Articles - Page 133

<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

Fostering a successful online discussion forum is no easy feat.
There’s a whole host of things that need to work just right both on and off your website in order for a community to form and thrive. It’s far from a simple process.
So, choosing the right forum platform to host your community is pretty damn important. The last thing you need is shoddy software piling on more issues.
<a href="http://www.ninjapost.com/" target="_blank"> Ninja Post</a> has been in business since 2009, and now supports a range of online forums bringing in thousands of visitors a month.
Built to integrate with existing websites, Ninja Post is a mobile-friendly forum software hosted completely in the cloud. It boasts a focus on real-time updates, helping members feel like they are participating in a live, thriving community.
Before I begin looking under the hood, here’s a Ninja Post introductory video to get you started:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hNc7cUgEuhE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>Initial Thoughts</h2>
For those of you who don’t already know, I like to start my reviews off from the place every customer and client will begin their journey. The vendor website.
Ninja Post’s site is clean, simple and tells you everything you need to know about the product.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/np700x0.png" alt="Ninja Post" />
Core software features are nicely laid out and explained, whilst the pricing page is easy to understand.
There’s also a regularly updated blog, which many software vendors undervalue as a sign of good health.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-2700x0.png" alt="Ninja Post" />
I wasn’t browsing for very long before the live-chat window popped up on the side of my screen. Somebody was asking if I needed any help looking around. It was none other than Mike Wilt – founder of Ninja Post.
Although he knew somebody was going to be reviewing his software, I never announced when I’d be browsing through his site. In other words, Ninja Post’s founder is still very much in touch with the grassroots of his business – the new website visitor.
Impressed, I began asking Mike Wilt about his involvement with Ninja Post, and he gave me a thorough breakdown of the software’s history, mentioning how he still, “Loves bringing communities to life”.
<h2>Feature Overview</h2>
After a helpful chat with Mike Wilt, I continued digging around Ninja Post’s features found both on the website, and within the admin panel – which I will assess in due time.
I soon realised just how much Ninja Post offers out of the box. It looks a little something like this:
<ul>
<li>Custom &amp; responsive design to suit existing websites</li>
<li>Real-time updates</li>
<li>Photo galleries</li>
<li>Rich media support</li>
<li>User profiles, rewards, reputation and rankings (Gamification)</li>
<li>Free updates and backups</li>
<li>Monetization through banner ads and member subscriptions</li>
<li>Single Sign On (Forum can be bridged to existing user databases)</li>
<li>Newsletter management</li>
<li>Analytics</li>
<li>Privatization option</li>
<li>WordPress Plugin to display recent content</li>
</ul>
And that’s not even all of it. There’s more to be seen on <a href="http://www.ninjapost.com/features/" target="_blank"> Ninja Post’s features page</a>. Needless to say, I was once again impressed by what I was seeing.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.png" alt="Ninja Post" />
Perhaps the most interesting dimension of Ninja Post is its real-time updating feature.
Not only are new threads automatically updated like a newsfeed, but subtle alerts within threads let you know when other members are typing replies. This is probably best illustrated with a video, so here's Ninja Post's real-time updating feature in action:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cJ0oTDQMAGc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This inclusion of live feed updates and typing notifications makes Ninja Post feel organic and alive.
I can definitely see how they can help nurture a growing online community. It’s a forum and chat room hybrid, taking the best of both worlds and rolling them into one solution. I think that’s pretty damn cool.
<h2>The Front End</h2>
Okay, so the website, friendly founder and extensive features list had got me excited. But I know all too well that the phrase, “Never judge a book by its cover”, applies heavily to the world of software.
It was time to have a look around some live Ninja Post examples, to see exactly how things fit together – if at all.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-3_700x0.png" />
Thankfully, I found Ninja Post’s interface to be quite charming.
The live-feed forum is neatly laid out, adjacent to a bold, “Compose Thread” button, which sits on top of a sidebar menu. 
 Within the menu can be found image and video galleries, groups, subscribed threads, a search option and a list of existing tags. These tags can be added to threads by their authors, helping other members find relevant conversations quickly and easily using the sidebar. Having the tags so visible and accessible will undoubtedly help the flow of engagement across the forum. 
 Inside a thread, things are kept simple once again.  
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-4_700x0.png" /> The familiar forum thread layout is employed, with avatars and user information on the left, and post content on the right.  
 Options within threads allow you to up-vote comments (which adds to the authors reputation), quote posts, @ members and even send private messages without leaving the thread in question. Members can also choose to subscribe to threads, and receive email updates. It all works very well, too. 
 Admins and moderators also have the added ability to delete and edit posts on the spot.  
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-5.png" alt="Ninja Post" /> 
 The interface is clean and quick, but not particularly dazzling, which is no big deal in my book, as I'd take functionality over glitter any day of the week, and NinjaPost gives you just that. 
 So, overall, I’m happy to report that things do indeed fit together, and quite nicely at that.
<h2>The Admin Panel</h2>
After a self-guided tour of the front end, it was time to get my hands on Ninja Post’s admin panel, the home of every Ninja Post forum owner.
Housed within the forum itself, admins will never feel too far away from the community. All you have to do is click “Admin Panel”, which is located via the drop-down menu within the top navigation bar.  
Then, the main forum section will be replaced by the admin panel, keeping the left-hand sidebar menu in place. The admin panel itself is made up of eight pages.
<h4>Forum Info</h4>
The main page of the admin panel, is Forum Info.  
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-7700x0.png" alt="Ninja Post" /> It's a fairly simple page, displaying some basic information and contact details. In fact, it's a little too basic, and I'd suggest Ninja Post integrate this page, and the following page – Overview &amp; Stats – into one. 
<h4>Overview &amp; Stats</h4>
As the page name suggests, this is where all the analytical data and statistics are kept, all of which are nicely laid out.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-6_700x0.png" /> This page gives you an outlook of how your forum has been doing over the last fifteen minutes, so far today, and the last twenty-four hours, which I think could be really helpful for those with large, active communities.  
 Furthermore, daily site visits are shown, along with new post frequencies, devices used by visitors, new member information, external links to Google Analytics, and so forth.  
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-8-1.png" />
<h4>Review Accounts</h4>
This page allows you to search for users, view their profiles, find contact information, location, and so on. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-9-1.png" /> The Review Accounts page is also where you can edit such information, remove posts and ban users. It's simple enough to understand, so it shouldn't be difficult for anybody to use.
<h4>Moderation Queue</h4>
Here is where deleted threads and posts go for evaluation. Admins can assess incidents, see which moderator took which actions, and read/add/edit notes and moderator comments. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-10.png" alt="Ninja Post" /> Threads and posts which have been deleted can also be restored via this section.
<h4>Manage Groups</h4>
As the name implies, here is where groups can be created, edited and deleted. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-11-1.png" /> Admins can see a list of all groups, along with which members are a part of which groups. 
<h4>Tagger</h4>
The Tagger page lets admins add, remove and edit tags added to threads. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-12.png" alt="Ninja Post" /> Like the Forum Info page, I think this page could be replaced by allowing admins and moderators to add, remove and edit tags within each thread when they enter upon it. 
<h4>Trending Content &amp; Analytics</h4>
This page displayed which threads are being visited, by how many visitors and for how long. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-13-1.png" />
 Other useful metrics like bounce rate and average visit duration exist, alongside organic search terms used by visitors to access the forum. A handy tool to have in any admin dashboard.
<h4>Design</h4>
Finally, we come to the design page. I was excited to see how far the forum could be tweaked, but I was dissapointed to find only a handful of colour options. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-14.png" alt="Ninja Post" /> Headers, buttons, links and so forth can all be customized as far as colour goes, but that's about it. Personally, I think Ninja Post is crying out for some more design customization features. 
<h2>Notable Extras</h2>
Ninja Post offers more than a simple forum script. There are some some notable exras that come out of the box, 
<h4>Gamification</h4>
If you know what gamification is, you’ll know how much it can help keep a community bubbling over. Thankfully, Ninja Post can accomodate.
Gamification means implementing game mechanics in a non-gaming environment.
In an online community, that means giving your community members a virtual (and sometimes material) incentive to interact more.
Ninja Post gives each member a user profile, along with a reputation system. Other users can up-vote comments, contributing to the commenters reputation which is displayed under their avatar.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-15-1.png" />
Furthermore, badges have recently been introduced, giving members another incentive to post and interact more.  
 Badges act as rewards for reaching certain reputation benchmarks and can also be given out by administrators, whilst other sets can be freely handed out by other members. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/forum_badges.png" alt="Ninja Post" />
<h4>Membership &amp; Monetization</h4>
With Ninja Post, you can restrict your forum to be seen only by (paying) members.
This places a simple landing page on your homepage, prompting visitors to either sign up, or sign in.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-16700x0.png" alt="http://whitepebble.ninjapost.net/" />
This is a handy feature, especially if you’re looking to make use of Ninja Post’s option to introduce member subscription fees.
Or, you may just be looking to create a forum for a controlled number of people within a corporate or social setting. Either way, Ninja Post has you covered.
<h4>Groups</h4>
Groups can be set up for users to join.
This allows a private forum to exist, away from the public one located on the main page. Group members can post and mingle privately together, discussing their own agendas.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-17.png" alt="Ninja Post" />
Groups can only be set up by admins, and members need to be added manually.
This would work well in most cases, although it would have been nice to see a list of groups appear publically, allowing members to request permission to join.
<h4>Photo &amp; Video Galleries</h4>
Ninja Post also supports image and video galleries.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-18700x0.png" alt="Ninja Post" />
Photos can be presented above the main forum, or they can be given a separate page, accessible via the left-hand sidebar.
Images and videos can be added by members, who only need to provide a valid YouTube link or upload images from their computers.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-19.png" alt="Ninja Post" />
<h2>Getting Help</h2>
As mentioned earlier, Ninja Post founder Mike Wilt and his team seem focused on delivering a personal touch when it comes to helping new customers and clients.
They help hone design, integrate the software with existing websites and databases, and so forth. On top of this, there is a small FAQ section along with a live-chat feature, phone number and email address to help get problems seen to.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-20700x0.png" alt="Ninja Post" />
Contacting support for help is great, but not if it’s your only option. Having some dedicated support pages can really help clear up confusion for new and learning customers faster.
The FAQ section needs expanding, and some documentation and/or video tutorials could also be used to help new admins get to grips with their forum software.
<h2>Pricing</h2>
Ninja Post offers three price plans, starting from $99 per month.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-21700x0.png" alt="Ninja Post" />
For what you get, the pricing is justified. As previously mentioned, you get cloud hosting, a ton of features out of the box, plus a helping hand to get your community buzzing.
However, I do think that having your lowest plan start from $99 per month cuts out a large chunk of aspiring forum owners. Startups would find it difficult to cough up that kind of cash every month.
Having said that, Ninja Post’s competitors Vanilla Forums have very similar pricing plans, also starting from $99.
But I’ll stick to my guns. Both platforms – although fairly priced for what they offer – could do with a stripped down plan to bridge the gap for those looking to invest less to begin with.
For now though, Ninja Post is reserved for those with some fairly decent cash flow.
<h2>The Verdict</h2>
NinjaPost is a clean, simple and efficient forum software. 
 The hands on approach taken by the Ninja Post team will without doubt help when it comes to technicalities and design, leaving forum owners to focus on actually building a community.  
 There truly is a wide, wide range of features ready to roll straight away, and they all seem to work seamlessly. Real-time updates, thread subscriptions, reputation sharing and the neat tagging system all come together to create an atmosphere of organic activity.  
 Sure, I've picked out a few areas which need adding to, as you will see below, but all in all, I'm very happy with the functionality, speed and user friendliness of Ninja Post. 
<h3>Pros</h3>
<ul>
<li>Ninja Post offers an extremely user-friendly forum software for both administrators and end users.</li>
<li>Real-time updates to the forum feed and threads makes the forum feel alive.</li>
<li>Looks neat and tidy on all devices.</li>
<li>Cloud-hosting, Single Sign On, automatic backups and automatic updates makes things a little easier for forum owners when it comes to the technical stuff.</li>
<li>Ninja Post founder Mike Wilt and his team seem to take a hands-on approach to helping users set up their online communities, which means help is never too far away.</li>
<li>Private groups can be set up to keep certain conversations for a select few members.</li>
<li>Threads can be tagged by users, moderators and admins to maximise visibility. These tags are then displayed neatly via the sidebar menu.</li>
<li>Photo &amp; video galleries are nice additions, with the former coming with the option to display images above the forum itself.</li>
<li>Built-in gamification features work well.</li>
<li>Images, videos and GIFs can all be embedded into threads and replies.</li>
<li>Fair amount of analytics and stats to be found within the admin panel.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cons</h3>
<ul>
<li>Small things like a slight lack of emoticons, no polling features and a missing “Who’s Online” section means that there is room for Ninja Post to improve. </li>
<li>A dedicated help/documentation/FAQ section would be handy.</li>
<li>Ninja Post focuses on presenting one live-feed type stream of threads, which is great. But the added ability to bring in forum sections and sub-forums would be useful too.</li>
<li>Although the default look of Ninja Post is clean, simple and mildly customizable, I think some further design options are needed.</li>
<li>Ninja Post’s prices are fair when you consider what’s being offered. However, a lighter, cheaper plan would be extremely welcome for smaller communities.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Final Remarks</h2>
I like Ninja Post. It has a humble charm about it.
There’s nothing too fancy about it generally speaking, and the forum layout itself isn’t going to blow anyone's mind, but it works – and it works well.
The real-time posting feature – made up by the live-feed updates and member typing alerts – is refreshing, and yet it remains only one of a huge list of features and tools to help forum owners succeed. From gamification to analytics, and pretty much everything in between.
The fact that I could only muster up cons regarding what could be added to Ninja Post tells its own story. Sure it can be improved, but it’s also pretty damn good as it is.
All in all, Ninja Post has impressed me, and if I was building an online community, I would definitely add it to my list of forum platforms to consider.
But don’t just take my word for it. <a href="http://www.ninjapost.com/" target="_blank"> Ninja Post offers a 15-day free trial </a> , so check it out for yourself.

Ninja Post Review

mike-johnston

<a href="http://www.joomla.org/" target="_blank">Joomla</a> has rolled out a maintenance release for their 3.x series, addressing some issues introduced with Joomla 3.3.2.
Joomla is one of the world's most popular content management systems, powering over 8% of all websites with known content management systems. That's around 3% of all websites on the Internet.
The Joomla team have encouraged users running servers with PHP 5.3.10 or later to update immediately to Joomla! 3.3.3 via either the one-click update or the <a href="http://www.joomla.org/download.html." target="_blank"> download link</a>.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/do-more-33.png" alt="Joomla" />
Joomla 3.3.3 brings about four fixes, with the e-mail cloaking code and user configuration options not applying correctly with Joomla 3.3.2. These fixes are as follows:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/pull/3954" target="_blank">GitHub [#3954] – Change the cloak container from div to span</a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/pull/3956" target="_blank">GitHub [#3956] – Class attributes are not included in mailcloak</a></li>
<li><a href="http://joomlacode.org/gf/project/joomla/tracker/?action=TrackerItemEdit&amp;tracker_item_id=33984" target="_blank">JoomlaCode [#33984] – Getting a 500 when trying to sort users by User Group in Modal</a></li>
<li><a href="http://joomlacode.org/gf/project/joomla/tracker/?action=TrackerItemEdit&amp;tracker_item_id=33987" target="_blank">JoomlaCode [#33987] – User settings for Editor ignored</a></li>
</ul>
To download Joomla 3.3.3, you can either grab the <a href="http://joomlacode.org/gf/download/frsrelease/19665/160049/Joomla_3.3.3-Stable-Full_Package.zip" target="_blank">full package</a>, or the <a href="http://joomlacode.org/gf/project/joomla/frs/?action=FrsReleaseBrowse&amp;frs_package_id=6930" target="_blank">upgrade package</a> if you're already running Joomla.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/joomla/" target="_blank">Joomla via our CMS Directory</a>.

Joomla 3.3.3 Released

Have you ever wanted to try the new, popular blogging platform Ghost? Today, you are in luck. If you don't want to test out their hosted version, you can download and set up Ghost quickly and easily on your own hosting solution.
I happen to use <a href="https://www.servint.net/">Servint</a> and today, I'm going to show you how to to set up Ghost on it in a few short, simple steps.
Servint offers the perfect environment to install <a href="http://ghost.org/">Ghost</a> (the new blogging platform) on.
I'm going to walk you through the process quickly and easily with a number of straightforward steps. Let's get started.
<ol>
<li>First, log into your WHM as root and navigate to Service Configuration &gt;&gt; Apache Configuration &gt;&gt; Reserved IPs Editor. From here, choose an IP address you wish to reserve for Ghost and click the checkmark in the Reserved box. This will release the IP address from Apache when you click save.</li>
<li>Once this is complete, you'll need to assign the IP address to the domain you wish to use. If you haven't set up your domain within WHM as of yet, you'll need to Create a New Account for the domain. You can do so at Account Functions » Create a New Account.</li>
<li>Once the account is created, it's time to assign the IP address you reserved to the domain you wish to use. To get started, go to Account Information » List Accounts. Find the domain in question and click on the + sign beside it. This will give you a number of buttons and options. Click on Change IP Address. You will be presented with a dropdown box of IP addresses, find the one that you reserved and select it. Click save. It may take upwards of 24 hours for the changes to propagate globally so if you cannot access the domain on that newly assigned IP address quite yet, don't worry, it will work soon. In the interim, you can access your ghost install via your IP address when we are done.</li>
<li>The next step will be to FTP into your account using the domain (or IP address you just assigned) and the credentials you specified when you created the new account in step 2. You'll want to have downloaded the Ghost source code from <a href="http://ghost.org/">http://ghost.org</a> and extracted the file. Now, connect using an FTP client and upload the contents of this folder into your www directory. Do not upload the ghost folder itself, just the contents (ie: folders and files within the zip).</li>
<li>Now it's time to SSH into your server and get things set up. If you do not have root access via SSH to your server, you can submit a request to ServInt via the support portal and they will activate it for you straight away. Do be careful, however, as root access to your server enabled can be dangerous if you do not have a strong password. In the hands of the wrong person, they can wipe all of your stuff and cause some serious damage. Once you have root access, ssh into your box using a program such as <a href="http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/%7Esgtatham/putty/">Putty</a> or something similar.</li>
<li>Now, we're going to install node and npm. Thankfully, ServInt uses CentOS and already has the right repository set up so that makes it easy. Run the command <code>yum install npm --enablerepo=epel</code>. This will begin the installation process. When complete, run <code>npm -v</code> and <code>node -v</code> and you should get back version numbers for each. If you do, you are ready for the next step.</li>
<li>From within your www (or public html) folder, run the command <code>npm install --production</code>. This will install Ghost and get it ready for your site.</li>
<li>Now, the first time you run Ghost it will copy the config.example.js file to config.js. Personally, I did this myself and then made the necessary modifications, so go ahead and run the command <code>cp config.example.js config.js</code>. Now you'll need to edit this file, so run <code>nano config.js</code>.</li>
<li>With the file open in the editor, change all instances of <code>http://my-ghost-blog.com</code> to your own domain. You will find it listed twice, once under Development and once under Production. Now change all instances of <code>127.0.0.1</code> to your IP address (the one you assigned to your domain) and all instances of <code>2368</code> to <code>80</code>. Now hit <code>ctrl-x</code> and <code>s</code> to save.</li>
<li>Now, in my instance, I didn't want to have to keep a ssh session open to run Ghost so I decided to do so using forever. Forever is an app that will monitor your node.js (Ghost) session and keep it running. If it stops for some reason it will restart it for you automatically. To install forever run these commands: <code>npm -g install forever</code>.</li>
<li>Once installed, you can start your new Ghost installation. The first time you start it, set the environment to production using this command: <code>NODE_ENV=production forever start index.js</code>. Once you've started it, you can leave the shell and access your new Ghost installation on either your domain or the IP address followed by /ghost in your browser. The first time you access Ghost, you'll need to set up a user. Once done, you'll be up and running. To stop your installation in the future, SSH into your server and run <code>forever stop index.js</code> from within the www directory for your account (ie: /home/domain/www/).</li>
</ol>
If you are interested in trying out these steps, <a href="https://leaseweb-redirect.servint.net/">grab an inexpensive VPS or hosting solution from ServInt</a>.
That's it. Best of luck, hope it helps and if you get stuck or have questions, let me know in the comments below.
Cheers, 
Mike

Installing Ghost on ServInt

<a href="http://www.ezoic.com/" target="_blank"> Ezoic</a> – a fully-automated website optimization and A/B testing platform – has officially launched after a one year closed beta period. 
 The purpose of Ezoic is to help website owners determine the best layout for their content and page elements.
Content and website layout has a big impact of user experience, and Ezoic provides the tools required to test different layouts at once, whilst measuring efficiency in terms of visitor experience, ad income, conversions, and so forth.  
 Over 1000 small publishers benefited from Ezoic's year-long closed beta, where it was used to test over 1 Billion web pages, helping to boost ad income by a whopping 730%. Mobile ad revenue was also increased by an even more impressive 960%.
<h2>Five Steps to Optimization</h2>
To use Ezoic, you can either point your name servers to Ezoic's servers, or place a simple script on your website pages. 
 Here's a video which helps break down the five steps between your website, and your website with Ezoic's optimization tests in place:
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/95669945?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>A Tool For One &amp; All</h2>
Perhaps the most exciting part of Ezoic's emergence, is the fact that it is not just for enterprise clients.  
 Ezoic has a free plan, an affordable business plan and a plan based on ad revenues for clients with bigger budgets. What's more is that all three plans include a 60-day no-obligation, unlimited-use free trial. <a href="http://www.ezoic.com/" target="_blank"> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ezoic700x0.png" alt="Ezoic" /> </a> In the wake of Ezoic's launch, John Cole, Ezoic’s Chief Customer Officer, made these comments:
<blockquote>
“We solve a problem that many small publishers don’t even know they have. They’re missing out on millions of dollars each month in lost ad revenue, as well as unnecessary bounced or frustrated visitors, all because their website layout isn’t efficient.
Leading eCommerce sites such as Amazon have been endlessly testing and optimizing their sites for years to get users to buy more online, however, this technology hasn’t really filtered through to publishers of content sites, who should be working on usability.   
 Either they just don’t know about it, or they don’t have the time, money or technical expertise. We handle all this technical ‘heavy lifting’ so they can focus on what they do best – creating great original content.
We give ordinary people the freedom to earn a living through a subject they’re passionate about; their site is often their main source of income and Ezoic technology can increase it almost eightfold. It’s life changing money.”
</blockquote>
To find out more about Ezoic, and to sign up for free, <a href="http://www.ezoic.com/" target="_blank"> visit their website</a>.

Website Optimization Platform Ezoic Launches After Year-long Closed Beta

LightCMS has announced a major update to its WYSIWYG editor, due for release on July 29th 2014.This update – labelled as release 2014.8 – is the latest in a flurry of recent LightCMS improvements.Acquired by NetSuite in 2013, the team behind LightCMS have made no less than four major updates so far this year, with these WYSIWYG editor improvements making up the fifth.I've been covering those very same updates, coming in the form of LightCMS'  interface changes, security improvements and blogging enhancements, with the latest news being about the new LightCMS Partner Platform.Now though, LightCMS' busy 2014 continues, with a new WYSIWYG Editor. Let's take a look at what's new.<h2>Revamped &amp; Responsive WYSIWYG Editing</h2>Most noticeably, LightCMS have made some cosmetic changes to their WYSIWYG editor toolbar, giving it a sleeker feel.In the process, icons and dialogue boxes for Image Manager, Flash Manager, Insert Media, and Document Manager have been revamped. Apart from those design tweaks though, all buttons have remained in familiar positions, so users shouldn't have trouble adjusting.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wysiwygtoolbar700x0.jpg" alt="LightCMS " /> LightCMS users will be pleased to hear that this new look spreads to mobile devices too.Previously, HTML-only editing was on offer for mobile device users, until now. There are still a few key features missing – like the file manager and full screen editing mode, but otherwise, the mobile WYSIWYG editor is the same as that found on desktops.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mobile-editor.png" alt="LightCMS " /><h2>Full Page Editing &amp; Image Properties</h2>Although full page editing isn't supported on mobile devices yet, it is now available for desktop users.Clicking a new toolbar button (or pressing F11) is all it takes to switch between full screen and traditional editing modes.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wysiwygfullscreen700x0.png" alt="LightCMS " /> Another key feature within this release is improved control over image properties. The Image, Hyperlink, and Image Map properties dialogue boxes now include a Title text box. When set, the title will be displayed when visitors hover over images with their cursors.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/imageproperties.png" alt="LightCMS " /> But wait, there's more.With LightCMS release 2014.8, the LightCMS team have also removed the “Convert to XHTML” content filter from the text editor to allow HTML 5 attributes, and have also made some improvements to the way Stripe payments are taken.Personally, I'm very much liking the way LightCMS are constantly improving and enhancing their platform with genuinely useful updates. LightCMS users will be happy, although I'm not so sure about LightCMS competitors!You can read further details and the full release notes on update 2014.8 via the official LightCMS announcement.To find out more about LightCMS, check out their website.Also, be sure to explore more of  LightCMS via our CMS Directory.

LightCMS Announces WYSIWYG Editor Enhancements

<a href="http://www.telerik.com/" target="_blank">Telerik</a> have announced a brand new release of Sitefinity, bringing about productivity and information governance enhancements.
<a href="http://www.sitefinity.com/" target="_blank">Sitefinity</a> is a Web Content Management (WCM) platform by Telerik with a 70,000-strong user base. It offers responsive web design, mobile websites and mobile apps – all from one CMS user interface.
Here are some highlights of the new release, along with some further details about the information governance and productivity enhancements:
<ul>
<li>The System Audit Trail which provides a measure of transparent protection and full accountability by helping organizations supervise processes while managing digital assets.</li>
<li>The newly-released Recycle Bin functionality complements the framework’s comprehensive versioning system by helping content authors archive and revert content items.</li>
<li>XML sitemaps to make content more discoverable, content duplication, which helps content authors copy and repurpose content items, and template thumbnails to help users quickly find the templates they need.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitefinitylogo_wtagline_rgb-1700x0.png" alt="Sitefinity" />
<h2>Enhanced Information Governance</h2>
Every day, more private critical business and customer information goes online.
Accordingly, using an automated and streamlined environment to manage digital assets and deliver digital experiences is now nothing less than a necessity.
The System Audit Trail – now available in the Telerik Sitefinity CMS – provides a measure of transparent protection and full accountability by helping organizations supervise processes while managing digital assets.
Additionally, Sitefinity's new Recycle Bin functionality complements the framework’s comprehensive versioning system by helping content authors archive and revert content items.
<h2>New Productivity Features</h2>
Alongside Sitefinity's newly implemented information governance enhancements, this new Telerik Sitefinity CMS release also boosts developer productivity.
The framework now offers XML sitemaps to make content more discoverable, along with content duplication which helps content authors copy and repurpose content items. Also, template thumbnails have been introduced to help users find the templates they need faster than ever before.
Regarding this new Sitefinity release,  Martin Kirov, Executive Vice President, Telerik Sitefinity, had this to say:
<blockquote>“With the current release of Telerik Sitefinity, we are aiding our customers in their quest to properly govern important customer data. Coupled with an array of productivity advancements, Telerik Sitefinity CMS is even more aligned with better business practices. These are not only practical in implementation, but also critical to business success.”</blockquote>
To find out more about Sitefinity's new features, check out <a href="http://www.telerik.com/company/press-releases/2014/07/22/telerik-enhances-information-governance-with-latest-sitefinity-cms-release" target="_blank">their announcement</a>, and their <a href="http://www.sitefinity.com/" target="_blank">official website</a>.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/sitefinity/" target="_blank">Sitefinity via our CMS Directory</a>.

New Sitefinity Release Brings Improved Productivity & Information Governance

<a href="https://selz.com/" target="_blank">Selz</a> have released a brand new Shopping Cart App that makes life easier for end users looking to make multiple purchases. 
Launched in 2013, Selz is a growing online-payment and eCommerce platform. Using Selz, you can set up a free store and begin selling immediately. 
You don't need your own domain, but if you have one, Selz can be easily integrated into an existing website. It support digital downloads, includes built-in analytics and even integrates with Facebook and WordPress.
Designed to increase sales figures, Selz's newly released Shopping Cart App lets customers purchase multiple items in one transaction and combine shipping which will make life easier for them and boost sales for you.
Here's a demonstration video of the new Selz Shopping Cart App:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX8xABFBmKo
For $4.99 per month, the Selz Shopping Cart App can be <a href="https://selz.com/apps" target="_blank">downloaded via the Selz App Store</a>.
For more information on Selz, <a href="https://selz.com/apps" target="_blank">check out their website</a>.

Selz Releases New Shopping Cart App

Power your CMS on AWS

Manage your websites & apps in the most trusted cloud.

#ffffff

—– Website Building with BlueHost &amp; WordPress
A web hosting provider should give you more than just web hosting.
Uptime, speed, and customer support are all important, but what about the tools you need to kick-start a new website? After all, your new website idea is precisely why you needed a web host in the first place.
Starting from just $4.95 per month, BlueHost – CMS Critic’s <a href="/bluehosts-4th-july-sale-professional-web-hosting-for-just-3.95-per-month/" target="_blank">web host of choice</a> – is a hosting provider which gives you those tools in the form of quality content management systems and website builders. Fifty-five of them in fact.
The best part? They can all be installed on your domain name within minutes. Maybe even seconds.
Here are some quick guides on how to do that with WordPress, <a href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a>, and GoMobi Mobile, along with a look at the easy installation for the other fifty-two CMS that work so seamlessly with BlueHost. 
<img style="max-width:151px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/download.jpg" alt="BlueHost" />
<h2>Website Building with BlueHost &amp; WordPress</h2>
With BlueHost, your website can be up and running on the worlds most popular CMS/blogging platform – WordPress.
WordPress is used by over 60% of all the websites whose content management system we know. That's over 22% of all websites on the Internet. So, your website would be in good company if you decide to go with WordPress as your platform of choice.
After signing up with Bluehost, you'll have access to your hosting control panel. There, you’ll see WordPress listed under “Website Builders”.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp700x0.png" alt="Bluehost WordPress" />
Selecting WordPress will bring you to a new page, where you can click the “Install” button.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp1700x0.png" alt="Bluehost WordPress" /> 
Then, it's time to select which domain name you want BlueHost to install WordPress on. You can choose from any domain name on your BlueHost account.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp2700x0.png" alt="Bluehost WordPress" /> 
Finally, you will then have the chance to fill out some of the details of your new website, like the website name and tag line. These fields are all optional though, so if you like, you can go ahead and click “Install” straight away.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/w3.png" alt="Bluehost WordPress" />
After that, all you need to do is sit back and relax for a few seconds as BlueHost builds the WordPress website for you. Before long, you will be prompted to visit your website, which will now be running WordPress, enabling you to dive into the world's most popular website building platform.
Sign up with BlueHost
—– Website Building with BlueHost &amp; <a href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a>
Don't worry if WordPress doesn't float your boat, because <a href="https://www.weebly.com/" target="_blank"> Weebly</a> is one of many other website builders supported by BlueHost.
Weebly is renowned for its friendly user interface and drag-and-drop page builder. It powers millions of websites across the web.
Weebly is actually a hosted website builder, which means you can use Weebly as a web host when you sign up with them. However, if you're running multiple websites on BlueHost's shared hosting plan, or you simply want the added functionalists that BlueHost brings, you can opt for BlueHost instead of Weebly to host your Weebly website.
After signing up with Bluehost, you'll have access to your hosting control panel. There, you’ll see Weebly listed under “Website Builders”.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/web1700x0.png" alt="BlueHost Weebly" /> 
This will take you to the Weebly plan selection page. You can choose between the free, professional and eCommerce plans. To get started with the free plan, you only need to assign it to one of your existing domain names.
Then, you simply click “Use Weebly”.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/web2700x0.png" alt="BlueHost Weebly" />
You will then be presented with the Weebly user interface, which allows you to immediately start building pages for your website. It's that easy.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/web3700x0.png" alt="BlueHost Weebly" />
—– Website Building with BlueHost &amp; GoMobi
The last of the “big three” website building platforms which BlueHost displays to its users within their control panels, is GoMobi.
GoMobi is an easy-to-use mobile website platform that enables you to create premium mobile websites. Its friendly interface makes it easy to create feature-rich mobile websites that are quick to load and easy to use. Plus, you need no technical knowledge to make it work.
As with WordPress and Weebly, you'll be able to see GoMobi via your hosting control panel after signing up with Bluehost. You can find it listed under “Website Builders”.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mob1700x0.png" alt="BlueHost GoMobi" /> 
You will then be taken to a page asking you to agree to GoMobi's terms and conditions. GoMobi will set you back $2.99 per month. If you're happy with that, you can go ahead and click “Get Started”. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mob2.png" alt="BlueHost GoMobi" /> 
This brings you to the checkout page, where you will need to follow the instructions in order to complete the purchase.
To cut a long story short, you'll end up with your GoMoi control panel as seen below, ready for you to start building a mobile website.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mob4700x0.png" alt="BlueHost GoMobi" /> 
GoMobi is certainly not the fanciest platform on the market, but it's one that BlueHost pushed alongside WordPress and Weebly on the front page of its control panel. But there's plenty more where they came from, as I'm about to show you.
—– The Full List: 55 Integrated BlueHost Website Builders
WordPress, Weebly, and GoMobi are three platforms displayed on the front page of BlueHost's control panel, but there are actually fifty-two more – all just as easily accessible.
Here's the complete list of BlueHost integrated website builders:
<ol>
<li>WordPress </li>
<li>Weebly </li>
<li>GoMobi </li>
<li>Xoops </li>
<li>Joomla 2 </li>
<li>Joomla 3 </li>
<li>Drupal 7 </li>
<li>Drupal 6 </li>
<li>B2evolution </li>
<li>Croogo </li>
<li>OCPortal </li>
<li>MODx </li>
<li>Concrete5 </li>
<li>LiveSite </li>
<li>phpwcms </li>
<li>PHP-Nuke </li>
<li>Textpattern </li>
<li>PyroCMS </li>
<li>e107 </li>
<li>Geeklog </li>
<li>AnchorCMS </li>
<li>Chyrp CMS </li>
<li>Noah's Classified </li>
<li>Open Classifieds </li>
<li>ShopSite </li>
<li>PrestaShop </li>
<li>CubeCart </li>
<li>OSCommerce </li>
<li>Magento </li>
<li>OpenCart </li>
<li>TomatoCart </li>
<li>ZenCart </li>
<li>AgoraCart </li>
<li>Moodle </li>
<li>Chamilo 1 </li>
<li>Chamilo 3 </li>
<li>LimeSurvey </li>
<li>Simple Machines Forum </li>
<li>Vanilla Forums </li>
<li>My BB </li>
<li>phpBB </li>
<li>PunBB </li>
<li>Coppermine </li>
<li>Piwigo </li>
<li>Zenphoto </li>
<li>Gallery </li>
<li>4Images </li>
<li>Oxwall </li>
<li>Elgg </li>
<li>Pligg </li>
<li>MediaWiki </li>
<li>PmWiki </li>
<li>Tiki Wiki 9 LTS </li>
<li>Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware </li>
<li>DocuWiki </li>
</ol>
Every single one of the above website building tools can be installed just as easily as the previous demonstrations of WordPress, Weebly and GoMobi.
All you need to do is visit your control panel after signing up with Bluehost, and find Simple Scripts, which is listed under “Website Builders”.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ss1700x0.png" alt="BlueHost Website Builders" /> 
Then, click “Install New Scripts”.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ss2700x0.png" alt="BlueHost Website Builders" /> 
You should now see all fifty-five website building platforms (along with an array of other useful applications), all ready to be installed with a few clicks each. Not too shabby, if you ask me.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ss3700x0.png" alt="BlueHost Website Builders" /> 
So there you have it. Fifty-five BlueHost website builders, all waiting to be installed in a matter of minutes.
This brilliant flexibility is what makes BlueHost the <a href="/bluehosts-4th-july-sale-professional-web-hosting-for-just-3.95-per-month/" target="_blank">web host of choice here at CMS Critic</a>. It's the perfect way for web experts and web newbies alike to get their hands on the best CMS for their projects. Fast.
<a href="https://www.bluehost.com/hosting/shared#pricing-cards">Sign up with BlueHost </a>

55 Ways to Build a Website with BlueHost

<a href="https://www.shopify.com/" target="_blank"> Shopify</a> has partnered up with Pinterest and Coinbase to bring their users Rich Pins and a new way to accept Bitcoins as payment.
As one of the world's leading eCommerce solutions, Shopify has a wealth of features ranging from a user-friendly interface to physical store Point of Sale (POS) systems.
These two new features have been announced just days apart, making it a pretty good week for Shopify users who make use of Pinterest and Bitcoin. Here's a deeper look at each update.
<h2>Snazzy Pinterest Rich Pins</h2>
<a href="/shopify" target="_blank"> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/feature_f0825095-06fc-4ccc-8d2b-8220bfe8bf29700x0.jpg" alt="Shopify" /> </a> 
<a href="http://business.pinterest.com/en/rich-pins" target="_blank"> Pinterest Rich Pins</a> are enhanced Pinterest Pins that contain additional information within the Pin. There are five types of Rich Pins – Movie, Place, Recipe, Article, and Product. Online retailers can benefit from Product Pins which include real-time pricing and stock availability.
Before this update, Shopify users needed to add meta tag data to their site's code in order to set up Rich Pins. We’ve partnered with Pinterest to make the process much easier for our merchants. As of today, any images Pinned from Shopify product pages (by the merchant or their visitors) will be automatically published as Rich Pins.
Here's how Pinterest Rich Pins can help Shopify merchants:
<ul>
<li> Click-Through Rate: Improvement in CTR for many merchants. Target reported a  <a href="http://blog.ubervu.com/latest-pins-pinterest-brand-can-use-article-rich-place-pins.html" target="_blank"> 70% increase in traffic from Pinterest</a> when Rich Pins were enabled.</li>
<li> Discoverability:  Images become eligible for Pinterest’s own curated categories. The “ <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/gifts/" target="_blank"> Gifts </a> ” feed, for example, only considers Rich Pins for inclusion.</li>
<li> Price Notifications:  If you reduce the price of your product or run a sale, customers who repinned your products will receive an email from Pinterest notifying them of the price drop and prompting them to buy.</li>
</ul>
Here are some more details, along with how to <a href="http://docs.shopify.com/manual/settings/checkout-and-payment/payment-gateway#coinbase" target="_blank">get started with Rich Pins on Shopify</a>.
<h2>A Bit of Bitcoin</h2>
<a href="/shopify" target="_blank"> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/coinbase700x0.jpg" alt="Shopify" /> </a>
Also, following some beta testing from selected Shopify users, Coinbase's services have been drafted in to help Shopify users accept Bitcoin more easily.
Bitcoin is a digitl currency and a peer-to-peer online financial network that people use to send payments to eachother. The video below helps explain n a little more detail.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s4g1XFU8Gto?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Coinbase is an international bitcoin wallet and platform service already used by companies like Expedia and Google. Shopify's newly introduced Coinbase integration can be used alongside other payment services, like  <a href="https://www.shopify.com/payments" target="_blank"> Shopify Payments</a> and PayPal.
Coinbase offers a two-click checkout experience and simple refunds that make accepting bitcoin payments easy and convenient. All Shopify merchants can currently use Coinbase to accept bitcoin and anyone with a U.S. bank account can convert their bitcoin to USD.
Here's some more information, along with how to <a href="http://docs.shopify.com/manual/settings/checkout-and-payment/payment-gateway#coinbase" target="_blank">start accepting Bitcoin with Coinbase on Shopify</a>.
To get started with Shopify today, <a href="https://www.shopify.com/" target="_blank"> check out their website</a>.
Also, don't forget to check out  <a href="/products/shopify/" target="_blank"> Shopify via our CMS Directory</a>.

Shopify Announces Pinterest Rich Pins and New Bitcoin Payment Option

<a href="http://900dpi.com/" target="_blank"> 900dpi</a> have announced the release of a brand new blogging feature, adding another vital dimension to their platform.
900dpi is a charming hosted CMS, which allows you to use DropBox to build a website – which I think is pretty cool. All you need is a DropBox account, along with some basic coding skills, and you're good to go. I covered the <a href="/900dpi-build-websites-with-html-css-dropbox-and-nothing-else/" target="_blank"> features and functions of 900dpi</a> not too long ago.
Using the newly revamped 900dpi toolbar and editing box, you can add dynamic blog content to your website including images, videos, lists, links and more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ok2o8j-screen_shot_2014-07-13_at_12_54_11_pm700x0.png" alt="900dpi Blogging" /> 
The tool provides all the functionality of more complicated blogging applications, but does so in line with 900dpi's ethos of simplicity. Your blog can have its own dedicated homepage displaying recent posts, whilst authors can be assigned, and so forth. Plus, it's still all within DropBox.
Introducing a blogging function is a no brainer really, but 900dpi gave some reasons anyway, as to why they decided to take the blogging plunge:
<blockquote>The average small business blog garners a 55% lift in site traffic, and as many as 31% of consumers make purchasing decisions based on blogs, according to HubSpot.com. That's a lot of marketing potential for your small biz and self-employed clients!</blockquote>
This release comes just as we brought you <a href="/minimalist-blogging-platforms/" target="_blank">15 blogging tools that encourage you to write</a>.
For information about how to implement a blog into your 900dpi website, check out <a href="http://900dpi.com/help/blogging.html" target="_blank"> this resource</a>.
To find out more about 900dpi, visit their <a href="/900dpi-build-websites-with-html-css-dropbox-and-nothing-else/" target="_blank">official website</a>.

900dpi Unveils Brand New Blogging Feature

<a href="http://modx.com/" target="_blank"> MODX </a>  have announced the release of <a href="http://modx.com/blog/2014/07/15/revolution-2.3-brings-a-revamped-manager-user-experience-and-much-more/" target="_blank"> MODX Revolution 2.3 </a> . This long-awaited and “huge” release incorporates over a thousand commits by dozens of code contributors, translators, and bug reporters.
MODX offers customizable core to fit almost any project requirement or scale. It aims to be the go-to product for projects involving a multi-domain global presence, a mobile API, or anything in between.
Revolution 2.3 features a refined and updated MODX Manager, boasting a new and improved theme. In 2.3, the user friendly and less intimidating workspace enables you to build and manage your sites faster and easier.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/modx-2_3_1-manager-ui-search-2.png" alt="MODX Revolution 2.3" />
<h2>Faster, Sleeker, More Accessible &amp; More Secure</h2>
Here's what users can expect from MODX Revolution 2.3 in terms of the newly improved MODX Manager User Experience:
<ul>
<li>Noticeably faster page and screen loading / more performant ExtJS DOM</li>
<li>New überbar to find any Resource, Element or User by a variety of criteria</li>
<li>All new default Manager theme with Gravatar support</li>
<li>New Manager theme customization workflow using Sass</li>
<li>Open Manager Views in Tabs or New Windows</li>
</ul>
On top of these interface and usability enhancements, MODX Revolution 2.3 also brings about the following new features:
<ul>
<li>Custom Headers for Content Types</li>
<li>FontAwesome icons replace PNGs in the Manager UI</li>
<li>Open objects like Resources or Elements in new Tabs or Windows for a multi-tabbed workspace</li>
<li>Updated languages from our many translators and proofreaders thanks to moving to Crowdin for group translations</li>
<li>Five new manager translations added: Chinese, Finnish, Indonesian, Romanian, Danish and Belarusian</li>
<li>Full-screen Media Browser</li>
<li>Security patches from all 2.2.x releases</li>
<li>Hundreds of bugfixes, enhancements and more</li>
</ul>
The full list of improvements can be found via the <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/modxcms/revolution/v2.3.0-pl/core/docs/changelog.txt" target="_blank"> changelog </a> .
Here's the <a href="http://modx.com/blog/2014/07/15/revolution-2.3-brings-a-revamped-manager-user-experience-and-much-more/" target="_blank"> official blog announcement of MODX Revoluton 2.3 </a> , with further details.
<h2>MODX Cloud Updates</h2>
On top of the new MODX Revolution 2.3 release, updates have also been made to the MODX Cloud stack.
In addition to numerous behind the scenes improvements, here's an overview of what's new:
<ul>
<li>PHP updated to latest stable release version 5.4.30</li>
<li>Added the Libevent extension to PHP</li>
<li>Browser-based file upload limits increased from 8MB to 25MB</li>
<li>Updates to ensure Composer works from the command line</li>
<li>Convert database connections from Unix to TCP sockets to improve command line functionality with MySQL and MODX</li>
<li>Updated Sass and Compass to work for MODX Manager theme development</li>
</ul>
Here's the <a href="http://modx.com/blog/2014/07/15/modx-cloud-updates-jul-15/" target="_blank">official blog announcement</a>.
For more information on MODX, check out <a href="http://modx.com" target="_blank">their website</a>.
To see an introductory video and an overview of features, visit <a href="/products/modx/" target="_blank">MODX via our CMS Directory</a>.

MODX Revolution 2.3 Released With Enhanced Manager User Experience

As you may know, I was in attendance at the Magnolia Conference last month in Basel, Switzerland and was asked to participate in a roundtable called “Mastering Customer Experience Management.”
Magnolia captured this on video and did a great job of putting it together so I thought I'd share for those who may have missed it or were not in attendance. This roundtable discussion features myself, Tim Walters from Digital Clarity Group, Janus Boye, Adriaan Bloem and Christopher Justice from Magnolia.
Here it is for your viewing pleasure:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q3d8R1mk0WY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
To learn more about Magnolia, <a href="/products/magnolia-cms/">check them out in our directory</a>.

Watch Mike and some Industry pros discuss Customer Experience Management

<a href="http://www.woothemes.com/" target="_blank">WooThemes</a> – the company behind the the free and flexible WordPress eCommerce tool,  <a href="http://www.woothemes.com/woocommerce" target="_blank"> WooCommerce</a> –  has released an iPhone App for its merchant users. 
 <a href="http://www.woothemes.com/woocommerce-ios/" target="_blank"> WooCommerce iOS</a> is what they're calling it, and it's designed to let you see detailed product information, customer orders, specific order details, and a range of statistical data illustrating your store's sales performance – all from your iOS device. Plus, it looks pretty snazzy. 
 To get started, all you need to do is <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/woocommerce/id888758244?mt=8&amp;ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank"> download the app from the App Store</a>, connect your WooCommerce store by logging in, and watch as your orders and products are automatically imported and synced. 
 <a href="http://www.woothemes.com/woocommerce-ios/" target="_blank"> <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/woocommerce-ios-650x311.jpg" alt="WooCommerce iOS" /> </a>
<h2>Your Store in Your Pocket</h2>
Here's a quick breakdown of what you can expect from WooCommerce iOS:
<ul>
<li>See your total revenue, number of new orders/customers, and top sellers</li>
<li>Get insight into trends by checking your numbers for Today, the last 7 days, or the current month</li>
<li>Get a quick count of your open orders (processing/pending/held)</li>
<li>Quickly see a list of all orders with customer name, order number, status, and date</li>
<li>Scroll through orders and easily search them by customer name</li>
<li>See the summary for an order, with customer info, order status, products, and payment/shipping details</li>
<li>View order notes to help you see the history for an order</li>
<li>For registered customers, you can see previous orders and their lifetime order total</li>
<li>See a complete list of all your products with name and thumbnail</li>
<li>Quickly search your products by name</li>
<li>See full product details including inventory and variations </li>
<li>Add up to 4 separate WooCommerce stores</li>
<li>Easily switch between your stores using the side menu</li>
<li>Delete shops you're no longer using</li>
</ul>
WooThemes have also revealed details about what's to come for their new app. They plan to release updates pertaining to; editing &amp; managing orders, individual customer views, Push Notifications for new orders, and more.
 You can <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/woocommerce/id888758244?mt=8&amp;ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank"> download the WooCommerce iOS</a> from the App Store for $4.99. 
 To learn more about WooCommerce, check out the  <a href="http://www.woothemes.com/woocommerce" target="_blank"> WooCommerce section on the WooThemes website</a>.

WooThemes Rolls Out WooCommerce iPhone App

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