Articles - Page 40

Not All Heroes Wear Capes. Here's Why CMS Is Your 'Unsung Hero' in 2025

janus-boye

<a target="_blank" href="https://flextype.org/">Flextype</a> is an open source flat file CMS that was developed in 2018 by <a target="_blank" href="https://romanenko.digital/">Sergey Romanenko</a>. It's purpose is to provide a lean, open source solution without the complexities found in many other content management systems. Today, we're going to take a look at Flextype and see what it's made of and what the administrative interface looks like.Before I get started, let me just explain a bit more about Flextype for those who are unfamiliar. If you aren't familiar with the concept of a flat file CMS, what it means is that this system does not require a database but rather stores everything in files within a directory structure. This may not be suitable for every type of website; such as one with thousands of complex pages; but it does work for the majority of them. To learn more about flat file CMS and how they work, read my <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/static-site-generators-vs-flat-file-cms-is-there-a-difference/">Static Site Generators vs Flat File CMS post</a>.The advantage, of course, is that should you need to change hosting providers, it simply requires you to zip up the contents of your website and extract them somewhere else. No messy database exports to deal with. There are numerous flat file CMS out there (see our <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/flat-file-cms/">Flat File CMS list</a> for instance) and Flextype is simply one of the options.Flextype uses a number of technologies to achieve it's simplicity and overall functionality.Some of these key technologies include:<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.slimframework.com/">Slim PHP</a>: Framework for powerful web applications and APIs.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://twig.symfony.com/">Twig Templating</a>: Flexible, fast, and secure template engine for PHP.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.doctrine-project.org/">Doctrine Project</a>: A set of decoupled and reusable PHP libraries for powerful web applications.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://thephpleague.com/">The PHP League</a>: The League of Extraordinary PHP Packages well tested and using modern coding standards.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://respect-validation.readthedocs.io/">Respect Validation</a>: The most awesome validation engine ever created for PHP.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/thunderer/Shortcode">Thunderer Shortcode</a>: Advanced shortcode (BBCode) parser and engine for PHP.</li></ul>Now that we've covered that, let's move on with the review.<h2>Getting Started with Flextype</h2>To get started with Flextype, you'll need to download the latest release from their <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/flextype/flextype/releases">GitHub repository</a>. Once downloaded, simply upload the zipped file to your web host and extract it. Copy the files and directories within the extracted directory to /public_html/ if you want everything accessible on your root domain and visit the domain to get started.You should see something like this:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-review---1.png" />The initial welcome pageIf for some reason you don't see this, you may want to check out their <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.flextype.org/en/basics/requirements">requirements page</a> to make sure your server is compatible and / or has the right requirements installed.<h3>Creating an admin user</h3>Once you've managed to sort things out and are ready, visit the admin panel by following the link on the homepage. This will prompt you to create a user account for the CMS.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-review---create-a-user-account.png" />Creating a user account<h2>The Flextype Admin Panel</h2>Once you've created your user account and logged in, you'll be greeted with the admin panel.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-review---the-admin-panel.png" />Flextype Admin PanelAs you can see, the admin panel has been designed to minimize complexity. It's very simple, straight forward and easy to navigate within. Let's check out some of it's functionality.First, we'll take a look at Entries.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-admin---entries.png" />Flextype EntriesClicking on the three dots to the right of the Home entry, you'll get a context menu where you can add, edit, preview, delete, etc. Clicking on edit will launch the editor.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-editor.png" />Flextype EditorFrom here, you can make modifications to the individual entries (in this case the home page) and change some of it's settings. The integrated editor works well and provides plenty of functionality to do the job.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-entry-settings.png" />Flextype Entry SettingsWithin the settings you can modify pretty much everything about your entry, from the meta description to the template that's being used for it, visibility, the Url and more.The next tab in line is the media tab which, you guessed it, let's you upload media to be used with your entry. The odd part here, however, is that once you upload it and go back to the editor to insert it, there's no means to select the image.Instead, you have to copy the URL from the media upload tab to your clipboard, switch to the editor tab, click the image insert button and paste it in.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-editor---inserting-media.png" />Flextype Editor - Inserting an Image into the editorPersonally, I feel that this method is a bit cumbersome and can be improved on and I'd recommend the developers take it into consideration. It's a minor inconvenience, but since Flextype is focused improving productivity and ease of use, it's definitely something that needs correcting.Moving along. On the source tab you'll fine the source for the entry which you can modify and save if you prefer working with the code rather than a WYSIWYG editor.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype---source.png" />Flextype Entries - Viewing the sourceNext up are Fieldsets. According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.flextype.org/en/fieldsets/fieldsets">Flextype documentation</a>, fieldsets can best be described as configuration files written in YAML for Admin Panel to  create publish forms. They establish your content model. Essentially, a  schema that defines your fields, data types, and the interface used to  manage them.You can create new fieldsets and modify their source just as you would an entry. Here's a look at the structure:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-fieldsets.png" />Flextype FieldsetsSnippets are rather self explanatory. You use them for certain things such as inserting your Google Analytics code into your website and other types of code that you'd typically find within your websites' header.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-snippets.png" />Flextype SnippetsUnder the Tools menu you will find three items; information about your server, a cache tab where you can clear your cache and a registry tab showing all of the keys that Flextype uses. I won't get into all of them but here's what the cache page looks like. As you can see, it's very simple and just lets you clear your cache should you need to. Cache settings themselves are a bit further on and I'll show you those in a moment.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-tools---cache.png" />Flextype ToolsUnder the Settings tab is where you'll find the main settings for your CMS (and website). Everything from your site title and description to managing your robots.txt file are done from within this page.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-settings.png" />Flextype SettingsYou can also manage your cache settings from the cache section of the settings tab. Here's how it looks:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-cache-settings.png" />Flextype Cache SettingsLast but not least, there's one killer feature that you won't want to miss. Dark Mode.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flextype-dark-mode.png" /><h2>Conclusion</h2>A solid new entry into the Flat File CMS space, Flextype accomplishes what it set out to do; offer simplicity and ease of use to users. Where it's lacking at the moment is in themes and plugins. While I'm sure most developers won't require them for the majority of websites, they do make life easier for non-developers that are interested in using the CMS.There are links to a plugins page on the Flextype website but it's a bit weird how they have it organized. Plugins are listed under issues for some reason instead of just in an organized manner on homepage itself. I'm sure there was some logic to it but it's not super obvious unless you are stubborn and tend to click through every link like I am. You can find them here: https://github.com/flextype/plugins/issuesThemes are organized in a similar manner and you can find them here: https://github.com/flextype/themes/issues. I'd recommend a restructuring to make these easier to locate in the future.I'm looking forward to seeing what the future brings for Flextype. There is no doubt the development team is on the right path, they just need to keep plugging away and hopefully, expanding their community as the word spreads.You can check out Flextype yourself on their website: <a target="_blank" href="https://flextype.org/">https://flextype.org/</a>

Flextype Review

techcto2

Nebo, a human-centered agency built for the digital age has announced the launch of <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2666330-1&amp;h=3773552737&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nebovoice.io%2F&amp;a=NeboVoice+CMS" rel="nofollow">NeboVoice CMS</a> to offer voice services to marketers. This standalone solution for voice apps and skills follows the announcement of the <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2666330-1&amp;h=78120523&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.neboagency.com%2Fabout%2Fpress-room%2Fnebo-launches-beta-voice-functionality-to-its-content-management-system-cms%2F&amp;a=beta+Voice+CMS+functionality" rel="nofollow">beta Voice CMS functionality</a> that was added to <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2666330-1&amp;h=2060973223&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nebocms.com%2F&amp;a=NeboCMS" rel="nofollow">NeboCMS</a> earlier this year.
The NeboVoice CMS gives brands the ability to more easily capitalize  on future opportunities in a rapidly growing space. Much like the  functionality of the base CMS, the standalone NeboVoice CMS integrates  with Amazon Alexa and Google Home allowing marketers to publish audio,  video, image and text-to-voice content to skills, actions and flash  briefings. Content is able to be published in real-time or scheduled  allowing users to create better experiences for their audience.
<blockquote>"One of the biggest barriers to creating voice apps and skills is the  lack of easy-to-use technology to manage and push voice content," said Jenn Vickery, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Nebo.</blockquote>
According to TechCrunch, voice assistants in use will triple to eight  billion by 2023. In 2019, Amazon surpassed 100,000 Alexa Skills on its  devices globally, while Google topped more than one million unique  Google Actions available to users. Along with the creation of the  NeboVoice CMS, Nebo has a fully dedicated Voice team to offer clients  the ability to take advantage of current voice capabilities and trends.
<blockquote>"Voice is the fastest growing consumer technology in the history of the world," said Jay Goodwin,  Strategist and Voice Team Lead at Nebo. "Brands and marketers are  trying to figure out what their voice strategy should be and how to  implement and manage their solutions. We want to empower them to do that  on their terms."</blockquote>
To learn more about the NeboVoice CMS visit <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2666330-1&amp;h=4184991744&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nebovoice.io%2F&amp;a=www.NeboVoice.io" rel="nofollow">www.NeboVoice.io</a>. To learn more about Nebo and its human-centered approach to marketing, visit <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2666330-1&amp;h=3537344776&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.neboagency.com%2F&amp;a=www.neboagency.co" rel="nofollow">www.neboagency.co</a><a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2666330-1&amp;h=2439226807&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fneboagency.com%2F&amp;a=m" rel="nofollow">m</a>.

Nebo Launches Cross-Platform Voice CMS Framework For Brands And Marketers

cms-critic-staff

Ghost has always been an excellent blog platform but since the <a href="/ghost-3-0-brings-subscriptions-memberships-and-more/">release of Ghost 3.0</a>, the development team has been slamming out the features on a regular basis to make it even better.
This latest feature is the ability to send native email newsletters with Ghost using their new Members &amp; Subscriptions feature (which you can read more about <a href="https://ghost.org/members/">here</a>).
The way this works is simple; when you write a new post, you can now choose to deliver the post to subscribers via email as shown below.
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image.png" alt="Ghost 3.0 Native Newsletters" /></figure>
This isn't just a quick email notification, however, you can even set a custom subject line, preview the email before it goes out and send yourself a test one to make sure everything looks OK.
The dev team have included a stunning new email template that does a great job of making the content look beautiful. If you use the members function within Ghost to offer paid subscriptions, then content specifically marked as paid only will only go to that subset of users and the same goes for free content of course. 
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image-1.png" alt="Ghost Email Template" /><figcaption>Here's a look at the email template.</figcaption></figure>
There is an unsubscribe link within each email and users can, of course, choose whether or not to subscribe from within their profile on your website.
There's more information about this feature over on the Ghost blog where they first shared the news so <a href="https://ghost.org/blog/native-email/">go check it out</a>.

You Can Now Send Email Newsletters Natively With Ghost

<a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2661776-1&amp;h=3751995207&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fagilitycms.com%2F&amp;a=Agility+CMS" rel="nofollow">Agility CMS</a> announced its first round of funding with <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2661776-1&amp;h=3863242703&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fvenbridge.com%2F&amp;a=Venbridge%E2%80%AFLtd.%E2%80%AF" rel="nofollow">Venbridge Ltd. </a> This capital will be used to help promote new packages and offerings,  available today, that support a Content-First approach to building and  managing digital properties. This approach makes it easier  to create faster websites, mobile apps, and essentially any digital  solution using content from a central repository.
<blockquote>"We are thrilled to be able to contribute to Agility CMS's growth trajectory through this funding," said Garron Helman, CEO of Venbridge Ltd. "At  Venbridge, our goal is to support Canadian companies as they scale  their operations, develop their technologies, and reach a wider  client-base, so we're very excited for Agility CMS's future expansion."</blockquote>
Agility CMS is building on the momentum they initiated upon selling  their professional services division in 2018 and strengthening their  partner network. While a decoupled architecture has always been a  strength, now the company is more tightly focused on the newer tools and  practices to enable those partners and developers to work faster with  more flexibility. Their reference architecture allows content to  be defined, federated and shared across an entire organization.
<blockquote>"This funding will allow us to invest time and energy into the  Content-First approach of our platform and educate customers, partners  and developers on how to execute on this," said Jon Voigt, CEO. "We're  helping people digitally transform their whole mindset on new ways to  build their content and platform architecture in order to empower their  team. The result is faster teams, better platforms and more digital  success."</blockquote>
Unlike traditional models, where a single website is tightly linked  to a CMS installation, Agility CMS uses a different approach. An  organization can arrange its content in an appropriate structure and  share that content to any of its online properties. That structure is  called Content Architecture, and it includes Shared Lists, Items and  Templates, as well as custom fields that are specific to each  organization. This structure can last well beyond the lifetime of any  single app or website.
<blockquote>"Many of our top customers have re-used or built upon the same  Content Architecture for many iterations of their web properties," said Joel Varty, President. "Website  and app front-ends come and go, and our customers can now build them  even faster by leveraging their existing content investments, using  technologies such as JAMstack and Static Site Generators."</blockquote>
Agility CMS has also combined its other offerings into all-in-one  bundles, something no other Content-First or Headless CMS vendor has  done. These packages include Page Management, Ecommerce, Online  Ticketing, User Generated Content, Website Search, and a robust Support  package with an SLA.
Please visit <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2661776-1&amp;h=3376631391&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fagilitycms.com%2Fproduct%2Fpricing&amp;a=agilitycms.com" rel="nofollow">agilitycms.com</a> to explore the new packages.

Agility CMS Secures Funding to Help Customers Build a Faster Web

Umbraco today launched Umbraco Heartcore, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) “headless” content management system (CMS) for easily structuring and sharing content across multiple platforms, devices and channels. Available software development kits (SDKs) let app developers use the software language and platform of their choice to build a highly configurable and easy-to-use content management infrastructure for any website, smartphone, smartwatch or other smart (Internet of Things—IoT) device. Unlike other headless CMS platforms, Umbraco Heartcore is built on the flexible, friendly and full-featured open source Umbraco CMS, and inherits its mature and powerful capabilities to intuitively organize large volumes of content.
Headless is defined as a back-end-only CMS built as a content repository that makes content accessible via a RESTful application program interface (API) for display on any device. While traditional CMS platforms are ideal for managing content on a single website, a headless CMS allows developers to create and maintain multiple digital platforms with synchronous content updates.
“With Umbraco Heartcore, it’s never been easier to ‘future-proof’ and facilitate content creation and organization across myriad devices,” said Kim Sneum Madsen, Umbraco’s chief executive officer. “Half a million websites rely on the powerful yet friendly capabilities of the Umbraco CMS, so we are well-positioned to help companies expand their digital footprint beyond websites to reach audiences through new channels and devices. With its logical content structure capabilities, the ultimate editing experience Umbraco is known for, and the ability to use the software of their choice for development, Heartcore is poised to be the platform of choice for both long-time and new Umbraco users.”
<h2>Umbraco Heartcore Organizes Content for All Developers, Multichannels</h2>
Umbraco Heartcore uniquely lets editors create a logical content structure so they can more easily and more quickly manage, find and update large amounts of content. For example, a main branch of the content tree could be “Movie genres” with sub-branches such as “Thrillers,” “Romance” and “Science Fiction.” The actual “Movies” would be located below the genres, and editors could make new movie content available by creating new movies, placing them into the appropriate genres and adding additional relationships such as “Starring actors” or “Subtitles”, “Synopsis”, “Trailers” and “Related movies.” This content would be made available on websites, streaming services, or in ad campaigns, or any other relevant context.
In addition to this unique organizational structure, Umbraco Heartcore offers:
Greater flexibility when integrating new delivery formats and introducing advanced or mobile functionality to an application Decreased development time, deployment and user testing to get content in front of customers faster Enhanced security, including straightforward user management that ensures that each user only has access to relevant, permitted areas Overall better performance when deploying information to end users Immediate software and API upgrades through the Umbraco Cloud
<h2>SDKs Make Heartcore Accessible to Any Developer, on Any Platform</h2>
In addition to the well-structured back-office, Umbraco Heartcore offers SDKs that allow any developer—even those who aren’t familiar with Umbraco—to use their chosen language to develop applications. SDKs for NodeJS and .NET Core are available today, making it easy to get started with Javascript and C#. Other SDKs will be available soon, but if developers want to use Umbraco Heartcore with another language now or want to create their own client library, they can use the full RESTful APIs to create and consume Umbraco content.
Heartcore is available for a 14-day free trial at <a href="http://icm-tracking.meltwater.com/link.php?DynEngagement=true&amp;H=btYXC68syxmDVppbhVzFoYHdeMNV9070xvOlf%2FNdDQ0wXj6aidRhm8dpvjh%2Fxd2DSMiI7e8D%2B0LK0FW3kBzlrgqLzJ6ibLoDlzxGyWvtRFLiwHKbnu857g%3D%3D&amp;G=0&amp;R=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.umbraco.com%2Fheartcore&amp;I=20191202142606.000009ee62b1%40mail6-114-ussnn1&amp;X=MHwxMDQ2NzU4OjVkZTE2ZDkzN2I5OWRiMzIxNTg0NzliNTs%3D&amp;S=okv5DvvSDNNjhaFsQhNb7La5TeapUMEkOhXsTNXBl0I" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Umbraco.com/heartcore</a>.

Umbraco Launches Heartcore, the Most Intuitive Headless Content Management System (CMS) to Manage Large Volumes of Content Across Any “Smart” Platform

mike-johnston

For those who love XFCE and have been looking for a sleek, beautiful Linux distro that uses it – you'll be excited to know that the Zorin dev team has just announced Zorin OS 15 Lite.
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-15-lite_r8kxq6.png" alt="Zorin OS 15-Lite" /><figcaption>Zorin OS 15 Lite offers a beautifully skinned XFCE environment.</figcaption></figure>
Designed to run fast on computers as old as 15 years and powered by the popular XFCE 4.14, this distribution offers a beautiful option for those who prefer a more lean environment than traditionally offered by Zorin OS. The normal desktop of choice for their distro is Gnome but with the introduction of an XFCE edition (and a beautiful one at that) they've opened the doors to a broader audience.
This new release introduces a new desktop theme that is available in 6 different color variants in addition to the Light &amp; Dark modes. You can set these colors and make changes to the appearance using the Zorin Appearance App.
<div class="gallery galleryid-21515 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium">
<figure class="gallery-item">
<div class="gallery-icon landscape"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/zorin-os-15-lite-filebrowser_vmwcoa.png" alt="Zorin OS 15 Lite - FileBrowser" /></div>
</figure>
<figure class="gallery-item">
<div class="gallery-icon portrait"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-15-lite-calculator_calsit.png" alt="Zorin OS 15 Lite - Calculator" /></div>
</figure>
</div>
<h2>Automatic Theme Switching</h2>
A cool new feature that was introduced is automatic theme switching. You can enable this byopening the Zorin Appearance app and clicking the middle “Background” option in the newly-redesigned Zorin theme switcher. What it does is switch the theme from Light to Dark at Sunset and back to Light at sunrise. A pretty cool option that hasn't been present before in any distros I'm aware of.
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorinautotheme-lite_avfzo3.png" alt="ZorinAutoTheme-Lite" /><figcaption>Zorin Auto Theme-Lite</figcaption></figure>
<h2>What else is new?</h2>
There are some other features such as the inclusion of FlatPak support by default as well as a Do Not Disturb mode and a new Notification Center that is present in the panel. Here's a screenshot of what it looks like:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/donotdisturb-lite_mcewm8.png" />
This release is based on the latest Ubuntu LTS, 18.04 and is available for download now for free.
You can get it here: <a href="https://zorinos.com/download/" target="_blank">https://zorinos.com/download/</a>

Zorin OS 15 Lite Announced - A New, Sleek Linux Distro with XFCE

Semrush - Be an SEO hero

Be an SEO hero with Semrush

#ffffff

ButterCMS is designed to be the ideal content management system (CMS) enabling developers to use any technology and programming language and for marketers to produce new content independently.
An an API-driven CMS (also known as headless), <a href="https://buttercms.com/" target="_blank">ButterCMS</a> has a pre-defined data structure optimized to handle a variety of content allowing  developers to integrate it with any tech stack and speed up development. Using tools such as <a href="https://buttercms.com/react-cms/" target="_blank">React</a>, <a href="https://buttercms.com/angular-cms/" target="_blank">Angular</a>, or any other framework of their choice, developers can build a frontend that can act as an easy-to-use interface for marketing teams. As a result, non technical users, content editors and marketers can easily create and edit content.
For the marketing teams, it is extremely important to have a custom user interface where they can track their activities and plan for future tasks. With an API-driven CMS, marketers can specify and define their business requirements and needs through a flexible user interface.
The power of an API-driven CMS lies in its ability to simplify content management without users having to worry about the underlying data structure. Here are some product updates ButterCMS has made <a href="/buttercms-productivity-enhancements-for-content-editors-and-developers/" target="_blank">since our last post</a>, to provide a smoother content management process:
<h2>Collections Capabilities</h2>
ButterCMS unveiled major improvements to their collections, which are similar to databases with various content types that can be stored and fetched when required.  In ButterCMS, the collection builder has been upgraded to a single page application with a much quicker response time, which makes setting up collections a fast and smooth process.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/buttercms-collection-builder-_h20dlr.png" />
ButterCMS has updated the collections user interface to provide a more consistent experience when creating and managing items within the collections. You can now make updates, clone and delete collection items and view your entire content history.
There are more capabilities when it comes to fetching content out of your collection with the newly added parameters to the collection end point. In addition, ButterCMS has refined the format for filtering content in your collection.
<h2>Scheduling Pages</h2>
Another big capability Butter has added is scheduling pages, by allowing you to pick a specific date and time for your content to go live. This new feature gives content editors more control and flexibility to coordinate releases of content such as scheduling a blog post to go along with a major announcement you have on your site.
<h2>Export Blog Posts</h2>
ButterCMS also recently launched their export blog post function which facilitates the download of all your blog post data into an excel file. You can now download all your blog posts and conduct an SEO analysis to improve your ranking with this feature which is an important tool for all content marketers.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/buttercms-blog-posts_i6mptl.png" />
ButterCMS is a highly effective and functional API-driven CMS offering flexibility and cost reduction. The content dashboard is a centralized platform complete with content management responsibilities and faster customization. Butter gives marketing teams the CMS they've always dreamed of without creating a hassle for developers.

New Enhancements to ButterCMS’ Collection Builder and more

Glorify just announced the official launch of its platform which enables any ecommerce entrepreneurs to be able to create state-of-the-art product photos and marketing materials themselves. It aims to eliminate the need for bootstrapped home based online sellers to hire designers, photographers or have to learn complicated programs like Photoshop. It allows entrepreneurs to easily create powerful product images and create a highly engaging brand designed for their niche and audience.
Founder Omar Farook commented “Most ecommerce entrepreneurs are on tight budgets and while they can take on most tasks themselves, one area they nearly always needed to hire outside resources for was for product photography and graphic design. As yet, there wasn’t one easy-to-use platform that had been created specifically for ecommerce businesses owners and had everything they need in order to create beautiful product images and marketing materials easily and inexpensively, themselves.”
The Glorify platform can help users automatically create a brand which includes logos, color schemes and fonts. It in turn allows them to search whichever e-commerce platform they are using (Shopify, WooCommerce etc) to find the best website template they offer that matches their new brand.
For product photos, with a few clicks you can remove backgrounds and have photos or images on a clear white background. It has a large range of ready to go graphic templates to add to the photos to call out certain features. It also offers customizable e-commerce marketing banners in a variety of shapes and sizes that are required for the various marketing channels e.g. Facebook banners, Instagram photos etc.
Omar continued “There were already a number of big players creating similar solutions. We don’t believe in reinventing the wheel, rather we prefer to improve the wheel. And in this case we took what was already working for our competitors and catered it to be extremely targeted towards one particular audience – e-commerce entrepreneurs”
The number of entrepreneurs who start a home based online business is dramatically increasing. Today there are over 5 million sellers on Amazon marketplaces, 1,029,528 new sellers joined Amazon in 2018 which is equivalent to 2,957 new sellers every single day. Over 90% of shoppers attribute a recent online purchase to the quality of a product image.
Glorify has been created specifically for any e-commerce business owner working with most of the online selling platforms such as Amazon, Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce, Ebay, Esty etc.
Glorify initially launched  platform in September 2019 and has already acquired over 2500 paying customers.
To find out more about Glorify please visit <a href="https://www.glorifyapp.com" target="_blank">www.glorifyapp.com</a>

Glorify launches platform to help online sellers create high converting product and marketing images without the need for graphic designers.

Global video creation platform <a href="https://clipchamp.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Clipchamp</a> today announced it has been named one of Dropbox’s new Extensions partner apps, as the company continues to scale its presence in the US market and plans to open an on-the-ground office to manage high-calibre partnerships locally.
Dropbox introduced Extensions in late 2018 to reduce app switching for its users by enabling them to take action on files stored in Dropbox. Now, Dropbox has expanded and updated its partner apps to include a new Clipchamp integration. Users can utilize Clipchamp to efficiently and seamlessly create, edit and publish high-quality videos right from Dropbox’s new desktop app and dropbox.com.
With over eight million registered users worldwide, Clipchamp provides all the tools needed to produce beautiful and impactful video content without relying on expensive equipment, complicated software or any previous video production experience.
Based in Brisbane, Australia, Clipchamp has seen significant customer growth in the US among SMEs, mum-and-dad businesses, influencers and creatives, and it is the largest market for the company.
Co-founder and CEO of Clipchamp, Alex Dreiling, said: “Creating video does not have to be an intimidating or overwhelming experience. Clipchamp is empowering anyone and everyone to create something they didn't believe they could do themselves. Add Clipchamp to the modern workspace offered by Dropbox and users have the ultimate video creation, sharing and collaboration platform.”
“It is full steam ahead for Clipchamp as we look to grow our company’s presence in the US. We have had impressive traction to date in the market and we are excited to continue to build our user base locally and further develop valuable partnerships with highly notable companies, such as Dropbox,” Mr Dreiling added.
“At Dropbox, we’re focused on connecting users with the tools they love so they can get the most out of their work, said Billy Blau, Global VP of Business Development and Partnerships at Dropbox. “With the launch of our latest Extensions partners, we’re continuing to deliver on that promise — integrating key tools to help our users navigate their workflows more seamlessly right from Dropbox.”
For more information visit: <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/app-integrations/clipchamp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.dropbox.com/app-integrations/clipchamp</a>

Video creation platform Clipchamp becomes part of Dropbox Extensions, scales US presence

<a href="https://elementor.com/?ref=7501" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elementor</a> today announced that over three million sites have been built using its platform. The platform reduces the need for web creators to code with its cutting-edge platform on WordPress. Elementor serves a rapidly growing customer base of web professionals including builders, designers, and marketers in 147 markets, and boasts a new website created every 10 seconds on its platform.
Elementor's open-source platform offers both a feature-rich free version for aspiring web creators and a premium version for web professionals – combined, they currently support over 1 million users. Elementor is the fastest growing platform on WordPress, which now powers over 30% of all websites worldwide. As both WordPress and Elementor continue to grow, those numbers are rapidly increasing.
Founded by Yoni Luksenberg and Ariel Klikstein, Elementor aims to radically simplify web building on WordPress, enabling web professionals and agencies to unleash their creative and business potential. Elementor's 50,000 strong, vibrant community and educational programs have been its primary growth engines. The platform currently ranks 9th on WordPress.org's most popular plugins, rating highest among website editor platforms.
Recognizing its central role in the WordPress community and its exponential growth, Elementor will become for the first time a Platinum sponsor in US WordCamp, the world’s biggest WordPress conference to be held in St. Louis, Missouri on November 1st.
“Web professionals want to build flexible, customizable websites that convert and look amazing,” said Yoni Luksenberg, Elementor's Co-Founder and CEO, “I’m proud we facilitated the creation of over three million sites in just three years. As a designer at heart, I'm extremely excited by the engagement level of pros all over the world that use us as their number one platform of choice. We will continue to empower our growing global community of web creators by developing more innovative tools and solutions that will help them unleash their business potential.”
For more information visit <a href="https://elementor.com/?ref=7501" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">elementor.com</a>

Elementor Hits 3 Million Sites, Becomes Fastest-Growing Web Building Platform

Write.as is a no-frills ad-free publishing platform that lets you write down your thoughts, even if you don’t have an audience in mind. You can keep your posts private or share them anonymously, but you can also create a public blog. That being said, Write.as isn’t suitable for more complex blogging, content marketing, or building a website. Read on for our full review on Write.as below.<h2>Getting Started</h2>Getting started with Write.as is easy. You don’t even need to register for a member account. Simply click on the “Start Writing” button on the homepage to create a blog post without an actual blog.When you publish your post, it will open up in a web browser with a unique and anonymous URL. You can keep this URL to yourself or share it with others. Write.as automatically saves everything that you write, regardless of whether you have an account with them or not.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/write-1691172472611.png" />When you’re ready to start a blog, select “Get Started” to begin your free trial or buy the Pro plan. Either way, you don’t have to give your email address (but you can if you want to). Once you sign up, you can sync your anonymous posts to your account.<h2>Design</h2>Write.as has a clean design and interface, with zero unnecessary features. The text editor lets you write in plain text only, and you can choose from just three different fonts (serif, sans-serif, monospace). There’s also a word count function and a light/dark toggle.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/write-1691172472698.png" />To format your text, you need to use <a target="_blank" href="https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/">Markdown</a>, a plain text formatting syntax that lets you add headers, bold text, links, images, and so on. There’s no way to preview the post, which is annoying.Write.as is committed to simplicity, but it still lets you customize your blog. With Write.as, you can:<ul><li>Change the title of your blog.</li><li>Add a blog description.</li><li>Pick a preferred URL (write.as/username/, username.writeas.com, or your own domain if you’re on the Pro plan).</li><li>Add static pages like an “About Me” or “Contact”.</li><li>Group your posts with hashtags.</li><li>Select your desired publicity level (unlisted, private, password-protected, or public).</li><li>Customize how plain text renders on your blog (Markdown or MathJax).</li><li>Enable custom CSS and Javascript.</li></ul>Change the format of your site from a blog to novel (oldest posts, with no dates, are shown first) or notebook (latest posts, with no dates, are shown first).<h2>Usability and Support</h2>Write.as is minimalist in design and is therefore super easy to navigate. When you log into your account, Write.as brings you to a blank page so that you can start writing immediately.In terms of support, Write.as has detailed writing guides that cover everything from sharing your posts to formatting quotes to adding images to your blog. There’s also a Write.as <a target="_blank" href="https://discuss.write.as/">community forum</a>.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/write-1691172472758.png" />You can also ask for help on social media (Write.as is on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn) or via email (Write.as support hours are Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern US time). Customer support representatives typically respond very promptly — I received a reply to my query within four hours on a Monday morning.<h2>Key Features</h2>Write.as focuses heavily on privacy and security, which is why all blogs are unlisted by default. However, you can make your blog public and cross-post your posts to other social media sites (like Twitter or Tumblr) or read.write.as, a separate “read stream”.You can also see the number of people that visit your blog and where they come from, as well as determine your most popular posts, via the statistics function.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/write-1691172472813.png" />With Write.as, you can write a post via email and then send it to your blog. In this case, the subject line becomes the title of the post, and the body of the email becomes the post. This feature, which is only available to paying members, is useful if you want to post to your blog from your phone (Write.as has an app for Android and iOS, but they don’t support blogging).Speaking of email, Pro users get access to Write.as Letters, a beta feature that lets readers subscribe to your blog updates. New posts are sent out in the form of a beautiful email 15 minutes after publishing or when scheduled.Pro members can also host their photos via Snap.as, a Chrome and Firefox browser extension. The extension pops up a window to drag a photo to, irrespective of where on the web you are.When the photo is uploaded, the Markdown for it is copied to your clipboard. You can then paste it wherever you want the photo to appear.Additionally, <a target="_blank" href="https://snap.as/">Snap.as</a> lets you create shareable photo galleries and photo essays. Here is an example from Write.as founder’s, Matt Baer’s Snap.as account:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/write.png" />Write.as also offers <a target="_blank" href="https://submit.as/">Submit.as</a>, a paid add-on that enables you to collect submissions, review them, and then publish them straight onto an online publication.<h2>Pricing</h2>Write.as has three pricing tiers:<ul><li>Free</li><li>Pro</li><li>Teams.</li></ul>The free plan brings with it basic publishing features, total anonymity, and unlimited monthly views. It supports Markdown and MathJax and lets you publish three Write.as posts per month to social media channels like Twitter and Tumblr. However, you only get one free blog (you can purchase as many additional blogs as you want for just $12 a year).Write.as Pro ($5 per month when billed annually or $6 month-to-month) comes with a built-in audience, full customization features, and Snap.as image hosting. It also gets you three free blogs and early access to new features.Teams ($9 per user per month) supports unlimited writers and group publishing. It also comes with priority support. However, it doesn’t let you add extra blogs, cross-post to social media sites, or publish to read.write.as. If you have multiple teams, Write.as can create a custom enterprise plan for you.Payment options include credit card, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies. There’s a 14-day refund policy.<h2>Final Verdict</h2>Write.as is a distraction-free publishing platform that is less about the social media aspect of writing (the likes and follows that we all inadvertently seek) and more about getting your thoughts down fast. The platform’s simplicity is refreshing, but not ideal for complex blogging, especially if you don’t know any code. On the other hand, because <a target="_blank" href="https://write.as/">Write.as</a> is open source, technically-minded individuals can change it to suit their needs.

Write.as Review - No Frills, Ad-Free Publishing

laura-martisiute

Lately, we've been seeing a shift towards simple, responsive, minimalist blogging platforms. More and more, people are looking for solutions that help them focus on their writing and offer distraction-free environments that enable them to do so quickly and effectively.
For years, WordPress has been the star of the show when it comes to blogging, but lately it seems to be developing into a more complex CMS than it was initially intended for when it was first released. Scores of plugins, themes and addons have, according to some, turned it into a more bloated solution than is necessary for the simple task of blogging.
Some of the differences you will find with these solutions in comparison to other blogging platforms are the editing interfaces and the reduction in features to focus on the primary goal of blogging; the writing. As opposed to more complicated editors, they tend to use Markdown for writing blog posts. Markdown is an easy to use text formatter that converts plain text into HTML and produces very readable content using plain text. You'll see what I mean when you try one of these blogging platforms. It's very easy to use.
For those who are finding it hard to find a blogging platform that suits their needs or are looking to start a new blog, this post will offer you some excellent alternatives to popular platforms like Blogger and WordPress. Here is our list of the best minimalist blogging platforms available.
<h2><a href="http://postach.io">Postach.io </a></h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_postachio960x0.png" alt="minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_postachio" />
I had to put Postach.io first simply because it's my personal favorite and one that, in my opinion, offers the most unique approach to blogging. Postach.io lets you store your content in either Dropbox or <a href="https://www.evernote.com/referral/Registration.action?uid=1238466&amp;sig=2de3b5d66a8d847e2d62e1425282eab5">Evernote</a> or both. This lets you choose whichever interface suits you the most (Dropbox files obviously needing to be edited in a text editor and uploaded whereas Evernote has a built in text editor) and work on your content within.
Publishing a post with Evernote is as simple as connecting your account to Postach.io, telling it which notebook in Evernote will contain your posts and then simply writing in that notebook and using the tag “published” when you are done. This tells Postach.io to put the post up on your blog and that's all there is to it. To add images, simply attach them to the note and it will be inserted in your blog post instantly.
The nice part to using the Evernote connection for Postach.io is you can take advantage of the many awesome Evernote apps for mobile devices and tablets that already exist which makes blogging with it a true pleasure.
Postach.io also has perhaps the most features of any of the other platforms I've mentioned so far including:
<ul>
<li>A number of pre-designed and attractive themes.</li>
<li>The ability to easily embed tweets, vine videos, youtube videos, instragram photos, flickr photos, slideshares, about me pages and tons more.</li>
<li>Disqus commenting</li>
<li>Google Analytics integration</li>
<li>You can even share your posts automatically on Facebook or Twitter simply by tagging them in Evernote or Dropbox (you can even customize the tag you use)</li>
<li>A full integrated source code editing interface</li>
</ul>
While Postach.io is free, you can upgrade for $5 / month or $50 / year and get the ability to have multiple sites, multiple authors and a secure website.
Postach.io is a must see and I strongly recommend taking a look to see how amazing it is.
Price: Free
<h2><a href="http://www.medium.com">Medium </a></h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_medium794x0.png" alt="minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_medium" />
Medium is a very interesting and unique alternative. What's nice about it is that it is designed to help you find an audience and to help you write better content. With a very simple and easy to use interface, Medium is a pleasure to use and gets rid of distractions such as sidebars, widgets and plugins while focusing on allowing you to share your stories and quips with the world.
Rather than overwhelm you with formatting, Medium offers you just enough to do what you need to do and nothing more. This makes the writing process painless and so distraction free that you'll likely want to write more just so you can use the editor. It truly is a beautiful setup. Furthermore, you don't need to worry about whether your website on Medium is responsive. Everything scales to all devices so you will never need to worry about how it's going to look on your phone or tablet again.
It's also a <a href="https://medium.com/about/8304190661d4"> collaborative tool </a> that lets you share your drafts with others and collaborate with them to produce better content. You can even thank those who helped you proof read or add ideas to your content.
My favorite thing about Medium, however, is the way your content is handled once you hit publish:
<blockquote>
We think great ideas can come from anywhere and should compete on their own merits. On Medium, you can contribute often or just once in a blue moon, without the commitment of a blog. And either way, you’re publishing into a thriving, pulsing network — not a standalone web site, which you alone are responsible for keeping alive.
Through a combination of algorithmic and editorial curation, posts on Medium get spread around based on interest and engagement. Some get hundreds of thousands of readers — and not because they were written by famous people. Medium is not about who you are or whom you know, but about what you have to say.
</blockquote>
I've seen this in action on some of my own writings on Medium where people who I do not know have added comments and shared their thoughts with me. If you write great content, you have a great opportunity to find an audience on Medium.
Price: Free
<h2><a href="https://svbtle.com/">Svblte </a></h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_svbtle910x0.png" alt="minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_svbtle" />
Svtle is similar in some aspects to Medium in that the platform uses Markdown for formatting content and is very distraction free. If you can't tell by the screenshot of the Svblte.com homepage above that this is a minimalist blogging platform, I'd be surprised.
Svblte has been designed in a way to let you dump your ideas into the dashboard and save them as inspiration for future work. It lets you write very distraction free content using an incredibly simple editor with minimal formatting required. It also offers some features such as custom domains and avatars for instance. You can also customize the accent colors of your blog but that's about it. The intention, like most of the others in this list, is to reduce the distractions caused by themes and plugins and to simply help you get your content out to the world.
Your content also has an opportunity to get picked up and spread throughout Svbtle in a similar manner as Medium although they don't give much for details on how this works so I'm not super familiar with the process for curation.
Price: $6 monthly
<h2><a href="https://ghost.org/">Ghost </a></h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_ghost835x0.png" alt="minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_ghost" />
Ghost is quickly becoming a strong up and comer in the world of blogging and is following in the footsteps of WordPress in that it offers both a downloadable version of the platform to install on your own server or you can use their online blogging platform (similar to Medium, WordPress.com and others) and get up and running with no software to configure. The latter is a paid service, however, and costs typically would range between $5 / month and $80 / month depending on how much traffic and how many blogs you want to have. Pricing is pretty reasonable and you always have the option of downloading Ghost and installing it on your own server if you feel more comfortable managing the software yourself.
The writing interface that Ghost offers is unique from some of the others we've shared so far in that it offers you a split pane look where you write on the left and the right shows a live preview of the text as it's being formatted for comparison. See the screenshot below for an example:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2013-11-11_07_05_55-ghost_blogging_platform_features835x0.png" alt="ghost - writing interface" />
Some other differences between Ghost and platforms such as Medium and Svble is that it supports themes. My personal opinion is that themes can end up being a distraction for some people but if you are interested in them, there are already plenty of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.comhttps://www.cmscritic.com/themeforestcategory/blogging/ghost-themes?ref=cmscritic"> themes for Ghost </a> available.
Price: Free (if downloaded) or $29-199 / month (if hosted)
<h2><a href="https://www.silvrback.com/" target="_blank">Silvrback </a></h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/silvrback_kvkndg.png" />Silvrback is interesting in that its creator, Damian Sowers, aimed to fix the problems he saw with Medium and Svbtle by simply creating what he ideally wanted from a blogging platform for himself. He has now made this available at a reasonable cost of $29.99 / year in the form of Silvrback.
Here's how Damian describes his reasoning for creating Silvrback:
<blockquote>
I built Silvrback because none of the existing blogging platforms satisfied me completely.
Medium is great for readers but it is bad for writers. Readers are steered away to other articles/authors after they are done reading your article. Moreover, the analytics of Medium are extremely basic and you have no idea how people found your article. You really shouldn't use Medium if you want to build any kind of brand with your writing.
Svbtle is closer to what I wanted out of my blogging platform. However, it is taking the elitism approach and heavily restricting its users. I actually just received an invite to Svbtle but I have grown tired of their UI and I'm wary of any blogging platform that doesn't charge for the service. As the saying goes, “If you aren't paying for something then you aren't the customer, you're the product being sold.”
</blockquote>
Due to his lack of satisfaction with the other tools on the market, Damian created Silvrback with the following features:
<ul>
<li>A clean and modern UI (front and back-end).</li>
<li>Markdown powered and as simple as possible.</li>
<li>Support for custom domains and external analytics.</li>
<li>Hosted. People shouldn't spend any time configuring a server for a blog. Also, you shouldn't have to worry about traffic spikes crashing your server.</li>
<li>The platform should have brand awareness in mind (e.g. provide a better way to show and consolidate a person's distributed accomplishments).</li>
<li>Trustworthy. I don't want my efforts and content to be sold to advertisers.</li>
<li>Hacker friendly. Nice syntax highlighting.</li>
<li>Precise control over the journey of a new reader (direction of article discovery).</li>
</ul>
Silvrback was sold to Verde Places LLC, who currently own and run it now and continues to be updated regularly.
Pricing:
<ul>
<li>Annual: US$34.99</li>
<li>Quarterly: US$9.99</li>
<li>Monthly: US$3.99</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="https://write.as/" target="_blank">Write.as</a></h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/writeas-review-1_f8stqn.png" alt="Write.as Review - 1" />
Write.as is a distraction-free publishing platform that is less about the social media aspect of writing (the likes and follows that we all inadvertently seek) and more about getting your thoughts down fast. The platform’s simplicity is refreshing, but not ideal for complex blogging, especially if you don’t know any code.
On the other hand, because Write.as is open source, technically-minded individuals can change it to suit their needs. Read our <a href="/write-as-review-no-frills-ad-free-publishing/">Write.as Review</a> to learn more.
Price: 
<ul>
<li>Free</li>
<li>$5 month</li>
<li>$200 month</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="http://authpad.com">Authpad </a></h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_authpad.png" alt="minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_authpad" />
Authpad appeals to my inner coder for some reason. Perhaps it's because you can edit the styles directly from within the interface but if there's one thing that Authpad is, it's minimal. I would call this the blogging platform for pure minimalists. It's so fast it's ridiculous and, while the interface is very text heavy, it does the job its intended to do incredibly well.
Still in beta but with plenty of features including, as I mentioned earlier, the ability to directly edit forked styles from within the interface, this is sure to appeal to bloggers with a bit of a technical background as well as those looking for a very minimal experience.
There's not much else to say, Authpad is as basic as you can get and I strongly encourage you to check it out and see how simple blogging can truly be.
Price: Free
<h2><a href="http://pen.io/">Pen.io</a></h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_penio960x0.png" alt="minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_penio" />
Pen.io is a bit different. You don't get your own website per say but rather, you create a page for your article. You sign up with a URL and a password with no other information, click to edit your title, click to edit your content and that's it. If you need to add images, simply drag and drop them into the page. If you need a multi-page post, simply insert the “:page” tag to do so. There's nothing complicated about it, there's no real blogging aspect to it and there's no way to get back to it other than to find it on Google or remember the page url.
This is unique for those who want to quickly pound something out or feel the need to write but don't want the complication of setting up a blog so if you need an outlet for your creativity, Pen.io is there. Don't expect to find any help or assistance, however as the website is as stark as the article creation process and there's no help system at all.
Price: Free
<h2><a href="https://posthaven.com/">Posthaven</a></h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_posthaven883x0.png" alt="minimalist_blogging_platforms_-_posthaven" />
Posthaven was created by two of the founding members of Posterous, which was acquired by Twitter in 2012. After being “bummed” that it was shut down, they decided to start Posthaven and make it available forever to anyone who wants an easy to use blog platform. While the platform does charge a monthly fee, it offers a good set of features including:
<ul>
<li>Post by email</li>
<li>Post by web, with photos, music, video and documents</li>
<li>Private sites with passwords</li>
<li>Pages and links</li>
<li>Autopost to Facebook and Twitter</li>
<li>Image gallery upload and editing</li>
<li>Commenting with automatic antispam</li>
<li>Blog following with email notifications</li>
<li>Multiple contributors per blog</li>
</ul>
Currently, the fee to use Posthaven is only $5 / month and the founders promise to only adjust to cover server costs and nothing more. The goal is to maintain the service for as long as possible so users can avoid having their services shutdown constantly thanks to acquisitions and the like. One thing I do like is that if you decide to stop paying, the content will not be lost, it will stay online but you won't be able to edit or add to it until you restart your subscription.
Price: $5 month
There you have it.  Our list of Minimalist Blogging Platforms that let you focus on writing your content and getting it online in the easiest possible way with the least distracting interfaces.
Are you aware of one we missed? Please share it in the comments below and we'll expand this list accordingly. What are your experiences with these (or other) tools? Let us know in the comments below.

Blogging Platforms That Encourage You To Write

CMS Summit 25

Find out at CMS Connect 25, August 5 - 6 in Montreal, Canada. Seats are limited.

CMS. Content. AI. Where is it all headed?

Sulu is a content management system built on Symfony PHP.  Defining itself as a content management “platform”, Sulu focuses on facilitating highly customized content administration and publishing environments on the back end. Symfony and Sulu are both open-source, free, and backed by significant professional communities and expert support.
A single installation of Sulu can manage multiple complex websites with multiple language instances. Management occurs through one backend and an attractive UI with a live-updating preview of changes.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sulu-cms-1_jv9dje.png" alt="sulu cms - 1" />
The Sulu content management platform offers users support throughout the complete content life cycle. Sulu manages users, which can be a team of developers and admins working on the site or end users or ecommerce customers.
Creating and managing content is at the heart of the platform. The UI is modern and sensible, allowing users to dive straight in and build or adjust content as needed. Once the webspaces and themes are defined, creating, maintaining, and publishing content can take center stage.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sulu-cms-3_x3mc4j.png" alt="sulu cms - 3" />
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sulu-cms-2_rixh6n.jpg" alt="sulu cms - 2" />
A robust assets library allows access to images, documents, video, or any other type of media from anywhere in the installation. The system automatically resizes and reformats images to standards required for its templates while storing the original file, meaning one upload can provide infinite usability for visual assets.
Webspaces provide scaffolding for multiple separate websites, such as those used for different brands in the same company. In addition, global brands have multiple options for how they wish to present content in several languages that can be managed seamlessly from the same webspace. Fully customizable themes manage the content delivery to as many webspaces as needed.
Sulu’s final standard module, Settings, controls permissions, meta information, and all other internal adjustments of the platform.
The Sulu platform is designed with modern web standards at the core of its performance and runs without the use of plugins. Integrated SEO functions help sites deliver their best performance to users, search engines, and third-party applications.
Its API-first approach gives users the option to use it as a <a href="/headless-cms-buyers-guide/">headless CMS</a>, managing content behind the scenes for delivery to another front end such as a mobile app or ecommerce system.
<h2>Who is it for?</h2>
Sulu is geared for developers, content professionals, and digital marketers working in a business setting. The platform positions itself as a solution for enterprise-level websites and applications. A lack of pre-made templates makes the system unsuitable for users looking for a quick-setup, out-of-the-box website option.
However, custom modules open up possibilities for developing a well-organized, compliant backend for a wide variety of business applications. Extensive documentation and a live demo are available on the Sulu website for prospective users to explore.
Sulu includes a toolkit for digital marketers to take on high-end SEO and deep analytics integration while utilizing the platform’s ability to deliver targeted, personalized content.
The wide-ranging flexibility of the platform makes it an ideal space to integrate business logic and adapt to emerging markets.
<h2>What language is it built on?</h2>
Sulu runs on PHP using the <a href="https://symfony.com/" target="_blank">Symfony framework</a>. Symfony is an open-source PHP framework designed to organize and streamline a development workflow while optimizing performance. Compatibility with other database systems and a user-friendly interface help boost the framework’s flexibility.
Furthermore, Symfony is supported by SensioLabs, making for strong documentation and community. It’s highly expandible and designed with sustainability and ease of testing in mind.
<h2>Key features</h2>
<ul>
<li>Built for multilingual, multi-channel, and multi-portal infrastructure</li>
<li>User-friendly interface with clear navigation</li>
<li>Mobile and desktop editing support</li>
<li>Live WYSIWYG content preview when editing</li>
<li>Customizable modules</li>
<li>Made for flexibility, extensibility, and ease of maintenance</li>
</ul>
<h2>Why Sulu CMS?</h2>
While Sulu comprises many tools to streamline development tasks, a developer familiar with PHP and the Symfony framework is essential for getting the system up and running.
Knowledgeable users will find a system built to reduce time to market. Sulu’s extensibility safeguards organizations from outgrowing the platform and starting over as their business scales, branches, and moves into new markets.
Sulu CMS is aimed at giving businesses a single solution for a variety of evolving needs. Sulu’s learning curve may be steeper than some systems with more off-the-rack publishing-ready options. However, the platform pays on the other end in shifting long-term focus to content, message, and innovation.
Check it out at <a href="https://sulu.io/" target="_blank">https://sulu.io/</a>

Sulu, the Symfony CMS

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