Articles - Page 128

<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

PrestaShop may come with elegant default theme right out of the box, but that’s not all it offers in terms of design.
Via the <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/" target="_blank"> PrestaShop Theme Marketplace</a>, you can find thousands of free and premium PrestaShop themes. Some are created by the PrestaShop team, although most are a result of <a href="/a-closer-look-at-prestashops-global-community/"> PrestaShop’s busy community</a>.
It goes without saying that sifting through all of those themes to find one for you can be quite the task. So, I’ve compiled ten of what I consider to be the very best PrestaShop themes on offer. Here they all are.
<h2>1. Response</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.png" /> If you’re looking for something to make your store stand out, the Response PrestaShop theme is for you.
It makes use of responsive, Retina-ready image tiles which display product images and information. You can configure colour gradients, sidebar positions and more.
Reponse also comes in three styles, with one allowing you to play a video in the background of the theme.
<a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/neutral/8803-01-response.html"> More Info </a> <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/demo/FO7338.html"> Demo </a>
<h2>2. Trendy</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-2700x0.png" />
The name Trendy is apt, since today’s web design trend sees many websites incorporating a one-page style design. The Trendy PrestaShop theme follows suit.
A full-width slider tops the page, followed by banners, neatly laid out featured products, more banners, a newsletter subscription are and a contact us section, which boasts a full-width map.
Of course, the Trendy theme does have other page types, all of which look excellent.
<a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/fashion/17556-trendy-luxure-prestashop-theme.html"> More Info </a> <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/demo/FO9493.html"> Demo </a>
<h2>3. HiTech</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-4700x0.png" />
Looking for a PrestaShop theme with some “Wow Factor”? You just found it.
HiTech is an obvious choice for merchants looking to sell tech-related goodies, and the slick design will no doubt help to refine the image of your online presence. It’s sleek, modern, and outright pretty.
The bold colours work perfectly with the full-width slider and banners, all of which are professionally presented.
<a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/high-tech/17787-vphitech-responsive-for-prestashop-16x.html"> More Info </a> <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/demo/FO9726.html"> Demo </a>
<h2>4. Flooring Store</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-7700x0.png" />
Don’t ignore this one because of the name. It may be perfect for flooring stores, but it’s also a pretty good fit for all other industries.
The black and white colour scheme is simple and elegant, and make the banner and sliders (which as you may now have guessed, are hallmarks of PrestaShop themes), stand out even more.
There’s a handy side-menu down the left too, which can help you showcase more of your stock. Definitely worth looking at, no matter what you’re selling.
<a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/interior-furniture/17782-flooring-store.html"> More Info </a> <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/demo/FO9721.html"> Demo </a>
<h2>5. Star Fashion</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-9700x0.png" /> Another visual powerhouse.
Star Fashion serves up large banners to capture the attention of shoppers, along with an elegant menu at the top of the page. Geared towards the fashion industry, the minimalist design works well.
If you have good imagery to show off, Star Fashion is definitely for you.
<a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/fashion/17488-star-fashion-responsive-template.html"> More Info </a> <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/demo/FO9422.html"> Demo </a>
<h2>6. Oslo</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-8700x0.png" />
Oslo has a big emphasis on visuals and general usability.
The homepage is dominated by giant banners, which, together, make up a product catalog. There’s also a slider in the middle of the page, whilst logos and menus take their place on the side bar.
It’s a unique look, and one which would suit a number of industries. Plus, it comes in two slightly different styles.
<a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/fashion/16958-01-oslo.html"> More Info </a> <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/demo/FO8871.html"> Demo </a>
<h2>7. Leo</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-5700x0.png" />
This PrestaShop theme is ideal for fashion and jewellery merchants.
The centered logo, large slider and neat design make it one of the most professional themes on the PrestaShop market.
It also boasts mega menus, displaying product thumbnails and standalone images and text alongside a list of pages.
<a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/fashion/11447-leo-fashion-store-prestashop.html"> More Info </a> <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/demo/FO7934.html"> Demo </a>
<h2>8. Gadget Shop</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-10700x0.png" />
The Gadget Shop theme is ideal for, well, gadgets.
With a snazzy, modern design, it’s a great fit for all things tech related. Yet, I wouldn’t rule it out for any other industry either. The design is neutral in that respect.
The menus can get detailed too, as the drop-down menus allow you to display pages, products, images and even videos.
<a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/high-tech/11449-new-gadgets-shop-responsive-html5-theme-16.html"> More Info </a> <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/demo/FO7936.html"> Demo </a>
<h2>9. Elation</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-6700x0.png" />
Sometimes, a theme can make you fall in love with it, just by scrolling down the home page. Elation is one such theme.
The full-width slider, call-to-action button, dainty fonts and beautiful use of banners, carousels and images makes Elation one of PrestaShop’s most attractive themes. It really is stunning.
Plus, with the right approach, Elation could be used in almost any industry.
<a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/neutral/16704-elation-advance-touch-theme.html"> More Info </a> <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/demo/FO8611.html"> Demo </a>
<h2>10. Travely</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-11700x0.png" />
Looking to dazzle? Look no further.
Travely greets visitors with a full-page slider, overlaid with a mega menu, text area, logo and cart area. It’s one of the most professional PrestaShop themes around.
As the name indicates, Travely is best suited for those selling holiday packages. However, I think all forms of service-based products can be sold using this classy theme.
<a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/travel/17643-travely-theme-shop-of-travel.html"> More Info </a> <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/demo/FO9582.html"> Demo </a>
So there you have it. ten PrestaShop themes that are certainly worth your consideration – and maybe even your investment.
Have I missed out your favourite PrestaShop theme? Let me know in the comments section below.

Top 10 Beautiful PrestaShop Themes

mike-johnston

<a href="https://www.drupal.org/node/2348025"> Drupal 8.0.0 – beta1</a> has just been released for testing and feedback.
The first beta, according to the <a href="http://www.drupal.org/" target="_blank"> Drupal</a> team, is thanks to the efforts of over 2,300 people who contributed more than 11,500 committed patches to 15 alpha releases, and especially the 234 contributors who fixed 177 “beta blocker” issues.
As one of the world's most popular CMS', this upcoming release of Drupal 8.0.0 will impact the way that millions of website owners and admins go about their duties.
Here's a look at what Drupal 8.0.0 is set to bring to the table.
<h2>A Look Inside Drupal 8.0.0</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/drupal8tablet.jpg" alt="Drupal 8.0.0" />
Drupal are calling it, “the most customizable, adaptable Drupal release ever”. Here are the feature highlights:
<ul>
<li>Deploy content once and watch it display the way you want on any device.</li>
<li>Multilingual Capabilities.</li>
<li>New configuration management.</li>
<li>Effortless, WYSIWYG authoring.</li>
<li>Easily customize the front page, listing blocks, and more.</li>
<li>Better markup with HTML5.</li>
<li>Multilingual capabilities.</li>
<li>Built-in web services.</li>
<li>Fun and fast theming.</li>
<li>Strong accessibility feature.</li>
</ul>
And that's not all, either. <a href="https://www.drupal.org/drupal-8.0" target="_blank"> Click here to explore everything Drupal 8.0.o has to offer</a>.
<h2>Drupal 8.0.0 Release Date</h2>
Before the final release of Drupal 98.0.0, this first beta will be followed by a series of additional beta releases with bug fixes, performance improvements, and improved stability.
The final release of Drupal 8.0.0 will launch once there are no more <a href="https://www.drupal.org/project/issues/drupal?text=&amp;status=Open&amp;priorities=400&amp;categories=All&amp;version=8.x&amp;component=All">critical issues</a> (as of today, there are 97 remaining) and after the release of at least one <a href="https://www.drupal.org/core/release-cycle#rc">release candidate </a>  (RC) without adding any more critical issues to the list.
If you're looking for an actual Drupal 8.0.0 release date, you won't find it just yet. Here's what the Drupal team had to say about it:
<blockquote>“When will [the release of Drupal 8.0.0] be? “When it's ready.” The more people help, the faster we can find and fix bugs, and the faster 8.0.0 gets released. The faster 8.0.0 gets released, the faster we can <a href="https://www.drupal.org/node/2135189">start adding new features for Drupal 8.1.0</a>. So help out where you can, and let's deliver the best release of Drupal ever!”</blockquote>
To find out more about Drupal 8.0.0, <a href="https://www.drupal.org/drupal-8.0" target="_blank"> check out the official information page</a>. To find out more (and to download) the first beta of Drupal 8.0,0, <a href="https://www.drupal.org/drupal-8.0.0-beta1" target="_blank"> click here</a>.
Additionally, be sure to check out <a href="/products/drupal/" target="_blank"> Drupal via our CMS directory</a>.

Drupal 8.0.0: First Beta Released

The Mac versus PC debate seems to have cooled off in recent years. Gone are the days of Apple computers being viewed as specialty machines for graphic designers and tech newbies, with Windows machines being the only way to get “real” work done.
Today, most software – whether it’s for games, accounting or design – is available for both platforms. Beyond that, much of the work we do is processed and stored in the cloud without relying on the inner workings of our operating systems at all.
So, does that mean operating system is no longer a consideration when choosing a content management system?
Not so fast.
While the majority of the work you do on your website through your CMS will take place inside your browser and not on your desktop, there are still a few key considerations to account for when choosing a CMS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mt-operating-systems-and-cms-choice-1700x0.jpg" />
<h2>Source Code Language</h2>
Ideally, your CMS works as advertised day in and day out. In the best case scenario, you only interact with the user interface of your CMS and never have to make adjustments or go troubleshooting inside the source code of the application.
But what happens if something goes wrong? Does your team have the skillset and expertise to craft a solution?
While many content management systems offer similar functionality and features, the underlying bones can be very different. Consider Umbraco, which runs on the .NET application framework developed by Microsoft. The source language of .NET platforms is likely to be C# (as it is for Umbraco), which is a Windows language.
On the other hand, PHP-based platforms like Drupal and Joomla, along with Perl platforms like <a href="http://www.movabletype.com/" target="_blank">Movable Type</a>, are considerably easier to work with across different operating systems.
Again, on a day-to-day basis, you’ll likely be dealing with the user-facing side of your content management system, which is totally operating-system-independent. If, however, you’re doing your own work on customizing the source code of the CMS or fixing application issues, you’ll want to make sure you’re operating on a platform that’s compatible with your company’s machines.
<h2>Browser Inconsistencies</h2>
There are very few web browsers unavailable to either Mac or PC users. Regardless of your operating system, you’re free to use the likes of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera and more to surf the web and, more importantly, to make edits to content inside your CMS.
There are, however, some subtle differences between Chrome for Mac and Chrome for Windows. The same applies to Safari, Firefox and the rest of the bunch. A discerning eye will notice inconsistencies in pixel count, some font spacing issues and other CSS variables that differ between the two versions of a given browser.
These sorts of tiny hiccups, unaddressed, can completely compromise the integrity of your design and content.
The most important thing you can do is browser test your content. Using a tool like <a href="http://www.crossbrowsertesting.com/" target="_blank">Cross Browser Testing</a>, explore your content on many different browsers, operating systems and screen sizes.
To fix any discrepancies you discover, you may need to make edits directly to your CSS stylesheet such as setting default padding values or using absolute values for element height that aren’t relative to pixel spacing.
For this reason, you’ll want to adopt a CMS that makes it easy for you to make and implement stylesheet edits. Or better yet, a CMS that takes care of these cross-operating-system browser inconsistencies on its own.
In this scenario, wide adoption is a good thing. Platforms like WordPress, used by millions and millions of people across all devices and operating systems, are well equipped to handle browser inconsistencies.
<h2>Security Concerns</h2>
Wide adoption, while great for cross-platform content creation, can also have its drawbacks.
By now, we all know about the recent brute force WordPress attacks, where attackers targeted WordPress installs by trying to guess common usernames and passwords, even spreading login attempts between many machines around the globe to circumvent lock-out procedures. Some estimates show that as many as one in every six blogs on the Internet runs on WordPress – making these attacks quite frightening.
Not everyone knows, however, that Mac users were no less vulnerable to these hackers than their Windows counterparts.
For a long time, Macs have been considered to be safer, in general, from attackers and malware. But this outdated perception is beginning to do more harm than good. It’s been shown that Windows users are often more diligent about protection – both on their operating systems and their online properties. Some experts believe Mac users have been lulled into a false sense of security, and it’s leading to greater vulnerability.
It’s true that Macs have traditionally been safer than PCs – but only because they’ve been historically less targeted. That’s all changing. In 2012, a piece of malware called Flashback infected over half a million Apple machines.
To top it all off, these recent CMS attacks aren’t discriminating by operating system.
So how do you know for sure if your CMS is secure? The best way is to look for documentation. Choose a content management system that’s proactive about keeping users informed of fixes, potential threats and extra safety measures they can take.
Movable Type details the security features of its latest build <a href="https://movabletype.org/documentation/mt42/movable-type-42-and-security.html" target="_blank">here</a>, while Drupal keeps a running log of all issues as they’re resolved.
If you’re using a Mac, don’t assume that security isn’t important when choosing a CMS. Think like a Windows user and arm yourself with information to keep your data protected.
<h2>The Bottom Line</h2>
Your operating system should not be a major consideration when choosing a content management system for your organization. But it should be something you’re keenly aware of when scouting potential pitfalls and problem areas associated with your daily workflow.
As detailed above, it’s the little things – the subtle differences between Macs and PCs – that can make a world of difference, whether it’s the location of a pixel or a security loophole that puts your entire organization at risk.
Don’t get caught overlooking these critical details.

Should Your Operating System Affect CMS Choice?

Whether you consider yourself an Internet entrepreneur, a content marketer or simply somebody who makes their living off the web, you'll have likely heard of <a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/" target="_blank">CopyBlogger</a>.
The Internet marketing blog turned community has long been an authority when it comes to content that converts. Now, they have a new platform built from the ground up to convert visitors into customers, and browsers into community members. It's called the <a href="https://rainmakerplatform.com/" target="_blank">Rainmaker Platform</a>.
Although it's based off of WordPress, it isn't WordPress, nor is it a WordPress plugin or extension of any kind. It's a standalone CMS for Internet entrepreneurs.
Rainmaker offers a long list of specialised features, many of which Internet marketers will have come to know and rely on. Here they are at a glance:
<ul>
<li>Create powerful content-driven websites on your own domain.</li>
<li>Choose from 27 customizable Genesis themes &amp; additional landing page templates.</li>
<li>Build membership sites, forums and online training courses.</li>
<li>Upload, manage and sell digital products like software, ebooks, and more.</li>
<li>Built-in analytics &amp; reporting.</li>
<li>Built-in A/B Testing.</li>
<li>Training &amp; educational material included.</li>
<li>Avoid a patchwork of plugins, themes, and complicated code.</li>
<li>Cloud hosted, with upgrades, maintenance, security all taken care of.</li>
<li>Export content to WordPress at any time you choose.</li>
</ul>
Now, as a blogger with my own website, <a href="http://www.employtheinternet.com/" target="_blank">Employ the Internet</a>, Rainmaker doesn't just interest me – it suits me perfectly. A platform which makes it easy to create bespoke landing pages, build membership-driven communities, distribute eBooks, podcasts, and more? Well, that sounds awesome.
And indeed, it is pretty awesome.
But despite my admiration, I doubt I'll be migrating my blog from WordPress to Rainmaker just yet. My hands-on tinkering with the platform will explain why.
<h2>Hands-On With The Rainmaker Platform</h2>
Note: This is not a full review of the Rainmaker Platform, but rather a brief insight into some of its core features.
After quickly and easily signing up and logging in to Rainmaker, I was presented with a clean and sleek dashboard.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-3700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" />
The dashboard is populated with some nicely laid out stats, from membership signups to forum activity. It also lets you keep track of A/B testing results, and (after integrating with Google Analytics) site traffic too.
Before navigating away from the dashboard, I took the opportunity to test out some of the top menus and other options. I noticed that I had control over what displayed on my dashboard, via a WordPress-esque “Screen Options” menu.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-14700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" />
This was one of many examples of where the WordPress foundation was shining through, but if anything, this only serves to make the move easier for users coming from WordPress.
Across the top of the page, I noticed buttons allowing me to preview my site, add, edit and manage different areas and pages, as well as a help menu, which directed me to the Rainmaker knowledge base. Everything worked well, and as a regular WordPress user, I didn't feel completely alienated by the new interface.
<h2>Themes &amp; Design</h2>
Navigating to the “Design” section brings up a range of options to choose from in setting up and customizing your website. These include; Themes, Appearance, Menus, Content Areas, Slider, Dynamic Sidebars, Custom CSS, Forms, Maintenance Mode, and Social Sharing.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-4700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" /> 
Rainmaker currently has 27 Genesis themes, all of which can be customized if you know your way around CSS. They're all pre-installed, which means you only need to click “Activate” to switch between them all.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-5700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" /> 
When it comes to customization, WordPress' customization tool is used. This allows you to select and adjust Favicons, change colour schemes, background images, footer sections, content areas, page layouts and so forth.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-6700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" /> 
You can also use the “Design” section to set up sliders, apply custom CSS, and even put your site into maintenance mode.
Overall, Rainmaker's design options are solid. There may not be many themes available, but putting a personalised spin on things seems to be quite easily done.
<h2>Content Types</h2>
The most exciting part of Rainmaker is the content types it can manage and help you distribute.
Via the “Content” section, a number of different content types can be created. These include; Pages, Posts, Landing Pages, Portfolios, Podcasts, Media and Forums. Plus, this is the place where you organize categories, tags, forms and import/export content to and from WordPress.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-7700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" /> 
All types of content are created using an editor page which is highly similar to the WordPress editor page. WordPress users wont have any issues adjusting. When it comes to things like Podcasts and Portfolios, the page merely offers up additional fields below the text editor.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-8700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" />
For example, when creating a new Podcast page, you can upload the audio file, and configure things like player placement and episode duration.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-9700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" /> 
It's all rather straight forward. Far simpler than I expected it to be, actually.
<h2>Conversions &amp; Reporting</h2>
More notable features can be found in the “Conversions” section.
Here, you can set up membership pages, connect to email marketing tools like Mailchimp and Aweber, and set up your preferred payment gateway too. At the moment, the options are Stripe and PayPal.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-10700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" /> 
Further down the “Conversions” page, you will find options to create new products, begin A/B testing, view orders and configure your download manager.
The built-in A/B testing system will have many marketers up on their feet.
You can easily assign pages to be tested, by setting up one, two or three variations of the same page, to test which one converts best. You can set it to run up until a certain amount of traffic runs through, or by how many times the page is viewed.
You can also manually stop the test whenever you like, but you can't choose to end it on a particular date. Which I found strange.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-13700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" />
As far as reporting goes, Rainmaker goes into detail within the “Results” section.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-15700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" /> 
Here, you can check Google Analytics, conversion reports, A/B testing reports, affiliate reports and even form reports, which enables you to see how well your contact form is doing, for example.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-16700x0.png" alt="Rainmaker Platform" /> 
All in all, Rainmaker offers pretty much everything an Internet entrepreneur needs to accommodate his or her audience, and assess how best to move forward.
It's a simplified, refined and slightly more professional version of WordPress, with fewer moving parts, but a more robust marketing engine.
<h2>To Move, Or Not To Move</h2>
Internet Entrepreneurs everywhere (most of whom live on planet WordPress) are now asking themselves the same question. Should I move my site over to Rainmaker?
Typically, there's no straight forward answer to this question. But to help you decide, allow me to weigh up the pros and cons for you.
<h3>Why I'm Tempted to Move</h3>
Rainmaker streamlines the processes between you as an Internet marketer, and your audience.
You can focus less on plugins and coding, and more on your website's design and copy. Rainmaker gives the nitty gritty stuff a back seat, by supplying you with hosting, automatic updates, security, a dedicated support team and a knowledge base to keep your business afloat when things get tricky.
Plus, signing up to Rainmaker automatically gives you access to <a href="http://my.copyblogger.com/join-authority/" target="_blank">CopyBlogger Authority</a>, a renowned marketing education community.
I could imagine that moving from WordPress to Rainmaker would feel like moving from a modern super city to a scenic, tightly-knit village, where every resident is a marketing fiend. The removal of all that complexity will just make life easier.
However, the grass isn't always greener for everybody.
<h3>Why I'm Staying Put (For Now)</h3>
Although Rainmaker is a highly professional and functional platform, it doesn't quite negate the broad usefulness and flexibility of WordPress.
Rather ironically, a recent blog post of mine, <a href="http://www.employtheinternet.com/optimize-blog-posts/" target="_blank">7 WordPress Plugins to Optimize Blog Posts</a>, is something Rainmaker users will miss out on, and those are just the tip of the iceberg. Plugins like WooCommerce and frameworks like Thesis also go out the window. So sure, Rainmaker is simpler, but it's also more restrictive.
Rainmaker compensates with built-in SEO, Genesis themes and and its own native formatting options, but the fact of the matter is, WordPress allows for all of that and more – albeit with a little more elbow grease.
With no plugins, and only a small amount of themes on offer, Rainmaker users may even begin to see their competitors employing the exact same tactics as they are, perhaps even with similar designs. Naturally, this lack of flexibility could easily become a problem.
This, paired with a hefty price tag of $95 per month, is enough to make me sit tight. For me, and likely for many others, WordPress still does a solid job, and it allows me to continue experimenting with my online presence.
With that being said, if you know your audience is large enough, and your podcasts, eBooks and online courses are already flowing, Rainmaker is worth consideration. In fact, despite my preference to stick with WordPress for now, I certainly don't rule out a future with Rainmaker – especially if it matures and expands.

Hands-On With The Rainmaker Platform: The CMS for Internet Entrepreneurs

A landing page. 
On the Internet, you've seen it countless times. And still, a good landing page is something of a rarity. A good landing page is something you fall in love with.
A landing page is something you've created specifically for your the people who you want to attract. It's like a date or an important speech. A good landing page conveys not only an idea of your service but also the feeling.
For it to work, you have to pay a lot of attention during the development of your landing page.
There are five important things you should look for. Those five things together make or break your landing page strategy. After all, in the modern Internet the interaction between you and your potential audience happens in a matter of seconds. You have to catch attention before the page finishes loading.
Are you interested to find out how your next landing page strategy should be shaping up? There <a href="http://blog.templatemonster.com/2013/08/08/how-to-optimize-landing-page/">a lot of different techniques</a> and tips. Today, we'll be talking about the five that are essential to every landing page.
<h2>1. A Call-to-Action</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/squarespace700x0.png" />
Your call-to-action is the most important part of your landing page. It informs the reader of what action to take.
Steer clear of going with the dull, overused “submit” text on your call-to-action button. Try something descriptive like:
<ul>
<li>
Give Me a Free 30 Day Trial
</li>
<li>
100% Money Back Guarantee
</li>
<li>
Show Me What I’m Missing
</li>
<li>
Yes! I Want To Be A Winner
</li>
<li>
Schedule A Meeting
</li>
<li>
Take the Tour
</li>
<li>
Yes! Place My Order
</li>
</ul>
The list goes on and on, but you see how all of these buttons are more engaging than “submit.” And, who wants to submit anyway? Empower the reader.
Additionally, make your call-to-action stand out. Most call-to-action buttons are red, yellow, or orange because these colors pop off the page.
Another key point — get to your call-to-action early. Readers shouldn’t need to scroll down your page to find it. In fact, <a href="http://www.nngroup.com/articles/scrolling-and-attention/">people spend 80% of their time</a> on your website above the fold.
Your call-to-action shouldn’t be an after-thought, it should be the main driver.
<h2>2. A UX Friendly Form</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/yourfirstcustomers700x0.png" />
There’s nothing worse than a needy form. If your form is asking for my phone number, my date of birth, the name of my first born children, and whether I believe in unicorns, it’s asking for too much information. In fact, I’m a big believer in asking for just name and email address — and maybe that’s too much.
With social logins, it’s not even necessary to ask a user to create a new account. Most people hate that anyway, and <a href="http://growthhackers.com/9-things-you-should-know-about-social-login-cro/">88% of people enter incorrect or incomplete information on registration</a> forms anyway. Instead, get them to sign up with their social login, if possible. That way, the information is likely correct, you get a huge amount of information about them, and you don’t annoy them by asking that they join yet another site.
If social logins won’t work for your application, just remember to only ask for the information you need, and most of the time, it’s a name and email address. When you ask for more (like a phone number), you’re entering the scary “I’m going to call you during dinner” telemarketer zone, and potential leads will just leave.
<h2>3. Social Proof</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/contatta700x0.png" />
People trust other people. That’s why it’s a good idea to add testimonials on your landing page. I prefer to do it below the fold for two reasons:
<ul>
<li>
To keep the main message uncluttered
</li>
<li>
To capitalize on the 20% of time that readers spend below the fold
</li>
</ul>
Don’t simply settle for word-only testimonials. They’re not as effectual as having an image of the person smiling next to the testimonial. Bonus points for linking to the actual website or social media profile for that person or company.
Videos are fun, engaging, and adds even more validity to social proof.
In lieu of actual testimonials, you can add the logos of well-known companies with whom you’ve worked.The type of endorsement validates your product in the eyes of your audience.
<h2>4. Make It Responsive</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/responsive9700x0.jpg" />
<a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/mobile-technology-fact-sheet">According to mobile research study</a>, over 60% of smartphone users surf the Internet from their phone, and approximately 34% access the Internet from their phones alone. Is your landing page considering these visitors?
Responsive design means that your landing page adapts to any screen size, from desktops to tablets to smartphones. Instead of asking visitors to pinch-to-zoom, you can page adapts to be functional and readable on every format.
Your responsive landing page should be finger-friendly. Tiny call-to-action buttons won’t work well on a mobile device. Also, you don’t want to make the reader scroll too much on mobile devices.
If you’re using WordPress, <a href="http://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes.php">a theme that supports responsive design</a> is the necessary way to go.
<h2>5. A/B Testing</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/testing10700x0.jpg" />
How do you know what’s working unless you test? A/B testing lets you study each variable on your landing page to determine what’s more successful.
For example, you can test which call-to-action text is more persuasive. Keep all other elements on the page the same. Route half of the visitors to page A, and the other half to page B. Once you determine which is more persuasive, keep that element, and go on to test another part of your page.
It’s continuous testing, and it’s all worth it. Very small changes can make a world of difference in conversion.
<h2>In Closing</h2>
Those five principles of landing page design will make your landing page into something truly special. 
Don't be afraid of talking to your potential audience. Fall in love with them instead.

5 Steps Towards a More Effective Landing Page

Today's a day for giving away cool stuff so we're offering up a new contest for everyone!
We're giving away three $50 Visa Gift Cards to three lucky people.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/visagc.png" />
To enter, all you have to do is write or reply to a forum post in our new forum.
The best part? You can enter DAILY which means you can get more than 1 entry per day by posting regularly.
You can reply to a topic or create your own.
Have a question about web design, development or CMS? Ask it!
Just want to share who you voted for? You can do that too. All types of posts count as long as they aren't spammy or completely unrelated to the topics our site is based on.
Use the following form to enter.
[[rafflecopter]]
The contest runs from today through October 21, 2014 so be sure to enter for your chance to win!

Win a $50 Visa Gift Card!

<a href="http://www.gutensite.com/?refcode=CMSCRITIC" target="_blank"> Gutensite</a> has now implemented Stripe, the popular payment gateway, its its eCommerce offering.
With features focused on elegant and professional presentation, Gutensite is a website builder which fits the corporate website mould perfectly. You can read more about it in our full <a href="/gutensite-review/" target="_blank">review of Gutensite</a>.
For existing Gutensite users making use of the platform's eCommerce features, will be please to know that Stripe is now integrated with the Gutensite Pro and Premium package.
<a href="http://www.gutensite.com/?refcode=CMSCRITIC"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/gutensite_logo-1.png" style="max-width:98px" /></a>
<h2>A More flexible &amp; Cost Effective Option</h2>
Gutensite eCommerce users were previously having to deal with other ways of accepting card payments.
But now, with Stripe, payment gateway setup is instant and free, and there are no monthly costs. The processing rate is a flat 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, which happens to also be cheaper than most traditional bank merchant accounts.
Stripe also has web and mobile payment options for accepting credit cards as a mobile point of sale tool, and can power marketplaces to facilitate payment between buyers and sellers.
So if you want to sell your products, or accept donations for your non-profit using Gutensite, your life just became a lot easier. If you have a Gutensite Pro account, the store is already included for free, or you can add on the store to your existing site. Then create an account at Stripe, and copy/paste your secret key into your store settings.
For more information on this new Gutensite-Stripe integration, <a href="http://www.gutensite.com/Stripe-Integration-For-Instant-Affordable-Credit-Card-Processing-In-Store" target="_blank">check out the Gutensite announcement</a>.
Furthermore, be sure to check out <a href="/products/gutensite/" target="_blank">Gutensite via our CMS Directory</a>.

Gutensite Announces Stripe Integration

The <a href="http://www.concrete5.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Concrete5 </a>  team has been busy recently, releasing version 5.7, before updating it twice. They've also released some developer resources for anybody wanting to delve into the code.
Concrete5 is an open-source content management system with a reputation for flexibility and its strong community.
Version 5.7 brought about a myriad of updates, and Concrete5 has continued to add to it since. The result? A long, long list of new stuff for Concrete5 users to enjoy.
<h2>“Deep Changes” with Concrete5 5.7</h2>
Concrete5 5.7 has enhancements for a long list of areas. Users will find that content editing, theme customization, and so forth have all been optimized.
Regarding the release, Concrete5 CTO Andrew Embler had this to say:
<blockquote>“For the first time in 6 years, we’ve decided to not put backward compatibility first and foremost. We really wanted to have a clean slate, so we could embrace ideas that involved deep changes to the system.”</blockquote>
Here's a breakdown of what's new with Concrete5.
<h3>Editing</h3>
<ul>
<li>A completely new layout engine allows for inline editing of content, layouts and style customization. Blocks can be dragged into the page and easily rearranged.</li>
<li>Inline content editing uses the Redactor editor, a beautiful editor with deep integration to concrete5, and full bootstrap 3 interface integration.</li>
<li>The Dashboard user interface is completely updated. Navigating it is much easier, and the interface is much more attractive.</li>
<li>concrete5’s user interface is now powered by Bootstrap 3.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Themes and Blocks</h3>
<ul>
<li>Concrete5 now ships with the all-new and better looking Elemental theme.</li>
<li>The concrete5 Dashboard, main toolbar and Elemental theme are all fully responsive.</li>
<li>Themes can optionally refer to grid frameworks, and can have full grid support built-in. Layouts have been substantially updated to support these grid frameworks (as well as be fully responsive.)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Pages and Architecture</h3>
<ul>
<li>Page types and page templates are now two separate concepts. Page types refer to pages as objects – Blog Entry, Empty Page, Project, Product – and page templates refer to templates that actually appear in themes. The same page type can be run in multiple themes.</li>
<li>concrete5’s Composer is now a very flexible form builder that can route attributes and blocks into different page templates. Each page type has its own custom instance of Composer.</li>
<li>A Feed Object is available in the Dashboard (and created through the Page List block), giving Page Lists the ability to create RSS feeds that are permalinked.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Files</h3>
<ul>
<li>A completely new image editor is now built-in. Resize and crop images, and add filters.</li>
<li>File manager thumbnails are now completely extensible. Multiple thumbnails at different breakpoints can power the picture tag in a theme that supports it.</li>
<li>File storage locations are now pluggable. An adapter for Amazon S3 is coming shortly.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conversations</h3>
<ul>
<li>Conversations are now built-in, with the Conversations block replacing the Guestbook block. Conversations is a reusable, object-oriented way to build conversations throughout a site, and use the same system for powering a guestbook as ultimately powering a forum. Conversations features threading, asynchronous loading, file attachments, spam filtering, flagging, rating and more.</li>
</ul>
And that's not even half of it. To find out more about Concrete5 5.7, <a href="http://www.concrete5.org/documentation/background/version_history/5-7-0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> check out the release notes</a>.
<h2>Developer Resources, Versions 5.7.0.1 &amp; 5.7.0.3</h2>
Since the release of version 5.7, Concrete5 has rolled out some <a href="http://www.concrete5.org/about/blog/concrete5-sightings/5-7-developer-resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">developer resources</a>, along with two patches in the form of <a href="http://www.concrete5.org/documentation/background/version_history/5-7-0-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">versions 5.7.0.1</a> and <a href="http://www.concrete5.org/documentation/background/version_history/5-7-0-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> 5.7.0.3</a>.
That's a lot of activity to keep up with, so here are all the highlights, along with the download link to the very latest Concrete5 release.
<h3>Concrete 5.7 Architecture Video (Developer Resource)</h3>
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vcIIM5ZgzP8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h3>Feature Updates</h3>
<ul>
<li>Broke out debug settings into two separate settings: Display errors and Error Detail level (message vs. stack trace.) Defaulting to show error messages in a nice way (not the detailed stack trace).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Behavioral Improvements</h3>
<ul>
<li>Helpful error notice for users attempting to use topics attribute without a topic tree created</li>
<li>Improved page list and page, users and file date filtering with time zone support</li>
<li>Help overlay in dashboard starts lower, doesn’t obscure default buttons.</li>
<li>Improved My Account Navigation</li>
<li>Page drafts no longer say “Warning, this is a system page” when you try and delete them.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Miscellaneous Improvements</h3>
<ul>
<li>Form submissions “today” now respects user’s local time zone</li>
<li>Fixed some untranslated strings and dates</li>
<li>Added detail error message when attempting to use grid methods on areas in themes that don’t support them.</li>
<li>Fallback to GD if Imagemagick is older than version 6.2.9 (which previously triggered errors)</li>
<li>Context menu on sitemap, file manager and more moves to the right if there isn’t enough room to display top or bottom</li>
</ul>
I told you it was a long list.
The Concrete5 blog has <a href="http://www.concrete5.org/about/blog" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">all of this information, and much more</a>. Yep, this long list isn't even complete, as the bug fixes are plentiful.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/concrete5/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Concrete5 via our CMS Directory</a>.

Concrete5 5.7 Released and Updated

Shopify - The global commerce platform

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

The global commerce platform

#ffffff

During the much reported Sitecore Symposium in Las Vegas this month, I had a chance to sit down with Sitecore's Corporate VP of Commerce, Ryan Donovan to discuss the future of commerce in the upcoming Sitecore 8.
 Mike: Can you tell us a bit about the integration of Commerce into Sitecore 8 and talk a bit about the future plans for the product?
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/avatar.jpg" alt="Ryan Donovan" />Ryan: Sure, we just shipped <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/About/Press-and-Media/Press-Releases/2014/08/Sitecore-Commerce.aspx">Sitecore Commerce 7.2 (in August) powered by Commerce Server </a>and that is the fruit of the acquisition coming to bear. It is, I think, the industry's first fully integrated commerce and content platform in one because we've really tried to focus on making it a completely seemless experience in terms of adding commerce capabilities into Sitecore.
We have Sitecore Commerce 8 coming as part of Sitecore 8 and what that's going to add is a second product to the Sitecore Commerce family called <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/About/Press-and-Media/Press-Releases/2014/01/msft-ecommerce.aspx">Sitecore Commerce powered by Microsoft Dynamics AX</a>. This new product is the fruit of the partnership that was announced last January between Sitecore and the Dynamics AX organization of Microsoft. This new product will be focusing on providing a true omni-channel solution. In other words, you'll have the exact same pricing, tax, shipping and calculation logic between online and the store. You can then have a seemless buy online and pick up in the store or buy online, return to the store experience with instant order history the second you make the purchase. This will then bring us into the realm where we can really begin to personalize based on behaviors and store behaviors in the contact center in addition to just digital channels. The first product, Sitecore Commerce powered by Commerce Server is targeted at scenarios such as B to C and the Sitecore Commerce powered by Microsoft Dynamics AX is really aimed at omni-channel retailers.
 Mike:  What are your biggest success stories since <a href="/sitecore-buys-commerce-server-aims-to-bring-ecommerce-to-their-platform/">the merger?</a> Do you have any customers that are doing some impressive things with the product?
 Ryan: We started the early access program in the spring with Commerce Server 7.2 and we're seeing a lot of net-new interest but we are also seeing a lot of interest from the legacy Microsoft Commerce Server customer base because it's a very logical feature rich upgrade for them that can also help them preserve some investments they've made into their deployments. With the powered by Dynamics AX solution, we're seeing lots of interest from the Dynamics AX customers out there because it will give them a complete experience management and commerce solution.
 Mike: What's the next stage for your team at Sitecore? What is the next step in bringing together the perfect platform for commerce and content?
 Ryan: We are really aiming to focus on enabling end to end marketing experience management, so really putting the best practices into the product; for instance; what are the types of things you would want to do to optimize for conversion.The goal of course would be to help lower the barrier of entry and help build knowledge share. We also are aiming to enhance the product to offer more and deeper capabilities from a commerce perspective so we can address broader and broader customer scenarios. We are really focused on the enterprise space and so their requirements are more complex than mid market solutions. One of the areas we are looking to innovate in is pricing, I've heard comments from some people no commerce platform does pricing well for their business and those are the types of problems we are looking to solve. I think our value proposition is very simple in that we are a one technology platform so it's going to be a completely cohesive business user experience for the merchandiser, the market and ultimately, for customer service reps.
 Mike: Having come from Commerce Server before Sitecore, what have you seen change since the acquisition took place?
 Ryan: Customers of Commerce Server were always adding other products into their solutions, so they'd have a CMS, they'd have a search solution and a marketing automation solution but they were having to go to great lengths to actually integrate these things. There was a lot of developer cost and IT cost involved but the business user experience was also fragmented in terms of actually doing a marketing campaign. Since the merger, customers seem to be very excited about the one platform value proposition. It was really interesting because with the legacy customer base, we anticipated that people would be a lot more reserved about moving to a single platform but instead we're seeing the opposite. A surprising amount of customers are wanting to embrace the whole Sitecore platform and replace their old ones completely and do it quickly.
 Mike: Can you share with us what the commerce piece will look like in Sitecore 8?
 Ryan: Absolutely, here are some screenshots!
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/category_products200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/site_alltabs200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" /> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/category_products_iconview200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" /> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/customcatalogs_rules_itempicker200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" /> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/products_details200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" /> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/variants_inventory200x0.png" alt="sitecore 8 commerce" />
To learn more about Sitecore Commerce, visit <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Channels/Commerce-Experience.aspx">http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Channels/Commerce-Experience.aspx</a>

Interview with Corporate VP of Commerce at Sitecore, Ryan Donovan

Telerik has just announced the release of Sitefinity 7.2. This new version of the popular content management system brings a number of new features to the platform. Let's take a look at what we can expect from this release.
Key features of Sitefinity 7.2 include:
<ul>
<li>Integrated marketing personas for optimized content marketing, which helps business users define and manage guidelines on keywords, messages and content relevant to customer profiles, and personalize the visitor experience based on persona profile</li>
<li>Project Feather, an open source mobile-first UI framework that enables the creation and deployment of Sitefinity websites</li>
<li>An introduction of Sitefinity Digital Experience Cloud, to help marketing track, measure and optimize digital experiences delivered across channels, while accelerating marketing performance</li>
</ul>
Project Feather Puts Mobile First
Project Feather, the Sitefinity mobile-first UI framework better enables the creation and deployment of Sitefinity websites. Project Feather allows developers to build mobile-ready sites using their favorite frameworks and includes features such as MVC stock widgets, an AngularJS widget designer framework, Boostrap and Gumby support and more.
Project Feather is available on GitHub, for more details visit <a href="http://projectfeather.sitefinity.com/" target="_blank">http://projectfeather.sitefinity.com/</a>.
Introducing the Sitefinity Digital Experience Cloud 
Telerik is also releasing a preview version of the Sitefinity Digital Experience Cloud, a solution that enables marketers to track, measure and optimize digital experiences across channels. When released in early 2015, marketers will have access to the customer journey database, predictive analytics, dynamic segmentation and content management, all in a single platform. It is a completely new cloud-based solution that captures and analyzes the total customer journey.
“Big data and predictive analytics are rapidly-growing market segments that customers are demanding their WCM solutions address, but most vendors are far behind the curve,” said Martin Kirov, Executive Vice President, Sitefinity, Telerik. “Sitefinity Digital Experience Cloud was built to help digital marketers measure, understand and optimize customer experiences across channels and deliver a guided customer journey.”
Details on the latest release of Telerik Sitefinity CMS, Project Feather and the Sitefinity Digital Experience Cloud can be found at <a href="http://www.sitefinity.com" target="_blank">www.sitefinity.com</a>.

Telerik Announces Sitefinity 7.2

LightCMS has released a number of new features, including password-protected pages and calendar enhancements.
These days, not a month goes by unless LightCMS reveal new updates. In recent months, they have <a href="/lightcms-launches-new-partner-platform/" target="_blank">released a new partner platform</a>, <a href="/lightcms-unveil-new-element-ui/" target="_blank">made improvements to their interface</a>, <a href="/lightcms-rolls-out-blogging-enhancements/" target="_blank">enhanced blogging features</a>, and much more. It's for this reason, amongst many others, that LightCMS has been <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/" target="_blank">nominated in the Best Cloud CMS for SMB category for the CMS Awards 2014</a>.
Now, let's take a look at what the latest update brings to the table.
<h2>Password Protected Pages</h2>
Firstly, a new password protection feature allows you to restrict access to certain pages of your site, granting access to only those visitors who know the password. This was always possible via LightCMS' Users and Roles section, but there were many requests for a quick and easy way to restrict access without having to create a new user or user type.
To enable the feature, simply go to a page’s settings and select the “Advanced” tab. Enter a password in the Password field, and that page becomes password protected. It's really that easy. To unprotect a page, all you have to do is clear the password field.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/passwordprotectpage.png" alt="LightCMS" />
When a visitor attempts to access a protected page, the system displays the “Protected Page” message, prompting the visitor to enter the password before it will display the page.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/protectedpage.png" alt="LightCMS" />
Registered users assigned to an administrative role, or any role that grants editing privileges for the page, can access the page without having to enter the password, as long as they are logged in.
<h2>Manage Events &amp; (Better Manage) Posts</h2>
LightCMS users who publish a calendar of events on their websites will be excited about the new “Manage Events” feature.
Similar to “Manage Posts” for blogs, Manage Events gives you a listing of all of that calendar element’s events. To view the Manage Events page, go to the page with the calendar element and select Manage Events from the Calendar element’s drop-down menu.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manageevents700x0.png" alt="LightCMS" />
Using the new grid interface, you can easily sort, filter and search for events. Plus, you can specify the number of events to display in the grid by selecting the number from the drop-down list in the upper left corner.
As for blog post management, this existing feature now includes the same features that were introduced on the Manage Events page detailed above. This includes sorting, filtering, and pagination.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/manageposts700x0.jpg" alt="LightCMS" />
<h2>Event Management Improved</h2>
And finally, LightCMS now allows you to specify an end time for an event. Previously, you could set only the event start time.
To set up start and end times for an event, enter them in the time section of the event settings page.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/calendarwitheventandtime.png" alt="LightCMS" />
Before this update, event times only displayed on the event's detail page. Now, both the start time and end time can be displayed in event summaries in list or calendar view.
To find out more about all of these LightCMS updates, check out the official blog announcement, which includes the full release notes.
Also, make sure you explore more of LightCMS via our CMS Directory.

LightCMS Unveils Password Protected Pages & Calendar Enhancements

The only thing better than a happy ending, is a promising beginning. 
 Unfortunately, <a href="http://www.injader.com/" target="_blank"> Injader CMS</a> didn't have a happy ending last time around. After <a href="/injader-cms-project-closes-doors/" target="_blank"> closing its doors over four years ago</a>, the platform had been lying lifeless ever since. Until now. 
 The Founder, Ben Barden, has just revived his project, giving it another, more promising start to look forward to. It's not quite on it's feet yet, but it's alive and kicking. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/injader-avatar.jpg" alt="Injader CMS" />
<h2>Injader CMS 2.5.0</h2>
Injader is an open source CMS for technical users. 
 Version 2.5.0 brings about a handful of new features and bug fixes. These include:
<ul>
<li>New: Simplified Control Panel layout</li>
<li>Guides: Created new install guide under /guides/</li>
<li>Guides: Created new upgrade guide under /guides/</li>
<li>Bug: Fixed an issue where the custom order field wasn't getting set, causing a database error</li>
<li>Bug: Fixed an issue with the default timezone not being set</li>
<li>Bug: Fixed several notices in the installer</li>
<li>Upgrades: Upgraded jQuery from 1.3.2 to 1.11.1</li>
<li>Upgrades: Upgraded TinyMCE from 3.0.1 to 3.5.11</li>
</ul>
You can <a href="https://github.com/benbarden/injader/releases/tag/v2.5.0" target="_blank">view the full list of features here</a>. Plus, there's a brand new Injader website on the way, and version 3.0 is in the works.  
 Ben Barden, Injader CMS' Founder, had this to say about the revival:
<blockquote>
Despite the neglected state of the project, it's still a surprisingly fast CMS that uses a very small amount of memory. So I thought it would be worth revisiting.
Although you can technically upgrade to 2.5.0 from either 2.4.4 or 2.4.5, the plan is to break backwards-compatibility with the next major release – 3.0.0. If all goes well, this will include a major overhaul of the theme system. So I wouldn't recommend you start building themes on the current version.
</blockquote>
So, although Injader CMS' revival is an ongoing one, you can <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/injader/"> download Injader at SourceForge</a>.
Or, you can  <a href="https://github.com/benbarden/injader"> fork Injader on GitHub</a>.

Injader CMS Revived With Version 2.5.0

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

Visme Review

Best Video Experience

Give your audience the best video experience

#000000

Explore a wide range of informative articles, insights, and industry updates. Stay informed and ahead of the curve with our diverse collection of news and posts covering the latest trends and developments in the industry. Page - 128

News

The global commerce platform

Give your audience the best video experience