Articles - Page 42

The Top 10 AI Tools for Small Business: From Automation to a Coordinated Team of AI Agents

matt-garrepy

Newscoop, the open-source content management system for publishers, has a new release available. This version was released to improve articles and comments within the system as well as improving support with PHP 5.4.This video introduces the system, but doesn't showcase the features. You can check out the system yourself with a demo from their website:<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EZF916Cet4"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3EZF916Cet4" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure>A list of some of the new features and changes in this list:<ol><li>Overhauled media archive Multiple file upload, faster search and new features!</li><li>Drag-and-drop front page management Use lists to add articles to your front page (or other site area) and re-order your front page.</li><li>Intelligent image renditions Use Newscoop to crop images and display perfectly in different areas of the site.</li><li>Dynamic Maps Points of interest from multiple articles can now be displayed on a single map on your website.</li><li>Video and picture slideshows Slideshows can be attached to articles and can be managed through the Media Archive.</li><li>Citizen journalist and community management tools Newscoop allows visitors to sign up for a profile, comment on articles and even follow topics.</li><li>Two new adaptive CSS themes, the New Custodian and the Rock Star Theme manager allows you to switching from one theme to another with one click.</li><li>Improved SoundCloud plugin Upload audio to the web's best audio sharing service and use it as your sound archive.</li><li>Related Article Lists Create thematic and semantic links to group articles.</li><li>Better comments We've improved the UI and made it pluggable into services like Disqus.</li></ol>Here's an example of one of the many themes for Newscoop. This particular one is called Zen and is mobile responsive.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ipad-820272_1280_3_ovbrqs.jpg" alt="newscoop" />For more info on Newscoop or to try the demo, check out their website: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sourcefabric.org/en/">http://www.sourcefabric.org/en/</a>

New Release of Newscoop Improves Articles and Comments

mike-johnston

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

paris-tuzun

Woocommerce and Pinterest logos together on a dark background

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

<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

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

Today, I'm going to announce the winner of the 2014 Critics' Choice Award for Best Commercial Forum Solution.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bestcommercialforumsolution.png" />
This award is a tough one to judge but we decided on the one solution most likely to continue to improve and grow over time. With a ton of beautiful options and a stunning interface, the best commercial forum solution for this year is <a href="https://plushforums.com/">Plush Forums</a>.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/plush300x0.png" />
We like it so much, we use it here on CMS Critic. To sign up and get your own forums with Plush Forums (or to learn more) go here: <a href="https://plushforums.com/">https://plushforums.com/</a>

2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner - Best Commercial Forum Solution

Shopify - The global commerce platform

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

The global commerce platform

#ffffff

<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

With the shift in shopping habits over the past few years from the standard brick and mortar stores (which still retain much of their popularity) to online shopping from the convenience of your home (or office), eCommerce solutions have become more and more an essential part of doing business online.  Today, I'm going to take share some simple rules for choosing the best solution.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bigstock-flat-design-vector-illustratio-62778259400x0.jpg" />To put things in perspective, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/amzn/financials">MarketWatch</a>, leading eCommerce retailer, Amazon Inc. saw a 19.5% increase in net income for 2014 with a total sales of 88.99 billion dollars. These figures don't lie, eCommerce is a booming market. But you already knew that. So now it's time to figure out what you can do to get your business into the fray. Let's look at how to get started.First there are a few rules that I think are important to stick to:<h2>Rule #1: Don't try to build it yourself.</h2>When it comes to eCommerce, my personal opinion is that custom coded solutions are the wrong way to go. It's much more intelligent and cost effective to implement a proven solution rather than to attempt to create your own from scratch. More often than not, you are simply duplicating effort and spending precious dollars attempting to overcome hurdles and red tape that have already been taken care of by a qualified eCommerce vendor.<h2>Rule #2: Create a needs and wants list.</h2>I'm all about saving money but when it comes to implementing an eCommerce solution for your business, you want to do it right the first time. With the huge number of competing vendors (in most marketplaces anyway), there's always someone else they can go to so be sure not to give them a reason to go elsewhere. Do it right the first time. You don't want to implement something that cannot handle the anticipated volume or does not offer the features you need from the beginning. Don't cheap out and go with a solution that offers only part of what your customers need, find one that fits as many of your needs as possible. One way I do things is to create a list with my clients where we break down expectations into two categories; Needs and Wants. Do your best to find a solution that fits as many of your needs as possible. These are items that you absolutely must have in order to be operational and competitive. Only then would you start to check off the Wants that are offered by the vendors you are considering. These are considered bonuses.<h2>Rule #3: Involve all Stakeholders in the Decision Making Process</h2>Once you are ready to start exploring solutions, make sure you involve all of the stakeholders in your business. I find that businesses that task one department (IT or Marketing for instance) to choose a solution more often than not miss out on picking the right product. The reason is simple, the needs differ for each department and as such, your marketing department may not be as concerned with the overall scalability of the product and could choose something based on features as opposed to worrying about whether it can scale properly to your needs. This is why involving all those who will be using or interacting with the solution of choice is critical. This may mean involving distribution, marketing, sales, management and IT, but in the end, you'll have a much more rounded solution than relying on one department to be the brain for all of the others.<h2>Rule #4: Choose a Proven and Scalable Solution</h2>Be careful when choosing a solution to go with. You'll want to make sure that it's a proven solution that is both scalable and well supported. Don't go with a solution that can't show solid, well performing customers running their platform. My personal solution of choice for enterprise solutions would be . While there certainly are other solutions on the market like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.shift4shop.com/">3dcart</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.magento.com">Magento</a>, I personally have seen much smoother and more successful implementations when choosing <a href="/products/bigcommerce">Bigcommerce</a>. They have proven themselves to be competent and successful vendor in this arena and when it comes to your business, that's exactly what you want.A commenter below mentioned that he thinks that my recommending these systems is a mistake given that there are other large enterprise solutions like Oracle Commerce, IBM Websphere and SAP Hybris and that enterprise eCommerce means connecting to an ERP solution etc. Allow me to clarify here. I've had real world experience with these solutions and I'll say this simply. Show me a person who has not found any of these a headache and a massive money sink and I'll be pleasantly surprised. I've worked beside Websphere admins who've spent 95% of their time on the phone with support trying to fix broken B2B and B2C transactions over stupid config file issues more than you can imagine. Oracle solutions are a massive money pit driven to collectively get you to buy in to the full Oracle package (ERP, eCommerce, Database Licensing and so on) or pay through the nose to connect them with non-Oracle solutions. None of these are what I'd call “good recommendations”. Do they work? Yes. Do they do a better job than any of the cheaper ones out there? Not in my opinion.<a href="/products/bigcommerce">Bigcommerce Enterprise</a> does have ERP connectors that can integrate with your solution of choice and offers just as broad a feature set as some of the bigger players but don't let me make the decision for you, explore your options and do your research before choosing your provider of choice. I simply want to make sure you don't get trapped buying in to the concept of “price tag = capability” because it's a complete misnomer.Now that you know how I do it, it's time to get out there and start the selection process. You may want to start by exploring some of my recommendations but in the end, it relies on following the rules I've laid out above first and foremost. Good luck in your search and of course, if you need assistance, I offer <a href="/contact">consulting services</a> as well.

In Search of the Best Enterprise ECommerce Solution

Developers can now submit their plugins and themes to the e107 plugin and theme directory.
e107 is a free and open-source content management system powered by PHP and MySQL. Despite being maintained as a hobby project for most of its long life, e107 has accrued quite the user base, with well over <a href="http://trends.builtwith.com/cms/e107" target="_blank">8,000 websites running on it</a>.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/logo-1.png" />
e107 also detailed the best way to go about creating plugins and themes:
<blockquote>“The “Plugin Manager' and “Theme Manager” also have some tools to assist you in the creation of various files, such as theme.xml for theme developers and plugin.xml and admin_config.php for plugin developers. There's also a new language-file scanning tool in the Plugin Manager which can help with upgrading old plugins and finding unused LAN definitions.”</blockquote>
Developers wishing to contribute and struff their digital stuff will need a Github account to get going. It's not currently known is e107 will ever convert its them and plugin directories into marketplaces, enabling developers to sell their products as well as give them away, like they now can.
For more information, <a href="http://e107.org/blog/open-for-plugin-theme-contributions.html" target="_blank">check out the official announcement</a>.
And of course, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/e107/" target="_blank">e107 through our CMS Directory</a>.

e107 Now Welcomes Third Party Plugins & Themes

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

Today, I'm going to present the winner of the 2014 Critics' Choice CMS award for Best Website Builder.
<img style="max-width:188px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bestwebsitebuilder2014.png" />
This is always a difficult award to choose but this year, we're giving it to the one website builder that has achieved the most in 2014. With a huge number of improvements and a laser focus on improving their product and adding new feature sets, we've determined that this year, the most deserving website builder is none other than Wix.
<a href="https://www.wix.com/"><img style="max-width:400px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wix-logo400x0.jpg" /></a>
Wix has done amazing things this year with their focus on adding features such as <a href="/wix-adds-ecommerce-stores-to-its-online-website-builder/">e-commerce stores</a>, a <a href="/wix-announces-freemium-booking-engine-wixhotels/">booking engine</a>, <a href="/microsoft-office-365-subscribers-now-have-wix-website-building-power/">Office 365 integration</a>, and more, they've done more than any other website builder this year when it comes to focusing on improving their brand.
Congratulations to Wix on their win. Check them out in our directory here: <a href="/products/wix/">Wix</a>

2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner - Best Website Builder

Today I'm going to announce the winner of the Critics' Choice Award for Best Small to Midsize Business .NET CMS.
<img style="max-width:188px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bestsmbnetcms2014.png" />
When it comes to the small to midsize market, one CMS stands out from the rest of the crowd in both popularity and capability. This was an easy pick for the judges this year. The winner of the 2014 award for Best SMB .NET CMS is…
<img style="max-width:400px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/dnn_fullcolor_pos400x0.jpg" />
Congratulations to the team at DNN Corporation on their win. Check them out in our directory here: <a href="/products/dnn-evoq-content/">DNN Evoq Content</a>

2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner - Best Small to Midsize Business .NET CMS

Call Tracking + AI 

Call Tracking + AI that Turns Calls into Leads

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