Articles - Page 91

Agentic AI for Agencies in 2026

bmckeiver

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.phpfox.com/">phpFox</a> is one of many social networking packages that are commercially available for those looking to deploy a Facebook or MySpace style social network. Given the response I've had to our <a href="/socialengine-review/">Social Engine Review</a> and the apparent lack of support offered by that company, I thought we'd explore some other, potentially better supported social networking options such as this one in order to provide alternatives. As a result, I bring you my phpFox Review. This social networking software is very popular with a large community and today, we'll find out if it's a suitable option for those in the market.For those unfamiliar with phpFox, it has been on the market for quite some time and offers a well priced system packed with quite a few features such as:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/features-__-phpfox-social-networking-script-google-chrome_2012-02-13_14-36-44-450x403.png" alt="phpfox review" /><h2>First Impressions</h2>The interface is simple but functional and as you can see from the screenshot below, once populated with content and users, the system has a nice clean flow to it. It resembles what we've all come to expect from most systems of this caliber.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/feature_banner-450x218.png" alt="phpFox Review" />I chose to use the phpFox demo as the basis of this phpFox review since it's already populated with some content and member profiles.Signing up for a new account on the demo site was fast and painless and I received a confirmation email immediately. Moving around the interface and adding profile data was both snappy and easy to do. In a matter of a few moments, I had customized my profile, added a profile pic and cropped it.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/evoqcontent_dxdunw.png" alt="phpFox Review" />Adding blog posts, videos and comments works without issue and I did not detect any issues doing so. The system seemed to respond quickly to every task I've tried so far without issue.Every installation of phpFox comes with a mobile friendly version as well which is great for those looking to be accessible on multiple platforms. Here's a screenshot of the mobile version of the site:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/social-networking-community-powered-by-phpfox-google-chrome_2012-02-13_14-39-40-450x246.png" alt="phpFox Review" />Everything on the mobile system from my tests was without incident and worked as expected as well.I'm not going to focus too much on the front end of this system as it's fairly easy for you to test it out for yourself using their demo system. What I will say is that it works and appears to not have any glaring bugs that I can see!<h2>Administering the System</h2>Once a user has been set up as an administrator of the system, an AdminCP link becomes available on the top right of the main site once you've logged in. Clicking on this brings you to the admin dashboard where you can modify the settings for the system.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/admin-cp-__-dashboard-__-social-networking-community-google-chrome_2012-02-13_14-46-33-620x396_ars2vf.png" alt="phpfox review" />As you can see, the user of drop-down menus is applied to the admin panel giving you quick and easy access to the settings within each setting of the CMS.Should you wish to modify any of the many menus on the website itself, you can do so quickly and easily using the Manage Menus option under CMS. From there, you can change the order, edit a menu item or delete it completely. If you wish to simply deactivate it, you can do so with a simple check box.Adding menus or individual items is extremely simple and is done through the following interface:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phpfox-adding-menu-items-450x356.png" alt="phpFox Review" />The system layout is handled using blocks, which can be managed in two different ways depending on your tastes. The traditional interface or a slick visual drag and drop mode.Traditional:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/baremetrics1_d0urry.png" alt="phpFox Review" />Drag and Drop:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/greenshot_2012-02-13_15-21-17-450x356.png" alt="phpFox Review" />Regardless of which way you choose, adding content to the various areas of the site is quick and easy.Taking a look at user management, I was surprised to see how granular one can be with security permissions.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/admin-cp-__-social-networking-community-google-chrome_2012-02-13_15-28-09-620x376_y15ash.png" alt="phpfox review" />I've used a number of scripts similar to phpFox and a large number of them are lacking in the area of user security so it's nice to see this one is the exception to the rule.On the expandability front, there are tons of themes and plugins for phpFox, all of which can be managed from within the Extensions menu. You can even create language packs, manage phrases and much more. On the phpFox website, they also list a number of user created modules and themes which are available both for purchase and free. At a glance, it appears there are over 400 apps/modules and over 100 themes available through their website.On the social front, phpFox provides the ability for your users to use their Facebook, Twitter, Google, OpenID and more to login to your site and if speed is a concern, it can also be configured to work with Amazon's CDN network.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/admin-cp-__-manage-settings-__-social-networking-community-google-chrome_2012-02-14_10-32-14-620x409_c6ogzs.png" alt="phpfox review" />Looking to integrate a payment system into your social networking software platform? phpFox has you covered there as well with integrations from PayPal and 2checkout.The list of configurable options goes on and on and there is no way I can hope to cover them all in this review other than to say, there's a lot you can configure if you choose to do so. One key thing I do want to highlight is the maintenance and backup options within the admin panel. This is a great addition and gives administrators the ability to optimize and repair tables within their database as well as the option to perform backups quickly and easily.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/admin-cp-__-sql-maintenance-__-social-networking-community-google-chrome_2012-02-14_10-42-53-620x353_m4j0kl.png" alt="phpfox review" /><h2>Conclusion</h2>The purpose of this phpFox review was to determine if the software was suitable for the average consumer and I can confidently say that yes, it is. If you are looking for social networking software that offers a myriad of options with a great community and ease of use, look no further. Using the system was a pleasure and throughout my testing I did not encounter any bugs or hiccups within the software. Therefore, I have no problem recommending this as a solid solution to those in the market for social networking software. What do you think of phpFox? Did this phpFox Review help you? Let us know in the comments below or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.phpfox.com/">Check out phpFox today</a>.

phpFox Review

mike-johnston

As religious organisations and churches have grown and evolved, the processes involved in running them have become even more complex. Managing a church now requires a much more comprehensive approach than simply relying upon a church leader to run everything. And this is where <a target="_blank" href="https://sites.faithlife.com/?utm_source=superbwebsitebuilders&amp;utm_medium=partner&amp;utm_content=partner&amp;utm_campaign=sitesreviews">Faithlife Sites</a> comes in. Faithlife Sites wants to take all of the work involved in running a church and make it easier. Let's see how they do it with a Faithlife Sites Review.Using a church CMS, users can create and customize their church websites using a variety of automated tools designed to take the background work out of running a church so that ministers can focus on their community priorities.Let’s look at how and if Faithlife Sites CMS has accomplished this goal.<h2>Getting Started</h2>Many website builders and content management systems make the initial integration part of their service quite difficult to get on board with, but with Faithlife Sites the initial pathway is pretty straightforward. Upon signing up (for free) you’re asked for the usual basic details of name, email and phone number before continuing on to the main dashboard.  <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot-2019-05-09-at-15.png" />It’s from the dashboard that the real power of Faithlife Sites as a hub for any and all church needs is revealed. It’s seriously impressive. After you claim your church group, you’re taken to My Faithlife, which is where you can manage all aspects of a church community in one place. The transition from signup to dashboard, to actually getting started with the site design, is intuitive and well laid out.<h2>Design</h2>The website design is clean and easy to navigate. Nothing important is hidden away and there is a clear demarcation between My Faithlife, which is more of an end user part of the site, and the website/community manager sections.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot-2019-05-09-at-15-1691093724549.png" />The themes available for the site CMS are limited and there are only six in total, but they are perfectly suited for the needs of this target audience. There is also a selection of stock images that are free to use in the website builder itself.<h2>Usability and Support</h2>The support on Faithlife Sites is outstanding. They have an extensive help section which covers almost every part of the site and they are contactable via phone, email, and web chat via their help portal. There are also dozens of informative videos to talk through almost any query you could have.The usability of the site is a key part of the appeal of this CMS and you can tell that they’ve invested a lot of time researching their target demographic. Nothing in the site – from the initial sign-up and community management section, to the website builder – seems out of reach to even the most technophobic end user. The design of the site helps enormously, as it is clean, well-labelled and intuitive to the point of basic. This is a good thing, though, and I found myself getting up to speed with their system very quickly.<h2>Key Features</h2>The excellent website builder is the key selling point here. Some content management systems make website building and structuring seem like a labyrinthian process, but Faithlife Sites makes it incredibly easy. All of the pages are laid out on the side of the window in simple layers. Want to edit the home page? Just click on the home tab. Want to edit sermons or your about page? Just click on that page and then click on the piece you want to edit.The process of building a site using this CMS is incredibly simple and could be quickly picked up by almost anyone, in my opinion. The design aspects of the pages are limited but easily customisable in an intuitive way. You can also view your prospective site as it appears on a desktop screen, mobile, and pad. This is a small thing but it adds a lot of value.The community management software in Faithlife Sites is also incredibly powerful. With a minimal amount of work, you can start building an online church community that has a forum, combined calendar, group chat, and bulletin boards in easy reach that are easily controlled by a team of admins.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bulletins_gofy9g.png" />There is also an excellent structure in place for taking and processing online donations that will be extremely useful to any church group. This is easily navigated and seems reliable.<h2>Pricing</h2>Faithlife Sites pricing is scaled depending on the size of your congregation. You can set up a basic site free of charge and premium packages start from $16.67 a month (when paid annually).All packages allow users to collaborate online with unlimited team accounts, run different presentations in multiple rooms concurrently, build presentations from any computer, anywhere, get over 5,000 free church graphics, and interact with the congregation by sending alerts directly to their phones, among other features.Higher value packages include free stock imagery, pro Media library, over 16,000 motions, stills, and mini-movies from Graceway, Church Motion Graphics, Dan Stevers, FreeBridge, Igniter, and Playback.This is a competitive pricing structure that incentivizes users to get a custom domain for their church rather than sticking with the basic free package that uses a subdomain structure.<h2>Pros</h2><ul><li>Incredibly easy to use</li><li>Vast support system to help almost anyone to complete their website</li><li>Free multimedia for a professional look</li><li>Competitively priced</li><li>Powerful community management dashboard that’s easy to navigate</li></ul><h2>Cons</h2><ul><li>Getting access to the initial page can be a little confusing as you have to find your church group on a map or via search.</li></ul><h2>Final Verdict 4/5</h2>Faithlife Sites is an excellent CMS that is incredibly easy to use and I highly recommend it for any church group that wants to go online. It’s such a powerful and simple CMS that there may even be a market for it outside of the church sphere, if they ever choose to go in that direction.

Faithlife Sites Review

grainne-logue

Rarely does a week go by without a noteworthy update from WordPress, the heavyweight champion of CMS platforms.Much of the recent focus has been on enhancing the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/gutenberg-2-years-later-is-wordpress-better-off/">Gutenberg</a> framework and providing users of the open source platform – which powers roughly 64 million websites – with a stable and rewarding experience. Gutenberg, known in some circles as the “WordPress block editor,” was introduced in WordPress 5.0 in late 2018. It was the platform's answer to the next wave of low-code site builders like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/wix-announces-wixstores-wixjet/">Wix</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/squarespace-a-diy-website-builder-1/">Sqaurespace</a>, as well as WordPress community apps like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/elementor-hits-3-million-sites/">Elementor</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.elegantthemes.com/gallery/divi/">Divi</a>.While Gutenberg struggled to find terra firma in its early days (everyone hates change), it found more adoption as developers tapped its ability to create custom blocks and minimize shortcodes.In the latest update, WordPress Gutenberg 11.7, users will see some really nice enhancements and, as usual, a collective of bug fixes. Global styles and full site editing have been improved, the navigation editor experience has been made more intuitive, and you now have more control to adjust the spacing between columns.<h2>A more intuitive and lighter navigation experience</h2>The navigation block underwent a series of changes intended to provide a more intuitive navigation management experience. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/10/design.png" alt="plus icon to add link" />Now, you can add links simply by <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/34899">clicking on the “+” icon</a> without an additional block selection step. Additionally, you can use a <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35196">slash inserter</a> to add a link. This is all part of the <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/34041">lighter navigation block experience</a> efforts.Navigation links can <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/34978">now be transformed</a> into other block types such as site logo, home link, or social icons. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/10/navigation-links.png" alt="navigation links" />The navigation link now <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35324">supports custom font size and line height</a>. Link labels, such as “previous post,” may now be a <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/34952">part of the link to the post itself</a>. Mobile menus also <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35077">reflect the justification settings</a> of the desktop menus. <h2>Global styles and full site editing</h2>Global styles extend the capabilities of full site editing by bringing a higher level of customization to Gutenberg and WordPress. Together, these features enable users to have improved control over layouts and aesthetics beyond the context of single pages and posts. Global Styles also provide consistency across a website without having to edit individual blocks or pages.The site editor experience gets a full "spit and polish" in this new release. For example, the template editor now features a <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/34732">convenient back button</a> to ease returning to the site editor. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/10/back-button-e1634763932360.png" alt="back button" />Switching between editing different template parts was made more accessible by listing the available areas in the <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35202">template details</a>.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/10/template-switching.png" alt="template switching" />The site editor was also equipped with <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35241">padding settings for specific template parts</a>. Color palette settings are also available in a <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35109">separate panel in the global styles sidebar</a>. Another cool feature: duotone support was extended to the <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35344">site logo block</a> for rendering logo elements in a duochromatic fashion.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/10/global-styles.png" alt="color palettes" /><h2>Columns block support for tweaking the gaps and margins</h2>Personally, we think this is the most exciting feature that Gutenberg 11.7 brings. The columns block now <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/34630">allows you to adjust the space between the columns</a> and the margins surrounding the block. Combined with <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35241">customizable template part padding</a>, it is the most flexible layout-building experience Gutenberg has ever had. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/10/column-spacing.gif" alt="column spacing" /><h2>Other notable highlights</h2>11.7 adds the <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35083">ability to create pages</a> directly from the link popup. Up to this point, it was only possible via the Navigation block – but now this feature is exposed on every link.The popup also <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/35143">underwent subtle visual adjustments</a>. In addition, <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/35060">empty links can no longer be added</a>, making adding one by mistake even harder. <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/10/empty-link.png" alt="empty link checker" />You can see the complete list of new Gutenberg 11.7 features and bug fixes <a target="_blank" href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/10/14/whats-new-in-gutenberg-11-7-october-13th/">here</a>.

WordPress Gutenberg 11.7 Enhances Site Editing, Navigation Blocks, Column Spacing and More

paris-tuzun

Zorin OS Lite is a new XFCE edition of the popular Linux distribution. The main desktop environment we're accustomed to seeing with Zorin OS is Gnome but recently, they decided to start offering a Lite edition as well - a smart move that is sure to expand their install base.For this review, I'll take you through Zorin OS Lite and show you around. If you want to see what the Gnome edition, read my <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/zorin-os-review/">Zorin OS Review</a>, which I just just updated for 15.1 Ultimate and Core.Installation of Zorin OS hasn't changed with the Lite edition and there's not much to see other than the standard stuff so I won't focus on that aspect, just know that it went off without a hitch.<h2>The Desktop</h2>Zorin OS Lite uses the <a target="_blank" href="https://xfce.org/">XFCE desktop environment</a> and the developers have definitely done a great job of keeping the look and feel of Zorin OS pretty consistent. It's almost hard to tell it's not Gnome.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-review-1.png" />Zorin OS Lite Review - The XFCE DesktopJust like Zorin OS Core and Ultimate, there are also a number of desktop layout options included, which we'll take a look at in a moment.The menu, which you'll find in the bottom left, is well laid out and shows the default applications. The third party apps installed are the same ones you'd find in any other edition of Zorin OS. The only difference here are the DE specific ones (ie: Gnome desktop comes with it's own set of default apps as does XFCE).  In other word's, you'll find differences in the terminal, file manager and settings but apps like Firefox, etc are all standard in each edition.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-lite-review-1.png" />Zorin OS Lite Review - The Menu<h2>Zorin Appearance</h2>Just like the Ultimate and Core editions, Zorin OS Lite includes the Zorin Appearance app which allows you to modify the theme, fonts and desktop layouts.<h3>Desktop Layouts</h3>Let's take a look at the different desktop layouts offered in the Lite edition now. I've put together a gallery below for you showing them all off.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-lite-review-3-1.png" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-lite-review-4-1.png" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-lite-review-5-1.png" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-lite-review-6-1.png" />Zorin OS Lite Review - Desktop Layouts<h3>Theme Options</h3>In addition to the desktop layouts, you can also select between light and dark themes as well as a new option which allows your desktop to automatically switch between light and dark modes depending on the time of day (which you can set). This is intended to be easy on the eyes and reduce eye strain.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-lite-review-7.png" />Zorin OS Lite Review - Zorin Appearance<h2>File Management</h2>The included file manager is Thunar which is the default for XFCE. It's themed nicely (I particularly like it in dark mode) and is a fantastic file manager.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-lite-review-8.png" />Zorin OS Lite - File Management<h2>Settings</h2>Settings for your system can be found within the Settings tool. Here's you'll find everything from display and bluetooth options to wifi and more.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-lite-review-9.png" />Zorin OS Lite Review - SettingsThere are also a number of nice included backgrounds for your desktop should you wish to change it to something other than the default. You can find these by right clicking on the desktop and choosing desktop settings.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-lite-review-12.png" />Zorin OS Lite Review - Backgrounds<h2>Oops, found a mistake!</h2>I did find one mistake but chance while I was exploring Zorin OS Lite. When I went to click on the XFCE Terminal within the menu, it launched the XFCE terminal preferences instead.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-lite-review-10.png" />Zorin OS Lite Review - XFCE Terminal PreferencesThis is due to a misplaced --preferences flag that has been added by mistake within the menu as you can see below. It's a minor mistake but one to be aware of and it's easy to change. Just remove --prefern<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/zorin-os-lite-review-11.png" />Zorin OS Lite Review - XFCE Terminal - Minor Bug<h2>Conclusion</h2>Overall, this new Lite edition is very slick and well put together. It's definitely one of the better looking XFCE desktops I've seen and I'm impressed with how the devs managed to match it up with the other edition's look and feel.Performance wise, I found everything fast, even when running multiple apps at a time with numerous tabs open in Firefox. It just works well and I highly suggest giving it a try if you love XFCE.You can download your own copy of Zorin OS Lite here: <a target="_blank" href="https://zorinos.com/">https://zorinos.com/</a>Don't forget to check out our <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/zorin-os-review/">Zorin OS Review</a> to see what the Gnome edition looks like.

Zorin OS Lite Review - 15.1 Lite Edition

techcto2

Enterprise content management systems are continually gaining in complexity and functionality but only a few have managed to maintain a fine balance between these requirements and the need for a positive user experience.
Today, we're going to announce the .NET-based CMS that, according to the people, has managed to do this the best. It's time to announce the winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Enterprise .NET CMS.
<img style="max-width:200px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best_enterprise_net_cms200x0.jpg" alt="best_enterprise_net_cms" />
The contenders this year were Sitecore, Kentico, and Sitefinity.
It gives me great pleasure to announce that the winner this year was none other than <a href="http://www.sitecore.net">Sitecore</a>!
<img style="max-width:461px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitecorelogo.png" />
The runner up this year was <a href="http://www.kentico.com">Kentico</a>.
Congratulations to the team at Sitecore on their win. It's clear that when it comes down to excellence in the world of .NET-based CMS, Sitecore is the top dog and they should be proud of their win. This clearly shows that not only do their customers love them, so do our readers. Congratulations to all contenders this year as well.

The Winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Enterprise .NET CMS

StudioPress, the popular WordPress theme developer, has announced a new theme entitled <a href="http://my.studiopress.com/themes/interior/?_ga=2.126455624.4583036.1624549743-4831094679.1623261405671">Interior Pro</a>. This new theme was designed by Ashley Schweitzer.
This theme offers clean typography and a slick color palette to bring an overall look and feel that is sure to please.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/interior-pro-theme-1024x1024.jpg" alt="interior-pro-theme" />
Features include:
<ul>
<li>A mobile-responsive design that looks amazing wherever it’s viewed</li>
<li>Support, documentation, and the StudioPress community forum</li>
<li>The best rankings possible because of our clean code and mobile-friendly design</li>
<li>Super-fast page load times</li>
<li>One-click theme updates</li>
<li>Airtight security so you can rest easy</li>
</ul>
<a href="http://my.studiopress.com/themes/interior/?_ga=2.126455624.4583036.1624549743-4831094679.1623261405671">Try the demo</a> or check out StudioPress's <a href="https://www.studiopress.com/themes/">other themes</a>.

StudioPress releases Interior Pro Theme for Genesis Framework

Enterprise content management systems are continually gaining in complexity and functionality but only a few have managed to maintain a fine balance between these requirements and the need for a positive user experience.
Today, we're going to announce the Java-based CMS that, according to the people, has managed to do this the best. It's time to announce the winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Enterprise Java CMS.
<img style="max-width:200px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best_enterprise_java_cms-1200x0.jpg" />
The contenders this year were Hippo, Adobe AEM, and Jahia Digital Factory.
It gives me great pleasure to announce that the winner this year was none other than <a href="http://www.onehippo.com/">Hippo</a>!
<img style="max-width:221px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/418409_292078750864133_1858985276_n.jpg" />
The runner-up this year was <a href="http://www.jahia.com">Jahia Digital Factory</a>.
Congratulations to the team at Hippo on their win. It's clear that when it comes down to excellence in the world of Java-based CMS, Hippo is the top dog and they should be proud of their win. This clearly shows that not only do their customers love them, so do our readers. Congratulations to all contenders this year as well.

The Winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Enterprise Java CMS

Notepin (Notepin.co) is a note taking and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/minimalist-blogging-platforms/">blogging platform</a> that launched in 2017, and has been growing in popularity. The web-based system has a minimalist approach, which provides for a distraction free platform for users to enjoy. For such a simple service, it is really able to offer a lot to its users. Whether you are looking for an easy place to take notes that you can access from anywhere, or you want to launch your own blog, this is a good option to consider.The founder of Notepin, Osman Ahmed, said this about his platform, “it is a note-taking platform which comes with the optional ability to transform your notebook into a public blog.” Quite an interesting concept, and one that many people have been taking advantage of.<h3>Getting Started with Notepin</h3>One of the biggest perks of using Notepin is that you don’t need to make an account to use the service. When you browse to the site, you simply click the ‘or write anonymously’ to begin taking notes, writing a blog post, or just having fun. It will generate a random notepin.co URL that you can then access from anywhere.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/notepin-get-started.png" />If you want something more memorable, you can create your own notepin.co URL using any available word or phrase. Even taking this route does not require you to create an account, verify an email, or take any other action. If you want to make sure that you’re the only one who can read or edit your page, you simply add a password (which still doesn’t require an account). To put it simply, this is the fastest and easiest way to start typing up notes or blogging you’ll find.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/notepin-create-url.png" /><h3>Extremely Minimalist Approach</h3>As soon as you access the Notepin site you’ll see that it is a distraction-free environment, and that continues on to the writing &amp; editing pages as well. There are virtually no menus, very few editing features, and nothing to get in the way of your focusing on the writing. This is ideal for people who want to create quick posts, take notes for themselves, or quickly publish content to their site.When browsing a page as a viewer there won’t be much besides the text that was posted by the author. There can also be basic images but most pages don’t even have that. The full focus of this platform is on the content and making it as easy as possible to access.<h3>Free Features</h3>Anyone can use the Notepin system free of charge. The free plan comes with just one theme. Free users will also be restricted to posting text only with no images or video. All users, including those on the free plan, will have the option for visitors to share the posts on Twitter and like the posts on the site itself. These options can be disabled by the author if they don’t want this type of social interaction.Free users can create a unique custom URL where their content will be posted. The URL to access content will be formatted like this: <a target="_blank" href="http://notepin.co/ExampleNotes">http://notepin.co/ExampleNotes</a>. Users can choose whatever they want (as long as it is unused) to replace the ‘ExampleNotes’ portion of the URL. This not only makes it very easy to remember, but also allows authors to have some level of branding. Authors who want to have their content published to their own domain will have to upgrade to one of the two premium plans.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/notepin-create-unique-url.png" /><h3>Premium Features</h3>If you want to take your page to the next level, you can sign up for one of the two premium feature packs. The ‘Pro’ plan is just $11 per year, and the blogging plan is $19 per year. Both of these plans add multiple different themes to help improve the look of your page. The themes are still relatively basic, which goes well with the overall minimalist approach to the service. The premium services also allow higher quality images to be used, ambient sounds to be added to the site, text to speech options, and more.The benefit of using the blogging plan is that you can have email subscriptions, a custom domain, Google Analytics information, custom SEO options, private posts, and the branding from Notepin is removed. Given the fact that both of these premium packages are quite inexpensive, it is a great deal for those who want to start their own blog.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/notepin-premium-features.png" /><h3>Is Notepin a Good Platform?</h3>While Notepin is certainly not for everyone, it has some unique features that make it a really interesting platform that many people love. If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to get started with publishing your content, or you just need a convenient place to take notes, this is clearly an excellent choice. For those who want to run a minimalist blog, <a target="_blank" href="https://notepin.co/">Notepin </a>may be the ideal solution. It really is extremely fast and extremely easy not just to get started, but to continue publishing long into the future.

Notepin Review

michael-levanduski

Power your CMS on AWS

Manage your websites & apps in the most trusted cloud.

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While the typical fanfare of a Las Vegas convention has been on a losing streak in the age of Covid, virtual events have emerged as a winning surrogate – especially for software companies looking to cultivate their user communities and make big announcements.
That was the case last week at <a href="https://gatsbyconf.com/">GatsbyConf 2021</a>, a free two-day meeting held by <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.com/">Gatsby</a>. While the biggest news on the table was the unveiling of <a href="https://gatsbyjs.com/docs/reference/release-notes/v3.0">Gatsby v3.0</a>, our editorial team sat through a number of sessions, and we’ll cover some of the high points in this article.
Pandemic travel blues aside, the creators of the open-source JavaScript website framework <a href="https://github.com/gatsbyjs/gatsby">GatsbyJS</a> have been on a meteoric rise – <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.com/blog/2020-05-27-announcing-series-b-funding/">raising $28 million</a> in Series B funding in 2020. This investment has certainly helped fuel their growth, but Gatsby’s thriving community of users is what's helping to shape their future.
What was clear during GatsbyConf is that Gatsby is listening to their base. This is reflected in the newly released v3.0, which sports several new features users have been pining for. This includes incremental builds for faster deployment and new image optimization capabilities that improve website speed and performance.
But that’s not all. Gatsby also announced the addition of <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.com/products/cloud/hosting/">Gatsby Hosting</a> to its <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.com/cloud/">Gatsby Cloud</a>, offering a true, end-to-end platform. Now, users can build websites and fully deploy on Gatsby Cloud – complete with a CDN – all without having to rely on a third-party provider.
<h3>The static site revolution</h3>
A bit of backdrop always helps – and with Gatsby, that backdrop is short. And on fire.
GatsbyJS was born in 2015 with a simple mission: make it easy for users to create a website with <a href="https://reactjs.org/">React</a>, a Javascript library for building user interfaces. In just a few short years, the platform has seen tens of thousands of developers flock to their open-source community, leveraging Gatsby as the go-to static site generator for creating a wide range of web experiences – from basic blogs to rich e-Commerce applications.
Gatsby’s React-based framework is built on the <a href="https://bejamas.io/blog/jamstack/?utm_source=thenewstack&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=platform">JAMstack</a> (Javascript, APIs, and markup) and leverages a number of modern web technologies such as GraphQL. As a static site generator, Gatsby uses static files to build websites in the browser – not on the server – as a user enters each page.
By abstracting the database from the equation, Gatsby provides a lightweight website that takes less time to build and maintain – and delivers a lightning-fast load. With speed becoming one of the most important measures for a website’s performance, Gatsby has been powering websites with a competitive edge that reduces bounce rates while improving the overall customer experience.
<h3>Unifying developers and marketers</h3>
The battle between developers and marketers has been waged since the dawn of the modern web. Regularly at odds, Gatsby is focused on uniting the disparate realms – and this was the subject of several discussions during the conference.
"Our mission is to raise the quality of websites and the web by providing developers and marketers with the best tools,” said the Gatsby CEO Kyle Mathews. “We believe that great user experience depends on developers and marketers having great tools and workflows to rapidly collaborate on improving the user experience”
At GatsbyConf, there was talk about rich web experiences being the new norm and how teams of marketers, designers, and developers need to work both quickly and collaboratively to create websites that have great content – but also perform at the highest levels.
"It is not just developers who are building sites,” said Dustin Shau, VP of Product at Gatsby. “The interplay between developers and marketers is a key one to keep top of mind, and this is squarely the challenge we are trying to solve with Gatsby.”
<h3>A new era for headless CMS</h3>
To power the front end, Gatsby’s static websites rely on headless CMS platforms to manage content – providing the perfect marriage of lightweight frontend and backend capabilities.
For the unindoctrinated, a headless CMS is a backend-only content management system that behaves more like a content repository. It allows users to author content without being tied to a specific output – like, say, a rendered web page. Instead, it decouples the “head” and allows the CMS to display content on any device or presentation layer via API. This includes static site generators like Gatsby.
This blend of technologies gives developers the ability to create and deploy faster with incremental builds and collaborate on code. Meanwhile, marketers can use a headless CMS to make content edits, preview their changes, share them with their colleagues for feedback and publish when approved – all while gaming the speed and power of a static frontend.
As the landscape of headless and decoupled CMS players continues to expand, so too have the opportunities for Gatsby. They offer support for a number of <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.com/docs/how-to/sourcing-data/headless-cms/">headless CMS services</a>, including <a href="https://ghost.org/pricing/">Ghost</a> and <a href="https://prismic.io/">Prismic</a> – and now feature a <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.com/plugins/gatsby-source-wordpress/">WordPress Source plugin</a>.
On the e-Commerce side, Gatsby also has a <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.com/plugins/gatsby-source-shopify/">Shopify Source Plugin</a> for pulling data into Gatsby from Shopify stores using the <a href="https://shopify.dev/docs/storefront-api">Shopify Storefront API</a>.
Back in October, Gatsby also <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/contentstack-and-gatsby-announce-partnership-to-power-ultra-fast-websites-with-headless-cms/">partnered with Contentstack</a>, a market-leading headless Content Experience Platform. The co-mingling enabled Contentstack to offer blazing-fast websites and applications on their CMS platform while allowing organizations to better unify their marketing and development teams through the unique collaboration.
<h3>Highlights from GatsbyConf 2021</h3>
With Gatsby v3.0 taking up most of the air, here are some of the big-ticket features that were covered during the event:
<ul>
<li>80% speed improvement in local development experience via incremental builds: Gatsby v3.0 uses incremental builds – meaning every time a site is changed, Gatsby only re-builds the parts that have been updated as opposed to the entire site. Waiting for every image and page to be processed in the development session made the building process more laborious, especially for large, media-rich websites.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img style="max-width:700px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/03/incremental-build.jpg" alt="gatsby incremental build diagram" /></figure>
<ul>
<li>Intelligent caching in the Gatsby Cloud: Together with incremental builds, Gatsby Cloud uses intelligent caching and a real-time edge network to dramatically reduce the time spent waiting for deployments.</li>
<li>Better performance and a higher Lighthouse score: Websites built with Gatsby already have a solid reputation for being fast – and it’s mostly due to Gatsby’s image optimization feature. With v3.0, Gatsby graduated the <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.com/docs/reference/built-in-components/gatsby-plugin-image/">gatsby-plugin-image</a> feature from BETA to general availability. The plugin takes advantage of the latest improvements in browser technology and image file formats. The API is also simpler and easier to learn, which streamlines the entire process.</li>
<li>Gatsby Hosting: After listening to user feedback on incremental builds in Gatsby Cloud, it was clear there was a bottleneck for publishing updates. With <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.com/blog/introducing-gatsby-cloud-hosting">Gatsby Hosting</a>, this problem is all but resolved. By partnering with <a href="https://www.fastly.com/">Fastly</a>, a content delivery network (CDN) provider turned edge cloud company, Gatsby added a secure global CDN that both accelerates deployment time and content serving to customers.</li>
<li>Additional developer and admin features: Gatsby also added tools and resources in Gatsby Cloud to make managing websites even easier, including custom domains, SSL certificates, and Workspaces.</li>
<li>Upgrades to core dependencies: Last but not least, Gatsby bumped their core dependencies to the latest stable versions, including Node 12, Webpack 5, React 17, GrapQL 15, and ESLint 7. These upgrades will eliminate bugs that people may encounter with older versions and unlock new features Gatsby can leverage in future updates.</li>
</ul>
It’s worth noting Gatsby’s choice of GraphQL, which is typically used by large-scale enterprise CMS and DXP platforms. Most recently, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/adobe-experience-cloud-adds-new-headless-cms-capabilities-updates-to-commerce-integration/">Adobe added GraphQL for headless content delivery</a>. GraphQL might be seen as “overkill” for Gatsby, but using GraphQL makes it much easier to see where data is coming from – and how to change it.
<h3>What’s next for Gatsby?</h3>
As CEO Kyle Mathews noted, great user experience depends on both developers and marketers having great tools – and the ability to collaborate and ideate quickly.
While GatsbyConf 2021 was a springboard for highlighting their latest accomplishments, it’s clear that one of Gatsby’s strongest assets is their community of users – and this includes both developers and marketers. By listening and engaging, they’ve been able to focus their improvements on key areas that will have a real impact on customer satisfaction.
The JAMstack is getting jam-packed with static site generators, including <a href="https://nextjs.org/">Next.js</a>, <a href="https://gohugo.io/">Hugo</a>, <a href="https://jekyllrb.com/">Jekyll</a>, and others – many of which are deployable to <a href="https://www.netlify.com/">Netlify</a> and instantly connectable to Github. As these competitors build niche communities of developers, service may become one of the key differentiators for Gatsby. They have already demonstrated their commitment to listening to the voice of the customer – and this will serve them well in the future.
If you haven’t tried out Gatsby yet, you can <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.com/get-started/">sign up for free</a>. If you’re wondering how to upgrade from v2 to v3, Gatsby also provides a <a href="https://www.gatsbyjs.com/docs/reference/release-notes/migrating-from-v2-to-v3">v2 to v3 migration guide</a>.
<h3>About Gatsby</h3>
Gatsby, Inc. is the creator of GatsbyJS, the leading JAMstack frontend framework and static site generator for React. GatsbyJS enables organizations to build highly performant, secure websites that can integrate data from multiple content management systems and other end points using its unique content hub architecture. Gatsby offers <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=QsxpV3REm_gUHc0XrS8P_S-GvX_OgybDXJdd8yqDpE6HOXoszjUf6SoxitACU4HmmFrtFAS_DBY1k8pbTdmgW0fP3gVcsP5YSO9k4jwpMOU=">Gatsby Cloud</a>, a turnkey SaaS solution for building, previewing, deploying and managing Gatsby-based websites plus support and professional services to help organizations build modern websites. GatsbyJS is used in industries including financial services, retail, ecommerce, hospitality, SaaS and gaming by companies, including Venmo, Little Caesars, Braun, Raleigh, Quip, Figma, Meetup, Headspace, Draft Kings and Nintendo. Gatsby, Inc. is funded by Index Ventures, CRV and Trinity Ventures. Visit <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=bdzydamtROY_gZXyiFdp7LM7Gh5xQZSp3EzX2cCGHcES9KWcf2X2nnmDE7YpGur-e7ZLlbuQcQcYsXePXH0Ihg==">www.gatsbyjs.com</a> to learn more.

Gatsby Unveils v3.0, Cloud Hosting, and More at GatsbyConf 2021

Having to call your web design company or developer every time you need to make a simple change on your website should be a thing of the past. Companies can no longer afford to rely on such an inefficient process for every tiny content update, as users and customers expect information to be up-to-date at all times.
Thankfully most Content Management Systems (CMSs) today allow you to make content edits and updates yourself. However, not every CMS is ideally suited to efficient, non-technical updates, nor is every one easy to manage when you’re working with multiple content editors.
In this article we give you a rundown of the benefits of instant content updates, as well as the key things you should look out for when researching a CMS platform, from the standpoint of content updates.
<h2>Why instant updates</h2>
When a CMS enables you to make instant content updates, this usually means that you can log into your CMS platform, find the relevant page where you would like to make an update, and easily make it without need for support.
Content changes can vary a lot, from a quick address update after an office move, to publishing a new article. Sometimes a content update involves creating new pages or adding new modules to a page, although this kind of functionality really depends on the type of CMS you choose.
Being able to log in and change content yourself means that you can ensure your website is always up-to-date. For example, if you have an event coming up and you only just realized one of the event details on your website is incorrect, you can easily go in and make a last-minute edit. Having to wait on a developer, on the other hand, would be useless in this scenario.
Regularly updating your website is also important for another reason: Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is because regular and relevant content will allow your site to be noticed by search engine crawlers, which will award it a higher ranking and enable your target audience to easily find your content. Sites that are static, no matter how much old content they hold, will struggle to remain relevant to search engine crawlers. Being able to regularly update content yourself is, therefore, a key way to increase your inbound leads.
Companies can also benefit from instant updates materially, by generating additional revenue and saving costs. For example, instant updates enable you to take advantage of new, time-sensitive opportunities, such as relevant special offers or promotions. On the other hand, updating your site content yourself is also a much more cost-effective way of keeping your website up-to-date, as developers and web agencies often charge fees for every content update they carry out.
All-in-all, empowering your team to keep your website updated themselves is the way of the future, and companies who are still relying on third parties to update content are really missing out on all the benefits outlined above.
However, not all CMS platforms are equal and not all will allow you to efficiently manage your content to the same degree. If you’re looking for a CMS that allows you to deliver your own content updates, here are a few things you should be looking out for.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pablo2011.png" />
<h3>1. Multiple content editors</h3>
Is your site content going to be managed by one or multiple editors? Either way, looking for a platform that enables access to multiple editors will be the safest choice, particularly if your company is growing.
This means finding a platform that can be extended to multiple users, each receiving an individual login that they can use to access the platform. Ideally, the platform should allow you to track changes by editor and history, so you are always aware who is updating what and when.
The best CMSs also allow you to provide different levels of access and permissions, from contributor to admin. This reduces the risk of mistakes or intentional attacks on your site, as you can make sure that users accessing the backend are only able to modify whatever is relevant to them.
Finally, the ideal CMS should provide you with tools to allow your teams to work together. Things such as being able to preview content together, to assign tasks, to group content changes and report on these changes will make collaboration among your team easier and lead to less errors and better content updates.
<h3>2. No technical knowledge needed</h3>
Although most CMS platforms allow you to access the backend to edit content, not all of them are non-technical. This means that non-developers and non-technical users can’t easily update content without the aid of a developer.
Ideally any non-technical user should be able to log in, find the relevant page and easily input or modify the text. Or if they’re publishing a new blog post, they should intuitively be able to set up a new article, modify the settings, input all text and images using a text editor, add metadata and publish.
Unfortunately not all CMSs are non-technical and intuitive enough to allow any user to edit content, which can lead to time-consuming and inefficient content management processes. Some CMS platforms are in fact focused on developers, which is a great option if these are the people who will be making changes to the website, but not so great if they’re not.
Another aspect that, ideally, a CMS should allow editors to manage is page layouts. Of course, any major design changes that require coding will have to be done by a developer, but at the very least non-technical users should be able to add new page elements or reorder existing ones. Many CMSs also provide page templates, so that non-technical users can build brand new pages and easily add the appropriate modules.
This means that simple pages can be built very fast and still look good, without the need for a developer to come in and work on every single new page.
<h3>3. Cloud-based</h3>
The CMS of the future is cloud-based. By being hosted in the cloud, a cloud CMS allows you to log into the platform and update your website simply by using your regular web browser. This means that you can quickly make content updates no matter where you are, without the need to physically be in the office. All you need is an internet connection!
Ultimately, this allows you to make time-sensitive updates, or to make quick changes outside of office hours. This also means being able to update content on mobile, which of course requires a content management interface that is mobile-friendly; another thing to keep in mind when choosing a CMS.
<h3>4. 24/7 Support</h3>
Finally, it is very important that your CMS provides technical support, preferably 24/7. This way, if your content editors are experiencing a difficulty updating or publishing content, the support team can promptly fix it for you and prevent you from missing out on key revenue or traffic.
Working exclusively with a developer, on the other hand, means that you are again constrained by their schedule and availability, so that the necessary updates can’t be made instantly. It’s all about enabling your users and customers to access and use your site at anytime, and proprietary platforms offering good support are best suited to ensure this.

Why Your CMS Should Allow You To Make Instant Content Updates

Today we're going to expose you to a new and fast cms called SkyBlueCanvas in this SkyBlueCanvas Review. This little content management system has a lot of gusto and provides an easy to use interface. It is small, open source and best of all, free.
Let's take a look at the install.
<img alt="SkyBlueCanvas Review" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sb1.png" />
<img alt="SkyBlueCanvas Review" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sb3.png" />
I wasn't too keen on seeing an advertisement on the end screen, but in the same aspect, I can understand that open source projects usually are running on the steam of a few developers who do not get paid. I suppose this is one method of trying to earn a few bucks.
<img alt="SkyBlueCanvas Review" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sb5.png" />
Above you can see the default look of the website once it's installed.
<img alt="SkyBlueCanvas Review" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sb7.png" />
As you can see, the editor is pretty simple and straight forward.
<dl>
<dt><img alt="SkyBlueCanvas Review" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sb9.png" /></dt>
<dd> </dd>
</dl>
The included meta page is nice a well, and allows full control over SEO functions and RSS inclusion. (nice touch).
As you can see, this system is very easy to use and incredibly straight forward. We recommend this for anyone looking for a simple and easy management interface for their website.
You can find more about it here: <a href="http://www.skybluecanvas.com">SkyBlueCanvas</a>

SkyBlueCanvas Review - Point Click Publish.

Forums are a common way of communicating and have become the haven for some pretty amazing communities.
In order to keep them active, we need powerful software that can handle the demands. This is where exceptional forum software comes into play.
Today, we're going to announce the winner of the People's Choice CMS Award for Best Free Forum solution.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best_free_forum_solution226x0.png" />
This year, contenders were Vanilla Forums, MyBB and NodeBB.
The winner for this year was <a href="http://vanillaforums.org/">Vanilla Forums</a>!
<a href="http://vanillaforums.org/"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/logo-vanilla.png" /></a>
The runner up this year was <a href="http://www.mybb.com/">MyBB</a> coming in a close second.
Congratulations to everyone at Vanilla on their win! Go check them out at <a href="http://vanillaforums.org/">http://vanillaforums.org/</a>

The Winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Free Forum Solution

When it comes to content management systems, there's one platform that makes headless "like butter."
Of course, we're talking about <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/dynamic-landing-pages-with-components-and-buttercms/" target="_blank">ButterCMS</a>, an aptly-named brand that's been making solid gains over the years, particularly around the rise in popularity of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/" target="_blank">JAMstack</a> and MACH-related microservices. The platform powers static site generators like <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/gatsby-unveils-v3-0-cloud-hosting-and-more-at-gatsbyconf-2021/" target="_blank">Gatsby</a>, for example – and makes it incredibly easy to connect their CMS to a fast, secure, high-performing frontend site.
Recently, the company announced some slick new additions to its <a href="https://buttercms.com/features/#fastcontentupdate-localization" target="_blank">content localization capabilities</a> that aim to simplify the workflow, allowing users to translate content to any language right within the Butter UI.
Not to spread it on too thickly (pun intended), but this is exactly the kind of feature that CMS platforms need to serve global initiatives. The new functionality empowers international teams collaborating on projects to access information and quickly translate it for their specific region – all with just a few clicks. It also prevents any duplication of effort, allowing projects to be completed faster and more efficiently.
We've got more details below, but we'll butter you up with a little something extra: a brief Q&amp;A with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lumetta/" target="_blank">Butter's CEO, Jake Lumetta</a>. Read what the company's founder had to say about their new localization capabilities, composable CMS, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/" target="_blank">JAMstack</a>, and the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/" target="_blank">headless</a> frontier. So grab your toast and dig in.
<h2>A new tool for clients with international teams and topics</h2>
There's no question that the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2021/12/27/this-is-the-future-of-remote-work-in-2021/?sh=6f9e6f441e1d" target="_blank">growth of remote work</a> – and consequently, the rise of remote teams. This has been felt on a local level, but international teams have been working from a distance for quite some time.
According to Butter, companies with growing international interests need products that make working with their remote teams easy and effective. As such, their new localization enhancements are targeted at taking the work out of managing distributed teams, specifically marketers and translators across the globe.
The expanded set of features is a big leap forward in both speed and convenience for ButterCMS customers, giving them the option to import content in English – or any other language – as a base template to work from for any project. Once this base version is created, individual users can then copy that content and translate it for any region using simple features in the navigation menu.
<h2>Butter CMS localization: process and options</h2>
On a more granular level, the process of importing and translating content in ButterCMS is designed to be very intuitive. For example, when modifying content for a specific region, a user can select “Copy From” in the menu, and import existing content from any other locale. There's also a scrollable drop-down menu that includes all the languages that have been configured in a user's account, making it easy to select options on the fly.
After the base content has been imported, the content can be translated manually by local experts, via API by Google, or through another third-party service of your choice. Another point of convenience: regions that have already been translated are highlighted for quick recognition.
<img style="max-width:706px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/image001.jpg" alt="localization settings - languages dropdown" />
There's no limit to the number of languages you can support. That means your team members from any corner of the world can translate content to accommodate local languages and meet cultural-specific content requirements.
From a permissions perspective, another new feature is the ability to <a href="https://buttercms.com/kb/enabling-localization-and-creating-localized-content" target="_blank">control editing privileges</a> for various regions at the user level, allowing teams on the ButterCMS Enterprise plan to ensure that only approved members in a designated region can make changes to their specified content. This feature streamlines the interface for international teams, minimizes confusion, and prevents unauthorized changes.
<img style="max-width:502px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/image003.gif" alt="locale access checkboxes" />
<h2>Additional CMS features and updates</h2>
For Butter, "convenience" has always been a key attribute. Their interface is familiar and intuitive, making it easy to learn and use. Along these lines, they've made several recent updates that improve the content production process – making it more flexible and less time-consuming.
For example, there’s a new <a href="https://buttercms.com/features/#fastcontentupdate-preview-changes" target="_blank">resizable preview panel</a> that lets users preview live content inside the same window where they are currently editing. You can also use the same click-and-drag functionality to control the size of the API explorer window. This prevents the hassle of toggling back and forth between windows while working.
<img style="max-width:600px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/image004.gif" alt="Resizable review panel" />
<a href="https://buttercms.com/features/#flexiblecontentmodeling-components" target="_blank">Reusable components</a> help keep the development process as simple as possible with a unique component picker tool, allowing marketers to build dynamic landing pages using pre-defined, pre-styled components. It’s a powerful feature for building dynamic landing pages without relying on a developer.
Another is Butter’s pre-configured <a href="https://buttercms.com/features/#flexiblecontentmodeling-blog-engine" target="_blank">blog engine</a>, which makes it really easy to add an SEO-friendly blog to an existing website or app. It supports all of the popular frontend frameworks, with drop-in SDKs for any language.
Users can also take advantage of Butter's native <a href="https://buttercms.com/features/#medialibrary" target="_blank">Media Library</a> to host all the files necessary for a blog, app, or website. The Media Library can hold images, videos, audio files, PDFs, and more – and all files are distributed securely via <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/" target="_blank">Amazon CloudFront’s CDN</a>.
<h2>Summary and pricing</h2>
ButterCMS has just upped its game with some great content localization enhancements. Whether you’re managing content for a mobile app, a hybrid web app, a static site, or just a blog, the platform provides an array of tools and features to improve your development and marketing efforts.
When it comes to pricing, there are several <a href="https://buttercms.com/pricing/" target="_blank">plans</a> available that meet the needs of everyone – from freelancers and startups to enterprises and agencies – and can be scaled as your organization grows.
<h2>Q&amp;A with Jake Lumetta, CEO and founder of ButterCMS</h2>
CMS Critic had a chance to connect with Butter's CEO and founder, Jake Lumetta. We asked about their growth opportunities, composable and reusable CMS trends, and what makes their headless CMS stand out in the crowd.
<hr />
CMS Critic (CC): With localization being such a key focus in your recent update, it seems fair to say that ButterCMS is growing globally. What are your core markets? Where are you seeing the most growth internationally?
Jake Lumetta (JL): Butter has customers around the globe and in every vertical you can imagine.  If you need to manage content for a modern, highly performant application, then Butter is a great fit for your team. We've seen amazing growth in e-commerce, marketplaces, SaaS, e-learning, and financial services.
CC: Composable and reusable components are becoming essential to a CMS. Can you tell us more about your component strategy? What aspects are low code/no code? And how customizable is the framework?
JL: We heard early on from our customers that they wanted to build with components in Butter.  We built a field type called Components which enables our users to group related fields together in an intuitive way. A simple example might be an SEO component that contains all SEO meta information you might want to control for a page.  Butter Components work nicely alongside the concept of reusable components for your Front-end.  Design and marketing can work hand in hand to determine and build out beautiful and customizable experiences using Butter Components. We've made using Components really intuitive for non-developer users with another concept called a Component Picker as well. This allows any marketers to build out a custom, unique page or section of a website or mobile app using any components that they need.
CC: Headless is fast becoming the focus of the CMS market. What would you say is Butter’s most unique advantage when considered against the landscape of options – particularly those that are growing rapidly in the JAMstack?
JL: One of Butter's unique advantages is our laser focus on superior customer support and experience. Our customers want to get their hands on the product and quickly get a proof of concept running with their preferred tech, and we allow every person to easily do that. Our Customer Success team aims to promptly support all folks at any stage of using Butter. We provide resources for learning, using, and scaling the use of Butter so that people can answer their own questions quickly. Our product is also simply more intuitive than most on the market – for both developers with our straightforward API and for marketers with our intuitive and clean interface.
<h2>About ButterCMS</h2>
ButterCMS offers a modern content management solution that helps companies across several markets tackle projects and manage content with ease. Their API-driven headless CMS has enjoyed strong success in several verticals, including e-commerce, agencies, SaaS, and marketplaces. Butter offers extensive documentation and a convenient API explorer interface for quick and painless integration with any application or website. If you need additional help, they offer live, personalized support for all clients.

New Content Localization Capabilities from ButterCMS: Q&A with CEO Jake Lumetta

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