Articles - Page 40

Bland Brands Beware: Optimizely’s New Identity Brings Human Creativity to its Agentic AI and AEO Ambitions

matt-garrepy

As they approach 1 million live pages around the web, <a href="http://www.silk.co/" target="_blank">Silk</a> announced a brand new Explore page, which greatly improves the way you can visualize and filter the information on any Silk website.  
 With Silk, users can publish facts, data and opinions in a variety of ways. The platform excels with the visualization of information by providing options for the use of crisply designed graphs and charts.  
 Now, with a revamped Explore page, Silk site visitors can search and view information easier than ever before. 
<h2>Explore More</h2>
According to Silk.co, their core goal with to their new Explore page was to make every Silk a joy to search and explore.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/silk700x0.png" alt="Silk Explore Page" /> The upgrade allows you to hit the “explore” button found on all Silks across the Internet, which then presents you with options to filter and search through content in order to experience the data you want faster, and in different ways. 
 Below are some live Silks with great examples of how the new Explore page makes exploration easier for the average visitor.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://world.silk.co/explore/map/collection/country/numeric/water%20area/location/document/filter/matches/region/africa"> Water Areas in Africa (on Countries of the World) </a></li>
<li><a href="http://gendergap.silk.co/explore/linechart/collection/history/numeric/percentage%20male%20nominees/numeric/percentage%20female%20nominees"> Male and Female nominees (on The Gender Gap at the Oscars) </a></li>
<li><a href="http://killedgoogleproducts.silk.co/explore/columnchart/collection/killed%20google%20product/numeric/active%20days%20under%20google/order/desc/active%20days%20under%20google/filter/range/active%20days%20under%20google/1825/-"> A graph of Killed Google Products </a></li>
<li><a href="https://3dprinters.silk.co/explore/columnchart/collection/3d%20printer/numeric/price/order/asc/price/filter/range/price/-/%241000"> A graph of 3D Printers under $1000 </a></li>
<li><a href="http://crowdfunding-funded-technology-projects.silk.co/explore/grid/collection/kickstarter%20funded%20technology%20projects/column/amount%20pledged/image/image/description/date%20funded/order/asc/document/filter/range/amount%20pledged/1000000/-/slice/0/100"> A grid view of popular Crowdfunded Technology Projects </a></li>
<li><a href="http://nea.silk.co/explore/piechart/collection/investment/distribution/sector/filter/equals/status/Current/filter/equals/domain/Information%20Technology"> A piechart of New Enterprise Associates’ IT portfolio </a></li>
</ul>
To find out more about Silk's brand new Explore page, check out their <a href="http://blog.silk.co/post/77289325866/introducing-the-new-explore-page" target="_blank">official announcement on their blog</a> – which also features a neat video introduction of the new interface.
Alternatively, check out <a href="http://www.silk.co/" target="_blank">Silk.co</a> for all the details related to their platform.

Silk Unveil Explore Page Upgrade

mike-johnston

<a href="http://www.jahia.com/" target="_blank">Jahia</a>, one of the world's leading UXP (User Experience Platform) vendors, has announced the completion of a €20 million (circa $22.5 million) round of funding fully subscribed by <a href="http://invus.com/" target="_blank">Invus</a>, an equity investor focused on transformational opportunities.
The Swiss-based Jahia platform is an integral part of the online presence of major organizations, including the European Parliament, Samsung, Europcar, Abercrombie &amp; Fitch, and HomeAway.
Jahia was recently awarded the the <a href="/2014-critics-choice-award-winner-best-java-cms-for-small-to-midsize-business/" target="_blank">2014 Critics' Choice Award for Best JAVA CMS for Small to Midsize Business</a>, as well as the <a href="/2014-critics-choice-award-winner-best-enterprise-java-cms/" target="_blank">2014 Critics' Choice Award for the Best Enterprise Java CMS</a>.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/jahia_preferred_partner-1700x0.png" alt="Jahia" />
<h2>“To Make Our Solution The Obvious Choice”</h2>
Jahia claims that the €20 million funding acquired from Invus will allow them to:
<ul>
<li>Develop their visibility through targeted marketing operations.</li>
<li>Accelerate distribution strategies and partnerships.</li>
<li>Strengthen their presence in several countries, especially in North America and Europe.</li>
<li>At least double their global workforce by the end of 2015.</li>
</ul>
Those are all major steps individually, and one giant leap collectively — to say the least.
Raymond Debbane, CEO and President of Invus, made these comments upon the funding completion:
<blockquote>“Jahia fits perfectly well with our motto: Equity investors in companies who seek to transform their industries. Not only do they have an incredibly strong technology and the proven ability to deliver complex yet versatile solutions to the most demanding organizations, but the vision of their management is – and has always been – firmly rooted into the will to transform a siloed industry into a user-driven one, beyond technology constraints.”</blockquote>
More optimism came from Elie Auvray, the CEO and President of Jahia, as he added:
<blockquote>“We are incredibly proud and honored to see Invus’ strong commitment and acknowledgment of our vision, our customers successes and our ambitions. This funding will allow us to reach our objective: to make our UXP solution the obvious choice for the Digital challenges of the modern Enterprise.”</blockquote>
To find out more about Jahia, <a href="http://www.jahia.com/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/jahia/" target="_blank">Jahia through our CMS Directory</a>.

Growth & Expansion: Jahia Receives $22.5 million Round of Funding

<a href="https://www.netlify.com/" target="_blank">Netlify</a>, a modern hosting and development platform for web applications and static websites, <a href="https://www.netlify.com/blog/announcing-headless-commerce-summit-2022" target="_blank">announced</a> its third annual Headless Commerce Summit in London on May 23-24, 2022. The big news: this year's event will be live and in-person. But even if you can't make it in the realverse, you can also <a href="https://headlesscommercesummit.com/" target="_blank">register for free</a> and attend virtually. 
The Headless Commerce Summit will take a deep dive into the fast-growing <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-headless-commerce-platforms/#:~:text=Headless%20Content%20Management%20Systems%20(CMS,and%20services%20in%20digital%20storefronts.">headless commerce</a> ecosystem. Featured speakers – including digital leaders, web development experts, and top agencies – will share real-world case studies of how the headless commerce model has transformed their organizations. They will also provide tactical advice about building world-class e-commerce sites using a headless architecture.
Netlify was an early advocate of separating frontend design from backend business processes. By unifying the elements of the modern decoupled web, Netlify enables a 10X faster path to more secure and scalable websites and apps. 
As further evidence of the company's drive towards a composable, API-first future, Netlify <a href="https://machalliance.org/newsroom/mach-alliance-announces-mongodb-and-netlify-as-first-members-of-new-enabler-category" target="_blank">joined the MACH Alliance</a> as one of the first members of the organization's new "Enabler" category.
<h2>Headless Commerce: e-commerce on the Jamstack</h2>
So, what exactly is this headless commerce thing? We'll cover it at a high level below, but <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-headless-commerce-platforms/">we've got a great article</a> that goes deeper – and includes some of the top platforms on the market. 
Headless commerce is an architectural approach where, much like <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/" target="_blank">headless CMS platforms</a>, the frontend "head" is separated from the backend "body." Content in a headless platform is delivered through APIs, displaying it across different devices and endpoints. A headless architecture enables teams to build and deploy faster, increase conversions, and differentiate their brand by decoupling backend services such as product information from the frontend experience.
<img style="max-width:555px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/10/headless-commerce-platform-digital-experience-platform.png" alt="headless commerce platform-digital experience platform diagram" />
 
<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/">Jamstack</a> is a modern web architecture pioneered specifically as a companion to headless backend systems. It focuses on three core components: Javascript, APIs, and Markup (the "Jam" in Jamstack). For commerce companies, the benefits of a Jamstack architecture can include improved personalization and customer experience, better site performance, and the ability to iterate faster.
Originally coined in 2015 by Mathias Biilmann, CEO of Netlify, Jamstack has changed the trajectory of the web. Jamstack technologies provide nearly limitless choices to developers for designing rich customer experiences in web applications. Netlify unites different services to deliver MACH solutions, making it an ideal fit as an Enabler within the organization's ranks – delivering the workflow, expertise, and choice of tools for building solutions that reflect the MACH principles. 
<h2>Speaker lineup</h2>
At the upcoming event, speakers will discuss risks, concerns, and opportunities that commerce teams face today and use real-world case studies and stats to share best practices for shifting to and operating a headless commerce site using the latest technology. Sessions will explore modern headless journeys of famous brands, including <a href="https://www.prettylitter.com/" target="_blank">PrettyLitter</a>, <a href="https://en-us.sennheiser.com/" target="_blank">Sennheiser</a>, and others – including a noteworthy session given by  <a href="https://www.bigcommerce.com/" target="_blank">BigCommerce</a>, <a href="https://www.akqa.com/" target="_blank">AKQA</a>, and Netlify on "The Business Case for Headless Commerce."
Here are a few of the speakers on the agenda:
<ul>
<li>Chris Bach – co-founder, Chief Strategy and Creative Officer, Netlify: "The Rise of Composable Commerce"</li>
<li>Debbie Ellison – Chief Digital Officer, VMLY&amp;R Commerce: "The Future of Brands"</li>
<li>Steve Jenkins – Tech Lead, Tile: "How Tile's Migration to Headless with Netlify Enabled them to Customise the Customer Experience"</li>
<li>Nicolas Le Pallec – Executive Technology Director, Europe, AKQA: "Sennheiser's Large-Scale Migration to Headless Commerce"</li>
<li>Massimo Pegoraro – Technical Director, Atoms Studio: "How Salvatori Internationalised Their E-Commerce Store with Headless Commerce”</li>
</ul>
The Headless Commerce Summit is designed for anyone interested in building or learning about the future of e-commerce. Netlify will be joined by a number of industry-leading sponsors including Algolia, BetterCommerce, Builder.io, Commerce Layer, commercetools, Crystallize, Kin+Carta, Last Rev, Magnolia, Shogun, Storyblok, Swell, and Uniform.
You can register for the event at <a href="https://headlesscommercesummit.com/?utm_source=press-release&amp;utm_medium=press&amp;utm_campaign=hcs" target="_blank">headlesscommercesummit.com</a>. Also, if you're curious about what to expect from this year's shindig, you can check out a summary of <a href="https://www.netlify.com/blog/2021/06/16/e-commerce-jamstack-stories-from-headless-commerce-summit-2021/" target="_blank">the 2021 Summit.</a>
<h2>About Netlify</h2>
Netlify is the platform for building highly-performant and dynamic websites, e-Commerce stores, and applications. By uniting an extensive ecosystem of technologies, services, and APIs into one workflow, Netlify unlocks new team productivity levels while saving time and money while improving sustainability. 
As pioneers of the Jamstack movement, Netlify brings together all modern web frameworks, serverless functions, and edge computing into one platform to deliver unmatched user experiences. Millions of developers and businesses build with Netlify, from Fortune 500 companies like Unilever and Verizon to companies changing our digital experiences like Peloton and Twilio.

Netlify to Host Headless Commerce Summit for Talks on Building World-Class E-Commerce Experiences

paris-tuzun

Netlify Headless Commerce Summit featured image

This month, I had the pleasure of visiting the head office of the popular open source enterprise CMS, Magnolia in beautiful Basel, Switzerland.Their offices are situated on one of the longest rivers in Europe, the Rhine River, which runs over 1200 kilometers through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.It was an absolutely gorgeous view from the balcony outside their offices.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia18.jpg" alt="Rhine River" />When <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/about">my wife </a>and I first arrived, we were greeted with a smile by Boris Kraft, CTO &amp; Co-Founder, and Ben Price, Marketing Communications Manager for Magnolia International. Of course, we did the obligatory pose for the camera (that's Ben on my left and Boris on my right).<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia.jpg" />We had a tour of the offices, which were really well set up in a beautiful old building that, according to Boris, were previously a dorm for students.  For your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of their head office and their awesome team.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia14.jpg" />Natascha Natum, Management Assistant and HR Coordinator.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia13.jpg" />(left) Ben Price, Marketing Manager, (centre left) Isabelle Dubach, Marketing Manager, (centre right) Gavan Stockdale, Technical Writer, (right) Laura Gambell, Marketing Assistant<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia19.jpg" />Magnolia CMS Core Developers<figure class="image"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia21.jpg" /></figure>Magnolia CMS Core Developers<figure class="image"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia16.jpg" /></figure>(left) Sebastian Stang, Senior Sales &amp; Partner Manager and (right) Samuel Schmitt, Technical Account Manager.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia2.jpg" />Alain Kugelmann, Head of FinanceAfter my tour, I had a chance to sit down with Boris while he gave me a tour of the latest release, Magnolia 5.2.2 on both iPad and Desktop:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia6.jpg" alt="Boris Kraft and Mike Johnston" />What makes this release unique is the amazing new interface they developed for it. The entire backend and CMS has been redesigned from the ground up to be completely functional on mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. There's even a beautifully designed touch interface.Here's a great video showcasing the interface on the iPad: And here is another showing content authoring from the desktop: As we walked through the interface, I couldn't help but be impressed with the slick implementation. I know, I've said before in my “<a href="/how-to-find-the-perfect-cms">How to Find the Perfect CMS</a>” article that you should always be careful about being “wowed by the interface” but in this case, it's not just a pretty face with no functionality. Not only is the interface one of the best I've seen, it truly is amazingly simple yet functional on all devices.As Boris explained during our discussion, their goal with Magnolia 5 was to offer a CMS that actually doesn't just manage your content but rather provides a framework where users can build their website quickly and easily using a flexible system that is expandable through apps. They also wanted to ensure that this same system worked on the latest technologies such as tablets like the iPad.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia8.jpg" alt="Boris Kraft and Mike Johnston" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia10.jpg" alt="Boris Kraft and Mike Johnston" />They were so concerned with the interface being functional but not overwhelming that they went through three major redesigns before finally feeling like they hit the nail on the head with the Magnolia 5 interface. I have to agree. It truly is an amazingly slick interface.If you haven't had a chance to play with it yet, I strongly suggest you <a target="_blank" href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/">head over to their site</a> and try out the free demo (scroll down and fill in your details, it takes about 1 minute and it's well worth it to see what they've done here).Want to learn more about Magnolia? Check out the <a href="/products/magnolia-cms/">Magnolia CMS page</a> in our CMS directory.

My visit to Magnolia's Offices in Basel, Switzerland

In addition to a significant update of their primary content management platform, Ektron has announced the release of two new products which they call Ektron Digital Experience Hub and Ektron Cloud Manager.
According to Bill Rogers, Founder of Ektron:
<blockquote>“These are important new releases for Ektron customers, the combination of Ektron 8.6 with the Ektron Digital Experience Hub represents the next stage in the evolution of our product beyond web content management to complete digital experience management. Ektron Cloud Manager extends the dynamic delivery of Ektron-powered websites and marketing campaigns into the cloud, enabling content authors to achieve their business goals without concerns about the impact on website hardware or IT resources.”</blockquote>
Some of the features present in this new release include:
<ul>
<li>a new HTML5 based content editor.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ektron-1-620x374.jpg" alt="New HTML5 Content Editor" /> New HTML5 Content Editor</li>
<li>dynamically resizing images based on device screen size.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_6223_fyj5iv.jpg" alt="Mobile Adaptive Image Resizing" /> Mobile Adaptive Image Resizing</li>
<li>a new mobile preview option that allows you to see how your site will look on iPhone, iPad or Android.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ektron-3.jpg" alt="Mobile Preview" /> Mobile Preview</li>
<li>URL alias redirects.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_6198-1_qnwmzo.jpg" alt="URL Alias Redirects" /> URL Alias Redirects</li>
</ul>
To learn more about this new release, visit <a href="http://www.ektron.com" target="_blank">Ektron</a> or download their “<a href="http://ektron.com/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=30064771130">What's New in Ektron 8.6</a>” pdf.

Ektron Releases Two New Products: Ektron Digital Experience Hub and Ektron Cloud Manager

<a href="http://www.sdl.com/" target="_blank">SDL</a>, one of the world's leading customer experience management solution providers, has released some updates to its Customer Experience Cloud, <a href="/sdl-launches-sdl-customer-experience-cloud-aiming-to-deliver-personalized-customer-experiences/" target="_blank">which was initially launched at the beginning of 2014</a>.
As always, the goal with modern customer experience management is to give a consistent, yet contextualised experience to each and every customer. SDL have recognised this need, stating that,
<blockquote>
“[This new] unified suite of offerings centers on four key pillars: Digital Experience, Knowledge Center, Customer Analytics and Language to meet the needs of today’s global organizations.”
</blockquote>
<h2>Value “Within Days”</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.jpg" />
Here's a breakdown of what SDL's Customer Experience Cloud enhancements:
<ul>
<li>Digital Experience: SDL's Customer Experience Cloud solution helps brands engage customers through contextually relevant experiences. This includes a set of <a href="http://www.sdl.com/cxc/digital-experience/" target="_blank">digital experience</a> accelerators that allow the creation of adaptive web and mobile experiences that offer re-use of content, assets, customer profiles and rules without the need to be developed individually.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Knowledge Center: SDL's <a href="http://www.sdl.com/cxc/knowledge-center/" target="_blank">Knowledge Center</a> facilitates the creation of consistent brand journeys with key capabilities allow for the creation of dynamic product knowledge views that offer a superior experience for documentation and self-service support scenarios by providing the same brand richness as done for marketing experiences.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Customer Analytics: With its customer analytics technology, SDL has added the ability to model a single view of the customer that aggregates all customer data including profile, situational data, transactional data and third-party data that’s available within the enterprise to drive a segment of one experience which enables real-time analysis of the customer experience.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Language: SDL provides global brands the ability to effectively communicate across regions and languages ensuring organizations are communicating in the language of the customer. New <a href="http://www.sdl.com/cxc/language/" target="_blank">language</a> enhancements include SDL’s Targeted Industry Language Platforms for Travel &amp; Hospitality, Life Sciences, Financial Services and Digital Marketing; organizations can now cater to the terminology and language nuances required for these targeted industries.</li>
</ul>
SDL's CEO, Mark Lancaster, was full of praise for his company's latest release:
<blockquote>
“SDL is laser-focused on helping brands create better customer experiences, and we realize that doesn’t end with marketing. Our technology combines a rich expertise in language with a common data layer and the first context engine to simplify and unify the channels brands need to outperform competitors world-wide. Our Customer Experience Cloud begins delivering value within days, allowing organizations to focus on engagement and creating brand advocates, ultimately growing the bottom line.” 
</blockquote>
To find out more about the SDL Customer Experience Cloud, you can read the <a href="http://www.sdl.com/about/news-media/press/2015/sdl-enhances-customer-experience-cloud-to-deliver-the-only-global-ready-customer-experience-suite.html" target="_blank">official press release</a>.
Also, be sure to <a href="http://www.sdl.com/cxc/" target="_blank">visit the SDL website</a> for further information.

SDL Rolls Out Customer Experience Cloud Enhancements

Squarespace had perhaps one of the most unusual ads during this year's Super Bowl. Featuring Jeff Bridges, the ad focused on Mr. Bridges saying “OM” while sitting beside a sleeping couple, watching them sleep.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/3041798-inline-i-1-jeff-bridges-om-ad-super-bowl.jpg" />
While it is admirable that they are attempting to help promote and support Mr. Bridges endeavor to sell his album of relaxing sounds and vocalisms to support charity, the video ends up coming across as not only baffling as an advertisement but also creepy (at least to this guy).
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BKIlfLReHyo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I personally see it as a hugely expensive waste of advertising dollars. Not only that, but if anything, I see it as driving people away from the product, not towards. Perhaps I'm wrong.
What do you think? Does this make you want to <a href="https://www.squarespace.com">Sign up for Squarespace</a>?

Weird Squarespace Superbowl Ad Features Jeff Bridges Watching You Sleep

April 2022 is already behind us. And when it rains... it pours. 
As bad news befalls the globe – from a persistent conflict in Ukraine to stumbling stock markets – CMS and DXP vendors continue to slug it out. How will tech fare in the coming months with the specter of recession on the horizon? Tough to say, but we'll be watching.  
By most measures, last month was relatively quiet. We saw announcements from <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/hyland-releases-new-content-services-and-intelligent-automation-product-enhancements/">Hyland</a>, updates from <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/sitecore-announces-updates-to-product-suite-enhances-composable-features-and-innovation-from-acquisitions/">Sitecore</a> around its composable features, and a new partnership between <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/woocommerce-and-pinterest-announce-partnership-offer-new-integration-for-connecting-with-shoppers/">WooCommerce and Pinterest</a>. We followed a few additional stories in April and wrapped them up (as we always do). 
Enjoy the scoop. And you might want to keep an umbrella handy. You never know if the forecast might change. 
<h2>WordPress.com changes pricing and rattles users </h2>
Speaking of rain, WordPress.com has been gathering a few storm clouds by adding some significant <a href="https://wordpress.com/pricing/">price changes to its plans</a>. To add salt to the wound, the changes were apparently <a href="https://rootprivileges.net/2022/04/03/what-are-you-doing-wordpress-com/">unannounced,</a> and many people have been expressing their disappointment. The biggest sly: replacing all its paid options with a single Pro plan. The platform also slashed the storage on its free tier from 3GB to 500MB. Ouch.
Dave Martin, the CEO of WordPress.com, took to <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30896807">Hacker News</a> to address the concerns. As he noted: "You're right to call us out. I did a poor job of sharing context around why we are making change, so I can see how they could come as a shock. I'm sorry! That's on me."
Martin went on to say that more changes were in the works and that this was the first of several phases. He also clarified that no legacy sites or blogs have been affected by these new price changes – so if your site is on an older plan, there should have been no changes to your billing. He mentioned that many of the existing plans were haphazardly added to WordPress.com with no real strategy, making it hard for customers to see at-a-glance why they should choose one plan over another.
That said, it's a classic lesson in the need for transparency. 
<h2>WordPress releases version 6.0, Gutenberg 13.0</h2>
When <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/updates-on-wordcamp-2021-wordpress-5-8-beta-details-and-gutenberg-enhancements/" target="_blank">WordPress 5.8</a> was released in July 2021, it introduced some major features that would pave the way to <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/design/handbook/focuses/full-site-editing/" target="_blank">Full Site Editing (FSE)</a>. <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-9/" target="_blank">WordPress 5.9 Josephine</a> took that to the next level, putting users in control of the whole experience of the FSE’s visual editing capabilities. 
Now, WordPress 6.0 is almost here, making it the second<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/about/release-cycle/releasing-major-versions/" target="_blank"> major release</a> of 2022. While the 6.0 beta version arrived in mid-April, it is expected to be<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/6-0/" target="_blank"> released on May 24, 2022</a>.
While we’re waiting for the release of WordPress 6.0, WordPress released another update to Gutenberg on April 14.
<img style="max-width:900px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2022/05/featured-image-in-cover.png" alt="Featured Image in Cover" />
The major updates include text selection across blocks, cover blocks with feature images, new responsive layouts for the Groups, Rows, and Stacks, and customizable borders to make your blocks stand out. 
There are also many other<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/04/14/whats-new-in-gutenberg-13-0-14-april/" target="_blank"> notable improvements</a> that are worth checking out. 
<h2>WP Engine accelerates headless WordPress innovation with launch of new plans and Atlas Blueprints</h2>
<img style="max-width:900px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2022/05/wp-engine-atlas-blueprint.webp" alt="WP-Engine-Atlas-blueprint" />
WordPress has always been a traditional monolithic CMS. While it still maintains its crown as the most popular CMS in the world, it's been playing catch up in the move to headless.
But that's starting to change as <a href="https://wpengine.com/" target="_blank">WP Engine</a>, the world’s most trusted WordPress technology company, as they announced the launch of Atlas – its award-winning headless WordPress solution. It's now available to businesses of all sizes with four new headless WordPress plans, ranging from $49 to $499, allowing developers to learn, build and grow their sites on Atlas. 
WP Engine also announced the launch of Atlas Blueprints, which are free, professionally-designed templates allowing anyone to get started fast with headless WordPress. Developers can also try out Atlas by signing up for a free Atlas Sandbox account, which allows developers to learn more about developing with headless WordPress and create prototype projects.
<h2>Postman API platform surpasses 20 million users, driven by vision for API-First world</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2022/05/20-million-postman-users.jpg" alt="20-million-postman-users" />
<a href="https://www.postman.com/" target="_blank">Postman</a>, the world's leading API platform, <a href="https://blog.postman.com/celebrating-20-million-postman-users/">announced</a> that more than 20 million developers and builders have adopted its platform to build and use APIs, strengthening the company's reputation for simplifying the API lifecycle and streamlining collaboration. Postman's public API hub is the world's largest, with workspaces from Microsoft, Stripe, Meta, Notion, Intel, Oracle, and more.
In <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/postman-releases-2021-state-of-the-api-report-shows-global-trend-towards-api-first-digital-era/">Postman's 2021 State of the API Report</a>, 67% of survey respondents ranked themselves a five or higher in terms of embracing an API-first philosophy – a five-point increase from 2020. Furthermore, the "API-first leaders" who ranked themselves highest produced APIs more quickly, deployed more frequently, had fewer failures, and recovered more swiftly when failures occurred.
<h2>Hyland expands infrastructure to deploy new OnBase and Brainware customers on AWS</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/e0030_thumb_big_media.png" alt="Hyland OnBase" />
<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/hyland-releases-new-content-services-and-intelligent-automation-product-enhancements/">Hyland</a>, recognized as a leading content services provider with more than 1,700 cloud customers, has expanded its work with <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/">Amazon Web Services (AWS)</a> to support its customer base and their increased cloud deployment and migration needs. 
Working with AWS, Hyland will expand its <a href="https://www.hyland.com/en/innovation/hyland-cloud" target="_blank">Hyland Cloud</a> infrastructure to deploy new <a href="https://www.hyland.com/en/onbase" target="_blank">OnBase</a> and <a href="https://www.hyland.com/en/platform/product-suite/brainware" target="_blank">Brainware</a> cloud customers and cloud migration environments in North America on the appropriate AWS Region – fully supported and managed by Hyland's technical experts.
The strengthened relationship with AWS delivers an expansive infrastructure footprint for the Hyland Cloud, allowing Hyland to meet customer requirements with agility and scale while providing a more flexible architecture that supports customers' evolving information technology (IT) and business challenges. Backed by innovative technologies, security-driven policies, and dedicated support from knowledgeable technology experts, customers deploying Hyland's software-as-a-service (SaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offerings on AWS benefit from its continued focus on cloud innovation and support for next-generation cloud solutions.
"Our work with AWS gives customers and prospects greater confidence and agility when deploying their cloud content services solutions, which are optimized for their unique needs and requirements," said Will Milewski, Senior Vice President, Cloud Infrastructure and Operations at Hyland. "With organizations continuing to evolve their business strategies to support remote work, cloud-based solutions are becoming the default and our relationship with AWS will ensure we're exceeding our customers' requirements from their content services platform."
Gartner has recognized Hyland as a content services industry leader for 12 consecutive years, and the winner of our own <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/introducing-the-winners-of-the-2021-cms-critics-choice-awards/" target="_blank">Critic's Choice Awards</a> for ECM in 2021. 
<h2>Concrete CMS 9.1.0RC1 is now available</h2>
Solid as a rock.
That was the news from the <a href="https://www.concretecms.com/" target="_blank">Concrete CMS</a> team as the company announced the availability of its first release candidate for Concrete CMS 9.1.0 – featuring a multitude of improvements, new features, and bug fixes, including:
<ul>
<li>Enhanced compatibility with PHP 8 and PHP 8.1.</li>
<li>Improved appearance and functionality when editing block, area, layout, and container styles inline in the page.</li>
<li>Express improvements like the ability to mark attributes as unique, handle re-use across objects, and much more.</li>
<li>Much improved version comparison features that can compare the HTML of two-page versions and highlight the differences.</li>
<li>Improvements to Dashboard listing screens and the file details screen.</li>
</ul>
Additionally, there are many behavioral and performance improvements included. The boulder-sized list is far too large for this blog post. <a href="https://documentation.concretecms.org/developers/introduction/version-history/910-release-notes" target="_blank">Click here</a> to read more of the details.
Concrete CMS was also recognized as a 2022 Leader in Content Management Systems by <a href="https://sourceforge.net/">SourceForge</a>.

CMS Monthly Recap: WP Engine Launches Headless Plans, Postman API Platform Surpasses 20 Million Users, and More

Featured image of April monthly recap of an umbrella with raindrops

Shopify - The global commerce platform

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

The global commerce platform

#ffffff

If you haven’t already noticed, video and the Internet go together pretty darn well.
From video-based social media to on-demand movies, video content is everywhere, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Businesses large and small are making use of video to demonstrate their products, provide information, and above all, win custom.
Launched in 2013 out of Rockville, Maryland, <a href="http://www.uscreen.tv/" target="_blank">Uscreen</a> is a platform built to sell video content, allowing visitors to either download or stream the good stuff from any device. Vendors using Uscreen can set their content to be sold or rented, and can also run a video subscription service.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.jpg" alt="Uscreen" />
Impressively, Uscreen already boasts of delivering over 10,000 videos per month, despite being less than two years old as a standalone platform.
<h2>A Flexible Video Storefront</h2>
Speaking of videos, here's a quick video demonstrating some of Uscreen's key features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzcX2qFNvKc
Essentially, Uscreen enables you to create a digital storefront, similar to that of most other eCommerce websites. Visitors can then browse through your visual collection before deciding on how they wish to pay for, and eventually view the content.
Here's an additional breakdown of Uscreen's features:
<ul>
<li>Uscreen gives you a fully customizable storefront to post and sell videos to your customers. The platform also handles all transactions &amp; eCommerce duties.</li>
<li>Viewers can stream videos on any device including phones, tablets, TV’s &amp; Apple Airplay. They can do so at anytime, anywhere. Plus, they can even download them, if you allow them to.</li>
<li>Viewers can Buy, Rent, or Subscribe to any of your videos, you set the price and manage your subscriptions via your Uscreen publisher admin area.</li>
<li>All videos are protected with a proprietary DRM &amp; encryption, giving you optimum security across the board.</li>
<li>Dedicated iOS &amp; Android apps make the viewing expereince more enjoyable, and videos more accessible.</li>
</ul>
Furthermore, when viewers access your streamed video content, Uscreen gives you the ability to; offer different content chapter and episode markers, link to PDFs and other webpages, and more — all within the same window. Thus, the potential for what Uscreen could be used for, is intruiging.
One of the standout business models which crossed my mind when exploring Uscreen, was online training and education, although the possibilities are endless. 
<h2>Providing The Video Dimension</h2>
Remember when having a blog was the latest “new dimension” for online businesses?
Well, now that blogs are pretty much necessities, the newest dimension on the block is video content. It’s easy to interact with, highly effective at conveying messages, and it’s an excellent opportunity for brands to show yet more personality.
Uscreen is giving brands that outlet in a manageable way.
The pricing structure, which starts from $49.95 per month plus a 15% revenue share, doesn’t freeze out startups or small businesses. Rather, it’s a professional video selling and streaming service for the masses. Now that's an exciting prospect.
To find out more about Uscreen, <a href="http://www.uscreen.tv/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>.

Uscreen: Sell Videos, Simply

When compared to mammoth rivals like Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> can feel... well, less interesting. 
OK, so maybe it's not as visible as its social brethren, and the stats codify this. According to a recent <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/pinterest-statistics-for-business/" target="_blank">article</a>, the image-sharing app – popular for posting recipes, home decor, and more – ranks fourteenth on a list of the world's most used social media platforms. 
Fourteenth. That seems like quite a few rungs down the social ladder. But shockingly, Pinterest's <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/463353/pinterest-global-mau/#:~:text=How%20many%20users%20does%20Pinterest,million%20international%20monthly%20active%20users." target="_blank">431 million active global users</a> still puts it ahead of Twitter.
Take that, Elon Musk.
Along with posting "pins" of paint chips and curtain fabrics, shopping is one of the top activities for Pinterest users, and the platform's expansive community has emerged as a channel for e-Commerce. Given the number of users browsing boards and perusing products and services, it makes sense that sellers might be interested in connecting their storefronts to Pinterest to peddle their wares. 
Now, <a href="https://business.pinterest.com/en/blog/introducing-pinterest-for-woocommerce/" target="_blank">WooCommerce</a> is giving its merchants a way to turn their product catalogs into shoppable "pins" on Pinterest, making it easier to build audiences and drive more sales. Whatever a seller might be offering – from fashion to apparel to appliances – this new feature will allow each product listing to become a shoppable pin on the platform, just like this:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2022/04/pinterest-product-tags-975x1024.webp" alt="Pinterest product tags" />
The companies recently <a href="https://business.pinterest.com/en/blog/introducing-pinterest-for-woocommerce/" target="_blank">announced</a> a strategic partnership that's designed to simplify the connection via a new integration, which will be available to WooCommerce merchants in the <a href="https://woocommerce.com/products/pinterest-for-woocommerce/" target="_blank">Products section</a> of the company's website. 
"By partnering together, we provide the best integrated Pinterest shopping experience possible for WooCommerce merchants to be on the cutting edge of social commerce," said Aleksandra Bettin, VP of Business Development at WooCommerce. "WooCommerce is highly invested in our merchants' success. Merchants need the right options to reach the right audiences – this integration with Pinterest helps them do that."
<h2>Using Pinterest to drive more traffic to WooCommerce stores</h2>
The category of <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-commerce.asp#:~:text=What%20Is%20Social%20Commerce%3F,retweets%2C%20likes%2C%20and%20shares." target="_blank">social commerce</a> is booming, and brands are looking for new ways to reach their audiences. While all social media platforms can help amplify traffic (both paid and organic), Pinterest has introduced some innovative features to help augment SEO. This includes a new visual search tool that makes finding customers on the platform even easier. Likewise, using pins, boards, and collections on Pinterest can drive organic traffic to a WooCommerce site. This combination gives merchants more power when it comes to expanding their reach. 
According to Pinterest's statistics, a whopping <a href="https://business.pinterest.com/audience/" target="_blank">97% of the top searches on Pinterest are unbranded</a>. That means Pinterest shoppers haven't made up their minds about specific products or brands – and they're open to learning and exploring. This is an opportunity that both WooCommerce and Pinterest have keyed in on, and are now simplifying the connection points to convert a shopper's interest into a real brand purchase. 
<h2>How to use the WooCommerce Pinterest extension </h2>
Adding the Pinterest integration to a WooCommerce store is very simple. It starts by installing the <a href="https://woocommerce.com/products/pinterest-for-woocommerce/" target="_blank">Pinterest for WooCommerce extension</a>, which will upload an entire WooCommerce product catalog to Pinterest. From there, shoppable pins will appear in people's feeds as they search and browse. The extension also logs when customers interact with products on Pinterest so users can track their best-selling or most saved items. 
While some WooCommerce merchants might have already manually uploaded their catalogs to Pinterest, the company recommends switching to the new extension instead. It's the easiest and most efficient way to keep your products current on Pinterest since it automatically updates details like pricing and product availability. 
The Pinterest for WooCommerce integration is currently available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Japan will gain access later this year. 
<h2>About WooCommerce</h2>
<a href="https://woocommerce.com/" target="_blank">WooCommerce</a> is the leading open-source e-commerce platform, powering 28% of the top million online stores (BuiltWith). Built on <a href="https://wordpress.com/" target="_blank">WordPress</a>, it empowers anyone, anywhere, to sell anything with truly unlimited extensibility, flexibility, and control over how they build and evolve their business. Founded in 2011 and acquired by Automattic in 2015, WooCommerce is a fully distributed company with employees based around the world.
<h2>About Pinterest</h2>
People around the world come to Pinterest for inspiration. It's a visual inspiration platform where people find inspiring creators, shop new products, and seek out ideas to take offline. People have saved more than 330 billion Pins across a range of interests, from creating a home office, cooking a new recipe to finding your next vacation spot. Headquartered in San Francisco, Pinterest launched in 2010 and has more than 400 million monthly active users. Available on iOS and Android and at pinterest.com.

WooCommerce and Pinterest Announce Partnership, Offer New Integration for Connecting with Shoppers

Woocommerce and Pinterest logos together on a dark background

<img alt="Magnolia Conference 2016" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_4204-1.jpg" />
Need to catch up? Check out my <a href="/magnolia-conference-2016-day-one/">coverage of Magnolia Conference 2016 Day One</a>. 
Typically, the second day of a conference is far more mellow than the first – and Day Two of the Magnolia Conference 2016 was no different.
However, <a href="/magnolia-conference-2014-reflections-of-an-attendee/">just like back at the Magnolia Conference 2014</a>, Magnolia didn't try to force or feign urgency. Instead, they embraced this inevitability with open arms by hosting a far more casual ‘Unconference'. 
For those unaware of the concept, an Unconference is where attendees pitch topics to discuss, take a vote, and then take a more active role in discussing the selected topics. 
Magnolia began by explaining that concept to the audience early on Day Two, before opening up the floor for individual attendees to pitch their ideas to the audience.
The ideas soon rolled in, and it wasn’t long until we had a filled schedule for the rest of the day.
<img alt="Setting up the Unconference schedule" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_4182-e1465600581489-1024x691.jpg" />
As the various discussions took place across the Pathe Kuchlin Theatre, I made my way around the various rooms and screens to try and drink in as much of the event as possible. And to <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23mconf16&amp;src=typd">live-tweet it all</a>, of course.
Unlike the presentations on Day One, attendees were free to voice opinions, suggestions, and concerns. You could feel the open source nature of Magnolia being physically lived out. <img alt="Magnolia Conference 2016" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_4232.jpg" />
For those who wanted a more traditional conference experience, business and technical tracks continued to run throughout the day alongside the Unconference. Those presentations came from the likes of Netcetera Software, who explored Atmomic Design and how it related to Magnolia CMS.
<img alt="IMG_4200" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_4200.jpg" />
Other presentations were given by Canto, SysEleven, Arvato, and others.
In fact, thanks to the Unconference events, there was actually more going on during Day Two than there was during Day One. However, because the day's activities were divided up across the theatre, you might be forgiven for thinking the opposite. 
<h2>Same Atmosphere, Different Day</h2>
The same friendly atmosphere I felt during Day One was also present during Day Two.
But, as Magnolia encouraged at the start of the day, I felt more comfortable leaving and entering rooms where discussions were already in flow. I also popped to the lobby for an Espresso every so often, without feeling the need to wait for the official coffee breaks.
The whole day was one, big, enjoyable blur.
And of course, I got my hands on some conference loot, including a tee-shirt, a hoody, and a very cool <a href="https://www.thetileapp.com/">Tile</a>.


Although the nature of Day Two was entirely different to what I experienced during <a href="/magnolia-conference-2016-day-one/">Day One</a>, I can firmly say that the Magnolia Conference 2016 was a genuine joy to attend.
I saw some great presentations, learned a few things, and met some very friendly representatives from the likes of IBM, as well as Magnolia of course.
<img alt="Plus, free Croissants!" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_4168-e1465600722119-1024x714.jpg" />
And with that in mind, I'd like to thank Magnolia CMS (and in particular <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorrainechandler">Lorraine Chandler</a>, Magnolia's Senior Content Strategist), for inviting CMS Critic to the event.
As for those who missed out, you can re-live the whole event through the Twitter hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23mconf16&amp;src=typd">#MConf16</a>. You'll find that, as usual at these events, CMS Critic's account was the most active.
Furthermore, be sure to keep your eye on <a href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/">Magnolia's website</a> for news on next year's conference. You won't regret making the trip.

Magnolia Conference 2016 Day Two: The Unconference

Microsoft Office 365 subscribers can now make use of <a href="http://www.wix.com/" target="_blank"> Wix.com </a>  to launch a website directly from within the Office 365 platform.
Wix, <a href="/the-winner-of-the-2014-peoples-choice-cms-award-for-best-website-builder/" target="_blank"> winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Website Builder </a> , is one of the world's most popular website builders, and was recently <a href="https://www.websitebuilderscritic.com/website_builders/reviews/wix/" target="_blank"> featured on Website Builders Critic </a>  as a recommended product for those with no website building experience. The cloud-based platform boasts hundreds of high quality templates, a simple drag-and-drop design system, and an array of useful apps.
In addition to having access to Wix within the Office 365 platform, subscribers who currently host a domain with Microsoft will also be able to automatically connect the domain to their site built on Wix.com.
<h2>Wix To Fill The Void, Empower Businesses</h2>
<a href="http://www.wix.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wix_com.png" alt="Wix" /></a>
This news comes as Microsoft pulls the plug on its “Public Website” feature on SharePoint Online. The feature is no longer being offered to new Office 365 customers, while existing customers may only have access to it for the next two-years.
This Wix integration then, will fill the website building void being left within the Microsoft platform.
Avishai Abrahami, the Co-Founder and CEO of Wix, made these comments:
<blockquote>“Both Microsoft and Wix share the common vision of enabling small and medium-sized businesses to access and utilize cloud technology to operate all aspects of their business. Wix simplifies the website and mobile site creation and management processes, all critical for any business today, by providing enterprise class functionality to every business, no matter how small. Through Office 365, we are excited to provide even more business owners with an easy and affordable platform on which to create, manage and grow their business online.”</blockquote>
According to Eric Mason, the Wix Director of Strategic Marketing Communications, Office 365 users will have access to Wix “immediately”.
The full press release regarding this exciting piece of news <a href="http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/02/04/702998/10118512/en/Wix-Announces-New-Microsoft-Office-365-Capabilities.html" target="_blank">can be found here</a>.
Visit the <a href="http://www.wix.com/" target="_blank">Wix website</a> for more information about their platform, and of course, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/wix/" target="_blank">Wix via our CMS Directory</a>.

Microsoft Office 365 Subscribers Now Have Wix Website Building Power

Today, I announce the winner of the 2014 Critics' Choice Award for Best Free Forum Solution.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bestfreeforumsolution.png" />
This is always a tough category but once again this year, we're giving the win to the ever popular, Vanilla Forums.
<a href="http://vanillaforums.org"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/vanilla_grad.png" /></a>
Congratulations to the Vanilla Forums development team. Check them out here: <a href="http://vanillaforums.org/">http://vanillaforums.org/</a>

2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner - Best Free Forum Solution

Hotjar - Spot what confuses

Spot what confuses your users with Hotjar & AI

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 - 40