Articles - Page 86

Brightspot Illuminates the Future of CMS with Human-Controlled, AI-Powered Storytelling 

matt-garrepy

Impact Radius, a popular marketing and affiliate solutions provider, has announced that they have acquired Forensiq, a top provider in advertising fraud prevention.
“Together the teams will focus on the development of artificial intelligence technologies, pioneering the new digital currency of attribution, viewability and ad fraud,” said Per Pettersen, Impact Radius CEO. “Exposing and removing fraudulent traffic across devices and ecosystems will create a more pure, real-time data hub for media buyers, analysts and executives to stay on the same page, share granular insights  and maximize marketing ROI.”
Forensiq uses advanced technology plus an obsessive team of data scientists that help companies eliminate impression fraud, click fraud, affiliate fraud and cookie stuffing.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/forensiq-what-we-do-infographic-1024x652.png" alt="forensiq-what-we-do-infographic" />
Impact Radius is an affiliate provider that helps companies market their products through an affiliate program. Their system manages insertion order proposals and tracks / reports click through and affiliate sales. With the combination of these two platforms, Impact Radius has positioned themselves in a unique place for those who are running affiliate campaigns to promote their businesses. Now you can get full affiliate program management with the safety of knowing that you have a complex fraud prevention solution in place as well, to prevent unnecessary ad spend.
“We are thrilled to join the Impact Radius team and assist their impressive roster of clients in the fight against ad fraud,” said David Sendroff, Founder and CEO of Forensiq. “We believe in a world where advertisers can focus on improving ROI, and not have to worry about eliminating fraud from the equation. Our automated and seamless solutions allow advertisers to maximize the impact of every dollar spent.”
To learn more about this acquisition visit <a href="http://www.impactradius.com/impact-radius-acquires-forensiq-creating-worlds-first-marketing-system-record-built-fraud-detection?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWWpVd05tUTBZamcxWlRneCIsInQiOiJ0NFlLbHBZQVZ5dDl3Z21nT3M3MU9Pa3YzSENCOGNwbHNCZWxuWmhuSVwvWUU5OER3MmU1RDl6QlkzWG85ZmV2anpcL2U2RVF1RytJVWVmSUVsdXBvTzFpaE93RUNKanJld3lYVDVld1lWdlNRPSJ9">Impact Radius</a>, to learn more about Forensiq, <a href="https://forensiq.com/">visit them online</a>.

Impact Radius acquires Forensiq

mike-johnston

<a href="https://mithra62.com/"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-8.png" alt="sshot-8" /></a>
<a href="https://mithra62.com">Backup Pro</a> has now been serving the CMS community for five successful years, and they’re celebrating this milestone by having a mega sale for a limited time only. The CMS agnostic backup tool was launched in 2011 by <a href="http://blog.ericlamb.net/">Eric Lamb</a>, and now serves as a worthy alternative to SaaS backup platforms.
Currently, Backup Pro supports; WordPress, Prestashop, <a href="/concrete5-marketplace-gets-backup-pro/">Concrete5</a>, Craft CMS and ExpressionEngine (2 &amp; 3). However, support for more CMS is in the works. 
Unlike SaaS data backup systems, Backup Pro is a tool that only has to be purchased once, giving you a life-long disaster recovery tool to use at your website’s disposal. It can be hosted anywhere, from local storage to Amazon S3 Cloud. 
<h2>Keeping Data Safe For 5 Years</h2>
With five years of experience under its belt, Backup Pro <a href="https://mithra62.com/projects/view/backup-pro">comes packed with the features needed</a> for complete disaster recovery. 
Backup Pro’s features include:
<ul>
<li>Online database restoration</li>
<li>Remote storage options</li>
<li>Granular file backups</li>
<li>Automation friendly</li>
<li>Console routing</li>
<li><a href="https://mithra62.com/projects/feature/backup-pro/single-and-common-format">And more</a></li>
</ul>
<a href="https://mithra62.com/"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-9.png" alt="sshot-9" /></a>
To claim your discount, simply head over to Backup Pro website and use the coupon code “Celebrate5Years”. <a href="https://mithra62.com/projects/view/backup-pro">Buy your copy of Backup Pro now</a>. And as always, be sure to explore the <a href="/backup-pro/">Backup Pro hub</a> here on CMS Critic.

70% Off Backup Pro: Celebrating 5 Years of Data Backups

A new version of the popular Elementary OS is now available. A variant of Ubuntu, Elementary OS is a Linux distribution that uses the Pantheon desktop. The newest release, nicknamed Loki, is based on Ubuntu 16.04 and as such, gets Gtk 3.18, Vala 0.32, and a more current Linux 4.4 kernel.
Here are some screenshots from this release:
For a full summary of the changes in this new upcoming release, check out the <a href="http://blog.elementary.io/post/145881464631/loki-beta">release announcement</a>.
As with all new beta releases, there are bugs. Here are the main ones that are known at this time:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbugs.launchpad.net%2Fslingshot%2F%252Bbug%2F1581145&amp;t=ODE1YzgwZjJmZDEzOTcyMWQwZjFjMGJiNmY3YzMyN2M5ZTU4ZDAyOCxCdnpsaFh5Ug%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Applications menu search is ignoring keywords</a></li>
<li><a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbugs.launchpad.net%2Felementaryos%2F%252Bbug%2F1503446&amp;t=YmY0NDY5YTVhYmRlYzBhZDlmNDgzOGMyZDY2MWE3MzlmZjRjZDc0OCxCdnpsaFh5Ug%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Media keys do not show responsive confirmation notifications</a></li>
<li><a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbugs.launchpad.net%2Fgala%2F%252Bbug%2F1376382&amp;t=OTIwNWVhMzdhMTFmNTVkZjZmMThhNTRhNzhhZjE5ZDAzYTM5NWY3MyxCdnpsaFh5Ug%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Region around notifications can become unclickable</a></li>
<li><a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbugs.launchpad.net%2Fswitchboard-plug-onlineaccounts%2F%252Bbug%2F1427410&amp;t=M2ZmYzFhZTJjMTlhNmJjNTRhYzI4Njk3MGQ0MGIwZDJhMWNmYTk4MyxCdnpsaFh5Ug%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Not all online accounts services present are integrated</a></li>
<li><a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbugs.launchpad.net%2Fappcenter%2F%252Bbug%2F1587975&amp;t=ZTJkNzE0YzE4YWVmMDc0NGYwZWUxNjUwOTY0NmJmZTM2NzEwOWFjMixCdnpsaFh5Ug%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Packagekitd sometimes takes 100% CPU</a></li>
<li><a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbugs.launchpad.net%2Fswitchboard-plug-display%2F%252Bbug%2F1522045&amp;t=M2E4OTI4Yjc5ZGFjZDc1OWI2YjJiMWI2YzgwMmJjNDY2NWMyNWJiYixCdnpsaFh5Ug%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Some regressions in the displays plug for multi-display users</a></li>
</ul>
Personally, I am not sure that I'm fond of a particular change in this release, namely the exclusion of a default app for handling .DEB files. As mentioned within the release notes however, the logic behind this decision is as follows:
<blockquote>
<h2>No Unsafe Software Sources</h2>
In the interest of promoting secure software installation methods, as of this release there is no default app for handling .deb packages and the command line tool add-apt-repository is not available by default. These tools are available to install from the default repos, but the stance going forward is that software should come from vetted, secure sources or in sandboxed package formats. If you’re worried about how users will be able to get and install your apps, don’t panic! We’ll have a follow up announcement soon.
</blockquote>
Interested in trying it out? You can grab the beta from here: https://elementary.io/developer
What are your thoughts on the teams decision? Do you agree? Disagree?

Elementary OS 0.4 Beta "Loki" Now Available

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ipad-820272_1280-1-e1465814975223-1024x458.jpg" alt="Responsive Design Planning" />
Responsive design can be an extremely useful tool and solution when employed properly and for the appropriate problems. It's important to note that not all sites are compatible with a responsive design, while others are perfect candidates for this type of setup.
Deciding to go responsive involves a lot of planning, so to help you get underway, here are five tips to consider if you’re thinking about taking the plunge.
<h2>1. Understand All Viewports</h2>
The very first thing that you need to do is list out all viewports (browser window sizes) that you will need to create wireframes and designs for. If you want to get really specific, this website lists out viewport sizes for nearly every device that currently exists. But a good place to start is with the following widths:
<ul>
<li>320px wide for smartphones</li>
<li>768px wide for tablets (when held vertically) or 1024px (when flipped horizontally)</li>
<li>1024px and up to 1680px (sometimes higher) for desktops.</li>
<li>Additionally, you'll need to consider that content will adapt differently to various devices and operating systems</li>
</ul>
<h2>2. Build a Triple Wireframe</h2>
One you've figured out your viewports, it's time to start <a href="http://agilitycms.com/services/technical-services">wireframing</a>. For the best results, you should create three layouts per page – one for desktops, one for smartphones, and one for tablets.
A good tip is to pick one specific viewport, and design to that one first. Then, adapt the design to other two viewports.
<h2>3. Avoid Bandwidth &amp; Performance Issues</h2>
A big challenge of responsive design is figuring out ways to avoid pushing content down to devices with limited bandwidth. While high resolution photos and numerous JavaScript files look and work great on desktop, they can easily cause a slow and not-so-user-friendly experience on smartphones and tablets.
A great solution is to re-purpose desktop content by pre-optimizing images and other items before sending these files to handheld devices.
Additionally, using compact scripts and lightened-up code will take up as little bandwidth as possible.
<h2>4. Create Content for Your Responsive Audiences</h2>
The way users consume content on a mobile device versus what they’re looking for on desktop is really different.
So, while planning for responsive design, list out what your users want from each experience, what tasks they're looking to complete and what would be the most useful to them on each different device.
<h2>5. Ensure Seamless Experiences</h2>
While users want something different from their mobile interactions with your site than what they want from desktop, there is an increasing trend of users employing both mobile and desktop to complete a task. This use case, starting a task on one device and moving to another, is called sequential screening.
The experience that the mobile and desktop versions of your site provide should therefore compliment each other. The structure of the site should make it easy for these users to move from one device to the other to quickly and easily complete their task.
<hr />
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”auto” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Wondering what route to take when it comes to a responsive design vs. a mobile site? We have indicated advantages and disadvantages for both. <a href="http://agilitycms.com/resources/a-responsive-design-vs-a-mobile-site?utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_medium=blog">Click here to read</a>. [/dropshadowbox]
<hr />
This post is <a href="/advertising/">sponsored</a> by AgilityCMS. Find out more at <a href="http://www.agilitycms.com/">agilitycms.com</a>.

5 Tips for Responsive Design Planning

LightCMS, the website builder geared towards web designers, has revamped its text editor and media manager.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sf59439logo-1-2-220x220-e1465832487358.jpg" alt="Lightcms" />The platform enjoyed a featured week on CMS Critic back in 2015, and boasts a <a href="/a-closer-look-at-the-lightcms-developer-program/">Developer Program</a> to give web design agencies all the tools they need to grow.<h2>Improved Text Editor</h2>LightCMS has gone to work on their editor by firstly removing the ‘Show More' button, which used to reveal further formatting options. The new toolbar, though, manages to squeeze in all those options into one manageable toolbar.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2016-05-17_16-11-38.png" alt="2016-05-17_16-11-38" />Furthermore, toolbars in the editor adapt depending upon the task you are performing. For example, if your document includes an image, when you click the image a small toolbar with image related tools is displayed in the editor.Or, when you click a link in your text, the link manager toolbar is displayed below the text. This toolbar lets you edit the link or remove it. You still add a new link by clicking the link manager button on the main toolbar.Finally, ‘Design View' and ‘Code View' have been made easier to toggle between.Before this update, the two views were accessed by clicking the corresponding button at the bottom of the text editor. Now, these view are controlled by a single button on the toolbar. Clicking the ‘Code View' button once toggles the editor to code view. Clicking the button again returns it to the WYSIWYG view.‘Code View' also now comes with syntax highlighting and line numbers for easier coding.<h2>New Media Manager</h2>The new media manager looks totally different to the old one, and it has more features, too.Drag and drop uploading has finally been added, allowing you to bulk upload images directly from your desktop or other folders. This is a much needed addition to LightCMS, as I'm sure you'll agree.As for aesthetics, the new media manager window is far larger, making it easier to work with.Plus, LightCMS' new media manager lets you filter through media by file type. That includes options like:<ul><li>Show: All</li><li>Show: Audio</li><li>Show: Documents</li><li>Show: Video</li><li>Show: Images</li></ul>As per usual, this is a solid update from LightCMS. The importance of media management in website building environments can make a break a platform, and I'm glad to see the LightCMS team recognizing that.

LightCMS Gets New Text Editor & Media Manager

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bigstock-five-businesspeople-at-boardro-4132768-e1465817759919.jpg" alt="Business meeting" />
Many fear financial advisors will become obsolete due to robo-advisor technologies. Ironically, another technology, DMS (document management software), forces us to reconsider that claim.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/can-robo-advisers-replace-human-financial-advisers-1456715553">robo-advisors</a> are posing a threat to their human counterparts in the financial services industry.
Financial services professionals worry their expertise will be rendered obsolete by the algorithm-based precision these robo-advisors bring to the marketplace, relegating humans in the financial services industry to the economic equivalent of cashiers and data entry specialists.
In fact, there hasn’t been such a resurgence of fear in humankind losing its proverbial battle with artificial intelligence since Garry Kasparov, arguably the greatest chess player who ever lived, lost a chess tournament to IBM’s super computer, Deep Blue, in 1997.
On one hand, the human brain and software are very similar: both are conduits for electrical activity—the brain’s synaptic, whereas software’s are silicon-derived.
On the other hand, at the threshold of each sits a world cognitive computing may never grasp: Although computer scientist and creator of modern computing, Alan Turing, proved nearly 70 years ago that computers are capable of ‘thinking’ as humans can, financial advisors aren’t doomed so long as they rely on DMS as a means to the following ends:
<h2>1. DMS Enhances Financial Advisors’ Already Superior Accountability</h2>
As human beings, financial advisors have an innate sense of accountability to their clients, whereas technology itself, without any human guidance, doesn’t. What’s more, money is never an asset in and of itself. Rather, it’s a means to another end whether that end be more vacations, fewer years to retirement, or a nicer car. Cognitive computing and robo-advisors alike cannot account for the value these items hold in the eyes of their users.
Working in unison with the human understanding of clients’ values, DMS helps financial advisors remain SEC and FINRA compliant, keep track of sensitive information, organize client materials effectively, and access critical information from <a href="http://www.efilecabinet.com/efilecabinet-online/">anywhere there’s an internet connection</a>. In other words, being accessible and reliable to clients through the right technology forges the professionalism and accountability which, in the hands of the advisor who possesses it, enables him or her to produce the staying power technology alone will never emulate.
<h2>2. DMS Yields Greater Value to the Advisor-Client Relationship</h2>
The adage ‘it’s all about relationships’ persists, and for good reason: Research has proven strong relationships, whether with family members, loved ones, or financial advisors, help us cope better with stress, and managing money is a stressful business for both financial advisors and their clients alike. What’s more, trust has brought humankind together for thousands of years. It’s a fundamental component of how we understand and relate to others.
DMS, in confluence with the benefits it provides as a technology used to go paperless, helps facilitate an advisor-client relationship built on value-added responsiveness—an advisor’s ability to rise to the occasion of a client’s requests with poise, knowledge, and understanding of the task at hand. Any financial advisor relying on paper to conduct his or her business will find it difficult to create value-added responsiveness in a way as profoundly impactful and positive. Although updating traditional service channels in other ways (such as for telecommunications purposes) can help streamline processes outside the context of documentation, most financial advisors understand the need to work from the point of filing and documentation outward when reconstructing their business processes.
<h2>3. DMS Abounds Operational Efficiency</h2>
The term ‘robo-advisory’ has become so pervasive in the finance industry that a term explaining the methodology of controlling it has come to the forefront, and this term is ‘robo-shield.’ Financial advisors are increasingly interested in how they can leverage the tools and strategies comprising ‘robo shield’ to their competitive benefit, and much of it has to do with any means that creates the operational efficiency to stave off the analytical superiority these robo-analysts are believed to possess.
For instance, Deborah Fox, the woman who coined the term ‘robo-shield,’ asserts that using ‘technology to be more effective and by creating operational efficiencies that will enhance client services,’ is crucial to financial advisors’ ability to stave off competition from robo-advisors.
At least as Fox contends, DMS can augment this robo-shield by way of the operational efficiencies it provides as a model for going paperless and reducing the amount of time spent searching for information. The metadata-enhanced retrieval features of DMS are integral to this outcome, and are even more intuitive (and effective) than search features inherent to windows operating systems.  Essentially, a well-organized financial planner with time to help sort the answers to your questions can take a client far, and DMS provides financial advisors with the <a href="/the-intangible-benefits-of-document-management-software/">time</a> to make this a reality.
<h2>4. DMS Provides Security to the ‘Human Touch’</h2>
The ‘human touch’ isn’t a term to justify some false sense of security, it’s a term used to justify the true value of financial coaching that only financial advisors can provide. Otherwise, too much reliance on robo-advisors turns what would be a temporary problem into a major kink in a long-term financial plan.
What’s more, the stock bots that buy and trade within slivers of a millisecond can neither manage nor convey the psychological aspects of wealth. For one, cognitive computing can’t replicate human intuition—a form of intelligence where both the left and right hemispheres of the brain process information in unison.
This intuition lets financial advisors look at the entire financial picture, and assimilate clients’ goals into a broader system of portfolio management. To put it simply, financial advisors (in human form) are better equipped to handle the personal aspects of finance, which range from taxation and retirement to estate planning and will writing.
However, as powerful as the ‘human touch’ is, it must be complemented by technology insomuch that a middle ground is obtained. By keeping files and client information compliant, accessible, and secure, financial advisors accent their ‘human touch’ with the technology their clients can trust.
<h2>5. DMS Lets Financial Advisors Profit More, and with Lower Client Fees</h2>
In order to compete with robo-advisors, financial advisors must lower their fees—especially when attempting to widen their scope of services and expertise for a younger demographic. And in an age dominated by instant gratification, hefty up-front fees (as usually administered from fee-only financial planners) are overlooked (despite the advisor’s skillset) due to the excitement of low cost robo-advisors.
You can truly charge clients less money with DMS, though. Carlene Patterson, founder and CEO of Ascension Financial Group, reports that she <a href="http://www.efilecabinet.com/financial-services-document-management-software/">saves $4,000</a> annually on storage alone—this is before accounting for the time saved on locating and retrieving information, and circumventing the costs of potential in-compliance issues.
<hr />
This post is <a href="/advertising/">sponsored</a> by eFileCabinet. Find out more at <a href="http://www.efilecabinet.com/">efilecabinet.com</a>.
Image: <a href="http://www.bigstockphoto.com/search/?contributor=monkeybusinessimages">MoneyBusinessImages</a>

DMS Keeps Financial Advisors from Yielding to Robo-advisors

<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

Power your CMS on AWS

Manage your websites & apps in the most trusted cloud.

#ffffff

Magentrix Customer Portals Review

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_4096-e1465425906661.jpg" alt="IMG_4096" />
It was a humid day in Basel, Switzerland, and there was a pre-conference buzz in the lobby of Pathe Küchlin Theatre. As the coffees flowed, the time soon came for that buzz to simmer down for the welcoming keynote of <a href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/">Magnolia’s</a> Co-Founder, Pascal Mangold.
Mangold kicked off the event by taking us through Magnolia's impressive yearly revenue totals, as well as their projected totals up until 2018 (a year which they predict will bring in over $26M).
He also revealed some new high profile clients, including the likes of; Maserati, The New York Times, Tesco, Verizon, and American Express.
Boris Kraft soon took over, and the Chief Visionary Officer picked up where Mangold left off. 

 Both of their presentations were filled with highly professional videos, interesting factoids, and a few jokes to wake the crowd up, too. I found myself genuinely enjoying each section, particularly because they were discussing something pretty big, and pretty new. Speaking of which…
<h2>Magnolia Now Announced</h2>
Day one of the Magnolia Conference 2016 was marked with the official announcement of <a href="https://www.magnolia-now.com/">Magnolia Now</a>, a cloud-hosted enterprise CMS solution.


To put it simply, Magnolia Now has been released to help companies shorten their time to market. And of course, it will bring with it the traditional benefits of a cloud-based enterprise CMS, including; updates, backups, and premium support.
Mangold and Kraft both leaned on the metaphor of a car to describe their new product. In the analogy, Magnolia CMS itself is the engine, while the extra moving parts that make it easy for a driver to get in and drive, are the parts that make up Magnolia Now.


The release date is set for November 15th 2016, although the cheapest Magnolia Now plan for small-to-medium sized businesses (which comes at a fee of $999 per month) won't be available until 2017.
Following the announcement of Magnolia Now, I had the chance to converse with Magnolia’s new CMO, Lars Boeddener and IBM’s <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/deleatanda?authType=NAME_SEARCH&amp;authToken=E2V7&amp;locale=en_US&amp;trk=tyah&amp;trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Amynetwork%2CclickedEntityId%3A16712203%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH%2Cidx%3A1-1-1%2CtarId%3A1465425102497%2Ctas%3Adele%20atan">Dele Atanda</a> – who was due to give a presentation of his own towards the end of the day. 
We had a light-hearted discussion about the motivations behind – as well as the objectives of – the release of Magnolia Now. We all agreed that it was indeed an exciting move from Magnolia. 
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/preseetha?authType=NAME_SEARCH&amp;authToken=IDEh&amp;locale=en_US&amp;trk=tyah&amp;trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Amynetwork%2CclickedEntityId%3A6400579%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH%2Cidx%3A1-1-1%2CtarId%3A1465425081183%2Ctas%3APreseetha%20Kollamthodi">Preseetha Kollamthodi’s</a> presentation was another highlight of the day. The EMEA Channel Leader from IBM Marketing Cloud served up some genuinely useful insights for the marketers who were in attendance.


Dele Atanda’s presentation also impressed me. As the Chief Digital Innovation Officer at IBM Interactive Experience. Atanda’s focus was on IoT (Internet of Things). 


He touched on the types of technology that was already in production – like this <a href="http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/oscar-mayer-bacon-alarm-clock-wafts-meat-odors-from-your-iphone/">Bacon scent emitting iPhone accessory</a> – and dropped some interesting statistics about the future of IoT.
Atanda also gave us a glimpse into how IBM Watson was Working with a company called Cognitoy to change the way children learn by adding personalization into the mix. 
<h2>Success Stories</h2>
Magnolia showcased some of their client's success stories today, too.
<a href="http://moo.co.uk/">Moo</a>, the UK-based printing company demonstrated how they pulled off a migration to Magnolia, while <a href="https://www.migros.ch/de.html">Migros</a> – a huge Swiss retailer – showed off their Magnolia-driven omni-channel powers.
<a href="https://www.migros.ch/de.html">Migros.ch</a> and all its associated websites boast over 5,500 pages, which are available in three different languages. They presented the ways in which Magnolia facilitated a complete re-design of their digital presence, as well as how it continues to help them personalize customer experiences across different channels.


<h2>Day One Take Aways</h2>
I'll level with you. I attended the Magnolia Conference in 2014, and although I enjoyed it, it doesn't compare to what I experienced today.
Mangold and Kraft delivered honed and entertaining keynotes, Magnolia Now was announced, the IBM duo of Kollamthodi and Atanda impressed, and the atmosphere was splendid.
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_0036-295x220.jpg" alt="The snacks weren't bad, either." /><figcaption>The snacks weren't bad, either.</figcaption></figure>
Furthermore, Magnolia went to the trouble of creating an iOS, Android, and Windows app specifically for the event. It provided maps, schedules, and even made use of bluetooth beacons around the Theatre to alert you about what was happening in the room you were standing next to.
As you may be able to tell, I thoroughly enjoyed day one of the Magnolia Conference 2016. And the best part is, day two is just a few hours away.
Follow CMS Critic on Twitter for more <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic">live tweets from me using the #MConf16 hasthtag</a>, and stay tuned for tomorrows coverage of Magnolia Conference 2016 Day Two.
Also, be sure to explore the <a href="/magnolia-cms/">Magnolia CMS hub on our CMS Directory</a>.
Looking for Day Two coverage? <a href="/magnolia-conference-2016-day-two/">Here you go</a>.

Magnolia Conference 2016 Day One: Magnolia Now, Success Stories & IoT

<div>
Wix just unveiled Artificial Design Intelligence – and it looks pretty darn impressive.
Wix ADI is specifically designed to eliminate the most significant challenges of building websites – time, design and content creation. It's the first-ever Artificially Intelligent web design solution for website builders. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YrERmaDZNl0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Wix Artificial Design Intelligence instantly designs tailored websites by learning about the user through a few simple questions and curating content to create a unique design. From billions of high-quality combinations and possibilities, Wix ADI selects the perfect combination for each users’ need.
</div>
<div>
Wix's Co-Founder and CEO Avishai Abrahami gives us some insight:
<blockquote>
“Wix ADI is the world’s first technology platform that combines website design and content creation with artificial intelligence to enable complete websites to be created in a matter of minutes.
Building a professional and complete website is the first step in getting online, and while Wix today makes it easy, challenges still exist.
With Wix ADI, we solve these challenges, getting businesses online with a fully functioning, stunning looking website easier and faster than ever. Technology innovation is Wix’s core competency, and for nearly a decade, small businesses have relied on Wix not only to build websites but also to manage and grow their businesses online.”
</blockquote>
After the automatically generated website is completed, users have the option of easily customizing themes, editing text, or adding beautiful images, sections and pages.
</div>
<h2>Wix ADI Features:</h2>
Here's a breakdown of the features that Wix Artificial Design Intelligence brings:
•    No two websites are designed the same. Every website is unique and has multiple sections, pages, layouts, themes, color sets, fonts and copy variations. Wix ADI delivers billions of unique combinations in thousands of business categories.
•    Each website is tailored to the business’ category. Wix ADI matches images, text and layout by learning and building based on its knowledge of the users’ business and location. From personal trainers and photographers, to chefs and lawyers, Wix ADI brings custom insight and content to a business’ online presence.
•    Gathers content from across the web. Wix ADI locates relevant content from around the web and social media channels that users can choose to add to their custom design.
•    Users can customize their completed websites. Users can easily customize themes, change layouts and add beautiful images, sections and pages.
•    Stunning results for every website. Wix ADI maximizes aesthetics as it understands context and changes design according to the users’ needs.
•    AI that grows with the user. Wix ADI will create the website for the user or show them how to create optimal designs every step of the way.
<h2>Years of Development</h2>
Nitzan Achsaf, Wix's Head of Wix ADI, also chimed in:
<blockquote>
“Wix ADI is an advancement that has been under development for years, and we know from our deep experience and extensive research that there is considerable demand from individuals, designers and businesses all over the world for exactly this type of solution.
Wix ADI isn't just a new website builder – it sets a new market standard for web design. We have been at the forefront of this market for nearly a decade, and now as one of the leading AI technology providers, we will make website creation accessible and easy for everyone.”
</blockquote>
<h2>The Proof Will Be In the Pudding</h2>
Although Wix has announced ADI, it's going to be gradually rolled out in the coming months. And in my opinion, it' then that we'll see just how useful Wix ADI is.
It the concept amazing? You bet. But my reservation is this:
How well will Wix ADI perform after its first million uses? Will it still be able to churn out unique websites? After all, Wix has over 80 million users, so I'm just hoping that Wix ADI is intelligent enough to create truly unique websites on such a massive scale.
So to conclude, it's too early to come up with a verdict on Wix ADI – but it's not too early to be excited.
To learn more about Wix ADI, check out the Wix press release, or visit the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/go/wix">Wix website</a>.
And as per usual, you can explore more through the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/wix/">Wix hub on our website builder directory</a>.

Wix Launches Wix ADI - Artificial Design Intelligence

The Agility Team is excited to announce that the rebuilt and redesigned content manger is now officially out of beta and in production status, a release that has been penned “The Gold Release.”
Over the last handful of months, the Agility Team has been tweaking and optimizing the Beta iteration of the content manager, which was slowly rolled out to all users. New features and updates were released every month during beta, and we gathered user feedback throughout the entire process to ensure that the content manager met all of their needs and requirements.
The Gold Release marks a huge milestone for the Agility Team, and with it comes a slew of new features and updates, including design improvements and performance optimizations. Details of the Gold Release can be found <a href="http://agilitycms.com/ui/rebuilt-and-redesigned/gold-release">here</a>.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/beta-vs-gold1-1024x512.png" alt="beta-vs-gold1" />
When the Agility Team first decided to rebuild and redesign the platform, they decided that it was essential to provide its users will a revamped interface, robust workflow improvements and powerful performance updates – and this has remained the goal all the way from beta to Gold.
<h2>The Brand New Interface</h2>
The Agility interface has been revamped to provide an increasingly intuitive and visually attractive experience for all users. A responsive framework and touch-friendly elements modernize the platform and enable users to update their website from anywhere, at any time.
The redesigned and rebuilt Agility includes robust workflow improvements and performance updates in order to provide marketing and development teams with the ability and flexibility to deliver the very best in dynamic digital experiences – quickly and with ease. Now users can complete tasks in fewer clicks.
<h2>The Introduction of Dashboards</h2>
One major Agility CMS update is the introduction of Dashboards, which provide improved insights to users on overall website performance, as well as user activity and recent changes made within the platform.
The Homepage Dashboard, for example, includes integration with Google Analytics, and pulls in metrics like weekly page views and average session duration. In addition to the Homepage, other Agility CMS Sections now include unique dashboards that consolidate information specific to their functionality. The Pages Section, for example, displays information about each webpage’s performance and activity, including a website’s top-viewed pages and top entry pages.
<h2>Rebuilt with Speed in Mind</h2>
Agility CMS's redesign includes performance fine-tuning that makes the platform smoother, more responsive and faster than ever. Agility CMS now utilizes a next generation routing and templating framework, ASP.NET MVC, which makes the platform more flexible and robust.
In addition, the amount of overhead database calls that accompany every request has been scaled back by up to five times. As a result, some Agility CMS workflows and tasks can be completed substantially quicker than in the legacy content manager.
“This is a huge step forward for Agility CMS. The legacy content manager served us and our customers well. The new upgraded iteration provides the same user-friendly experience – but it's sleeker, faster and provides more value to all Agility users,” Jon Voigt, CEO of Agility, said.
<a href="http://agilitycms.com/ui/rebuilt-and-redesigned/gold-release">Learn more about the rebuilt and redesigned Agility CMS.</a>

The Rebuilt and Redesigned Agility CMS is Officially in Production Status

<a href="https://www.django-cms.org/">django CMS 3.3</a> has been unveiled, and it brings about; speed, enhanced usability, and a whole bunch of other background improvements.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/django_cms.jpg" alt="django_cms" />
After being voted as the <a href="/announcing-the-2015-winner-for-best-open-source-cms/" target="_blank">Best Open Source CMS of 2015</a>; django CMS has gone from strength to strength, boasting nearly 80,000 downloads to date – a figure that continues to rise.
They also have more than 300 developers contributing to their open source project.
django CMS 3.3 builds upon the user interface improvements and touch-screen support features that were <a href="/django-cms-3-2-lands-with-new-interface-enhanced-touch-screen-support/">brought along with django CMS 3.2</a>.
To get us started, here's a video of django CMS 3.3 in action:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pVnITKL8F4M?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>Speedier &amp; Easier</h2>
First of all, django CMS is now noticeably faster. See for yourself below:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/djangocms325330.gif" alt="djangocms325330" />
On the left, you have django CMS 3.2, and on the right, you have the far speedier django CMS 3.3 (this test was carried out on django CMS' Aldryn Cloud platform).
Furthermore, the django CMS team has modified the admin dashboard toolbar.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/menus-325-1.jpg" alt="menus-325 (1)" />
django users will notice that the History button has been placed in the sub-menu beneath Page. Also, the Language button has been moved to the right, and the View Published button has been renamed to View Published Page.
Those are relatively small changes, but together, I think they make the toolbar look far cleaner. Plus, the View Published button was far too vague, so I'm glad to see it replaced.
<h2>“[django CMS 3.3] Benefits Those With Large &amp; Complex Sites”</h2>
django CMS' core development team member, Martin Koistinen, had the following to say upon the release of django CMS 3.3:
<blockquote>
“We’re especially pleased with the performance improvements we’ve been able to achieve in this release, which particularly benefit users with very large and complex sites. django CMS is now more scalable than ever, and we’ll be building on this progress in future releases.”
</blockquote>
As for the rest of the features included in this update, you can find them all via the django CMS 3.3 <a href="http://docs.django-cms.org/en/develop/upgrade/3.3.html">release notes</a>.
More details on the release of django CMS 3.3 can be found on the <a href="https://www.django-cms.org/en/blog/2016/05/27/version-3-3-of-django-cms-released/">django CMS blog</a>.
To learn more about django CMS, be sure to check out my recently published <a href="/django-cms-review/">django CMS Review</a>. Plus, you can learn a lot from the <a href="/django-cms/">django CMS hub on our CMS Directory</a>.

Django CMS 3.3: The Fastest Version of Django CMS to Date

In 2014, CMS Critic attended the Magnolia Conference in the centre of busy Basel, Switzerland.
Mike Johnston and I graciously accepted Magnolia's invitation, and we soaked up all the news, case studies and workshops that were on offer:
<ul>
<li><a href="/day-one-of-magnolia-conference-2014-personalization-apps-a-roundtable/" target="_blank">Day One of Magnolia Conference 2014: Personalization, Apps &amp; A Roundtable</a></li>
<li><a href="/day-two-of-magnolia-conference-2014-the-unconference/" target="_blank">Day Two of Magnolia Conference 2014: The Unconference</a></li>
</ul>
<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/img_6925-e1464342545346.jpg" alt="Basel, Switzerland" /><figcaption>My view of the River Rhine in Basel, Switzerland</figcaption></figure>
Today, I'm happy to announce that CMS Critic – a media sponsor of the Magnolia Conference – will once again be on the ground for <a href="https://conference.magnolia-cms.com/2016/basel.html" target="_blank">Magnolia Conference Basel 2016</a>, providing two-day coverage both here on the website, as well as through <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic">live-tweets</a>.
<h2>Magnolia Conference Basel 2016</h2>
During this year's conference, Magnolia will be sharing some exciting progress on light development, which has made front-end development with Magnolia faster and more agile.
It will also be revealing how it will enable companies to get to market quickly while ensuring high compliance and stability.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/unnamed.jpg" alt="unnamed" />
It's not going to be a small event, either. Well over 300 developers and digital business professionals are expected to gather inside Basel’s Pathé Cinema for this year’s conference, which will host business and technical talks on the 8th and 9th of June.
Magnolia's program will also bring together success stories from all over Europe. MOO will be coming from the UK to explain how and why one of the fastest growing print businesses in the world decided to adopt Magnolia, while Generali, one of the world’s leading insurance groups, will explain how it enhances investor relations with its new corporate platform.
Furthermore, Karen McGrane, a world-renowned leading content strategist, will be taking to the stage to talk about <a href="https://conference.magnolia-cms.com/2016/basel/program/adaptive-content.html">Adaptive Content, Context and Controversy</a>.
As for workshops they will take place on June 7th at Magnolia’s new purpose-built offices. In addition to learning how to implement light development and personalization, attendees can also find out how to create client sided apps and improve their authoring skills.
<h2>Insider Information</h2>
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear (and see) inside details on Magnolia's plans and product innovations, as well as tips and tricks on how to get the best out of Magnolia implementations.
<blockquote>
“At Magnolia, we spend the whole year working on improving our product so that we can fuel our customers’ digital success.
The conference gives us an opportunity to share with our customers some of the exciting product improvements and services that we’ve developed.”
– Pascal Mangold, Magnolia's Co-founder and CEO
</blockquote>
To find out more about Magnolia Conference Basel 2016, and to register for tickets, <a href="https://conference.magnolia-cms.com/2016/basel.html">visit the official website</a>.
And as per usual, our <a href="/magnolia-cms/">Magnolia CMS hub</a> will tell you everything you need to know about the enterprise-grade platform.

CMS Critic to Attend Magnolia Conference Basel 2016

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