Articles - Page 143

<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

Launched in 2007, YikeSite originally started off as a simple way of creating small static websites. It has since been expanded to allow web entrepreneurs to brand YikeSite as their own, allow their customers to easily update their websites, and make recurring income.
Today, they have announced the formation of YikeSoftware Inc.
This new venture is a partnership between Jeff Ward, founder of <a href="http://www.animikii.com/" target="_top" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Animikii Inc. </a> and creator of the YikeSite web builder, and Arni Mikelsons founder of <a href="http://northernvillage.com/" target="_top" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Northern Village </a> , a Guelph-based web company. Their goal is to focus on providing simple online software solutions to solo entrepreneurs who build websites, and for web entrepreneurs and companies that manage multiple websites with one interface. YikeSite, the core product of YikeSoftware Inc., is a content management system (CMS) that powers hundreds of websites.
By combining forces, YikeSoftware Inc. will be leveraging Jeff and Arni’s strengths to meet the needs of entrepreneurs who will benefit from a simple, integrated website management system that can be branded to their individual needs.
<blockquote>“Through this partnership we are creating a company that uniquely supports web entrepreneurs and helps them grow a successful web business,” says CEO Arni Mikelsons. “We will provide the tools for better website management, and add complimentary services to enhance our product offering.”</blockquote>
If you want to learn more about this new partnership, and YikeSite in general, visit their page in our CMS Products directory or check them out on the web at <a href="http://www.yikesite.com/home">http://www.yikesite.com/home</a>

YikeSite announce partnership with Northern Village  to form new company called YikeSoftware Inc.

mike-johnston

A new version of the popular open source CMS, Typo3 has been announced. Typo3 6.2 is the latest long term support release of the popular CMS from the Typo3 Association.  This means that TYPO3 CMS 6.2 LTS will receive at least three years of support from the development team behind the open-source software.
The newly developed Install Tool with its practical wizard makes it very easy to upgrade from the still widely used 4.5 LTS version. Integrators can use a compatibility check to test existing installations for upgradability, identify possible challenges, and immediately resolve general problems. Backward compatibility facilitates the smooth migration of 4.5 LTS extensions, which need little, if any, adapting for 6.2 LTS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/typo3_logo_safearea.png" />
<h2>New functions</h2>
The solution contains numerous new functions for optimized use: the file abstraction layer serves as an interface for the TYPO3 system and extensions to allow uniform treatment of files wherever they are stored, whether locally or in the cloud. In addition, a drag-and-drop upload function makes it easier to upload to the file repository and to link files to content elements.
With the new Distributions concept, the core application is delivered as an “empty” installation, so users can subsequently install configured distributions via the management module. The distribution management functionality enables third-party developers, agencies, and hosts to create and realize their own distributions.
The new version provides optimum support for modern web design, including full HTML5 support and responsive image rendering.
Security is a top priority for TYPO3, and the security team had a big hand in shaping the new release: the formerly optional salted passwords extension is now pre-installed in order to safeguard the passwords of back-end users and the Install Tool. In addition, there are comprehensive mechanisms to guard against cross-site request forgery (CSRF).
The new package manager ensures the interoperability of TYPO3 CMS with Composer-based PHP libraries and TYPO3 flow packages. To this end, it implements PSR-0 autoloading and supports vendor namespaces. Other new features include a core updater in the Install Tool, a PSR-3-compatible logger, standardized back-end styles, and a style-guide extension.
Further information on TYPO3 is available at typo3.org; for more on TYPO3 CMS, visit <a href="http://typo3.org/about/typo3-cms/" target="_blank">http://typo3.org/about/typo3-cms/</a>

New Typo3 6.2 Release Introduces New Install Tool with Easy Upgrade Capabilities

Today, from the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/see-you-at-the-adobe-summit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Adobe Summit</a> in Salt Lake City, Adobe announced a major new release of  <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adobe.com%2Fsolutions%2Fweb-experience-management.html&amp;esheet=50831044&amp;newsitemid=20140324006513&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Adobe%C2%AE+Experience+Manager&amp;index=1&amp;md5=5366c7bfbaab70b8fb0b9b098f5919e4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Adobe® Experience Manager</a>, the market leader in web experience management.
Part of the Adobe Marketing Cloud, the newly enhanced Adobe Experience Manager comes in response to a recent Adobe survey entitled, “<a href="http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/solutions/digital-marketing/pdfs/adobe-digital-roadblock-survey.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Digital Roadblock: Marketers Struggle to Reinvent Themselves</a>“. 
 Adobe's survey concluded that marketers need to reinvent themselves in order to succeed, with nearly three-quarters of participants stated that the main driving force behind this need for change is the expanded number of channels and platforms to reach audiences.  
 With this newly announced Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe have responded to this call from marketers by offering  a more flexible development process for both web and mobile app marketing, delivering new capabilities and solutions for:
<ul>
<li>Sites: Touch-enabled interface simplifies the launch of web and mobile sites, and a newly imagined template approach can help reduce project time by up to 50 percent. New dashboards give marketers greater insight into the most effective content on online properties, while support for automated translation helps reach global audiences faster.
Through integrations with leading commerce engines, Adobe Experience Manager now provides organizations the flexibility to build rich experiences that lead to purchases on their selected commerce platform.
</li>
<li>Assets: Interactive media experiences such as video can now be authored and delivered across channels. Advanced video features now include the ability to add annotations and measure engagement. New workflows help streamline tasks such as photo shoots for campaign launches.
Experience Manager Assets provides deeper integration with <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adobe.com%2Fproducts%2Fcreativecloud.html&amp;esheet=50831044&amp;newsitemid=20140324006513&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Adobe+Creative+Cloud&amp;index=3&amp;md5=1d0414d5c88c08ca2ce7863427321a8d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Adobe Creative Cloud</a>, enabling Adobe’s leading digital media tools to store, sync and share assets with Adobe Marketing Cloud. Marketers can then use assets across Adobe’s digital marketing solutions, including <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adobe.com%2Fsolutions%2Ftesting-targeting.html&amp;esheet=50831044&amp;newsitemid=20140324006513&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Adobe+Target&amp;index=4&amp;md5=ffa34e03914e529473df40bd5a28b06a" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Adobe Target</a>, <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adobe.com%2Fsolutions%2Fcampaign-management.html&amp;esheet=50831044&amp;newsitemid=20140324006513&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Adobe+Campaign&amp;index=5&amp;md5=63e2b0538271b5bbe64f80cfa9869485" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Adobe Campaign</a> and <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adobe.com%2Fsolutions%2Fsocial-marketing.html&amp;esheet=50831044&amp;newsitemid=20140324006513&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Adobe+Social&amp;index=6&amp;md5=0dd183b194b548aed81dead263c3d7b6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Adobe Social</a>, supporting the delivery of a consistent brand experience across all channels.
</li>
<li>Apps: Via integration with the new <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fenterprise.phonegap.com%2F&amp;esheet=50831044&amp;newsitemid=20140324006513&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=PhoneGap+Enterprise&amp;index=7&amp;md5=470d863556d713e3b71118f5dfa358f9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PhoneGap Enterprise</a>, Experience Manager now provides the only mobile app development platform for both developers and marketers. Developers can quickly build cross-platform apps for retail services, financial services, and so forth.
Marketers can then use Experience Manager’s drag-and-drop interface to edit and add to apps, as well as push content updates from the web to apps. Marketers can also analyze app performance in real time thanks to a newly built-in integration with <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adobe.com%2Fsolutions%2Fdigital-analytics.html&amp;esheet=50831044&amp;newsitemid=20140324006513&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Adobe+Analytics&amp;index=9&amp;md5=dddac273aec4d4cf28f76f2d03322b5f" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Adobe Analytics</a>.
</li>
<li>Communities: As brands shift focus to building loyal communities on their own online properties, Adobe Experience Manager delivers a full set of capabilities designed to support them at scale. Organizations are now empowered to easily moderate communities and help boost engagement with sentiment analysis.
New machine translation provides community members the ability to select their language of choice, and helps marketers overcome communication barriers and grow brand advocates worldwide.
</li>
<li>Forms: Vast quantities of forms can now be created, managed and made available as part of websites, mobile sites and mobile apps, with capabilities to adapt to device types and user responses.
Forms can also be integrated with business processes, helping government agencies, financial services organizations and others increase efficiency and improve response times.</li>
</ul>
These newly introduced capabilities of Adobe Experience Manager are built on a unified platform, offering organizations the flexibility to deploy and manage digital experiences themselves or in the cloud via Adobe’s managed services.
<h2>Helping Marketers Succeed</h2>
In the wake of this major announcement, Aseem Chandra, the Adobe Experience Manager vice president, had this to say:
<blockquote>
“Digital experiences have extended well beyond the PC to tablets, mobile devices, social channels, digital glass, and even wearables. Whether searching a mobile site, diving into a favorite tablet app, or participating in an online community, consumers expect brands to provide a consistent, personal experience every time. Adobe Experience Manager, as part of the industry’s most complete set of marketing solutions, is uniquely positioned to continue defining the future and helping marketers succeed every step of the way.”
</blockquote>
The new Adobe Experience Manager is expected to be available by the end of May 2014 on a worldwide basis.
 CMS Critic are <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> live-tweeting from the 2014 Adobe Summit</a>, so be sure to follow in order to keep up with the latest Adobe news.

New Adobe Experience Manager Accelerates Development of Digital Experiences Across Channels

<a href="http://vlinksmedia.com" target="_blank">Vlinks Media</a>, the company behind LearnCore, have recently introduced some new usability improvements and branding features for their platform.
<a href="http://learncore.com" target="_blank"> LearnCore</a> is an interactive learning management system designed to provide a user-friendly experience to both administrators and learners. The feature-heavy platform can help you create personalised courses and tests to help learners progress.
LearnCore is ideal for educational institutions, as well as corporations looking to induct new staff, or provide training to existing team members. A few months ago, <a href="/revolutionize-corporate-staff-training-with-learncore/#.UzFdR_l_vvU" target="_blank"> I covered LearnCore's features in detail</a>.
For now though, let's take a look at what's new.
<h2>Improved Test Creation &amp; Branding Options</h2>
First of all, LearnCore administrators can now benefit from a newly improved test creation interface.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/survey_1700x0.png" alt="LearnCore Surveys" /> 
The delivery of test questions has also now been randomised, whilst a new Survey System has been introduced. The surveys allow learners to give feedback and suggestions straight after their test or course is completed. In order to function, the surveys need to be set up prior to courses being published
Furthermore, custom branding for companies and educational institutes is now available. This includes a custom login page, custom URL, customized initial e-mail and customized accolades.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/custom-accoung-management700x0.png" alt="LearnCore Branding Options" /> 
All custom package items can be configured under “Account Management” in the LearnCore admin panel.
To learn more about what LearnCore can offer your organization in terms of training and learning, <a href="http://learncore.com/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>.
Additionally, you can explore further key information about LearnCore via our CMS Directory.

LearnCore Release Survey & Branding Updates

In the world of digital channel development – with mediums such as mobile devices and online publications, nothing stands still. New technologies, devices and ideas are constantly emerging to help bring different types of content to the end users in innovative ways.
Thus, matching that innovation with equally evolved publishing and marketing strategies is vital to reaching new audiences, and maintaining ties with existing ones.
<a href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/"> Magnolia CMS</a>, an open source enterprise content management system initially released in 2003, has taken – and is continuing to take – monumental steps forward when it comes to managing and publishing content across these different channels.
<h2>Create Once, Publish Everywhere</h2>
Traditionally, separate channels often required separately produced content, but that's not necessarily the case with Magnolia CMS.
Instead, Magnolia takes your original content and applies style ‘variations', making it suitable for all channel types without the need to re-create it. So, content duplication becomes a thing of a past, and future channel variations can be created and published to with much less effort.
This opens the door to publishing content across all devices and mediums, including tablets, smartphones, newsletters, ebooks and so on.
Desktops, tablets and smartphones are catered for by default, including a mobile preview functionality with landscape and portrait modes, which gives content publishers complete control over the appearance of web pages and other publication types like ebooks and newsletters on various devices.
A great example of this strategic content delivery can be found within <a href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/clients/case-studies/airbus-group.html"> Magnolia's case study on Airbus Group</a>. The world-renowned aerospace corporation demonstrated how enterprise content can be published seamlessly across a wide range of mobile devices, based on Magnolia CMS.
<h2>Supreme Multi-channel Flexibility</h2>
For a variety of reasons, customizing content for certain channels can be vital when it comes to successfully connecting with different audiences with a tailored approach. Thankfully, Magnolia CMS provides such flexibility.
Magnolia's built-in multi-channel management system allows publishers to configure which content appears where, for whom it appears, and how it appears. For example, a page containing content specifically for a smartphone users, can be excluded from appearing on tablet and desktop devices, focusing the content entirely on the smartphone audience.
Additionally, custom channel resolvers enable content tailored for certain regional markets to be published exclusively for those markets, whilst other regions are excluded, or served different content. For example, a page containing content specifically produced for a North American audience, can be excluded from appearing in all parts of the world except for North America.
Custom channel resolvers such as these can be defined in a range of different ways to customise content delivery. Different pages, or even single page areas can be specifically delivered to end users based on a number of factors, including location, device, time, and so forth.
This ability to deliver content specifically allows for better tailored marketing offers and a greater chance of communicating the right message to the right person in the right way.
Looking to the future, Magnolia version 5.3 – which is to be released in the Summer of 2014, will add to the platform's capabilities with further personalization options and enhanced mechanisms to help deliver content to audiences even more specifically than ever before. More information on Magnolia 5.3 can be obtained via the <a href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/product/roadmap.html"> Magnolia Roadmap</a>.
<h2>Evolving with the Call</h2>
Magnolia's capabilities in the face of the ever-changing nature of digital channels is precisely what forward-thinking enterprises are looking to take advantage of.
Failure to take advantage of such capabilities would mean losing access to a range of different audiences, many of which are looking to experience content in newer, more personal forms.
So, customizing web page and publication presentation, defining custom channels, and delivering targeted content is not merely a luxury in today's every-changing market – but a necessity.
Magnolia's recognition of this fact is built-in to its multi-channel management features. They are simply evolving with the call.
To find out more about Magnolia CMS, visit their <a href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/"> official website</a>, where you can read and watch more about their <a href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/product/features/multichannel.html"> multi-channel publishing features</a>.
Additionally, you can explore more of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/products/magnolia-cms/"> Magnolia via our CMS Directory</a>.

How Magnolia CMS Responds to the Evolving Call of Multi-channel Content Management

<a href="https://t.yesware.com/tl/91e3a7ba29aa960855d37ea0e1bb697a5c298307/3db02f79b25d18eb7fdfc7103b2876c5/211bdf80879955e0add2fa2407177362?ytl=http%3A%2F%2Fctt.marketwire.com%2F%3Frelease%3D1099722%26id%3D4013308%26type%3D1%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.acquia.com%252f" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Acquia</a>, the renowned Drupal software &amp; solutions specialists, today announced the introduction of the <a href="https://t.yesware.com/tl/91e3a7ba29aa960855d37ea0e1bb697a5c298307/3db02f79b25d18eb7fdfc7103b2876c5/f2da21263b6f92f6ed081306ed195adb?ytl=http%3A%2F%2Fctt.marketwire.com%2F%3Frelease%3D1099722%26id%3D4013311%26type%3D1%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.acquia.com%252fproducts-services%252facquia-certification-program-overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Acquia Certification Program</a>, along with an expansion of its <a href="http://www.acquia.com/products-services/drupal-training" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Learning Services</a>.
Acquia offers developer tools, cloud solutions and global expertise to more than 4,000 companies and brands including Twitter, Mercedes Benz, Warner Music Group, and Stanford University. 
 These newly enhanced training and learning services follow up quite quickly from the launch of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/acquia-announce-acquia-lift-drupal-website-personalization-made-easy/#.Uyx4iPl_vvU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Acquia Lift</a> just last month. 
<h2>Accessible Certification Exams</h2>
Acquia are offering up the industry's first professional assessment and credentialing program to recognize Drupal and Acquia expertise. 
 Employing systematic, objective assessments to validate the skills of developers and users, the program helps organizations effectively assess their team, plan their development projects, and support their organization's career and professional development initiatives in a flexible and scalable way. 
Certification from Acquia also enables individuals to demonstrate their mastery of Drupal and Acquia solutions and preparedness to support development projects. 
 These certification exams are administered at more than 750 locations across the globe and are available through online proctored testing. 
<h2>Customizable Learning Services</h2>
Moreover, <a href="https://t.yesware.com/tl/91e3a7ba29aa960855d37ea0e1bb697a5c298307/3db02f79b25d18eb7fdfc7103b2876c5/42182d9cc2a6c36712180a0c010f2c4b?ytl=http%3A%2F%2Fctt.marketwire.com%2F%3Frelease%3D1099722%26id%3D4013326%26type%3D1%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.acquia.com%252fproducts-services%252fdrupal-training" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Acquia's Learning Services</a> offer a customizable approach to organizations, giving them flexibility to build training approaches that align to their specific projects and unique needs. 
Not only does this ensure your team can meet aggressive project times and goals to deliver a high-quality digital experience, but it also gives organizations peace of mind that their teams can achieve success using Drupal and Acquia solutions. 
 <a href="https://t.yesware.com/tl/91e3a7ba29aa960855d37ea0e1bb697a5c298307/3db02f79b25d18eb7fdfc7103b2876c5/cfed17103ac8a8d0be91590ac71a7de0?ytl=http%3A%2F%2Fctt.marketwire.com%2F%3Frelease%3D1099722%26id%3D4013314%26type%3D1%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252ftraining.acquia.com%252ftrack%252facquia-product-courses" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Five on-demand courses for Acquia products</a> are being debuted, including Acquia Cloud, Acquia Cloud Site Factory, and Acquia Search.
 Acquia Learning Services has trained thousands of people through its series of live, instructor-led Drupal training courses that are offered through its partner network. Hundreds of organizations have incorporated Acquia training into their digital life-cycle management strategies, enabling them to achieve greater agility, speed their time to market, and reduce their total cost of ownership.
New Acquia product courses are designed for Drupal developers and non-technical professionals who rely on Acquia products. The initial Acquia product courses to debut are:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://t.yesware.com/tl/91e3a7ba29aa960855d37ea0e1bb697a5c298307/3db02f79b25d18eb7fdfc7103b2876c5/abe94eb0bdf42013661ca822951338d8?ytl=http%3A%2F%2Fctt.marketwire.com%2F%3Frelease%3D1099722%26id%3D4013329%26type%3D1%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252ftraining.acquia.com%252fcourse%252facquia-cloud-developers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Acquia Cloud for Developers</a>, providing instruction on Acquia's world-class cloud platform and development tools for digital life-cycle management.</li>
<li><a href="https://t.yesware.com/tl/91e3a7ba29aa960855d37ea0e1bb697a5c298307/3db02f79b25d18eb7fdfc7103b2876c5/f9f7e1861a9fbb0add81b7a90ab7594b?ytl=http%3A%2F%2Fctt.marketwire.com%2F%3Frelease%3D1099722%26id%3D4013332%26type%3D1%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252ftraining.acquia.com%252fcourse%252facquia-search" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Acquia Search</a>, offering an introduction to Acquia's fully managed SaaS application, which provides faceted search for Drupal sites.</li>
<li>Course modules for  <a href="https://t.yesware.com/tl/91e3a7ba29aa960855d37ea0e1bb697a5c298307/3db02f79b25d18eb7fdfc7103b2876c5/adeec2bfc216a1c57ebaa76bc20f28e1?ytl=http%3A%2F%2Fctt.marketwire.com%2F%3Frelease%3D1099722%26id%3D4013335%26type%3D1%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252ftraining.acquia.com%252fcourse%252fsite-building-site-factory" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> site building</a>,  <a href="https://t.yesware.com/tl/91e3a7ba29aa960855d37ea0e1bb697a5c298307/3db02f79b25d18eb7fdfc7103b2876c5/3ee9127428d30e7c7c22627c4e0c2ca5?ytl=http%3A%2F%2Fctt.marketwire.com%2F%3Frelease%3D1099722%26id%3D4013338%26type%3D1%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252ftraining.acquia.com%252fcourse%252fmanaging-your-sites-site-factory" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> site management</a> and  <a href="https://t.yesware.com/tl/91e3a7ba29aa960855d37ea0e1bb697a5c298307/3db02f79b25d18eb7fdfc7103b2876c5/59a334d58c5793c99237876840100e4c?ytl=http%3A%2F%2Fctt.marketwire.com%2F%3Frelease%3D1099722%26id%3D4013341%26type%3D1%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252ftraining.acquia.com%252fcourse%252fdeploying-custom-changes-site-factory" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> deploying customizations</a> for Acquia Cloud Site Factory, a turnkey digital experience platform that enables organizations to deliver hundreds of websites with velocity and freedom.</li>
</ul>
Concerning the news, Chris Comparato, Acquia's vice president of customer solutions, had this to say: 
<blockquote>
“Teams that are well trained on Drupal and Acquia solutions have a significant advantage to be more creative, innovative and unrestricted to create and deliver great digital experiences. Acquia Learning Services helps our customers continue to invest in their teams while also increasing their own brand recognition and appreciation within the Drupal community.”
</blockquote>
Acquia Cloud for Developers is now available on-demand. Acquia Search and Acquia Cloud Site Factory on-demand courses will be launched in the coming weeks.
For more information about Acquia Learning Services and the Acquia Certification Program, check out the <a href="http://training.acquia.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Acquia Training website</a>.

Acquia Debuts Certification Program & Expands Learning Services

Thanks to today's technology, courses that don't require meeting in a classroom are not only possible; they're increasingly common. In fact, these days, even classes that do meet in person very often have an online component (even if that just means that the syllabus is posted on a website and assignments are turned in online). Students in traditional, in-person courses are increasingly required to participate in interactive online activities as part of their course work – such as contributing to a discussion forum, adding information to a wiki, or taking part in video web conferencing. Regardless of how many (or how few) online components a course entails, today's learning management systems (LMS) give instructors many options for how to handle important aspects of teaching, from enrolling students to organizing lessons and tracking student progress. Moodle, Course Toolkit, EDU 2.0, JoomlaLMS, and ATutor are all impressive and versatile systems available for educators.
<h2>Moodle</h2>
Moodle is a free source LMS used by educational institutions and businesses alike. This LMS makes it simple to add whole groups of students to a course, assign administrative privileges, create interactive and engaging course content and activities, and track and comment on student progress. Moodle allows instructors to set up workshops, quizzes, or course blogs – as well as to add PDF resource documents, set up discussion wikis, and embed film clips into a lesson. The simple user interface makes it easy to export items to Google Docs, Dropbox, etc. The fact that Columbia University's Teachers College (considered the premier graduate school of education in the United States) uses Moodle as its default system for courses is quite an endorsement.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/moodle_interface.jpg" />
Learn more about <a href="/products/moodle/">Moodle</a>
Visit their website: <a href="https://moodle.org/">Moodle Website</a>
<h2>Course Toolkit</h2>
Course Toolkit is a free, fully customizable LMS in PHP, allowing instructors to create and manage all types of educational course content – from quizzes and tests to collaborative wikis and multimedia content. Instructors may create HTML documents, but Course Toolkit's easy-to-use WYSIWYG visual editing tools makes the system easy to use without any technical knowledge whatsoever. This LMS allows instructors to invite students to join the course (and to control who has access to which materials), as well as to track student activity. It comes complete with gradebooks, automated grading, live test results, attendance monitoring, and other built-in reporting tools. This system enables a high level of interaction via a variety of tools, from messaging to an interactive whiteboard and video chat.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/course_toolkit_interface.jpg" />
Visit their website: <a href="http://www.coursetoolkit.com/">Course Toolkit</a>
<h2>EDU 2.0</h2>
EDU 2.0 is a cloud-hosted LMS that's free for schools that have up to 2000 students. Such a plan never expires and includes access to online help and community support forums, as well as unlimited storage and bandwidth. Custom CSS and HTML are both supported for deep web customization, but no technical knowledge is necessary to use this highly customizable system featuring dashboards and dropdown menus. A help menu is available, with detailed instructions and screenshots featured for most help topics.
EDU 2.0 supports instructor-led, blended, and self-paced classes alike. Given that courses can be saved in a library as templates for reuse later, it's easy to automatically create new classes and sessions just before the start of the term, as well as to teach multiple sections, using the unique “class sync” feature to publish changes from a master copy of one class to others on the list.
EDU 2.0 allows for many different account types (for parents, administrators, and others, for example), and it simplifies registration and course access by allowing student enrollment via file import, student roster, email, or self-enrollment through access codes. Only students in the course may access resources, and URLs cannot be shared outside of the roster without instructor permission. Instructors may also enable and disable whether and when resource links are displayed for those enrolled. Students may be deactivated through a time-based system, too. The system also allows for automatic generation of certificates of course completion at the end of the term, at which time grades may also be downloaded via CSV file or API through the gradebook feature – which also allows for many grading and weighting options. (Many other reporting tools are also available).
This LMS comes equipped with a curriculum builder; alternatively, instructors may use preloaded US Common Core standards and analyze how well a class covers the curriculum. It is also has full multimedia capability, with built-in support for messaging, forums, chat rooms, wikis, surveys, debates, and blogs. Resources may be archived and shared with colleagues.
Instructors using EDU 2.0's LMS may create student groups, and the lessons and section order may be reordered by simply dragging and dropping. The system allows users to easily return to where they left off in a lesson. Instructors may also track attendance (easily recorded in a PDF) and lesson progress, as well as time spent on the site. They may also receive alerts to any possibly offensive content. Rubric builders and many types of assessments (including portfolios) are available, including a variety of quizzes and personalized assignments. Instructors may even decide how many late assignments the system will accept (if any), tailoring this parameter for individual students as needed.
EDU 2.0 also integrates with many common systems, including Skype (for web conferencing), Google Docs, LDAP, Calendars (iCal), and Paypal (for paid courses). A school-wide activity feed is also available.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/edu_20_interface.jpg" />
Learn more about <a href="/products/neo/">EDU 2.0</a>
Visit their website: <a href="https://www.edu20.org/">EDU 2.0 Website</a>
<h2>JoomlaLMS</h2>
JoomlaLMS is an on-premise, proprietary, fully functional learning management system used by schools and corporations alike. JoomlaLMS offers custom development services and a variety of course templates. The system allows for self-enrollment and administrator-approved enrollment, at which time students may also pay ( if applicable); instructors may set a maximum number of students who can enroll, too, as well as establish a waiting list. An instructor can also control who may access what (and when) – as well as at what level, depending on the user roles that they define. At the same time, it's easy to toggle between student and teacher modes – in order to see the interface as the students see it when they're logged on.
Once users are enrolled, they may create customized profiles. After that, aside from access to features like a homework drop box, quiz creation, and the ability to monitor student activity on the site, many instructors love being able to create a virtual interactive classroom through JoomlaLMS's live conference tool, featuring audio/video streaming, a virtual whiteboard, and the ability chat within a conference (and even record the session).
Other communication-enabling features include course announcements, a calendar of due dates (and other time-sensitive information), a discussion forum feature, and the ability to exchange files and messages without having to use email. Files that may be uploaded and managed include HTML documents, .zips, .pdfs, text, audio, video, etc. It's also easy to set up a library of course material – and to control the order in which students may access information (to ensure that they don't skip any lessons). JoomlaLMS also shows users where they last left off.
Finally, this system makes evaluating student progress simple. Instructors may view (and download, in a number of formats) many types of reports. Quiz results are easily emailed, and course grades are also simple to record. Instructors may even issue certificates of completion at the end of the term. In turn, JoomlaLMS also allows students to rate and comment on the course.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/joomlalms_interface.jpg" />
Learn more about <a href="/products/joomlalms/">Joomla LMS</a>
Visit their website: <a href="http://www.joomlalms.com/">Joomla LMS website</a>
<h2>ATutor</h2>
ATutor is a free, open source, web-based, on-premise LMS in PHP that conforms with international accessibility standards. An automated installer and upgrade are both available for a more worry-free experience, and a link to the full user handbook is always in sight. Instructors will be able to start their courses off on the right foot by importing a comma-separated list of students for enrollment and enabling CAPTCHA and email confirmation to ensure registrant validity. The enrollment manager also allows instructors to control access levels.
Once students are enrolled, they can set up personalized network profiles, including a profile photo. The system allows them to control the theme and display settings that they see when they log in – and shows them where they last left off in a lesson. Adaptive navigation allows students to move through content in a variety of different types of sequences, and an FAQ section and search engine enable students to quickly and easily find the information that they need. Like any great LMS, ATutor allows instructors to set up a discussion forum and collaborative groups. Other means of interactive communication include chat rooms, user inboxes, and group blogs.
Both students and instructors can add web links to the site, and instructors may create course content in either HTML or, if they prefer, plain text. It's simple for instructors to create course reading lists and glossaries, too – as well as to set up tests in almost any format imaginable. They can even create quick polls to get student opinions. When all is said and done, teachers won't need to reinvent the wheel from one term to the next, as content is easily stored to a local computer, and a master copy of a course (which is easily populated by available backups) may be created for future use.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/atutor_interface.jpg" />
Overall, the type of learning management system that instructors prefer may largely depend on course content, structure, and subject matter. Some courses may lend themselves more to an LMS that simplifies standardization and automation, while courses in which student creativity and participation in discussions are more highly prized may value other LMS features. The good news is that popular LMSs – such as those mentioned here – have many features from which to choose (by design), making them versatile for a variety of teaching situations.
Learn more about <a href="/products/atutor/">ATutor</a>
Visit their website: <a href="http://atutor.ca/">ATutor Website</a>
Do you know of a good Learning Management System that we've missed? Let us know in the comments below.

5 Learning Management Systems with Educator-Friendly Features

Best Video Experience

Give your audience the best video experience

#000000

This week, <a href="http://www.blackmonk.com/" target="_blank">BlackMonk CMS</a> – a platform designed to power online newspapers, business directories and community portals, released version 3.2 of their product. 
I recently carried out an in-depth <a href="/blackmonk-cms-review/#.Uywg7fl_vvU" target="_blank"> review of BlackMonk </a> , where I detailed their range of functionalists and features which make community, directory and news portal website building easy. 
Now, with the release of version 3.2, BlackMonk users can make use of some interesting enhancements – some of which I called for during my review of their platform. 
<h2>Rich Snippets &amp; Rich Static Pages</h2>
First of all, BlackMonk version 3.2 increases the click worthiness of your content in search engines by leveraging Google’s rich snippet feature.
Rich snippets is a feature of Google Search which structures the description of a search listing based on nature/type of targeted content. For example, listing of a news story comprises of story headline, name of news service, time elapsed since publication and a brief summary of the story.
<img alt="BlackMonk Rich Snippets" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/blackmonk.jpg" /> BlackMonk now optimizes your content in line with the benefits of Google’s rich snippet feature, resulting in a substantial increase in Click through Rates (CTR).
Furthermore, the BlackMonk team have also added rich formatting and multimedia content insertion features, making it simple to create rich static pages. This was a feature which I felt was missing in my <a href="/blackmonk-cms-review/" target="_blank">review of BlackMonk CMS</a>, and to see their team react so quickly to that concern is admirable.
Not to mention, it also gives their platform a boost in a very important area.
<h2>Disqus Comments &amp; More</h2>
Version 3.2 of BlackMonk also brings about built-in Disqus comments with Single Sign in Option (SSO).
<img alt="BlackMonk Disqus Comments" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/disqus_comments.jpg" /> You can now allow users to engage with content via the popular Disqus comments system, which allow users to reply to comments posted by fellow users. The Single Sign In Option allows users to post comment without the need for creating a Disqus account.
Additional features included in version 3.2 are CSV upload histories, error logs and over 100 other fixes.
To find out more about BlackMonk CMS, or to request a demo, check out their <a href="http://www.blackmonk.com/" target="_blank"> official website</a>.
Also, be sure to check out my <a href="/blackmonk-cms-review/#.Uywg7fl_vvU" target="_blank"> BlackMonk CMS Review</a>.

BlackMonk v3.2 Released

WordPress today <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2014/03/wordpress-3-9-beta-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced the second beta release of version 3.9</a>, as they prepare for an April launch.
Amongst the enhancements which WordPress 3.9 could bring, is an improved <a href="http://wordpress.org/plugins/widget-customizer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Widget Customiser</a> which allows you to edit and preview widgets in a similar way that the current Theme Customiser works.  
 Further widget management improvements may come in the form of the <a href="http://wordpress.org/plugins/better-widgets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Better Widgets</a> feature, which enable the sidebar area to be switched to the main screen instead of being constricted to the sidebar, giving users greater control over widget placement and configuration. 
 Shaun Andrews, who leads the WordPress “Widgets UI Refresh” team believes that both feature plugins would be ready for inclusion into 3.9 core. For now though, let's have a look at what additions the two recent beta tests have revealed.
<h2>TinyMCE Updates, Improved Image Editing &amp; More</h2>
The first set of  improvements  which WordPress users were asked to test via the first beta release, were as follows:
<ul>
<li>TinyMCE, the software powering the visual editor, updated to the latest version. Be on the lookout for cleaner markup. Also try the new paste handling — if you paste in a block of text from Microsoft Word, for example, it will no longer come out terrible. (The “Paste from Word” button you probably never noticed has been removed.)</li>
<li>Added widget management added to live previews.</li>
<li>3.8′s beautiful new theme browsing experience to the theme installer included.</li>
<li>Galleries now receive a live preview in the editor. </li>
<li>You can now drag-and-drop images directly onto the editor to upload them. </li>
<li>Some have been improved around editing images. It’s a lot easier to make changes to an image after you insert it into a post,  and you no longer get kicked to a new window when you need to crop or rotate an image.</li>
<li>New audio/video playlists.</li>
</ul>
Today though, with the second beta release of WordPress 3.9, some more notable updates have been made, including:
<ul>
<li>Rendering of embedded audio and video players directly in the visual editor.</li>
<li>Visual and functional improvements to the editor, the media manager, and theme installer.</li>
<li>Various bug fixes to TinyMCE, the software behind the visual editor.</li>
<li>Lots of fixes to widget management in the theme customizer.</li>
</ul>
To test out the WordPress 3.9 beta 2 and provide the team with your feedback, head over to the <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2014/03/wordpress-3-9-beta-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">official WordPress Blog</a>.

WordPress 3.9 Beta Testing Underway as April Launch Looms

“Online learning” is a term most of us have probably heard by now, but how exactly are instructors able to run every aspect of an online course – from assigning work to collecting it and monitoring student participation? (And what exactly does “participation” even mean or look like in an online environment?)
Actually, while online learning can refer to “online only” courses – such as the MOOCs we've begun to hear so much about recently (massive open online courses) – on today's university campuses, online learning is often just an additional tool that's used in what we think of as traditional courses (ones that meet in a classroom several times a week), too. For instance, while many professors still collect hard copies of student papers, an increasing number of university instructors are ditching the drop box outside their office doors for the virtual alternative. While some may just ask students to email their work, thanks to today's LMS (learning management systems), better and more centralized ways to collect and track student work are available today. While signed in to an LMS, students and faculty can also access a whole host of other features for organizing a course and enabling more effective and efficient communication.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/atutor_screenshot.jpg" alt="ATutor screenshot" />
While an LMS such as LearnCore is commonly marketed to corporations for training purposes – allowing employees to complete training modules, for example, as they pass tests and move up to the next level – ATutor, on the other hand, is marketed to educators who teach in settings that we more traditionally associate with a university (or some other type of school) in the most basic and classic sense of the word. An LMS such as Edu 2.0 – or BrainX, Moodle, or Joomla – is a popular choice among traditional educators and corporate trainers alike.
Visual Features Help Span the Distance
Among instructors of online-only university courses, a very popular feature (that virtually every LMS offers) is the capability for instructors, with just a few clicks, to set up and monitor a discussion forum. In a 100% online course (where the instructor may never meet the students in person – and they may never meet each other), a discussion forum gives students a chance to interact simultaneously with both one another and the course material (and also provides a way for instructors to consider a “class participation” component when grading). What is more, an LMS that allows students to create user profiles with photos helps to put a face to the names on the roster. In addition, video conferencing (and the ability for both students and professors to upload videos) allows the course to expand beyond reading and writing black-and-white text. Interactive Whiteboard technology can often be added to a live video conference so that all communication tools are available, all at once.
Many Creative Options
Regardless of whether a course only meets online – or is a “hybrid,” only integrating some virtual features into the ways in which students interact with one another and their professors – an LMS allows instructors and students alike to use their imaginations, bringing a multimedia approach to learning. While instructors can still assign and collect – through online means such as an LMS – old-fashioned term papers and the like, LMS blogging capability also allows professors to add a contemporary and creative twist to writing assignments and make student work available for the whole class to read and comment on.
In addition, instructors can post key vocabulary, FAQs, or a library of course reading materials, as well as design quizzes that students take online (which may be graded automatically). They can also create wikis that students add to in order to demonstrate what they know in a way that's more fun and interactive. Students also enjoy the opportunity to create and share educational videos (which, for example, can take the form of a skit that engages key course concepts). These can be created by individual students or through collaboration for group projects, which are considered an increasingly valuable part of a well-rounded university education.
Organizing Basic Course Logistics
On the practical side, an LMS will usually allow professors to invite (and, often, enroll) students – and post not only a course calendar but also important announcements. What's more, the instructor may control when students access any or all information on the website. Many also come with a system for sending individualized messages to students, as needed – as well as giving students grade information and other feedback. An LMS will often also come with an attendance-tracking system. Student groups may be set up for collaborative projects, in which case the messaging also allows students to easily contact one another.
Increasing a Sense of Community
In fact, within an online class environment, what happens quite naturally is that students will often want to be able to message each other anyway, even if there are no group projects. That's the thing about a really good LMS; while many might fear that online learning “distances” students from each other and their professors, really these systems can be used to remind us of one of the most humanizing aspects of learning: it's just plain fun.
Simply put, an LMS can help increase the amount (and quality) of communication between stakeholders. In fact, students who are shy in person – perhaps because the course is held in a language that isn't their first or perhaps because they have a fear of public speaking – will often open up and thrive in a virtual environment. An LMS can also allow professors to create and easily administer student polls and surveys, allowing them to get to know the group better – and to get a better sense of which elements of the course and teaching are effective and which aren't (and make adjustments accordingly). The truth is, rather than making education feel impersonal, a good LMS, when used to its full advantage, can make a class what it should be: a real community (in every sense of the word) of fully-engaged learners.

What is a Learning Management System (LMS) and What Does it Do?

Next week, I will be attending the 2014 Adobe Digital Marketing Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah. Held at the Salt Lake City convention center, this event is definitely a unique one that I do my best not to miss. 
Not only is Salt Lake City a beautiful place but Adobe tends to put 110% into their conferences and this years will be no exception. Two of the speakers I'm most interested in hearing from this year are Robert Redford (actor &amp; director) and Yancey Strickler (CEO and Co-founder of Kickstarter.com).
Adobe also knows how to throw one helluva party (<a href="/the-summit-bash-at-the-adobe-digital-marketing-summit/#.UymfP1f5a0M">see past pictures of the Summit Bash here</a>). This year, we will be treated with a concert by Vampire Weekend (last year was an amazing concert by The Black Keys).
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/adobesummit2012.jpg" />
It's not all about the party though. The conference is a great place to see the new innovations that Adobe is bringing to the forefront and each year, I'm impressed with what they are doing. As a major player in the online marketing space, it only makes sense to keep up on what they are doing to see how they are staying competitive and relevant. I also tend to connect with quite a few related vendors that attend the show and have booths there, so it's a win-win for me.
Stay tuned on the site and on Twitter as I'll be live tweeting from the event starting mid next week. For more info on the Adobe Summit, check out their website: <a href="http://summit.adobe.com/">Adobe Summit 2014</a>.

See you at the Adobe Summit!

Following the recent release of <a href="/bigcommerce-launch-bigcommerce-next-beauty-brawn-brains/#.Uyl28fl_vvU">Bigcommerce Next</a> – which includes blogging functionality, <a href="/products/bigcommerce">Bigcommerce</a> have this week introduced further blogging improvements to help merchants produce and present content more professionally.Since the launch of <a href="/products/bigcommerce">Bigcommerce</a> Next, users have written more than 18,000 individual blog posts, with almost 500 new blog posts per day. So, these new blogging features will surely be welcomed.Let's take a peak at what's new.<h2>Front End Enhancement</h2>To increase readership, visitors to your Bigcommerce blog will now see the most recent blog post appear in full. Previous posts are listed less dramatically underneath.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/blog-main-page.jpg" alt="Bigcommerce blog" />Additionally, thumbnail images have been incorporated to increase click-through rates. Plus, no blog is complete without an image or two.<h2>Tag Filtering &amp; Google Authorship</h2>Bigcommerce has also made finding content easier for blog visitors via the implementation of tags.Now, when a reader clicks on a tag in one of your posts, they’ll be taken to a page that features all posts with that tag. This enables readers to filter posts by topic and helps them better navigate your blog and find posts that interest them, increasing their engagement.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/blog-tag-page.jpg" alt="Bigcommerce tags" />Furthermore, having tag pages with the tag in the URL helps Google and other search engines find and categorize your blog posts, which should aid you and your blog in the terms of search engine optimization.Finally, <a target="_blank" href="http://blog.bufferapp.com/why-google-authorship-is-so-important-for-the-content-you-create-and-how-to-set-it-up">Google Authorship</a> is also now supported. Google Authorship lets online authors claim their content and build authority on certain subjects by linking blog posts to their Google+ profile page.It helps increase your click-through rates from Google search results because searchers will see a “rich snippet” that includes a preview of your post and your profile picture.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/blog-serp700x0.jpg" alt="Bigcommerce Google Authorship" />Now you can add the URL of your Google+ page to your post and Bigcommerce will automatically link it to your account with a rel=”author” link, a requirement for Google Authorship. You’ll then start seeing your author profile in your blog search results on Google. It's that easy.A 15 day free trial of Bigcommerce Next can be found on the  <a href="/products/bigcommerce">official Bigcommerce website</a>.Additionally, you can explore more of <a href="/products/bigcommerce">Bigcommerce via our CMS Directory</a>.

Bigcommerce Introduce New Blogging Improvements

<a href="http://www.prestashop.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> PrestaShop 1.6</a> is now officially available for download after months of development and intense anticipation.
I had the pleasure of carrying out a <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/hands-on-with-prestashop-1.6/#.Uygj0vl_vvU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> hands-on preview of PrestaShop 1.6</a> last week, where I explained some of its key new features and gave you another peak at the sleek user interface.
The PrestaShop team have worked hard on bringing in some major enhancements to do with general usability and statistical store monitoring in particular.
Additions have also been made to the PrestaShop Front Office, where an array of design improvements and functions have been introduced to make the end user experience better than ever.
<h2>Another Look at What's New</h2>
Although I covered PrestaShop 1.6 extensively in my <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/hands-on-with-prestashop-1.6/#.Uygj0vl_vvU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> hands-on preview</a>, here's a quick re-cap of the changes made to PrestaShop's new Front Office:
<ul>
<li>Redesigned and Fully Responsive Front Office Default Template.</li>
<li>The front office template is now mobile responsive, allowing your online shop to display perfectly when accessed from a mobile and tablet device.</li>
<li>The powerful and popular Rich Menu module has been integrated into the default theme.</li>
<li>New Quick View feature has been added to let customers add a product to their shopping cart without ever leaving the page.</li>
<li>Attractive promotional banners to help you highlight sales, marketing campaigns and other promotions.</li>
<li>Live Template configurator that lets you to edit the color and font of your shop directly from your front office.</li>
<li>Now customers can use the grid or list option when viewing your products.</li>
<li>Even more brilliant features including integrated product comparison with dedicated URL, new add to cart confirmation with cross selling, instant field format validation and more.</li>
</ul>
As for the Back Office &amp; Admin Dashboard, PrestaShop users can now enjoy:
<ul>
<li>A fully mobile responsive back office, letting you manage your shop from a mobile or tablet device, wherever you are.</li>
<li>Completely new dashboard look that displays information that is important to you, in real time.</li>
<li>Real-time net profit margin, a unique ecommerce feature that you will only find in PrestaShop 1.6.</li>
<li>Intelligent Merchant KPI (key performance indicators) are located throughout select pages in the back office, giving you in depth insight on your shop.</li>
<li>Smart Forecast Statistics Panel allows you to see how your sales are trending and what the outlook is for the future.</li>
</ul>
<a href="http://www.prestashop.com/en/download" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Download PrestaShop 1.6 </a>
<h2>15% Discount on PrestaShop Developed Addons</h2>
To celebrate the release of PrestaShop version 1.6, users can take advantage of a <a href="http://addons.prestashop.com/en/2-modules-prestashop" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> 15% discount on all PrestaShop developed Addons</a> between now and midnight on Wednesday 19th March. All you need to do is use the promo code: PRESTASHOP16.
To find out more about PrestaShop 1.6, visit their <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">official website</a>, or check out their <a href="http://www.prestashop.com/blog/en/prestashop-1-6-is-officially-available-for-download/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blog announcement</a>.
Additionally, you can explore more of  <a href="/products/prestashop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> PrestaShop via our CMS Directory</a>.

PrestaShop 1.6 Released

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