Articles - Page 50

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

matt-garrepy

CMS Critic is a media sponsor for <a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/">JahiaOne</a>, the first international Jahia user conference being held in Paris, France on February 6th and 7th of this year. JahiaOne is an exciting opportunity for Jahia developers, users, clients and partners to meet, share their experience and discover Jahia's upcoming versions. 
Below is the current program for the event as of this writing, you can check for the most current program <a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/program">here</a>. For a list of sessions and more details, visit the conference website at <a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/">JahiaOne</a>.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/logo-jahiaone.png" />
<h2>Day 1 : 6 Feb 2014</h2>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>TIME</th>
<th>SCHEDULE</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>08:30 AM – 09:00 AM</td>
<td>Welcome Coffee</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>09:00 AM – 09:40 AM</td>
<td><a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/opening-keynote">Opening Keynote</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>09:45 AM – 10:30 AM</td>
<td><a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/jahia7-discovery">Jahia 7 Discovery</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10:30 AM – 11:00 AM</td>
<td>Coffee and networking</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td>Track 1</td>
<td>Track 2 – Jahia R&amp;D Track</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>11:00 AM 11:40 AM</td>
<td><a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/abercrombie">Abercombie &amp; Fitch – Customer's testimonial</a></td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/jahia7-welcome-to-OSGi">Jahia 7 architecture: Welcome to OSGi</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>11:45 AM – 12:30 PM</td>
<td><a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/homeaway">HomeAway – Customer's testimonial</a></td>
<td><a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/jahia7-more-about-OSGi">Jahia 7 architecture:  Learning more OSGi</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>12:30 PM – 02:00 PM</td>
<td>Lunch and networking</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>02:00 PM – 02:40 PM</td>
<td><a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/socomec">Socomec – Customer's testimonial</a></td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/jahia7-advanced-modules">Advanced modules – choose the right strategy</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>02:45 PM – 03:30 PM</td>
<td>– Soon announced –</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/jahia-stutio-new-development-tools">Jahia 7, enter the Studio, new development tools</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>03:30 PM – 04:00 PM</td>
<td>Coffee break and networking</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>04:00 PM – 04:40 PM</td>
<td>– Soon announced –</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/from-development-to-production">Jahia 7, From development to production, the complete lifecycle</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>04:45 PM – 05:30 PM</td>
<td>– Soon announced – </td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/extending-jahia-with-nosql">Extending Jahia with NoSQL. Demos and Showcases</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>05:30 PM – 06:00 PM</td>
<td>Coffee break and  networking</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>06:00 PM – 06:30 PM</td>
<td><a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/certification-exam">Certification Exam prepping: check of every developer's environment</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>07:30 PM- 00:00 AM</td>
<td>Gala Diner!</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Day 2 : 7 Feb 2014</h2>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>TIME</th>
<th>SCHEDULE</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>08:30 AM – 09:00 AM</td>
<td>Welcome Coffee</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>09:00 AM – 09:40 AM</td>
<td>Jahia Professional Services</td>
<td><a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/jahia-hyper-performance">Jahia hyper Performance</a></td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/certification-exam">Free Certification Exam</a>
For experienced Jahia developers (we recommend a minimum of one Jahia project over the past 12 months)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>09:45 AM – 10:30 AM</td>
<td>Upgrade to Jahia 7 </td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/search-and-query">Search API under the hood</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10:30 AM – 11:00 AM</td>
<td>Coffee break and networking</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>11:00 AM – 11:40 AM</td>
<td>– Soon announced – </td>
<td><a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/external-data-provider">Jahia 7, External data Provider</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>11:45 AM – 12:30 PM</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/test-and-debug-before-live">Testing and debugging your project before going live</a>
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/new-rest-api">Jahia 7 new REST API</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>12:30 PM – 02:00 PM</td>
<td>Lunch and networking</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>02:00 PM – 02:40 PM</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/MVC-in-Jahia7-Using-SpringWebFlow">MVC in Jahia 7 Using Spring Web Flow</a>
</td>
<td>
20mn : <a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/new-admin-panels">Jahia 7 new administration panels</a> 20mn : <a href="http://www.jahiaone.com/home/program/session/bootstrap-less-integration">Bootstrap and less.js Integration Demo</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>02:45 PM – 03:30 PM</td>
<td>Closing keynote – what lies ahead</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
We will be there both days live tweeting, taking pictures and writing about the event. If you are going, be sure to hunt either myself or Kaya down and say hello!

Join us at JahiaOne, The First International Jahia User Conference

mike-johnston

Love them or hate them, WordPress plugins are a big part of what makes the CMS so versatile. From event management, social syndication, and contact forms to performing backups and creating a social network; there is a plugin to fit almost endless needs. Lately the “code poets” at WordPress.org have made some changes to the Plugins Directory pages.
One of my favorite (ha pun intended) new feature is the ability to “favorite” plugins.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/update_ay89fe.png" alt="wordpress plugin directory 1" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/plugins_yn4rjs.png" alt="PluginFavorites1" />
Getting support is very important when choosing and implementing a plugin. Now each plugin has its own forum under the support tab on the plugin's page. These will support “sticky” posts as well so that FAQs can be nicely fit at the top.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pluginsupport-620x389.png" alt="PluginSupport" />
A few other upgrades include visual changes such as authors displayed with larger gravatars. Stats will eventually display two months of information. Also these subtle but important updates:
<ul>
<li>“Plugin headers” or those cool graphics you see at the top of plugin pages have really taken off, there are over 1,600 active now.</li>
<li>You can now subscribe to get an email whenever a commit is made to a plugin repository even if it isn’t yours. There is no better way to follow the development of your favorite plugins. There’s nothing like the smell of fresh changesets in the morning.</li>
<li>Behind the scenes, we’ve dramatically ramped up proactive scanning of the entire repository to help authors fix security and other problems they might not even know about yet. The quality level of the repo has gone way, way up.</li>
</ul>
More changes may happen as more feedback is received. Find out more at <a href="http://manager1201.agilitycms.com/Dialogs/www.wordpress.org" target="_blank">www.wordpress.org</a>

WordPress refreshes their Plugin pages

Colours CMS is a user friendly content management system built by the Norway-based design &amp; communication company, <a href="http://www.colours.no/" target="_blank">Colours</a>.
Originally established in 2002, Colours is a, “strategic design &amp; communication company with expertise in the offshore oil &amp; gas and maritime industries.” The company have demonstrated their dedication to next-generation technology by developing <a href="http://www.colourscms.no/" target="_blank">Colours CMS</a>.
Their content management system is currently only offered to their own customers, although they have plans in place to bring the platform to a wider, more public audience in the future.
Colours' aim was to construct a content management system from the ground up to enhance usability without it causing limitations to the functionality.
So, let's see if they succeeded.
<h2>Initial Thoughts</h2>
The team over at Colours CMS were kind enough to give me administrative access to some pre-built websites in order to test out the capabilities of their platform.
As soon as I began my exploration through the long list of websites they provided me with, I immediately realized that I was in for an extremely easy ride. It all looked so clean and simple.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/0_5.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Many of the pre-built sites were part of a network of websites, all built under Colours CMS for easy admin access.
After signing in as an administrator, you will be presented with a screen allowing you to select which website you would like to manage. After you make your choice, you aren't taken to the website back end as you would expect.
<h2>Getting Started</h2>
Instead of being taken to the back end, you will see your website as visitors would, with some very handy widgets available across the bottom of the screen. 
 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2_1700x0.png" alt="Colours CMS" /> 
 These widgets are neatly presented across the bottom of every page you visit on your website, allowing you to make use of the drag-and-drop and WYSIWYG features everywhere you go, placing content blocks wherever you want them to be. It all works pretty seamlessly.
<h2>Widgets</h2>
This live-edit admin panel – along with all its widgets, allows you to quickly and easily live-edit your Colours CMS website.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/1_1700x0.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Below, is a list of the widgets which can be found on this live-edit admin panel.
<h3>Text</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/text700x0.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Selecting the text option inserts a text block with a headline and some example text, both of which can be modified. You can change font sizes, styles, set alignments, add hyperlinks, and more, all without leaving the page you're live-editing.
<h3>Image</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Adding an image is similarly easy. The content block immediately appears, allowing you to add an image which you can either upload, or fetch from a URL. Additionally, you can link the images to specific links, and even resize them using the built-in image resizer. Images can also be used within text blocks.
<h3>Video</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/video.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
YouTube videos can be embedded using the video widget. Videos are accessible from the file manager, can be placed on any page, and support all YouTube control like full screen view, volume control, and so forth. You can also set videos to play automatically, or to play on repeat.
<h3>Feed</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/feed.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
The feed widget allows you to aggregate content on your page. You can create a list of files, links, articles, pages, events or even external content. You can set the size of the list, and even the style in which it is displayed.
<h3>Slideshow</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/slide.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
The slideshow widget is pretty self explanatory. Much like adding images, the slideshow content block enables you to organise images into a slideshow, where you can set the amount of sliders you wish to have, and adjust the size and position of the slideshow on the page.
<h3>Tables</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/tables.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Tables of information can be presented easily using the tables widget. You can define a set number of rows and columns, populate them with content, and place them anywhere on your page.
<h3>Code</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/code.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
If you're looking to get your hands dirty with some good old coding, Colours CMS can cater for you. The code widget allows you to insert HTML, Javascript, CSS and other elements like QR codes.
<h3>Forms</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/form.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Whether you want to embed a contact for or a registration form, the forms widget can help. You can re-use existing forms, create new ones, set particular users to manage the form, and so forth.
<h3>Maps</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/maps.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Colours CMS works seamlessly with Google Maps via their maps widget. Thanks to the platforms use of the Google Map API , you can quickly create and insert interactive maps into your website.
<h3>Products</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/product.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Using the products widget, you can display product search boxes, category menus and product pages to show off whatever your company has to offer. Headers can be added, along with advanced search options.
<h3>People</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/people.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
With the people widget, you can list staff names, descriptions and bios, or even list particular departments of your organization. This widget also allows website visitors to search for people on the list.
Additional options on the live-edit admin panel allow you to view the website as a visitor, access your user profile, create pages, articles and publish any new page changes.
All the features of the live-edit admin panel are extremely easy to use. They all automatically appear as modules on the page when you select them, allowing you to populate them either directly, or via a pop-up window.
The modules can then be moved around the page using the drag-and-drop functionality.
<h2>The Back End</h2>
On top of the core features listed above, all of which are within easy reach thanks to the live-edit admin panel, Colours CMS does of course have an actual admin back end.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/backend700x0.png" alt="Colours CMS" /> 
By navigating to “Manage”, “More” and then “Backend” on live-edit admin panel, you will be taken to a page which some further options and information about your website.
Key information about your website can also be changed via the back end. Things like site names, contact details, user roles and more can all be modified.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/backend2.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Additional options for things like Google Analytics codes also exist in the back end, along with the option to enable cross-publishing – which comes in handy if you are running more than one website on Colours CMS. 

<h2>Adding Pages</h2>
Creating brand new pages with Colours CMS is simple thanks to the option being present on the live-edit admin panel.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/page.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
You can choose between creating a standalone page, a page which redirects to another link, or even a clone of an existing page. Moreover, you can add tags to the page, define the template you wish to use, and then start adding images, videos and other widgets.
The option to set pages as children or parent pages of other existing pages also exist. This means you can define exactly where the page appears on menus.
<h2>Adding Articles</h2>
In a similar way to adding pages, you can also add articles, as the option to do so is once again right there on the live-edit admin panel.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/articles.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Articles are like blog posts, ideal for publishing news and general information about your organization. During the process of adding a new article, you can define a header, an introductory paragraph, and tags. You can then add media, text, and so forth.
<h2>File Management</h2>
Managing documents, images, videos, slides and more are all integral for any website owner. Colours CMS does a good job of presenting uploaded media in a neat fashion.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/file_manager700x0.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Using the live-editing admin panel, you can quickly navigate to the file manager, where all media is categorised and listed. You can browse by searching, switching between categories, or toggling between listing types.
It's great that reaching your media is also an option on the live-editing admin panel, as the last thing you want to be doing is leaving the page when attempting to piece together a slideshow or page.
<h2>Templates &amp; Design</h2>
Colours CMS offer new users a look at a range of pre-designed websites, each with its own theme. Each of the themes have unique templates and multiple page layouts built in to them.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/templates.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
At the time or writing, Colours' custom build websites come with three or four page layouts for example, whereas others may offer only two – depending on the needs of the user.
These layouts are used in order to place content blocks and modules via the drag-and-drop system.
At the time of writing, all Colours CMS websites are limited to their pre-defined templates. It’s currently not possible to customize the templates nor are there any shared templates. Thankfully, the module-positioning system helps to add some flexibility.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/templates2700x0.png" alt="Colours CMS" />
Although these layouts are well designed and work well, it would be great to see Colours CMS implement a specific selection of themes are page layouts for all their sample websites, so that users may pick and choose the designs which they like most.
Interestingly, Colours CMS have indicated that they do indeed plan on create several standard templates that new users can select from, along with the option to change and try out these templates.
<h2>Getting Help</h2>
Seeking out help for your website when you run into difficulty is hugely important. Thankfully, If you become a Colours CMS user, there are a fair amount of ways to get access to help and support.
From the beginning, the company offer new users the option of having a 1-2 hour hands-on training session to familiarize themselves with the functions of the content management system.
Furthermore, you can make use of Colours CMS' direct office phone line or support email address to get your issues resolved.
However, at the moment, only the core features of Colours CMS are defined on their website, but that's as far as it goes.  It would have been great to see some more detailed end-user information and documentation, along with some online support solutions, such as forums or online chat.
<h2> The Verdict</h2>
Colours CMS is brilliantly simplistic. The live-edit admin panel which floats at the bottom of every page is the ideal way to quickly and easily modify page elements.
With the drag-and-drop content management features, paired with the impressive WYSIWYG editor, you can create beautiful looking web pages in a very short space of time. Images, videos, forms, slideshows and more can all be incorporated with just a few clicks, making it quite fun to peice together a good looking website.
Yet, improvements can of course be made. The ability to customize page layouts, or perhaps even create your own, would greatly impact the way in which Colours CMS is used, opening up the door to user creativity. A lack of user documentation, independent themes, widgets and plugins also hinder the platform somewhat.
All in all however, Colours CMS delivers on what it promises to. The usability of the platform is excellent, whilst there is also plenty of functionality to experiment with. Without a doubt, Colours CMS has itself a fantastic foundation to build upon going into the future.
 Pros 
<ul>
<li>Colours CMS is supremely easy to manage, thanks to the live-edit admin panel, as well as a fully functioning admin back end for more detailed settings.</li>
<li>Elegant pre-defined themes and page layouts make the websites aesthetically pleasing.</li>
<li>Good range of widgets available, including slideshows, maps and products.</li>
<li>Creating pages and articles are just as easy as creating a widget.</li>
<li>Users can be added and modified easily.</li>
<li>File management is made simple, with the live-editing admin panel giving you quick access to all uploaded media.</li>
<li>Multiple websites can be managed in networks, with cross-publishing making content management easier.</li>
<li>The entire platform is well constructed, with simplicity in mind. To put it simply, it looks professional – and that's very important.</li>
</ul>
 Cons 
<ul>
<li>There is a distinct lack of end user documentation and online support options.</li>
<li>Themes and templates are predefined, with no option to customise, or mix and match page layouts between themes.</li>
<li>In order to appeal to a wider, more public market, open-source theme, widget and plugin libraries or marketplaces need to be introduced in some form, as the core functionality of Colours CMS isn't breaking any boundaries, despite being a joy to use.</li>
</ul>
<h2> Final Remarks 
</h2>
In conclusion, Colours CMS is excellent for the job it currently has on its hands, but needs some adjusting if it is to be successful when introduced to a wider audience.
At the time of writing, Colours CMS is primarily for clients and customers of Colours. They build bespoke websites for their clients, offer basic training, and then allow their clients to enjoy tweaking and adding to their brand new website via their content management system.
This has evidently been a successful way of working, but a public audience will want far greater freedom. Theme, widget and plugin “marketplaces” would be hugely welcome, whilst a wider range of user documentation and online support options would also help round off the platform. However, apart from that, it's an extremely pleasant CMS to use, with a healthy amount of functionality.
Perhaps the most promising aspect of Colours CMS, is that the developers have recognised the need to adapt for the public market, and seem ready to do so. You can't really ask for much more than that.
Want to see <a href="http://www.colourscms.no" target="_blank">Colours CMS</a> in more detail? <a href="http://www.colourscms.no/page/6285/Contact" target="_blank">Click here to schedule a live demo</a>.

Colours CMS Review

Social networks are hugely popular and although we've definitely seen a decrease in the number of “facebook clone” websites popping up like we did a few years ago, they are still heavily used for customer engagement and communities.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/landingi_eicjga.jpg" alt="socialengine_feature" />
SocialEngine puts the power of social networking in your hands making it possible to create your own unique community that you control. Version 4.2.4 adds some more functionality to the already feature rich and modular platform.
<ul>
<li>Two new themes: Kandy (4 color variations) and Grid (8 color variations). see images below</li>
<li>URLs in the RSS widget are now clickable.</li>
<li>Email All Members feature has been improved. Added paragraph functionality, and plain text emails are no longer sent as HTML emails.</li>
<li>Upgrades no longer remove banned IP addresses.</li>
<li>Improved Log Browser navigation.</li>
<li>Improved language phrases and descriptions.</li>
</ul>
How about a quick visual of those two new themes? Here you go…
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/socialengine_new_themes1-620x486_cct30e.jpg" alt="SocialEngine_new_themes1" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/socialengine_new_themes2-620x440_hlk9oq.jpg" alt="SocialEngine_new_themes2" />
To learn more about this product, read our <a href="/socialengine-review/" target="_blank">SocialEngine Review</a> or for a complete changelog and more information on SocialEngine visit their website <a href="http://www.socialengine.net" target="_blank">socialengine.net</a>

SocialEngine 4.2.4 release

Document Management vendor, eFileCabinet has announced the integration of RightSignature into their suite of tools. This is good news for current and future customers and puts them one step closer to being able to move to a fully paperless office.
<img style="max-width:492px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/realsignature.jpg" alt="realsignature" />
This new integration allows users to:
<ul>
<li>Easily send documents for signature online.</li>
<li>Automatically file collected signatures within the eFileCabinet folder system.</li>
<li>Enable customers to sign where ever – on their computer, iPad or any smart phone.</li>
<li>Provide legally binding electronic signatures with bank-level security.</li>
</ul>
According to Matt Peterson, President &amp; CEO of eFileCabinet, Inc:
<blockquote>“By partnering with RightSignature, we are able to incorporate e-signatures into our document management suite of products to close the loop to create a totally paperless solution. Users will not only be able to save on paper, but streamline their business so they can service more clients, close deals in seconds and generate more revenue.”</blockquote>
Source: <a href="https://www.efilecabinet.com/" target="_blank">eFileCabinet</a>

eFileCabinet integrates signature capability via RightSignature

<a href="http://sageframe.com/">Sageframe</a> is a free and open source ASP.NET CMS.
Founded in 2008 by <a href="http://www.braindigit.com/">Braindigit</a>, Sageframe aims to cater for novice personnel as well as seasoned developers, offering up a user friendly experience paired with some amazingly diverse functionality.
Sageframe promises to deliver scalable website solutions based on modular architectural design, enabling you to drag-and-drop and live-edit your way to a beautiful enterprise website.
The recent release of <a href="/sageframe-3.0-community-version-released/?utm_content=buffer83a70&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=app.net&amp;utm_campaign=buffer#.UzTG_PldVyg" target="_blank">Sageframe 3.0</a> brought about a number of new features, including automatically responsive templates, to-do lists, and personalized dashboards. 
It's also worth noting that Sagreframe was recently crowned winner of the <a href="/2014-best-open-source-net-cms/">People’s Choice CMS Award 2014 for Best Open Source .NET CMS</a>. It fought off some stiff competition, too.
I will now delve into Sageframe and ascertain just how fitting this recent award is. I’ll be exploring the good bits, the bad bits and everything in between, with the aim of producing an accurate verdict. 
<h2>Initial Thoughts</h2>
All my reviews begin at the vendor website, and this review is no different. It’s a solid way to gauge how the quality of the product, even before you get your hands on it.
Thankfully, <a href="http://sageframe.com/">Sageframe’s website</a> is sleek and informative – which is always a good sign.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.png" />
After a quick browse through the different pages, I could begin to see that Sageframe were claiming to offer more than just a free CMS:
<blockquote>
“Along with the software, you get our forum support, a list of free modules and get to be a part of a dedicated Sageframe community. This will definitely get you started for a whole new experience of creating all purpose websites using SageFrame.”
</blockquote>
Sageframe’s website copy boasts that the framework is “highly extensible”, pushing its open source nature and custom application creation as key features.
Sageframe comes in three flavours. Sageframe (The Community Edition, which is what this review focuses on), Sagever. and SageCMS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-2700x0.png" />
The community edition is lightweight and perhaps easier for developers to adjust to and work with, whilst Sagever comes bundled with premium Sageframe modules, and is geared towards seasoned web developers. SageCMS is even further advanced.
Sageframe Community Edition 3.0 is the edition I will be focusing on in this review.
<h2>Getting Started</h2>
If you've never tried Sageframe before, you'll be glad to know that it's easy to test it out. Simply visit <a href="http://sageframe.com/" target="_blank">Sageframe.com</a> and click the demo link to thrust yourself into the demo environment, which allows you to test out Sageframe's administrative interface.
Signing into Sageframe will give you access to the admin dashboard, which is easy enough on the eyes.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-31079x0.png" />
The dashboard is well designed and laid out, boasting a welcome message which includes some instructional videos and links to relevant documentation. 
You will find a grid menu displaying quick links to things like pages, templates, files, users and messages. Plus, there's a small analytics module showing the total number of visitors that your website has had, categorised by country. It's a nice little feature, but it's a shame you can't customise what this widget shows. Instead, you'll have to visit the analytics pages directly to find other stats. 
The dashboard also comes loaded with a To-do list, which I will touch on later in this review. 
Two more widgets make up the dashboard, with the “Portal Snapshot” showing some general information, while the To-do List widget awaits some tasks — another feature I'll be detailing later on.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-41079x0.png" />
As far as customization goes, clicking the small gear icon at the top of the dashboard reveals some basic appearance options, 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-51079x0.png" />
You can choose between three different colour schemes and adjust the sidebar position. Nothing amazing, but it's nice to have the choice. 
<h3>Live Editing</h3>
When it comes to the front end of your Sageframe project, you can edit the website in a “live” environment by simply visiting the website while signed in as an admin.
Whenever you do this, small pencil icons will appear next to each page section and element, including the site title, navigation menu, and so forth.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-61079x0.png" />
Clicking on a pencil brings up a window containing relevant editor. For example, a section containing text will bring up a text editor, whereas a section containing a slider will present you with options and settings concerning the slides.
<img style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-7.png" />
The point is, thanks to this live editing interface, almost anybody can make changes to content and design in a way which doesn’t require much technical knowledge. In fact, it doesn’t require any technical knowledge to edit in this way.
Of course, the live editing isn’t entirely comprehensive, but it’s definitely a useful feature. It makes quickly refining some copy or swapping an image a lot easier, and a lot faster.
But — and there is a big but — Sageframe’s live editor isn’t as smooth as it should be. The window that pops up simply needs to look and work a little better.
It isn’t centered on the screen, it isn’t the right size, and the window itself doesn’t display everything in one screen, forcing you to scroll down to find the “Save” button.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-8.png" />
You can move the window around and make it full-screen, but that shouldn’t be the only way to make it look presentable. It would be far better to see some more effort go into the design of this feature
<h3>Adding Pages</h3>
To add a new page, you’ll need to visit the dashboard, and navigate over to “Manage Site” and then “Pages”.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-91079x0.png" />
Here, you will find a nifty drag-and-drop page creation interface. Depending on the setup of yout template, which I will come to later, you can choose between page layouts, and then move modules into place. These include logos, banners, text and so on.
You can also edit all of the modules by clicking the pencil icon, bringing up a similar window found when live-editing from the front end.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-10.png" /> Again, this is a very user friendly way to go about building a page. It's easy, it makes sense, and you can even switch to mobile view.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-11.png" /> The mobile view enables you to customize the page's appearance on mobile devices with the same drag-and-drop interface. A truly awesome feature. 
You can also preview pages before they go live, but for some reason there is no “Save as Draft” option. The pages are probably auto-saved, but still, it would be nice to have that feeling of safety when building a page. 
Also, a button for extra page editing options pertaining to SEO, link structure and so forth should also be here, but it isn't. Instead, you need to right-click on the page you want to edit, and then click “Edit Page”.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-12.png" /> Only then will these options appear. They include designating parent pages, captions, META keywords, and so forth.
<h2>Templates &amp; Design</h2>
Sageframe offers templates through the Sageframe Extensions page. They all look good, but there aren’t many. Six, to be precise. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-14.png" />
There’s no way to live preview themes before you download and install them either. A screen shot is the best you’ll get.
Six isn’t many templates at all, and although this is probably meant to encourage the community to go out and build upon existing templates, or build their own from scratch (which they undoubtedly would have done), it would still be beneficial for more ready-made templates to be provided. After all, Sageframe is supposed to be for novices, too.
Thankfully though, for the small number of templates on offer, Sageframe does a very good job when it comes to customization.
<h3>Customization</h3>
You can edit existing templates by heading over to “Manage Site” and then “Templates”.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-15.png" /> Here, you can click click “Customize” on any of the uploaded templates you have. This allows you to edit Pages (as previously described), Presets and Layouts. as far as Presets are concerned, you can configure the default layouts for different pages, devices and so forth.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-16.png" />
Via the Layout Manager, you can edit existing layouts and create brand news ones using a drag-and-drop editor. It's similar to building a page, except these are the structures which you can later build you pages with. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-171079x0.png" /> It all works quite nicely, and it's pretty easy to use, too.
If you need to edit the code directly, you can do so by heading back to the templates page, and clicking “Edit Files”. this brings you to the Template File Manager, where you can download all of your files. There is no built-in editor though, unfortunately. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-181079x0.png" />
<h2>Addons &amp; Extras</h2>
There are a number of free Sageframe extensions, available via the Sageframe Extensions page.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-131079x0.png" />
Such extensions include modules like FAQs, table builders, galleries, mega menus, and so forth. There's a healthy range, to be fair.
But the number of extensions is less healthy. There are forty different extensions in total, which isn't too bad of a number, but there certainly could be more. In fact, there certainly should be more. 
<h3>Search Engine Optimization (SEO)</h3>
By clicking “Settings” on the sidebar, and then “SEO”, some (rather limited) SEO options are displayed.
The page allows you to insert Google Analytics tracking code, which is something better suited for the “Site Analytics” section. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-191079x0.png" /> You can also configure which pages you want search engine robots to leave out when they crawl your website, in case you have any pages that are under construction. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-201079x0.png" />
It also allows you to generate a sitemap and submit it to Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask, which is a nice touch.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-211079x0.png" />
I kind of expected to find more though. There's no area to enter META data or tags, for example.
<h3>To-do Lists</h3>
Sageframe displays To-do lists on the dashboard, albeit quite far down the page.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-22.png" />
To add to the list, you just have to click the “Add” button above it. you can also search through the list by keyword, and categorise it by date. It's a very handy widget to have on the homepage, especially for teams of writers and developers trying to communicate.
The only problem is, you have to scroll down to see it. I'd much prefer it if the to-do list widget and analytics widget swapped places. Or better yet, if I was able to move these widgets around freely. 
<h3>Analytics</h3>
If you head over to “Site Analytics” on the sidebar, you will find a range of neatly presented charts and data tables. 
<img style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-23.png" />These built-in analytics report on visits, page views, country, and monthly accumulated visits. A list of referring website can also be found under the “Data” section of the page.  <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-24.png" /> You can view all stats by date, and export them via PDF or Excel, which means creating monthly or weekly reports would be pretty easy. Combined with Sageframe's support for Google analytics tracking codes, I'd say it does a pretty stellar job on the analytics front.
On another note, it's worth mentioning that Braindigit, the company behind SageFrame, also provide further functionality through another one of their products, AspxCommerce. The eCommerce platform can be combined with Sageframe to add eCommerce functionality, although the process behind this is unclear and not well documented. Nonetheless, the option is there.
<h2>Getting Help</h2>
Support is Sageframe’s Achilles' Heel.
Surprisingly, users wishing to use a simple support ticket will need to shell out $5 for the privilege each time they run into an issue. It’s not a large amount of money, but charging people per ticket is pretty outlandish. Oh, and if you want “Premium Support”, you'll need to have a spare $2,799 lying around.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-27.png" />
Sageframe does serve up a rather detailed documentation library, full with guides to do with working with Sageframe's settings, analytics, users, and so forth.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-251079x0.png" />
The categories are listed down the left hand side, with further options appearing when you click on one. But, I noticed that not all categories well populated. “Working with SEO” and “Working with Files” for example, were empty.
Furthermore, the video tutorial section was populated with helpful videos, but they were all out of date, focusing on Sageframe 2.0. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-261079x0.png" />
The only other free support solution though, is the Sageframe community forum. It’s there, it’s relatively active, but I wouldn’t call it a busy support hub. At the time of writing, it has been almost two weeks since the last post.
So once again, if you’re not an experienced web developer, Sageframe could cause issues for you. Because a novice will almost certainly run into a few issues along their way, and unless that issue is covered by the documentation, the only other real solution is to pay up for a support ticket.
<h2>The Verdict</h2>
There's a lot to like about Sageframe. For a free and open source product, one can have a lot of fun tinkering and experimenting with existing templates and modules, as well as creating some new ones.
The dashboard is professionally designed and easy to use. Live-editing is also a handy feature for any CMS to have in its arsenal. Furthermore, features pertaining to users, roles, CDNs, multiple portal creation and management, language localization and backend job scheduling make it possible to create anything from one pagers to large enterprise websites with multiple users collaborating and contributing. 
But, as an open source product, I feel that Sageframe needs more support from its community to excel. Templates are scarce, and the extensions library is hardly overflowing. There is work to be done, and if Sageframe can't inspire their community to take part, then they need to lead the way themselves. 
So, as far as flexibility goes, each individual user will need to put some extra effort in to bring their project into being, depending on how ambitious their project is of course. This is unfortunately down to the lack of templates, extensions and support at Sageframe.
<h3>Pros</h3>
<ul>
<li>Sageframe has a clean, user friendly and customizable dashboard.</li>
<li>Live-editing makes it easy to edit websites quickly fron the front end.</li>
<li>Very powerful customization editor when it comes to page and website layout.</li>
<li>Sageframe websites are always responsive, and a mobile-view template editor helps you customize the appearance on mobile devices.</li>
<li>Pages and Portals are easy to set up and manage.</li>
<li>User and role types are easy to set up and manage.</li>
<li>Easy to access and manage event logs, CDNs, SQL and cache maintenance.</li>
<li>Fairly detailed documentation.</li>
<li>Handy to-do-list widget.</li>
<li>Built-in analytics.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cons</h3>
<ul>
<li>The live-editing feature needs attention in terms of design and presentation.</li>
<li>Sageframe doesn't have very strong support solutions. Support tickets cost $5 each.</li>
<li>Not enough documentation on how to integrate with AspxCommerce. Perhaps future versions of Sageframe should come with AspxCommerce extensions built-in. </li>
<li>Not enough Templates.</li>
<li>No code-less design customization (colour palettes, backgrounds, and so forth).</li>
<li>Not enough Addons.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Final Remarks</h2>
Sagreframe is undoubtedly a powerful platform.
It’s capable of building all sorts of websites, and it’s true that even a web development novice could make it work — although I wouldn’t recommend it.
Sure, Sageframe is relatively simple for such a dynamic CMS, but it’s fair to say that simplicity isn’t Sageframe’s strongest suit. There are countless platforms out there that offer a more friendly approach to the less experienced.
Also, Sageframe's claim to offer a users a dedicated community seems to be lacking somewhat. An open source project like this needs a thriving community, and I think Sageframe need to invest more time and effort into building a solid fanbase, rather than a client base. 
Having said that though, if you do know what you’re doing when it comes to code, web development and web design, Sageframe is worthy of your consideration.

Sageframe 3.0 Review

CMS Summit 26

Find out at CMS Connect 26, August 4-5 in Montreal, Canada

What's ahead for CMS in the agentic era?

#ffffff

With the release of version 9.1 of its multi-channel publishing system Enterprise, WoodWing continues to further advance easy multi-channel publishing and communication, from creation of content to distribution via various channels. With new options to quickly label content during production and to efficiently tag content destined for the Web, WoodWing addresses issues often seen as problematic and time-consuming. Updated connectors for Facebook and Twitter embed the social media channels fully transparent into daily multi-channel publishing workflows.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/woodwing-pr-enterprise91919x0.jpg" />
The new version 9.1 of WoodWing´s multi-channel publishing system Enterprise offers updated connectors for Twitter and Facebook (left), enables slide shows for web sites (middle) and supports the tag suggestion service Open Calais (bottom) (Click to enlarge).
WoodWing introduced version 9 of its publishing system Enterprise in early September of 2013, paving the way for further innovation in multi-channel publishing. With version 9.1 of Enterprise, WoodWing further refines the way publishers, agencies and marketing departments can efficiently create content and distribute it via any channel to reach their audiences.
<h3>More efficient content management</h3>
In Content Station – WoodWing’s editorial management application – all content related to a specific story is collected in a dossier. Version 9.1 offers new functionality to label the content in a dossier, enabling users to quickly filter their content to see only what they want to see. WoodWing also added support for slideshows for the Web, eased the creation of related dossiers, and added a number of other improvements users have been requesting. 
<h3>Semantic tagging made easy</h3>
For many users, quickly tagging content for the Web – making online content more accessible and valuable – is still a cumbersome and time-consuming activity. Enterprise 9.1 offers flexible tagging options out-of-the-box. Users can add their own tags, use pre-defined tags and use a tag suggestion service, depending on the required way of working. Enterprise ships with an integration with <a href="http://www.opencalais.com/" target="_blank">Open Calais</a> – a service from Thomson Reuters. Open Calais analyzes the text targeted for the Web and returns tagging suggestions users can directly apply to their articles. Leveraging its open plug-in architecture, Enterprise can also support other semantic systems.
<h3>Using Facebook and Twitter to promote your brand and content</h3>
WoodWing also released updated connectors to integrate Facebook and Twitter fully transparent in the daily multi-channel workflow, making it easy to promote Web content via the leading social media platforms directly from within Content Station. The Facebook connector also supports the posting of images and the creation of photo albums.
<h3>One system for all channels and any workflow</h3>
<blockquote>
“We want to enable publishers, agencies and marketing departments to manage all their content and media channels using just one application,” said Erik Schut, President of WoodWing. “No matter how the customer wants to work – with one consolidated team responsible for all channels or separate teams for print, online and digital, we support all workflows.”
</blockquote>
Enterprise 9.1, including the editorial management application Content Station, is available immediately as a perpetual purchase license as well as in an attractive subscription model with monthly fees.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p8wVLHLOHMA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h3>WoodWing Trend Survey</h3>
Currently WoodWing conducts a survey on the publishing trends 2014 – which “First” strategy and which social media platforms will be in the focus worldwide, what are the most common goals for the use of social media, and more.The questionnaire can be found at http://ow.ly/rQBHx (deadline is January 15, 2014). Participants have the chance to win an Apple TV.

WoodWing Enterprise 9.1 – the next steps in multi-channel publishing innovation

Some good news crossing the wire for Vivvo and Newscurve founder, Boris Krstovic (<a href="/interview-with-vivvo-founder-boris-krstovic/">interview</a>). His company, Newscurve, has been acquired by the Neodata group. For those who are unaware, Newscurve is an excellent content analysis tool that has been on the market for almost a year now.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/newscurve_screen-620x270.png" alt="newscurve_screen" />
Developed as a decision support analytics platform for publishers, it allows editors to promote and demote content within a small window of time. Using real-time and social media analytics, the goal of the platform is to help increase the performance of content.
<blockquote>
“Neodata Group is the ideal organization to expand and leverage the Newscurve technology. They share our passion for innovation, so we're absolutely thrilled with the opportunities that this relationship will create,” said Newscurve founder Boris Krstovic. “This is a great time to be a Newscurve customer. With our complementary strengths and Neodata's global capabilities, we provide clients with the broadest range of technology-integrated solutions for the newsroom and the online publishing industry.”
</blockquote>
CMS Critic congratulates Mr. Krstovic and the rest of the Newscurve team on this acquisition and we're excited to see what the future holds for this excellent platform.
Source: <a href="http://www.newscurve.com" target="_blank">http://www.newscurve.com</a>

Newscurve acquired by Neodata Group

Oxwall 1.6 was released recently and brings with it a number of new additions to the popular open source community software / social networking CMS.
With each new release of Oxwall, the team brings a new theme to the CMS and this release is no exception. The new theme, entitled München, is not only a shoutout to the town but also a great example of the attractiveness of the platform.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/munchen-1024x513845x0.jpg" alt="oxwall new theme" />
On the topic of theming, this release also introduces automatic theme updates directly from the Oxwall servers, just like their plugins currently do. This is a great addition and helps you stay on top of the latest changes.
In addition, the new social share plugin included in this release offers easily integrated share buttons beneath your content (see screenshot below).
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/social_share845x0.png" alt="oxwall social share" />
The most important new change in this release, however, is the introduction of mobile responsiveness to the platform. This isn't just a responsive theme or hack to make your content mobile friendly, the entire platform has been redeveloped to ensure full functionality on all major phone browsers (including an increase in performance).
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_4691.jpg" />
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_7274.png" />
Check it out today: <a href="http://oxwall.org">Oxwall Community Software</a>

Oxwall 1.6 brings new themes, social sharing and mobile responsiveness to their open source community software

Do you hear that? It's the “buzz” being generated by DotNetNuke as they gear up for the release of version 6.2. Should you be excited? Well do you like the idea of content management married in sweet matrimony to social collaboration? You do!!? Well, then you can officially get excited.With the release of DNN 6.2 beta in March, the focus has been on the social features of the release. Most would agree that integrating a social element into a CMS is a good road to travel. Successful websites thrive on interaction with current and future customers. DotNetNuke has shown that they have a strong understanding of the need to integrate social community features. Take a look at this commercial to see what we mean.<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8Qa4G5M5Wo"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l8Qa4G5M5Wo" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure>The official unveiling of DNN 6.2 is coming May 30th but for now we have a very good preview at dotnetnuke.com of some features we can expect from the release. Here are a couple of highlights:<h3>Social authentication</h3>How many passwords do you have to remember? Email, various social networking accounts, online banking, employment login, and on it goes. If you have to setup one more username and password you are going to scream right? DNN offers the ability to let visitors join your social community using credentials they already have. Most likely the goal is that visitors will say “Oh, its easy to join I'll just go ahead and do that.” You can envision your loyal community growing already.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/160e647_hp2rxv.jpg" alt="DotNetNuke" /><h3>Social Groups</h3>Instead of all members simply lumped together in one large bunch, DNN allows grouping. This can focus the conversations between group members and give the site owner valuable insight on what members are interested in. The “Awesome Cycles” example is perfect in this regard.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/hotel_zgjdtc.png" alt="DotNetNuke" />As the official unveiling nears we will keep readers informed. For further detail visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dotnetnuke.com">www.dotnetnuke.com</a>

A look at some of the features in the upcoming DotNetNuke 6.2 release

With a full release just on the horizon, SilverStripe proudly releases version 3.0 beta 3 for download and review. This update consists of many “under the hood” changes but the two most highlighted improvements are the new UI and a separate framework release.
<h4>The new “paint job”</h4>
SilverStripe is giving great attention to usability with the totally redesigned user interface. Users tested and SilverStripe listened basing many of their improvements off of the usability testing results. They have come up with a UI that allows content editors to easily update content and even site structure with simple text editing skills. This should allow for a shorter implementation to production time period. SilverStripe has also simplified the media embedding process. Whether it is from YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr or other sites it is simply a matter of inserting the media's URL and SilverStripe does the rest.
<h4>Framework release for developers</h4>
The beta release is unique also in that the SilverStripe framework is now also available. This allows developers to extend SilverStripe from just a website to a full blown web application. API's have been either replaced or improved to give developers advanced control. With namespace support, PHP 5.3+ support, and a responsive default theme, developers are given a head-start to begin building applications. Designers are not left out because this framework includes a “template engine” which keeps the PHP scripting in its place so front-end user experience experts can have complete creative control over HTML and CSS.
<h4>Need to see a demo?</h4>
You could always download the beta or SilverStripe has an online demo site so you can experience the CMS yourself without installing it on a test server.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/telerik_pb2myb.jpg" alt="SilverStripe_demo_screenshot" />
SilverStripe 3.0 beta 3 is available for download now. For more information on downloading, testing, and reporting any bugs visit <a href="http://www.silverstripe.com" target="_blank">www.silverstripe.com</a>.

SilverStripe final beta release for CMS and framework

<h3>Communication is the lifeblood of relationships</h3>
Naturally a business that communicates well internally and with customers is going to be more efficient, supportive to clients, and will result in increasing revenue. With that being said, good communication does not always come naturally even in this age of information. A company needs the tools to facilitate easy communication to build connections and the sense of community. The buzz of excitement about DNN 6.2 has had many anticipating the availability of this highly “social” cms. With the promise of deeply integrated social community and collaborative features, the “buzz” and anticipation is justified.
<blockquote>“Organizations of all sizes now have a powerful WCMS combined with robust social tools – all at an affordable price,” stated Shaun Walker, CTO and co-founder of DotNetNuke Corp.  “Building an effective online community is a proven strategy to improve productivity and get closer to your customers.  With DotNetNuke, businesses now have the capabilities to deploy online social solutions much faster, that are fully integrated with their external and internal websites, without the high cost of customization associated with current enterprise offerings in the market.”</blockquote>
What are others saying about these features?
<blockquote>“As one of the most popular independent websites in Canada, we needed a web content solution that seamlessly supported a modern community model,” said Maggie Leithead, CEO of CharityVillage, Canada’s supersite for the non-profit worker.  “We chose DotNetNuke because the social software on the market today wasn’t good enough on its own.  We would have had to bolt on point solutions to get the integrated community experience we now have for our members, combined with an easy-to-use content management system for our staff.  DotNetNuke is making us more efficient and allowing us to adapt faster to the needs of our community.”
“Fostering a strong community is integral to building an engaging online experience today and marketers need easy-to-use social tools that are built into their Web content management system,” said Melissa Webster, Program Vice President, Content and Digital Media Technologies at IDC. “That way, they're managing users and activity feeds and social content the same way they manage the rest of the site's content. Social tools are also a boon for internal collaboration, helping to create highly engaged, effective teams.”</blockquote>
You can see the common needs: “integrated community experience” and “easy-to-use social tools that are built in…” With version 6.2, DotNetNuke is poised to deliver a solution. With online community features customers can interact with each other building relationships based on common interest in your company's product or service. DNN allows creation of a social intranet allowing the same collaborative experience within the company. This can result in a tight community of employees able respond quickly to business and customer needs with ease.
<h3>Alright show me some features and capabilities!</h3>
<blockquote>DNN 6.2 contains a number of new capabilities that are essential for creating internal and external social communities:
• Activity feed that powers user interactions in a familiar social model
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2015-11-01_at_18_46_06_noxast.png" alt="DNN_ActivityFeed" />
• Social groups and forums that increase team collaboration
• Facebook, Twitter and Google+ social login that drives community participation
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/160e647_hp2rxv.jpg" alt="DNN_social_auth" />
• ‘Friend’ and ‘Follow’ controls that encourage social relationships
• Private messaging that offers an alternative community communication model
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/dnn_messaging-620x420.png" alt="DNN_messaging" />
• Interactive user profile that offers detailed personalization options
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/dnn_profile-620x428.png" alt="DNN_profile" />
• Member directory that makes it easy to find and  connect with other people
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pardot3_kqgroa.png" alt="DNN_MemberDir" />
• Social API enables developers to make their apps social, drive visibility and usage
• SharePoint 2010 integration makes it easy to publish enterprise documents to external sites
• Fully localized platform in Dutch, French, German and Spanish enables customers to work in their preferred language</blockquote>
<h3>Communication, Collaboration, and Community Connectivity</h3>
No that is not just an impressive use of alliteration, it is a way businesses can move forward. Being connected closely to users, knowing the needs of customers, and swiftly responding enables you to provide solutions that work. DotNetNuke has provided this social web cms solution in an effort to make your job easier, not give you another job to do.
For more information visit their website at <a href="http://www.dotnetnuke.com" target="_blank">dotnetnuke.com</a>.

DotNetNuke 6.2 now available

<a href="https://www.sugarcrm.com">SugarCRM</a> has just released version 7.7, which brings about enhanced search functionality, improved tagging, and a whole lot more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sugarcrm-logo-220x220.jpeg" alt="sugarcrm logo" />
In August 2015, Gartner named SugarCRM as a “niche player” in its <a href="http://www.cmswire.com/customer-experience/gartner-names-crm-lead-management-leaders/">Magic Quadrant for CRM Lead Management</a>. Primarily, it's aimed towards medium-sized to enterprise-scale businesses.
Recently, SugarCRM published a rather insightful article on how to <a href="https://blog.sugarcrm.com/2016/05/04/extending-marketing-automation-with-crm/">extent marketing automation with a CRM</a>, which I think is well worth a read.
<h2>Search &amp; Tagging Improvements</h2>
SugarCRM have made use of Elastic Search to give their global search user interface a functionality boost. For example, tags can now be searched and results can be filtered more finely.
As for tagging, SugarCRM has made improvements that will impact both end users and administrators:
<ul>
<li>End Users: Sidecar modules contain a Tags field where users can create and share tags which can be used to identify records in filters, dashlets, and reports.</li>
<li>Administrators: Users with administrator or developer access can utilize the Tags module to manage the system-wide tag repository.</li>
</ul>
What's more is, SugarCRM 7.7 includes enhancements to lead conversions, quote and forecast information and improved support for <a href="http://support.sugarcrm.com/Documentation/Sugar_Developer/Sugar_Developer_Guide_6.7/Module_Framework/Sugar_Logic/index.html" target="_blank">Sugar Logic</a>.
The update itself was pretty comprehensive, with a wide range of additions dotted all over the platform. You can <a href="https://community.sugarcrm.com/community/releases/blog/2016/04/15/version-77-released#Global_Search">read all about them on the SugarCRM blog</a>.
And as per usual, you can explore more through the <a href="/sugarcrm/">SugarCRM hub on our CRM Directory</a>.

SugarCRM 7.7 Improves Global Search & Tagging

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