>
<li>In the final step, the app turns the marketing collateral into a high-resolution PDF file that agents can print immediately. Or, for jobs that require expertise, users can email the file to <a href="http://www.printchomp.com/" target="_blank">PrintChomp</a>, a WebsiteBox partner that will help users choose a local printer who’ll complete the job for the required budget, quality and deadline.</li>
</ol>
The Prints App is avaialble via the <a href="http://www.websitebox.com/realtors/apps-extras.php" target="_blank">WebsiteBox Apps &amp; Extras market</a>, for $99.
To find out more about WebsiteBox, <a href="http://www.websitebox.com" target="_blank">check out their website</a>.

WebsiteBox Unveils Print-Marketing Tool for Realtors

Is being hacked fun? Certainly not. 
 The worst part about it is that you could potentially lose everything. Your content. Your media. Personal data. It's natural to want to protect your site from being hacked. It’s just as important as protecting your home from burglars.
There are a few ways to lock your website and WordPress install down. Unfortunately there are never any guarantees when it comes to security. That’s why extra care is important. Even the most obvious or seemingly unimportant stuff could bring your security down. It's never good to leave your site vulnerable when you can take action and better protect it. At the very least, it may slow down an intruder even if it doesn't stop them completely.
Today, we present you eight things you can do to your WordPress site to ensure it remains as secure as a locker. A locker in a bank. A bank that’s inside a bunker. A CIA bunker. Pretty secure, all in all.
<h2> 1. Always Stay Up to Date</h2>
It could be tiresome to update. Sometimes stuff like plugins won’t work properly. However: when you see updates available for WordPress, your themes, or plugins you should download and install them immediately. Why?
Those updates often include security patches and fixes that seal off potential vulnerabilities. In fact, a lot of times hackers gain access to a WordPress site simply because it was out-of-date. The attacker was able to take advantage of a known vulnerability. In fact, hackers seek out older versions of WordPress for this very reason.
<h2></h2>
<h2> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wordpress_security_tips_html_m7050d259.png" /></h2>
Updating your site won't necessarily keep everyone out, but it will certainly ensure certain doors remain closed – doors that can be taken advantage of. If you want to install a theme, find a source that is updated often (like <a href="http://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes.php"> this one </a> ). Same goes for plugins – make sure there are people working on them. Installing something that will stay out-of-date forever is certainly not pleasant.
Bonus tip: although most of the times WordPress updates are a good thing, sometimes they may be compromised. That’s why before actually updating you should read something about that update on the Internet (on sites like this one, for example!). Don’t ignore updates, but don’t update blindly, too.
<h2> 2. Hide Your WordPress Version Number </h2>
The version of WordPress you have installed can be easily identified by viewing a page's source header. Unless you installed a theme that removes this info, the version number is included in the metadata. In other words, hackers can easily find this information. Not to enjoy it. To exploit it.
To remove this information, you need to add the following code to your ‘functions.php' file:
<pre> function wpbeginner_remove_version( ) { return ''; } add_filter('the_generator', 'wpbeginner_remove_version');</pre>
This code removes the version number from the source view and RSS feeds, effectively hiding it from view.
<h2> 3. Don't Use “Admin” As Your Username </h2>
A small thing? Yes. Is it important? More than you think.
By default, WordPress assigns the main administrative account under the name “admin.” It makes a lot of sense, sure. But that’s exactly why it's used on hundreds – if not thousands – of other WordPress powered sites. It’s obvious.
In 2013, hackers volleyed a series of <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/12/hackers-point-large-botnet-at-wordpress-sites-to-steal-admin-passwords-and-gain-server-access/"> brute-force attacks </a> at WordPress websites, repeatedly attempting to login by pairing the main account “admin” with common passwords. They were pretty successful.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wordpress_security_tips_html_m4b12aed8.jpg" /> Even if you have a complicated, secure password, it's still not a good idea to use a well-known username. There are two ways you can fix this: one involves creating a new account, and the other requires logging into your Cpanel and changing the username through PHPMyAdmin.
The first method is easier – create a new account with the desired username, then provide that new account admin privileges before continuing. Once that's done, you can simply delete the original “admin” account and it will give you an option to associate all existing posts and content with the new account.
The more involved method – which requires access to the website's hosting account –is to login to Cpanel and PHPMyadmin. Once there, you need to select the database where your site is hosted, and then navigate to the “wp_users” table. You should then see all the usernames for your site. You can simply change the “user_login” value under the account you want to the new name. For example, you can change “admin” to “hackersaresuchlosers” or something like that.
<h2> 4. Hide Your Username </h2>
Unfortunately, there's another way for resourceful hackers to identify your WordPress username thanks to the author archive URL. By default, WordPress will display the account username there. For instance, if the username is “bobwrites”, the author archive will look something like:
 http://yoursite.com/author/bobwrites . 
Luckily, the fix for it is pretty simple, although it does require digging into your site's database. You can find a <a href="http://itpixie.com/2012/10/hide-your-wordpress-login-from-author-archive/"> full guide here </a> . In a few words: disguise yourself under a different name, one that wouldn’t give anything important about your website.
<h2> 5. Change Your Passwords Regularly </h2>
Yes. Open your calendar and mark a day when you’re going to change your passwords – and then make it a regular event. It’s boring and it’s crucial.
There's a reason you're told to change your passwords often across multiple platforms. That rule is no different when it comes to your WordPress account. In addition, make sure you are using secure passwords when you pick one. About <a href="http://www.wptemplate.com/features/safety-and-security-of-wordpress-blog-infographic.html"> 8% of WordPress sites </a> are hacked due to a weak password. Use a combination of numbers, symbols and different case letters (upper and lower) or a password manager.
Even though most sites recommend using eight characters, try to keep your passwords above ten characters. And keep them in mind, not in a plain text document stored in Dropbox.
<h2> 6. Limit Login Attempts </h2>
It's possible to block a single IP from trying to hack your website by limiting the amount of login attempts that can be made. Of course, resourceful hackers can always resort to switching between multiple IP addresses but it's a lot more work. For many of them it’s going to be much easier to switch to another site. That’s the reason it's worth locking down the amount of login attempts for your site.
This can be done with plugins, such as the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/limit-login-attempts/"> Limit Login Attempts </a> plugin. It automatically blocks an IP after it breaches the login limit, and allows you to specify how long that IP address remains locked out.
It’s like an automatic cop car that comes and takes away a prankster who’s banging on your door for 15 minutes straight, at night.
<h2> 7. Delete Any Plugins or Themes You're Not Using </h2>
Having as little executable code as possible on your site also helps maintain security. Remove or delete any plugins and themes you are not using on your site. There's no reason for them to be there taking up space on your server anyway.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wordpress_security_tips_html_5309b294.jpg" />
<h2> 8. Prevent Others from Browsing Your WordPress Folder Structure </h2>
Through the explorer view in certain web browsers, anyone can peek at your WordPress files and folders unless you disable the option. This can be done by adding the following line of code to your .htaccess file in the WordPress install directory:
 Options All – Indexes 
 You must also include a blank ‘index.php' file in your “wp-content/themes” and “wp-content/plugins” directories.
<h2> Bonus Tip: Some Great Security Plugins </h2>
Here’s a list of some useful security plugins that will help you secure your WordPress powered site.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/bulletproof-security/">Bulletproof Security </a> will protect your site by locking down the .htaccess file </li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-wp-security-and-firewall/">All-in-One WP Security and Firewall </a> is a firewall for your website, self-explanatory </li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/sucuri-scanner/">Sucuri-Scanner </a> will scan your WordPress site for hidden malware </li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordfence/">Wordfence </a> is an exceptional security plugin with tons of features and support </li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/exploit-scanner/">Exploit Scanner </a> will analyze your WordPress database and identify any suspicious code.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Keep Your Site Secure!</h2>
Of course, you can't overlook the basics either such as performing regular backups of your site and database, using secure web hosting and limiting user access to the dashboard. If you play it safe you should be just fine. 
Even if there are no guarantees when it comes to security, there are still things you can do to better protect yourself and now you have the means. Prepared means armed, after all. 
Stay safe.

8 WordPress Security Tips to Help You Secure Your WordPress Site

Recently, in the world of eCommerce, PrestaShop has been making somewhat of a splash.
It <a href="/a-closer-look-at-prestashops-global-community/" target="_blank">serves a massive community</a> of around 700,000 merchants, and has been in business since 2007, but 2014 has probably been its most expressive year to date. The release of <a href="/hands-on-with-prestashop-1.6/" target="_blank">PrestaShop 1.6</a> brought about a face lift on all fronts, a bunch of genuinely useful features, and a more <a href="/prestashops-lover-affair-with-statistics/" target="_blank">focused approach to statistics</a>.
To get a deeper understanding of PrestaShop's story, I was given the opportunity to ask Sabrina Marechal a few questions.
<h2>Introducing Sabrina Marechal</h2>
<img style="max-width:400pxpx" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sabrina2250x0.jpg" alt="Sabrina Marechal" />
Sabrina Marechal is no newcomer. She joined PrestaShop in November 2007 as a Communications specialist.
As PrestaShop expanded, she built a Marketing and Communications department within the company gathering 20+ team members. By early 2011, Sabrina has moved to PrestaShop's US office in order to create a Marketing Department responsible for PrestaShop's expansion in the Americas.
Today, with a fully cross-border Marketing team, Sabrina now focuses on expanding the area of Product Marketing within PrestaShop.
<h3>1. Can you tell me a little bit about how you came to be the Director of Product Marketing at PrestaShop?</h3>
I’ve been with PrestaShop since November of 2007 where I started as a Communications Specialist. At that time, the whole team was made of about 10 people. Today, we’re over 100!
In 2011, we opened our Miami office. Since then, I've built a Marketing Team now comprised of 20 team members. From the time I started, I’ve really seen the Community growing around PrestaShop and the product evolve thanks to its input. That's why today I've decided to focus on product marketing: to highlight to the world how great our software and our Community's contributions are!
<h3>2. There's no shortage of eCommerce platforms on the market today, and I don't see that changing any time soon. What makes PrestaShop unique?</h3>
I would say that what makes PrestaShop so unique is its openness, and the amazing Community that results from it. With over 700,000 members, as a PrestaShop user, you know that you can rely on someone anytime if you have questions or need any advice, simply by connecting on our forums or social networks.
The Community is also a great source of input and contribution to the software: we get feedback and features from all over the world, helping us make the most powerful and international ecommerce software.
Further than just being Open source, this openness is also present through our <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/club/">User Club</a>. We’re the only ecommerce solution with a User Club made of merchants and developers, that we consult during the development of a new feature or a significant change within the software to make sure it answers their needs.
PrestaShop is a software made for the user, with the user.
<h3>3. Speaking of PrestaShop being an open-source platform, what does that mean to the average online merchant, and what kind of edge does that give you over proprietary platforms?</h3>
Being Open source means a lot for us because it helped us grow so much, and so internationally. When we launched PrestaShop, it was translated into 15 languages in less than a year, with users in France, Italy, UK, USA but also Indonesia, Brazil etc. Just thanks to word of mouth!
The input that you’re able to get when you’re Open source is remarkable.
For our users this means that they can do anything they want with our software. If they need a custom feature, they can get it by either creating it themselves or by working with a freelancer or an agency. They definitely don’t have to wait for a future release! And that’s what gives us edge over proprietary platforms: the ability to be more reactive, to evolve much faster and more internationally thanks to the input of external developers.
Even after so many years at PrestaShop, I’m still amazed to see that we power online stores on little islands, including Micronesia!
<h3>4. As I covered in a <a href="/a-closer-look-at-prestashops-global-community/" target="_blank">previous article</a>, PrestaShop are big on Community. What does a strong community mean to you, and why is it so important? 
</h3>
To me, a strong Community means a strong product. When you have so many people sharing their feedback with you, your product only can be better and better.
Also, our Community members act as true ambassadors for us and as a great source of ideas and suggestions. It’s thanks to them that we are where we are today.
Our Community is literally our ecosystem: from web agencies to merchants, to developers and designers, our Community is PrestaShop.
<h3>5. Does PrestaShop have any plans to expand its online community in any way? You guys already have a buzzing online forum, but I'm interested in finding out about any other ideas that may be in the works. Perhaps a simple “Off Topic” forum section for members to show some more personality?</h3>
Our product is at the heart of everything and I do believe that our next product release will naturally bring a lot of new members to our Community, especially merchants starting online. They’ll appreciate how they can rely on our active Community for advice and tips from people who went through the same path.
<h3>6. So far, what would you say PrestaShop's greatest achievement has been?</h3>
Our greatest achievement EVER is currently in Beta ?
Our upcoming Cloud solution is really going to shake up the ecommerce industry by breaking all the barriers a merchant can encounter while creating an online store, either financial or technical. With it, we’re truly in phase with our vision to make ecommerce accessible to all.
With that said, so far, I'd say the release of PrestaShop 1.6 was a very exciting journey for us and the success it achieved has been amazing. During the first 24hrs, it was downloaded 17,500 times, i.e every 5 seconds from everywhere in the world. The success of 1.6 has also allowed us to reach our 200,000th online store which was a great step.
<h3>7. The Cloud beta is definitely an exciting step, I can't wait to see it live in action. Version 1.6, as you mentioned, was similarly momentous. In fact, since 1.6 released, I've seen PrestaShop spearheading its way into the spotlight of the eCommerce industry, competing more fiercely with other platforms, free, open-source, hosted, proprietary or otherwise. With that being said, what can we expect to see from PrestaShop in both the near and far future?</h3>
Well, in the very near future, expect the official launch of our Cloud solution.
We’re also working hard on our taxes system, and some key interfaces within the back-office (such as the order page, the catalog page…), these improvements will be included in our next releases.
Worth to mention that we’re also thinking about launching products on ecommerce markets where PrestaShop isn’t present yet.
<h3>8. In particular, the Intelligent Merchant KPI and forecasting features of PrestaShop 1.6 seriously impressed me. Can you expand on those features, and explain why PrestaShop felt they were important to introduce?</h3>
The Intelligent Merchant KPIs come from our commitment to give merchants the power to know exactly what’s happening in their business, in real time, and help them to make the right decisions.
Sometimes merchants just look at their sales and think they’re doing well, but the real answer hides behind the customer acquisition cost, the shipping cost, the transaction fees, the merchandise price… That’s why we have made this information accessible at a glance on the dashboard. Our merchants don’t have to calculate anything, they get the insights in real time, are able to make smarter choices in their business and become more successful.
<h3>9. PrestaShop 1.6 also brought about a revamped back office user interface. Was the facelift just as important as the more technical implementations?</h3>
Yes! Our users’ everyday experience with the software must be smooth, efficient and appreciable. It was time for us to implement a new interface, totally responsive for our merchants on the go, and super easy to work with. People love it, and so do we. To me PrestaShop 1.6 is the most beautiful version we’ve ever released and the feedback we got was amazing.
<h3>10. Now, back to the cloud. You guys recently announced the beta for PrestaShop Cloud, something I'm personally pumped to see in action. What can you tell us about PrestaShop Cloud? What makes it different to “normal” PrestaShop?</h3>
I can say that our Cloud solution will shake up the market! Basically, you’ll be able to create an online store in minutes thanks to a super quick onboarding. Plus, this store will be hosted for free, and will offer the same powerful features as a “normal” PrestaShop. We’re committed to break the barriers that e-merchants encounter while creating an online business. That’s truly ecommerce for all!
Regarding the hosting, we know that site speed and performance is key to maintaining a successful online store. That’s why we’ve teamed up with a powerhouse in quality hosting, OVH. OVH has over 700,000 customers worldwide, and their servers (based in Europe and Canada) are equipped with the latest Intel processors and high performance SSD hard drives to ensure your store will be quick to take orders and make sales.
The question that we usually get is “How can we make it free?” Well, the same way PrestaShop is completely free, through our trusted <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/en/industry-partners">partnerships with industry leaders</a> and the thousands of <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/">Addons</a> extra features. These partnerships and Addons give you access to tools aimed at making your online store successful. It also allows PrestaShop to remain free forever.
If you can’t wait to see it in action, sign up for <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/en/beta">our exclusive Beta program</a>! It is the best way to start using our hosted solution before anybody else.
<h3>11. Finally, with the 2014 CMS Awards almost over, is there anything else you would like to add? </h3>
I’d like to add that our whole team is very thankful for the mission we accomplish every day: helping our merchants be more successful. It’s a great feeling to see people selling more and more, and expanding their business. Winning this Award would make us even more proud.
To find out more about PrestaShop, <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/" target="_blank">check out their website</a>.
Or, explore more of <a href="/products/prestashop/" target="_blank">PrestaShop via our CMS Directory</a>.

An Interview With Sabrina Marechal: Director of Product Marketing at PrestaShop

After running for their third straight year, the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/" target="_blank"> CMS Awards 2014</a> are coming to an end.
Mike Johnston launched the awards back in 2012, to give the CMS Critic community a chance to vote for their favourite products, and the CMS vendors an opportunity to shine. The awards are comprised of the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/" target="_blank"> People's Choice Awards</a>, which give the public power over which CMS wins each category, and the <a href="/announcing-this-years-judges-for-the-2014-critics-choice-awards/" target="_blank"> Critic's Choice Awards</a>, where a select few judges are appointed to select the winners.
This year, a range of new categories emerged for the first time in order to accommodate the many new products and niches developing within the content management system market, making this years awards the most inclusive – and the most useful – ever.
<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/votenow-1-1.png" alt="CMS Awards" /></a>
But how useful are the awards exactly? For whom are they for? What purposes do they serve?
<h2>For the Consumers</h2>
First and foremost, the CMS Awards are here to serve the consumers.
The consumers are those who work on websites, in one way or another, and/or take a keen interest in the CMS industry. Whether they build, maintain or contribute to websites for a living, or simply as a hobby, there are vast numbers of people who need the latest information on which CMS is doing the best job within each specific niche.
For example, if somebody needs to know who the top dog is in the eCommerce industry, the CMS Awards can offer a shortlist of candidates, along with winners of both the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/" target="_blank"> Peoples Choice Awards</a> and the <a href="/announcing-this-years-judges-for-the-2014-critics-choice-awards/" target="_blank"> Critics Choice Awards</a>. It acts as solid CMS researching tool.
Plus, because the awards are annual, such consumers never feel out of touch with the research they are conducting. Each award reflects the current opinion of both the masses and the critics. It's just good old useful information.
To put it simply, the awards help people choose the best CMS for their projects. Our Twitter followers concur:
<blockquote><a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic"> @cmscritic </a> CMS Awards mean more available research for businesses to apply their needs directly to a CMS- better research=better experiences
— Ceeonsoft, Inc. (@Ceeonsoft) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ceeonsoft/status/522406900244430848"> October 15, 2014 </a></blockquote>
<blockquote><a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic"> @cmscritic </a> the CMS awards are a great opportunity to show that there are other platforms besides the most obvious choices ?
— Ben Barden (@benbarden) <a href="https://twitter.com/benbarden/status/522404989554397184"> October 15, 2014 </a></blockquote>
<h2>For the Vendors</h2>
Let's not forget about the teams behind each CMS.
The vendors themselves view the awards as a chance to connect with and evaluate their communities. Not to mention, it gives each vendor the opportunity to give back to their community in some way, should the results go their way.
It should also be noted that the awards may serve as an extra incentive for vendors to improve their products. After all, winning an award is a marketable achievement, and perhaps even a bragging right over competitors.
Here's what an assorted bunch of vendors had to say about the CMS Awards.
 Magnolia CMS (Nominated for Best Free Java CMS &amp; Best Open Source Java CMS) 
<blockquote>“The CMS Awards represent an important opportunity for every organization that’s in the content management business. The finely tuned categories ensure maximum relevance for CMS Critic's audience, resulting in some good pointers for people who are just about to start a project.
Beyond the obvious benefits of winning one or more awards (i.e. generating awareness for your product and business, validating your existing customers’ choice, prestige), you also get a chance to see how your community outreach works: how well does your social ecosystem respond to requests? How can you incentivize them to support you? The knowledge you gain from that can be used across a variety of other projects.
At Magnolia, we’ve informed our community through social media, documentation, our forum, dedicated email blasts as well as personal contact. If the preliminary results are any indication, our outreach seems to have worked!”
– Christopher Justice, CMO of Magnolia.</blockquote>
 PrestaShop (Nominated for Best eCommerce Solution for SMB &amp; Best eCommerce Solution for Enterprise) 
<blockquote>“The CMS Awards represent an opportunity for each ecommerce solution to get the recognition they deserve. It’s extremely gratifying to watch our community come together and show their support.
For us, winning the CMS Awards isn’t just about PrestaShop. It’s about recognizing the 700,000 dedicated community members that contribute to the software every day.
Our supporters are members of our open source community. Together, we have built PrestaShop into what it is today. Therefore, winning would be rewarding in itself, it reaffirms the success of our collaboration.”
– Natalie Beigel, PrestaShop's Program Marketing Manager</blockquote>
 Hippo CMS (CEO) (Nominated for Best Enterprise Java CMS) 
<blockquote>“As a company and a product, Hippo’s philosophy has always been customer-centric. We develop our digital experience platform with the needs of our customers and partners as a main priority. And, in turn, our platform help clients remain attuned to the needs of their diverse audiences, serving them the most relevant content for a compelling and personalized digital experience on any touchpoint or channel.
After winning Critics Choice for Best Open Source CMS last year, a nomination for the CMS Critic’s People’s Choice Award for Best Enterprise Java CMS is an affirmation from our customer and partner base that demands in the digital experience space have shifted: the enterprise is disillusioned with the closed and propietary full-suites.
An open solution like Hippo can bring a great deal of value  “out-of-the-box,” but at the same time cater to the sophisticated needs Enterprise clients have that don’t come in a one-size-fits all package. Neither their technical nor marketing teams are willing to sacrifice control over digital strategy for a closed  ‘solution.’
This nomination further confirms that clients want a business agile, scalable alternative to the full-suite. Rather than allowing vendor lockin to dictate business strategy, they expect integrations that return control to their hands. Hippo will continue to deliver on exactly that promise.”
– Jeroen Verberg, CEO of Hippo CMS</blockquote>
 ImpressPages CMS (Nominated for Best Small to Midsize Business PHP CMS) 
<blockquote>“These awards [give us] a chance to check how dedicated and active our community is.
Winning would give us extra recognition, validation and exposure. That's a big input for expanding the userbase and accelerating the growth of the project. All important information we spread through our blog, newsletter, social networks.
For these awards we even updated our website to push the message even further. I hope more users will notice it and will understand that while helping us they will help themselves. The bigger the community – the bigger the project. The bigger the project – the bigger value it can create for each of us.
We don't plan for events we don't control. However, if we win, we will definitely find ways to share our happiness with the whole community. We have a lot of active supporters in our home country (Lithuania). We might even organize a party!”
– Mangirdas Skripka, CTO of ImpressPages CMS</blockquote>
So, beyond being symbolic, the CMS Awards are a pretty big deal, for everybody.
With just a matter of hours before the voting stage ends for the People's Choice awards, don't delay your vote any longer. <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/" target="_blank">Vote for your favourite CMS right here</a>.

The CMS Awards: What They Mean

<a href="http://cratejoy.com/" target="_blank">Cratejoy</a> is a brand new eCommerce platform with a focus on subscription payments. A streamlined way to build an online subscription business.
The platform enables you to build a subscription business via pre-designed templates, comprehensive subscriber management options, built in analytics and more.
The founders of Cratejoy, Amir Elaguizy and Alex Morse, have noticed the growth of subscription model based businesses, and have pinpointed it as a growth market within the eCommerce industry. In a blog post about the launch of Cratejoy's beta, Amir Elaguizy made this interesting point:
<blockquote>
“Cratejoy is based on a simple idea: subscription is the next chapter of commerce, benefiting both businesses and consumers.
Subscription businesses allow for merchants to easily forecast sales and prepare materials, essentially solving inventory problems, one of the biggest issue facing the retail industry today. What’s more, the subscription model focuses on retaining consumers rather than only converting them; this allows merchants to invest in the quality and improvement of their products and services, as opposed to just marketing and advertising efforts.”
</blockquote>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/amiralexcratejoyheadshot700x0.jpg" alt="Cratejoy" /> Essentially, Cratejoy has everything you need to build a subscription service.
The custom back end boasts some handy features, like a coupon and promotions system, automatic validation of subscriber email addresses, automatic shipping emails, and a rather pretty analytics system to help you stay on top of your business. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mbp2_092614.png" alt="Cratejoy Analytics" />
Plus, there are community forums, a dedicated support team 
As far as pricing goes, Cratejoy offers a free plan, although this includes a $0.50 transaction fee and a 3.75% share of revenue. Paid plans mean lower transaction fees, revenue shares. However, all plans get unlimited storage and all the aforementioned features. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mbp2_092614.png" alt="Cratejoy" /> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/premium-plans.jpg" />
For me, Cratejoy seems as if it will be a lucrative choice for those looking to establish subscription businesses. It's a hosted, supported and professional solution, taking the guesswork out of what would otherwise be a tricky setup. The revenue sharing scheme may not be everybody's cup of tea, but in this emerging market within the eCommerce space, the benefit of having a dedicated team behind you can't hurt. 
To read more about the history and vision behind Cratejoy, <a href="http://blog.cratejoy.com/we%E2%80%99ve-launched-start-your-subscription-business-with-cratejoy-today" target="_blank">check out their official blog announcement of the beta</a>.
To sign up for the beta, <a href="http://cratejoy.com/" target="_blank">visit the Cratejoy website</a>.

Subscription Payment Platform Cratejoy Opens Public Beta

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