Articles - Page 154

What I Mean to Say: A Practitioner Perspective on AI, Semantics, and Content Evolution

msalvatierra

Since its founding way back in 1999, <a href="http://ez.no/" target="_blank">eZ Publish</a> has been providing an open source content management system which has only ever grown in stature. Now, with eZ Publish 5.2, the globally recognized company will be hoping to build upon their solid reputation even further.
eZ Publish 5.2 brings about fifteen new features, alongside 129 bug fixes and improvements to the core platform.
Users of the CMS can expect to find it enhanced in terms of stability, efficiency and functionality, in ways which will make online marketing and web content publishing easier than ever before. So, let's take a look at what's new.
<h2>More Speed, Flexibility &amp; Accessibility</h2>
Perhaps the most apparent feature users will feel the full force of, is the brand new caching system implemented by eZ Publish 5.2. Compared to the 4.x series of the platform, version 5.2 increases page load performance by an astonishing 400%.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ezp.png" alt="eZ Publish 5.2" />
This new found speed offered by eZ Publish 5.2 can be experienced consistently, right out of the box – even in highly personalized end user navigation contexts. This means that, when a logged-in customer enjoys a tailored online experience with your brand, he or she no longer exits after becoming frustrated with their deceptively slow digital journey. Thus, the chances of conversion are increased.
To enhance flexibility and accessibility of the eZ Publish platform, up to 62 languages are now covered, with integrated content translation capabilities for your in-house or external translation teams.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/multiple-languages-at-the-heart-of-ez-publish-platform-5_2_fancybox700x0.png" alt="eZ Publish 5.2" />
These new language capabilities, backed by eZ Publish 5.2's native multi-site support, make starting a new business, or even simply expanding your current one into a different part of the world, a far more practical process.
<h2>Symfony2, Stability, Commenting Systems &amp; More</h2>
Thanks to an upgraded and enhanced <a href="http://symfony.com/" target="_blank">Symfony2 framework</a> brought about by eZ Publish 5.2, the eZ Publish platform is now a more stable, efficient beast.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/symfony-2_3-lts-in-ez-publish-platform-5_2_fancybox700x0.png" alt="eZ Publish 5.2" />
The Symfony2 framework has been upgraded to its improved 2.3 Long Term Support version, giving the core eZ Publish framework a heightened state of dependability. Additionally, this move opens up opportunities for eZ Publish customers to tap into a large base of talented developers, from both the eZ Publish and Symfony communities.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/new-commenting-experience-in-ez-publish-platform-5_2_fancybox700x0.png" alt="eZ Publish 5.2" />
To top off these excellent stability enhancements, eZ Publish 5.2 also has something more social up its sleeve. Newly introduced third-party commenting services, including Facebook Comments and Disqus, offer your audience a recognizable space to engage, interact and discuss your content.
These third-party application integrations have been made possible thanks to the REST interface in eZ Publish 5.2 which lets you rise to the omnichannel/multichannel challenge, with an extensible, built-in content exposure system. In other words, handling content publication and curation from multiple device and channel types is now a piece of cake.
To explore more of the new features introduced by eZ Publish 5.2, you can check out the <a href="http://ez.no/About-eZ/Events-News/News/eZ-Publish-Platform-5.2-Faster-Stronger-For-Your-Content-Business#" target="_blank">official release notes</a>.
Additionally, you can find out more about <a href="/products/ibexa/" target="_blank">eZ Publish via our CMS Directory</a>.

eZ Publish Platform 5.2 Released

mike-johnston

Today, we're going to share with you the judges' selection for the Critics Choice Award for Best Open Source CMS in 2013.
With an incredible amount of Open Source CMS available worldwide, making a decision as to which is the ‘best' is virtually impossible, therefore, in order to do so, we must have a set of criteria to judge by.
Being an open-source CMS means you have a commitment to the open-source community. This means that not only are you taking advantage of a vast group of exceptional developers worldwide but that you give back to that community as well. This year, when selecting the Best Open Source CMS for 2013, we decided to make this a major factor in the awards selection for Best Open Source CMS.
We also wanted to select a CMS that is different from the ones you would normally expect. The purpose of these awards is to bring to your attention the many incredible products on the market, not just to highlight the usual suspects over and over. Therefore, without further adieu, the winner of the 2013 Critics Choice Award for Best Open Source CMS is…
<h3><img style="max-width:200px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2013/11/best-open-source-cms-1_whd9pd.png" /></h3>
<h3>Hippo CMS!</h3>
Hippo CMS is a heavy contributor to the open-source community with a large number of Apache committers and is a strong advocate and promoter of the open-source methodology. They are members of OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) &amp; the Java Community Process (JCP) and very open about their love of open source. You can read more about how they contribute and why <a href="https://www.bloomreach.com/en">here</a>.
Due to their overwhelming commitment to the open-source movement, we feel that they deserve a nod and recognition as the 2013 Critics Choice Award Winner for Best Open Source CMS.
Congratulations to the team at Hippo, you are well deserving of this award.
<a href="/products/bloomreach">Learn more about Hippo</a> or visit them <a href="https://www.bloomreach.com/en">on the web</a>

2013 Critics Choice for Best Open Source CMS

WebStarts Shopping Cart Review

Content is only as strong as the methods used to target it. A website is only as valuable as its user experience. When a visitor hits your site, they want to see only the most relevant content possible, in the most immediate and obviously engaging way you can provide. Marketers can run into trouble when they’re faced with the challenge of mixing free, open content with secured or limited-access content.
If your website is acting as your primary lead generation tool, it’s often necessary to gate that content; to create a level of secured access – either because some content is more sensitive than others or because the viewing of marketing resources should be a transactional process. If you’re struggling with a content management system that focuses on security over marketing value or vice versa, it can lead to wasted time and abandoned projects, ultimately reducing your day-to-day marketing plans to a conflict between multiple platforms. Don’t let your CMS drag you down – choose a platform that can easily create and managed gated content that works for you.
When we talk about “gated content” we might be addressing a number of topics. Here are a few ways that gated content can improve the user experience of your website:
Staff Intranet
A website acting as the digital hub for your company can often do more than simply generate leads. It can act as a database for staff documents, feedback tools and sensitive information. Your website, by way of a simple login form, should be able to provide your fellow staff members with a secure area where they can collaborate, discuss and download resources. There’s no need to use a separate tool for this – your CMS should be able to integrate secure and public information together without the additional loss of productivity that comes from managing separate technologies.
Document Library
A broader application than an intranet, a document library may be used by prospects who want to download case studies, investors looking to view reports, current customers looking for  the latest software release information or looking to access support documentation. This kind of information exists in a sort of grey area: not necessarily requiring the level of security that a staff intranet might require but certainly not public information, either. It can also require some administration from your users; as data continues to grow and change, you want to be able to provide the most up-to-date information to your privileged visitors. Your CMS should allow you the ability to create granular user-groups with easily-altered access to various aspects of your asset library.
Customer Portal
For any service-oriented business, a customer portal can be an invaluable asset. Allowing customer access to help documentation, ongoing project reports or up-to-date licensing information will save your customer support team hours in direct communication time. Let your customers serve themselves by accessing a gated section of your website where this data is available. Any CMS platform you choose to use should have the flexibility to both create and manage these kinds of customer portals. More importantly, it should enable personalization of the data, available links and user experience that your customers have once they’ve logged in. This kind of personalization can be simple (content based on customer-grouping) or complex (altered by behavioural data, generated live as users perform various actions on the site).
Marketing Resources
After spending your limited hours and budget creating marketing content for your website, you’ll want to get the most possible return on that investment. Webinar videos, whitepapers and presentations are some of the most valuable resources available to a potential customer visiting your website. While it’s admirably charitable to simply upload these documents and let your visitors read at their leisure, it’s often wiser to restrict access with a gated content tool. Give your leads a chance to qualify themselves with a simple permission form – they give you their email address, you give them the resources they want. With a cookie placed in their browser, you can then track subsequent downloads. Want to know what topics John Doe is interested in?  Want to see what product spec sheets he’s been viewing? A gated content tool can allow you to track that data simply and easily – once you’ve got that, lead scoring, triggered email and drip marketing are a breeze. The CMS you choose should allow you to make this process painless for both you and your visitors. Everyone deserves a positive user experience!
Marqui: Content and Subscribers
Combining functionality from two disciplines, Marqui enables marketers to create content that can be easily gated from within the CMS and create dynamic segments with access to that content. Users are empowered to act as gatekeeper in whatever capacity makes the most sense. Want to hand-pick the people who have access to your gated section? A static group enables granular control. Want to allow the system to automatically grant (or deny!) access based on location, company, or other attribute data? A dynamic group can save you time, handling group membership in a hands-off capacity.  Here’s how we do it.
Gated content is created just like any other – there’s no separate tool to manage gated vs. un-gated content. Once it’s ready for launch, a user can set a flag to protect that content. From there on, anyone attempting to visit a secured folder will be redirected to a log-in page. This is where the subscriber module takes over.
Whether they’ve been added manually, by filling out a form, being imported from a spreadsheet or a direct sync from your CRM, users will be sorted into various groups dynamically. It’s as easy as matching up the groups with their appropriate folders. Want your Board Members to have access to /files/PDF/reports?  It’s just a single check-box. Since users can belong to a number of groups, you can easily add your prospects to a new customers group and give them access to all the documentation they need to get started. Marqui’s smart login form will prioritize and redirect appropriately, making sure that your visitors never have to fill out another login request. Built-in password management tools allow users all the conveniences they’d expect from a dedicated gated content tool, safely and securely.
Once a visitor is logged in, Marqui’s multi-channel tracking module allows you to assign click-through and conversion behaviours to those visitors. Did John download the new Web Design Trends whitepaper?  How many times has he watched the SEO and CMS webinar? As documents are downloaded and content is viewed, Marqui builds a profile of your visitors that you can leverage for all kinds of future marketing campaigns. Personalization tools allow you to tailor the user experience, ensuring click-throughs that become conversions and conversions that become sales. (Of course, once John becomes a client, his status is updated and he gain’s access to the protected client content.)
It’s an outmoded concept to think of gated content as merely the purview of the IT department. Every click, especially ones attributed to those visitors who have qualified themselves with that initial request for a log in, counts towards your ROI. Don’t struggle with a tool that doesn’t let you leverage your content in the right way. Gated content should be a paradise for you and for your visitors, not a prison.
<a href="http://www.marqui.com/CMSCriticDemo">Learn more about Marqui today</a>.

Gated Content: A Paradise Not a Prison

The sleek, robust and open-source forum software known as NodeBB has just released its latest update, NodeBB v0.1.0.
<a href="http://nodebb.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NodeBB</a> is a powerful platform offering single sign-on, social network connectivity, and responsive design which transitions fluidly from desktop to mobile device. Additional core features include streamed discussions, instant updates, notifications, and more.
Now, with NodeBB v0.1.0, users of the platform will get the benefit of a handful of new updates, making their lives as forum administrators easier than ever before. So, let's take a look at what's new.
<h2>Improved Notifications, Plugins &amp; Mobile Layouts</h2>
NodeBB v0.1.0 bring about a number of fixes to both the internal and external functions of the platform. The main ones of which are:
<ul>
<li>Better handling of notifications (including a new notifications page)</li>
<li>Better plugin support with the addition of new hooks</li>
<li>Improved mobile layout</li>
<li>NodeBB pages are now more search engine friendly</li>
<li>Theme installation now easier than ever</li>
<li>Many changes in the administration panel will now take effect immediately, without the need for NodeBB to restart</li>
</ul>
These impressive updates, which NodeBB users can now enjoy immediately after they update their software, are but a few from amongst many more. 
For the full list of NodeBB enhancements, and to also see what’s coming via future updates, take a look at NodeBB's <a href="https://github.com/designcreateplay/NodeBB/wiki/Version-History-&amp;-Roadmap" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Version History &amp; Roadmap</a>.
<h2>Closed Beta Announcement &amp; An Exclusive CMS Critic Offer</h2>
On top of the long list of improvements brought about by NodeBB v0.1.0, news has been announced that NodeBB's premium hosted platform has now officially entered closed beta. 
NodeBB's premium SaaS (Software as a Service) platform allows anybody, irregardless of their technical ability, to build their own NodeBB community. All you have to do in order to test out the beta, is email NodeBB via “sales@nodebb.com” and express your interest.
If you wish to claim 30 days of NodeBB's premium platform for free, simply mention CMS Critic in your email request. 
For more information on NodeBB v0.1.0, you can visit the <a href="http://designcreateplay.com/nodebb/2013/11/14/nodebb-v0-1-0-released" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">official release notes</a>. To learn more about NodeBB as a forum and community solution, check out their <a href="http://nodebb.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">official website</a>.

NodeBB v0.1.0 Released

The development team behind Subrion CMS – <a href="http://www.intelliants.com/">Intelliants</a>, have recently announced a major update for their flagship content management system, calling it Subrion CMS 3.
<a href="http://www.subrion.com/">Subrion</a> is an open-source PHP content management system which has always aimed to be as comprehensive as possible in terms of functionality, whilst holding true to it's user-friendly ethos.
Key features such as full source editing, per-page permissions and extensive plugin options have always been part of the platform, but now with a host of improvements recently launched along with Subrion CMS 3, users are in for a far more powerful Subrion experience. Let's explore how.
<h2>Enhanced Admin Dashboard, Plugin Installation &amp; Fields Management</h2>
The most obvious improvement introduced by Subrion CMS 3, is the enhanced admin dashboard. The core version comes in a selection of 5 different colours by default, making it easy to customize your experience right out of the box.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/1-1700x0.png" alt="Subrion CMS 3" />
The brand new dashboard, along with its 5 bundled colours, is extremely easy on the eyes, and even simpler to use, thanks to bold menus and logically grouped tools and features which makes managing content a breeze.
This new user interface is sleek and organized, allowing you to access different areas of your Subrion admin panel with ease, whilst also displaying key content such as Twitter news and recent activity via the main dashboard.
Subrion CMS 3's admin dashboard is also fully responsive, so it can be viewed via tablets and smartphones, allowing you can manage your content easily – anywhere you go.  To help achieve this flexibly responsive function, Subrion have utilized the de-factor standard Twitter Bootstrap 3, and the latest version of Sencha JS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2-1700x0.png" alt="Subrion CMS 3" />
Subrion CMS 3 also brings about remote plugin installation, which scraps the need for manual downloading and uploading of plugins via FTP.
Instead, a simple three-step process is all you need to worry about. Once you navigate over to the Plugins page on your admin panel, you can select the Remote Mode filter for your available plugins, and then click install. It's that easy.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/3700x0.png" alt="Subrion CMS 3" />
You can also look forward to improved fields management features for item listings. Whether the fields relate to members, auto listing, real estate listing, coupons, or anything else, you can easily extend your listings with the additional fields.
Fields can be created in many different forms, including, text field, WYSIWYG, checkboxes, radios, pictures, attachments, and much more.
The best part is, there is no need to make any PHP/HTML changes, as you can have complete control over your fields right from the admin panel.
<h2>Built-In Blogging &amp; Professional Templates</h2>
With Subrion CMS 3 also comes bundled with a built-in blogging functionality, which means there is no need to combine Subrion with any other blogging platform or content management system in order to create a blog.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/4-1700x0.png" alt="Subrion CMS 3" />
The latest version of Subrion also introduces a new <a href="http://codex.intelliants.com/iabootstrap/">iaBootstrap template framework</a>, which is based on Twitter Bootstrap 2. The framework simplifies new template development for Subrion CMS, providing all templates with a responsive nature.
Subrion have made use of a Smarty based template engine, which is extremely easy to use, and allows the separation of software logic and presentation.
Much like the new Subrion admin panel, all templates that come with the software are fully responsive, which ensures that their sleek and aesthetically modern nature is maintained across all mobile devices. To get a better feel for Subrion's responsive templates, check out their <a href="http://demos.subrion.com/templates" target="_blank">Template Demo Page</a>, which is updated weekly.
<h2>Premium Extension Packages, Major Re-factoring &amp; a 30% Discount</h2>
With version 3 of their platform, Subrion were aiming to make their software more scalable, reliable, and stable than every before – and they did just that.
This is due to some major re-factoring work, with improvements to nearly 90% of Subrion's core code. Major improvements include improved PHP 5 support, and the addition of MySQLi support.
Along with all these Subrion CMS 3 enhancements, you can also extend the default functionality of the platform instantly, with 6 premium extension packages.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/5.png" alt="Subrion CMS 3" />
These paid premium packages allow you to add further functionality in terms of article publishing, coupons, real estate listings, directory listings, and more.
There is also some great news for CMS Critic readers. Subrion have kindly offered a 30% discount off all orders, including on their Premium Extension Packages which are detailed above.
To claim your 30% discount, simply use the discount code, “CMSCRITIC” upon checkout.
If you wish to get your hands on some more information on Subrion CMS 3, check out the <a href="http://www.intelliants.com/devblog/announcements/6-subrion30-release-annoucement.html#ia_lightbox/9/">official announcement</a>. You can also try out the <a href="http://cms.subrion.com/">Subrion CMS Demo</a> to get a feel for the platform.
Additionally, you can find out more about <a href="/products/subrion-cms/">Subrion via our CMS Directory</a>.

Subrion CMS 3: Now More Powerful & Flexible Than Ever Before

Power your CMS on AWS

Manage your websites & apps in the most trusted cloud.

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Jahia, the Open Source vendor of new generation Java CMS solutions, today announces a major event and a premiere in its history: JahiaOne, its first international conference. Save the date for February 6&amp;7th 2014 for an exceptional 2-day conference.
“Our products and technologies are experiencing an expanding interest from all around the world, from all types of companies with sophisticated and successful web and mobile projects worth sharing. We felt it was the right time to provide our community with the right event to meet, share and get further involved with our solutions, thanks to the presence of our international architect team and of passionate consultants as well as. JahiaOne is this event and we hope it’ll become the key recurring event our community is expecting.” Says Elie Auvray, CEO of Jahia Solutions Group SA.
<h3>JahiaOne in a Nutshell</h3>
<ul>
<li>Time and location: Paris on February 6th &amp; 7th</li>
<li>Audience: this two-day event is the ideal venue for Jahia developers, users, clients and partners to meet, share their experience and discover Jahia's upcoming versions. Members of the Jahia community from all around the world, including speakers from global customers and partners and, of course, the Jahia Team will be present.</li>
<li>Program: The program will feature technical and business tracks, as well as certifying sessions for the upcoming Jahia release.</li>
<li>Tickets are only 99€ and covers the two-day conference, lunches, dinner on the Thursday night and coffee breaks. Inscriptions are open here. (<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/tickets">www.jahiaone.com/tickets</a>)</li>
<li>More about JahiaOne (<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/">www.jahiaone.com/</a>)</li>
</ul>
<h3>JahiaOne program</h3>
Here are some of the key elements of the two-day program currently under finalization:
<ul>
<li>Keynotes from the Jahia team and other speakers to present the major achievements and projects of both past and upcoming months</li>
<li>Detailed presentations of the upcoming version of Jahia xCM. </li>
<li>A series of certifying sessions will be delivered for already certified developers to “upgrade” their certification to this new version – FOR FREE.</li>
<li>Two parallel tracks – Business and Technical –  of over 10 slots each, to further explore the capabilities of Jahia. These tracks, animated by the Jahia team,  are open to speakers from partners and customers.</li>
<li>A FREE certification session will give experienced developers (we recommend a minimum of one Jahia 6.6 project carried out in the past 12 months)  the opportunity to pass the Jahia certification exam</li>
<li>Many networking opportunities to keep the conversation going in a more personalized fashion</li>
<li>Another key highlight of JahiaOne will be the Gala Dinner on Thursday night: a great time for networking and discovering the winners of the 1st Jahia Developer Contest. (www.jahiaone.com/developer-contest)</li>
</ul>
As new speakers, sponsors and partners will join, information will be announced and presented on the website.
<h3>About Jahia</h3>
Jahia's next-generation, Open Source CMS stems from a widely acknowledged vision of enterprise application convergence – web, search, document, social and portal – unified by the simplicity of web content management. Structured around Jahia xCM, Jahia Wise, Jahia Studio and based on the powerful Jahia Content Platform, Jahia brings a unique modularity to the Java development arena. With its hundreds of built-in widgets, downloadable JahiApps and third party modules, Jahia is the tool of choice for building business-driven user experiences for innovative web and mobile applications, at a fraction of the cost of competing solutions.
Founded in 2002 and based in Geneva (Switzerland), Jahia Solutions Group has offices in Paris (France), Klagenfurt (Austria), Düsseldorf (Germany), Toronto (Canada) and Washington, DC (USA). Jahia counts hundreds of global brands and governmental organizations among its loyal customers, in more than 20 countries across the globe. For more information, visit: <a href="http://www.jahia.com">www.jahia.com</a>

Jahia introduces JahiaOne its First International User Conference

Unlike the People's Choice Awards, which are based on nominations and voting, the Critic's Choice Awards are selected from all available products on the market and decided upon by a panel of reputable judges from within the industry.This year, we have already announced the Critic's Choice Award for <a href="/2013-critic-s-choice-winner-for-best-small-to-midsize-business-cms/">Best Small to Midsize Business CMS </a>and the Critic's Choice Award for <a href="/2013-critic-s-choice-winner-for-best-website-builder/">Best Website Builder</a>. Today, however, we announce the winner for Best Enterprise CMS.The Winner is…<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitecore_logo.gif" alt="Sitecore" />Sometimes the public and the judges are all on the same track and today is one of those occasions. As you may recall, Sitecore was the winner of our <a href="/2013-people-s-choice-winner-for-best-enterprise-cms/">People's Choice Award for Best Enterprise CMS</a> this year and today, we're excited to announce that the judges have selected Sitecore as the winner of our Critic's Choice Award for Best Enteprise CMS as well.Why Sitecore?<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best-enterprise-cms-1150x0.png" alt="Best Enterprise CMS" />Sitecore has proven themselves to be a strong contender in the Enterprise market due to the high capability of their platform. With the powerful combination of a solid marketing component and a content management system that has evolved into a well rounded platform, Sitecore is poised to continue their expansion in this market. Sitecore also tends to show up on a very high number of short lists from those we consult with here at CMS Critic and that tends to mean two things:<ol><li>They are doing an excellent job of positioning themselves in front of the right potential customers.</li><li>The Sitecore brand has established itself well and people tend to associate their product with their needs, which means the marketing people at Sitecore are doing something right.</li></ol>It can be tough to stand out in the Enteprise market with such a high level of competition but Sitecore has managed to consistently do this with ease which indeed makes them a powerful contender and our choice for the 2013 Critic's Choice Award for Best Enterprise CMS.Congratulations Sitecore, we tip our hats to you and look forward to more amazing things in the future.<a href="/products/sitecore/">Learn more about Sitecore</a> or visit them <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sitecore.net">on the web</a>.

2013 Critic's Choice Winner for Best Enterprise CMS

If you've never heard of <a href="http://ghost.org"> Ghost</a>, you should do yourself a favor and take a look at their website. Ghost is a very interesting and unique new tool for blogging that has recently completed a very successful <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnonolan/ghost-just-a-blogging-platform"> Kickstarter campaign</a>. Initially requesting only £25,000 to help fund their creation, they ended up raising almost £196,362.
When I first heard about Ghost, I was excited about the prospect of a new blogging platform coming online that might be able to serve a new set of future bloggers with an interface designed purely for blogging. WordPress, although a very capable platform, has simply started to move out of the “just a blogging tool” arena and into a broader market, offering up a great set of tools for creating other types of websites such as those for business, etc. While it's still a great blogging platform, this is no longer it's only purpose and having a tool specifically for just blogging that does it well and beautifully, is certainly appealing.
I'm also a huge fan of simplicity and minimalism (one of the reasons I switched CMS Critic from WP to <a href="/products/processwire/">ProcessWire</a> not too long ago), so when I saw how beautiful the Ghost interface was going to be, I had to jump onboard and become an early adopter.
Check out this video to see why Ghost was created:
[[ghost]]
After watching the video and seeing the passion that John has for his project, I had to try it. I decided to install Ghost on my personal blog, which I've been meaning to get up for quite some time. While the process right now is incredibly complicated (for someone with no technical experience), once I got it up and running, I was able to quickly see why Ghost has such potential. Not only is it incredibly fast running not on Apache or PHP but rather <a href="http://nodejs.org/"> node.js</a>. To get an idea of how the install process works, I've written a post addressing how to get Ghost up and running on a VPS through <a href="http://www.servint.net/index.php?refid=DFC839039622"> ServInt</a>, whom I use as my web host of choice for CMS Critic. You can <a href="http://thatcriticguy.com/">read it here </a> (on my Ghost powered blog, That Critic Guy).
<h2>The Interface</h2>
What I particularly like about Ghost is how simple it is. In the video, you'll see they have a beautiful dashboard showcased. This isn't complete yet so if you choose to test Ghost out now, you won't be able to see it but it's planned to be released within the coming months. What does work is the publishing interface and yes, it's missing some functionality given that this is an early development release but they are making progress quickly.
Here's how the back end of Ghost looks to me on my blog, That Critic Guy when I log in:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2013-11-11_07_11_23-mozilla_firefox1125x0.png" alt="Ghost interface" />
Pretty simple isn't it?
What I like the most is the way that Ghost handles writing. The way it works is you write in the left pane in Markdown Syntax (which is super easy to use by the way) and on the right, everything is previewed live.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2013-11-11_07_05_55-ghost_blogging_platform_features.png" alt="Ghost - Writing" />
It's an elegant. yet simple interface that feels good to write with. In fact, I dare say it made me want to write more often just to use the interface.
Is it done yet? No, it still is in the development process although it's most certainly usable for those of you who, like me, have no patience and like getting their hands dirty. They are planning to launch the hosted version of their platform within the next few months along with the cool dashboard you saw in their video around the same time.
Ghost has some amazing potential and considering they are not in it for the money, but rather to make the web a better place for bloggers, they've got my support. If you are tech-minded enough and feel you can handle the process of trying out Ghost, give it a try. Alternatively, you can wait for their hosted version to come online in the next few months.
There is already a solid selection of Ghost themes available on Themeforest as well.
<a href="http://ghost.org"> Check out Ghost. </a> or see it running on my personal blog, That Critic Guy.

The Beauty and Potential of Ghost

<a target="_blank" href="http://dashboard.webydo.com/landingpages/starta.aspx?campaign=cmscritic&amp;utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=cmscritica">Webydo</a> is a powerful website builder that's recently begun to really gain traction for themselves in the industry. Today, we bring you our interview with Webydo CEO and co-founder Shmulik Grizim. Read on to find out more about this unique and interesting website builder.Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?Before working on Webydo, with my partner Tzvika Steinmetz, we founded and headed two leading web agencies that are still very successful. Webydo is a collision of two personal passions of mine – the web and good design. Good design puts creativity at the center, enriching the human experience. My other great passion is the web. The web has introduced a new era of collaborative efforts. An innovative community brings to life radical transformations.  I believe that Webydo's designers’ community is building up this transformative power that will change the structure of the web itself.How did Webydo come about?We were leading a big web agency and felt frustrated by the fact that 70% of website creation budget is going towards the repetitive development of handwritten code. This old professional process for creating a website was slow and expensive and we felt that the hands of our creative designers were tied. Designers are marginalized in this process; they cannot experience their designs in real time and lack direct communication with their clients. We believe there's a need for a pro-designers movement, a community lead platform that will enable designers to control the entire website creation process on their own.We've asked the best mathematicians and engineers to develop a code generator that will automatically convert graphic design into code. With Webydo designers can finally create advanced websites for their clients in a process that is ten times faster and cheaper, without hiring a developer or writing even one line of code. That's a real revolution.We hope more talented designers will join Webydo’s community and help us create the best work environment for creative designers.Where to you think the market is headed for website builders?The web design market has seen a rise of low-cost, Do-It-Yourself solutions for amateurs like Wix, Squarespace and <a href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a>. These simple tools offer limited selection of pre-designed templates and are designed to provide a “fast, fun and easy” process for unprofessional users. However, less than 3% of websites are created using do-it-yourself platforms. Amateurs find it hard to finish the process and only 2% of the registered users manage to publish a site on domain. We believe website creation is a serious task that needs to be done by professional designers.And indeed, more than 70% of websites today are created in a professional process by developers and designers using pro-developers platforms such as WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. However, using these solutions designers still need to code or hire developers.Yet, there is a global community of 38 million designers who wish to focus on the creative side and create multiple websites for their clients without writing code. Designers cannot use DIY website-builders, as these solutions are not suitable for professional use. Asking a designer to create a website using DIY website builders is like asking a designer to design for print using PowerPoint… Professional designers need professional solutions.Now, there is finally a solution made by designers, for designers. Webydo’s free online software enables designers to create and manage multiple pixel-perfect websites for their clients, without writing code or hiring developers.  With Webydo designers can build an independent web design business and conquer the market.Where do you see Webydo in this market?Webydo is the leader of the pro-designers movement. We’re providing the first full solution for website creation, designed specifically to fit the needs of creative designers.We believe that designers should grab the driver’s seat of website creation. Designers are the innovative force behind the great achievements of this era. And, while developers have extremely powerful open-source communities such as WordPress, designers had no solutions tailored to fit their creative and professional needs. It is time for designers to unite in action and create a design-centered platform. We hope more talented designers will join Webydo designers’ community and together we will create a better web for us all.What do you think makes Webydo unique? Why?Webydo’s free cloud software is like an online Photoshop re-imagined for the web.  Every feature in the system was made with designers needs in mind, providing designers with total creative freedom and independence. The challenge was to make Webydo's sophisticated system extremely user friendly and efficient. One element that saves a lot of headaches for designers is that with Webydo you are designing in browser. There is no need to install or patch any software and you can continue working on your clients’ sites from any computer. Webydo's system provides a full code-free cloud solution for designing, managing, and hosting your clients’ sites and even billing your clients.Webydo enables designers to start designing from scratch, with a blank canvas, using a professional “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” design interface that allows designers to just drag and drop images, texts, videos, flash, galleries, menus, custom designed forms, widgets, or even their own HTML code. When the designer finishes designing and hits Publish, the website is immediately live online.Moreover, designers need to have a clear and direct dialog with their clients, as websites today demand constant updating and managing. This is why Webydo offers designers two integrated work environments: the professional online software for creating and designing websites as well as a built-in CMS (Content Management System) for the ongoing content updates by the website owner. Designers can even lock parts of their design, preventing unwanted changes and preserving full artistic control. This integration of professional web design cloud software with a CMS that can be easily used by unprofessional users allows designers to provide their clients with exceptional web design service.  Lastly, the full Webydo solution is provided to designers for free. Designers can even host unlimited amount of websites on Webydo’s sub-domain all free of charge. When the designers’ clients are ready to publish their sites on domain, the client can purchase a premium plan for $9.99 a month. In this way Webydo is helping designers build a strong and independent web design business.If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?There used to be many technological barriers in the process of creating advanced websites, including the need to master HTML code, databases, Ajax, Java Script, .NET, handle server crashes, etc. Webydo’s mission is to eliminate all these technical barriers and help designers focus on what is most important – the creative side.What do you consider your biggest accomplishment to date?We’ve started with a small team and a tremendous mission to find a solution to a problem that big companies like Adobe have yet to solve. The strength of Webydo’s innovative platform is coming out of the fact that Webydo is lead by its users. Webydo’s devoted community of designers is setting up the roadmap for development of Webydo’s online software, suggesting features and voting which features should be developed first. We believe in radical democracy and we want designers to own the Webydo platform and shape our future. Your biggest failure?There are still many designers who have not yet joined Webydo…Webydo has a strong community of more than 13,000 designers who’ve already created close to 90,000 websites and hundreds of designers are joining us every month. We see every designer who joins us as our partner and we hope this tremendous momentum will continue and the design community will unite in action and turn Webydo into the best work environment for website creation by designers.Where do you see your product 5 years from now?We want to empower &amp; help designers lead the website creation market, turning the web into a richer human experience.Thank you for your time Mr. Grizim.—Have you tried Webydo? If not, check them out and let us know what you think in the comments below: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.webydo.com/">Try Webydo</a>

Interview with Shmulik Grizim, Webydo CEO and Co-founder

Good websites are able to provide consistently enjoyable experiences for the end user. In addition, they’re able to provide benefits for the website manager, like increasing company sales. The best websites take into consideration the lifestyle, beliefs, and abilities of their target audience, utilizing user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design to further the ultimate purpose of the site. If you’re interested in improving the experience on your website, start by following the 8 UI design tips described below.
1. Have a Clear Call to Action
First and foremost, you need to focus on converting your viewers into leads, be it through an email signup, a contact form, or a free download. No matter what approach you take, make sure that the call to action is clear and prominently featured on the page. Simplify content as much as possible to bring the call to action to the forefront, and be especially observant on the homepage and any landing pages.
2. Take Note of First Impressions
In the same vein of thought, make sure you keep a fresh perspective on the first impression you’re creating. You have literally a matter of seconds in order to hook viewers into actually browsing your site, so the initial impression is everything. Make sure that the page is well designed and that the content is at the forefront. Ask others to give you a fresh eye and always revise in order to make the best pages.
3. Keep Your Navigation Consistent
Consistent navigational elements are necessary in order to ensure that viewers can find their way around, navigating both backwards and forwards as needed. A good website builder should make sure the primary navigation is consistent throughout your entire website. Of course, this rule applies in other ways. Make sure that you use consistent navigational elements throughout page content, not just in the menu bar. Implement a breadcrumbs system if you think it will benefit site viewers and take care to make sure it looks the same every time.
4. Always Consider Readability
Content is key, so make sure that readers can fully absorb the content. Take the time to observe readability throughout the site, noting font choices, color contrast, the effect of text effects and more. Things like text-shadows and decorative fonts are hard to read in large amounts and are more suited to large headlines, while small body text should be a light and simple font, with good background contrast. You must also make sure that your text is easily understood and not cluttered with other page elements.
5. Remove as Much as Possible
Simplicity is key in modern web design. This same principle extends to user experience design, so you should always think about what you can take away. Removing all extraneous content helps to clarify the message and ensure a good experience.
6. Follow the Rules
As a society, innovation is a praise-worthy skill. This extends to web design, but don’t get too caught up in the idea. Some new, exciting and innovative sites provide a solid UI, but many neglect these principles in flavor of fluff and fancy effects. Sticking to the established rules of good web design like established layouts or navigation elements make for an easily understood site favored by most viewers.
7. Open links in new windows
This rule is simple but important. Every time you add a new link to your page, make sure you set it to open in a new tab or window. You don’t want viewers to exit your site completely every time they click a link.
8. Build for Your Target Audience
Last but not least, always keep your audience at the forefront of your website management. Your audience should influence every design and content decision, every marketing choice and really everything you do in terms of creating and utilizing a website. Make sure you have a clearly defined idea of who your audience is, comprised of their beliefs and abilities, demographics and lifestyles.
When it comes to user experience design for a DIY website, you really need to just stick to the basics. These UI design tips are simple and straightforward, but provide a good starting place. Take the time to make sure you’re following all of the tips and you are sure to see an improvement in consistent viewership and reader conversion.
Have you tried to improve your UI and UX design? What techniques did you use? Share your advice below.

Improving Websites Through User Experience Design – 8 UI Design Tips for DIY Websites

On November 7th 2013, Liferay held their first ever UK Portal Solutions Forum. The event promised an overview of the <a href="/liferay-portal-6.2-announced-at-liferay-s-north-america-event/#.UnwZhPkvlyU" target="_blank">newly released Liferay Portal 6.2</a> along with a full day of presentations, workshops, and much more.
<a href="http://www.liferay.com/" target="_blank"> Liferay</a> are a world-renowned provider of a leading enterprise-class portal solution, which is used as a digital platform by a number of Fortune 500 companies. With a respectable past, a bright future and a brand new version of their flagship product released just a few days ago, there was plenty for Liferay executives to talk about.
Naturally then, Liferay's Solutions Forum itself – held in the heart of London, was thoroughly enjoyable and full of content. So, let's delve into exactly how it went down.
<h2>Liferay Executives Kick Off the Event</h2>
After making my way down to the Solutions Forum on a chilly London morning, I was welcomed warmly by Liferay staff, and introduced to some of the event's organisers. I then swiftly made my way over to the breakfast area, where I filled up on Tea before the main event began.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/liferay_flag2.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" /> 
I was going to be live-tweeting the entire event via the <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic" target="_blank">CMS Critic Twitter account</a>, so I made myself comfortable in the main conference room – with my Tweeting finger poised.
Eddy Dueck – Liferay's marketing associate in charge of leading the event, started the proceedings, and was followed up by an impressive presentation given by company CEO, Bryan Cheung. He spoke extensively on the importance of understanding the evolution of customer relations, as well as how information should be presented to users and customers in general.
<blockquote>“The future of Portal Technology is to provide access to the right information, within the right context.” ~ Bryan Cheung <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23LPSF2013UK&amp;src=hash"> #LPSF2013UK </a>
— CMS Critic (@cmscritic) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic/statuses/398398080015687680"> November 7, 2013 </a></blockquote>
Bryan Cheung delved deep into the history of company-customer relationships, discussing how time has helped evolve and shape today's customer interaction. The example of a Suit Tailor was initially given, focusing on the personal relationship a Suit Tailor would have with his or her customer.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bryan_cheung.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" />
As technology advanced, Bryan Cheung said, that personal, close relationship shared between a service provider and his or her customer was lost, simply due to companies focusing on a wider reach, rather than a personal one. However, the Internet, especially in its current form, helps combine both a personal touch and a wide reach.
<h2>Networking, Consulting &amp; Expert Exchanges</h2>
Along with the continued talks from various Liferay executives and other professionals, the Liferay Portal Solutions Forum also had something to offer outide of the conference room.
On top of the Breakfast before the main event, attendees enjoyed two networking Coffee breaks, where they could grab a hot drink, a slice of cake and converse with both their colleagues, and other professionals.
<blockquote>The networking Coffee break in full motion. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23LPSF2013UK&amp;src=hash"> #LPSF2013UK </a> <a href="http://t.co/PNdqY3ZOox"> pic.twitter.com/PNdqY3ZOox </a>
— CMS Critic (@cmscritic) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic/statuses/398410366256185344"> November 7, 2013 </a></blockquote>
Additionally, Liferay laid out a deliciously looking – and tasting lunch. Once again, the atmosphere was social, with attendees networking and exchanging details as they enjoyed their lunch.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/lunch.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" />
Following the lunch break, time was set aside for “Expert Exchange Discussions”. The idea was that each table had twenty minutes to discuss a pre-defined question, generally relating to internal company policy and approach to customer engagement.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/expert_exchange.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" />
Each discussion was moderated by a Liferay professional, and the event was topped off with session summary, which compiled the different opinions and ideas gathered at each table.
<h2>An Overview of Liferay 6.2</h2>
Towards the end of the Solutions Forum, Liferay made time to talk about their latest release, Liferay Portal 6.2.
Product Manager Juan Fernandez took to the stage, and began speaking about the new features boasted by their latest upgrade, made just days ago. He touched briefly on the new user interface, which he believed would help users get the most out of Liferay.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/liferay_6_2.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" />
He then moved on to the responsive nature of the templates supported by Liferay Portal 6.2, and how simple it now is for users to quickly and easily review and customize their responsive website via the Liferay mobile preview option.
<blockquote>“The new App Manager is now even easier to use when managing, activating and deactivating applications.” ~ Juan Fernandez <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23LPSF2013UK&amp;src=hash">#LPSF2013UK</a>
— CMS Critic (@cmscritic) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic/statuses/398492725659852800">November 7, 2013</a></blockquote>
After touching on the subject of Liferay's new App Manager, Juan Fernandez mentioned the enhanced multi-language options, and the ability for users to localise their URLS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/liferay_6_22.png" alt="Liferay Portal Solutions Forum" />
Eventually, after some detailed presentations and interesting questions posed by the audience, Liferay's first ever UK Solutions Forum came to a close. A round of applause was given, and as the room emptied, you certainly got the feeling that every attendee was leaving satisfied with what they had seen, and heard.
For more information on Liferay's platform, <a href="http://www.liferay.com/" target="_blank">check out their website</a>. Additionally, you can explore more of <a href="/products/liferay/" target="_blank">Liferay via our CMS Directory</a>.
Also, if you'd like a better idea of how the events went down at the 2013 UK Liferay Portal Solutions Forum, <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic" target="_blank"> check out our Twitter feed</a>, where I live-tweeted all of the events directly from the Solutions Forum.

The Liferay Portal Solutions Forum UK, 2013 - #LPSF2013UK

The SMB market is a hot one right now and while some former SMB CMS solutions are focusing on the Enterprise space, this has opened up a ton of opportunities for some other players to gain market share. Today, I'm going to announce which Small to Midsize Business CMS was selected by the judges to win the Critics Choice award Best Small to Midsize Business CMS for 2013.
To begin, a little about the selection process. To make things fair, we sent a list of the various categories to each judge with no individual products listed anywhere within the document and asked them to list their top three choices for each category. They were not restricted in any way with their selections and were free to choose from any of the products on the market. We agreed that if any judges came back with the same answers in the same categories, we would automatically select that answer as the winner. This keeps the awards unbiased and makes the selection of the winner fun and fresh each year as we never know what options might be brought to the table.
This year, the CMS that we feel is most deserving of the Critic's Choice Award for Best Small to Midsize Business CMS for 2013 is…
<h2>eZ Publish</h2>
<img style="max-width:150px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best-small-to-midsize-business-cms-1150x0.png" />
Why eZ Publish?
eZ Publish is an incredible platform that has really grown over the years. Within the publishing sector, for example, they are second to none in the industry and offer an excellent all-in-one solution with the eZ Publish Platform – Web publishing, mobile and multichannel content delivery, digital marketing, e-commerce, and workflow. eZ Publish also offers a community edition that has been developed under the open-source development model, giving them access to thousands of eager developers worldwide who contribute code to better their platform.
eZ Publish has been continuing to make great strides in the industry since the release of version 5 and now, with 5.1 have really started to strut their stuff. We can't think of a better platform to give this year's award to and would like to congratulate eZ Publish on their win.
Check out this video to learn more about eZ Publish:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/koDex3KhHNM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Want to learn more about this great CMS and the winner of our Critic's Choice Award for Best Small to Midsize Business CMS? <a href="https://www.ibexa.co/">Visit ezPublish</a> or learn more in our <a href="/products/ibexa/">CMS Directory</a>.

2013 Critic's Choice Winner for Best Small to Midsize Business CMS

CMS Kickoff 26

Find out at CMS Kickoff 26, January 13 - 14, St. Pete FL

What's the future of CMS in the AI era?

Explore a wide range of informative articles, insights, and industry updates. Stay informed and ahead of the curve with our diverse collection of news and posts covering the latest trends and developments in the industry. Page - 154