Articles - Page 95

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

matt-garrepy

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

It today's CMS market, it's not difficult to come across a user-friendly website builder. However, it's rare to come across a service as holistic as <a href="http://www.ucoz.com/?pguid=2228558660" target="_blank">uCoz</a>.
With over 1.2 million websites now built using uCoz, it's fair to say that the open-source platform – which has a strong Russian user base, is amongst the top website builders in the world. Part of uCoz' appeal is their range of features, modules, and templates on offer which enable you to build an array of website types with ease.
Recently, uCoz was nominated in the <a href="/2013-people-s-choice-winner-for-best-website-builder/#.UnQNgvkvlyW" target="_blank">2013 People's Choice for Best Website Builder</a> category for CMS Critic's annual CMS Awards. So, now would be a good time to take a look at just what makes this popular content management system tick.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uXrmdbGkogs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h2>Master of all Trades</h2>
With uCoz, you can build pretty much any type of website. Not only is this appealing to those looking to build a particular type of site, but it's also useful for anybody thinking about creating a range of different website types, either right now, or over time.
Instead of using one CMS to create a community forum, and another to create a blog, both can be done under the same roof with uCoz. That means that you wont need to learn and adjust to different platforms, and can spend more time perfecting your skills with uCoz specifically.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/11.png" alt="uCoz" />
Below is a list of just some of the website types uCoz is capable of building:
<ul>
<li>Blogs</li>
<li>Online Stores</li>
<li>Personal Homepages</li>
<li>Portals</li>
<li>Fan Sites &amp; Communities</li>
<li>Educational Websites</li>
<li>Government Websites</li>
<li>And More</li>
</ul>
As you can see from this list above, uCoz has no shortage of functionality. On top of these options, uCoz websites can be used with personal domains and even come bundled with built in WYSIWYG editor, a drag-and-drop design system, statistics, security and technical support. All for free.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2.png" alt="uCoz" /> 
uCoz users can also incorporate hundreds of different widgets, which help your website to branch out in terms of functionality via Twitter, Flickr, Skype, Wikipedia, eBay Search and more.
<h2>Strength in Depth</h2>
Despite being able to build a wide range of different websites types, uCoz has a surprising amount of depth when it comes to website-specific features.
In other words, you won't just get to enjoy the flexibility of building different kinds of sites, but you'll also have the ability to focus on each one of them using different modules, apps and features, all of which can be managed via the feature-rich admin panel.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/5700x0.png" alt="uCoz" /> 
You may also be thinking that, in order to convincingly build all of these different website types using the same CMS, a lot of coding and technical knowledge will be required, especially in terms of design.
However, thanks to hundreds of pre-built uCoz templates, found within the <a href="http://ucoztemplates.com/" target="_blank">uCoz Template Store</a>, customizing your website's design is easy. You can install some of the free or paid-for templates quickly and easy, without having to touch any code – unless of course you want to.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/3700x0.png" alt="uCoz" />
Along with the flexibility of hundreds of different, customizable templates, uCoz also enables you to integrate a number of popular third-party applications and services to add functionality to your website. These apps include Paypal, Google Maps, YouTube and more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/4.png" alt="uCoz" /> 
With access to all of these apps, along with hundreds of templates and a robust admin panel filled with features, it's incredibly easy to create a range of different kinds of website, all using the same, reliable platform.
To learn more about the capabilities of uCoz, <a href="http://www.ucoz.com/?pguid=2228558660" target="_blank">check out their website</a>. Or, if you've heard enough, you can start building your free website today by <a href="http://www.ucoz.com/?pguid=2228558660" target="_blank">registering with uCoz</a>.
Additionally, you can find more key information regarding <a href="/products/ucoz/" target="_blank">uCoz via our CMS Directory</a>.

uCoz: The Universal Website Builder

mike-johnston

If you are looking for new ways to increase your online sales, you might first want to look at your website. There are so many common errors when it comes to Ecommerce web design that you could actually be missing out on a significant volume of sales as you read this.
So what can you do to optimize your website and ensure that your visitors turn into customers? In this article we sum up the top 8 errors that could be slowing down your online sales, from website speed to checkout. Investing some time on improving these aspects of your site could be much more cost-effective than other traditional approaches such as advertising and spending endless marketing dollars, and bring you greater results.
<h2>1. Your site is too slow</h2>
Because of the nature of Ecommerce sites, any issue causing visitors to drop off can have a very significant impact on revenue gains compared to a regular site. And when it comes to speed, a mere 2-second delay in loading time is enough to drive a great number of visitors to drop off your site. In fact, <a href="https://blog.kissmetrics.com/loading-time/">47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less</a>.
Ensuring optimal speed is also particularly important to Ecommerce sites because heavy integrations (such as with payment and shipping providers) can significantly slow down website performance.
If your site isn’t performing optimally, you could potentially be missing out on up to 47% of your sales, so looking at your hosting options and upgrading if necessary could bring you incredible returns.
Another common issue with Ecommerce sites is downtime caused by sudden surges in traffic, for example during special promotions such as Black Friday. It is essential to plan ahead for these traffic increases, because if you don’t you could be losing out on the majority of your sales.
<h2>2. Your product descriptions are insufficient</h2>
Web users are used to finding all the information they need in one place, and fast. With that in mind, ensuring that your product pages cover all necessary selling points and provide as much information as possible could dramatically lower drop-offs.
Try and include not just a product description but also more specific information, such as sizes, materials, weight and dimensions; you never know what your customers may be looking for.
This applies to product images too. Many Ecommerce sites fail to provide appropriate images, or they only provide one image, which is normally insufficient for the average online shopper. Remember that images are often the most direct way for customers to become familiar with the product, and they will normally look at them before they read the product descriptions. Make sure to include several images from multiple angles and, if applicable, in different colors.
<h2>3. Your website navigation is too complicated</h2>
If there’s something that can be said of today’s online customers it’s that they are used to the best. We have become accustomed to finding information easily and intuitively, and your site navigation is a key factor in ensuring this is the case.
Unfortunately, if your site navigation is poor­­ – whether the functionality is jittery or the navigation design is too complicated – the majority of your visitors will drop off. With a website, a positive user experience is simply an aspect that cannot be ignored.
This also applies to how you categorize your content. Think about what the most common categories for the products you sell are on other Ecommerce websites, and ensure your site reflects these. By making your site as familiar as possible to your users you will make it easier for them to find what they need.
A good way of ensuring your site’s navigation is optimal is to come up with top 10 user journeys through your site based on 10 different types of customers. You can then test to see if the site navigation for each of these products makes sense, and optimize accordingly.
Here A/B testing can play an instrumental role, allowing you to test different approaches and looks and to see which ones are most effective.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pablo2014.png" />
<h2>4. Your search bar is useless</h2>
Product categories are important, but for customers who already know what they’re looking for in your site, a search bar is a very convenient shortcut. Most of these customers would find it an incredibly frustrating experience if they had to click through sub-sections and categories to find their desired product.
But search bars can also backfire and lead to drop-offs if your products are not optimized with keywords and tags. In that case, the user would only be able to find a product by searching the product name, making it difficult for users to compare different products of the same category (eg. smart TVs).
When setting up your product pages, make sure to assign keywords and tags to all content, and to include all possible permutations; you never know what keyword your users are going to search.
Another way of optimizing your search bar is to enable filtering, whether by category, size, color, etc. This will make it easier for users to sift through all your content and easily find the products with the exact specifications they need. You can also enable content sorting by tags, such as most popular, lowest price, etc.
<h2>5. Your site is not optimized for mobile</h2>
This is where I would normally throw a stat on how many of today’s online sales are carried out on mobile devices. But mobile shopping is now so pervasive that such stats have become obsolete; mobile is the mainstream way of shopping online.
It therefore goes without saying that it’s essential to ensure your Ecommerce site is optimized for mobile. And that is probably the single most important takeaway from this article. If you don’t have a mobile site, you don’t have a site.
Remember that optimizing your site for mobile means not only allowing users to browse your products online, but also to make a purchase. Mobile sites should provide the same shopping experience as on desktop, from browsing to payment. Here, ensuring that the checkout process is extremely streamlined for mobile is really key. If it’s hard to make a purchase, they won’t make a purchase.
Most content management and Ecommerce platforms nowadays provide mobile optimization, so that shouldn’t be a problem for most companies, but if you’re using an older platform this may be something you need to add on and make an investment on as soon as possible.
<h2>6. Your checkout is too complicated</h2>
Checkout is a time when many online customers drop off. This could be for a variety of reasons, <a href="http://blog.agilitycms.com/blog-posts/ecommerce-checkout-pages-8-features">which we covered in our previous article</a>, but the top ones are:
<ul>
<li>There are too many checkout steps. Many customers will get frustrated by a checkout process that is too long or that requires too much information. Try to keep it to just a few steps. On the other hand, keeping it to only one step may be detrimental too, making the user feel overwhelmed, so always aim for two or three.</li>
<li>It requires them to create an account. Having to create an account is often an unnecessary annoyance, especially if a customer has no immediate plans to shop again on your site. Always include the option to check out as a guest. However, giving users the option to create an account at the very end of the purchase process is a good way to build up customer loyalty and provide them with additional benefits that will keep them coming back (order history, saved payment and shipping details, etc).</li>
<li>Offer a variety of payment options. Credit or debit card are not the only ways to pay for products online! Consider including other options such as Apple Pay or PayPal and your customers will be happy.</li>
<li>There is no support available. Support is simply an essential service for Ecommerce sites. If your customers encounter a problem during payment, many will seek to solve the issue before dropping off. If support is not available, you will simply lose these customers. Live chat is a great option for quick support on Ecommerce sites!</li>
</ul>
<h2>7. You don’t provide product recommendations</h2>
Although this won’t necessarily lead to customer drop-offs, a lack of personalized content could be costing you significant revenue gains.
Personalization is increasingly becoming a sought-for feature in content management, but it’s especially effective on Ecommerce sites. There are two common types of personalization:
Tag-based personalization
Tag-based personalization can be set up by assigning tags to all your products. Your platform will then pull up products of similar tags as “recommended content” on a product page. This may catch the eye of your customers, leading them to make additional purchases.
Machine learning personalization
This type of personalization is more complex and relies on user personas to provide personalized content. For example, certain user personas will be associated with certain types of behaviour, so a website visitor exhibiting that type of behavior will be assigned to that persona and shown product recommendations relevant to it.
Through personalization you can make your website content highly relevant to each individual, encouraging them to purchase additional products and generating extra revenue.
<h2>8. Your site doesn’t look trustworthy</h2>
Finally, it might surprise you to hear that your site’s design can have an immense impact on how your website is perceived in terms of security. So regardless of the security measures of each site, a site that looks good and slick will feel more secure to your customers.
You can get around this by building a site that looks modern and responsive, and which feels familiar to your customers in terms of design and functionality. This applies especially to your checkout pages.
Customers are also used to coming across trust badges during checkout, even if they don’t stop to examine them. Including these will provide your customers with peace of mind that their payment details are secure.
Other things that may give your customers the impression that your site isn’t secure include being redirected to a separate domain or site to pay, providing a checkout process with a different design or style from the rest of your site and not allowing customers to create an account and view previous orders.

The Top 8 Ecommerce Errors That Could Be Slowing Down Your Online Sales

MODX has announced a host of new updates to their MODX Cloud product line yesterday. These new updates bring with them a selection of enhancements such as improved custom domains, SSL and more.
The addition of a new Add-ons tab is one such addition:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/add-ons-tab-modx-cloud.jpg" alt="add-ons-tab-modx-cloud" />
With the new Add-ons tab, MODX Cloud customers can quickly and easy perform additional tasks such as:
<ul>
<li>Requesting SSL for increased security and visitor trust, and to boost your SEO,</li>
<li>Ordering the <a href="https://modxcloud.com/add-ons.html">Managed Cloud service</a>, so you never have to worry about monitoring or maintaining your site at all, and</li>
<li>Adding server resources (PHP Workers) for higher traffic or more complex sites.</li>
</ul>
One of the most important updates in this announcement, in my mind, is the addition of SSL for everyone. Especially with the importance of SSL certificates nowadays as they relate to Google rankings, I think MODX has done a smart thing in making them accessible to everyone. With their new update, users can update to a secure site at no additional cost. SSL is now available at all plan levels, including their Basic plan. According to their release announcement, they are working to make this even easier in the future as well.
Last but not least, the following additional improvements were made:
<ul>
<li>The MODX Cloud user guide and knowledge base now lives in our <a href="https://support.modx.com/hc/en-us">Zendesk Help Center</a>. You can search our KB articles straight from the Dashboard help widget, and open a ticket if you don’t find the answer you need.</li>
<li>Need to grab a file you accidentally deleted a few days ago? Now it’s a whole lot easier: restore a backup into another Cloud instance straight from your main Backups tab in the MODX Cloud Dashboard.</li>
<li>Added latest version of <a href="https://modx.com/blog/2016/04/06/modx-revolution-2.4.4-fixed-output-filter-issue-from-2.4.3/">MODX Revolution (2.4.4</a>).</li>
<li>Updated to latest <a href="http://nginx.org/en/CHANGES-1.8">nginx</a> and <a href="http://php.net/archive/2016.php#id2016-03-31-4">PHP</a>.</li>
<li>And finally, we were able to make faster nightly backups. Faster is better, right?</li>
</ul>
Interested in MODX Cloud? Check them out at <a href="https://modxcloud.com/">https://modxcloud.com/</a>
<h3></h3>

MODX Cloud Updates Introduce SSL for Everyone and More

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

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

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

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Adobe is introducing new features to its Adobe Experience Cloud, including headless content management system (CMS) capabilities in their industry-leading <a href="https://www.adobe.com/marketing/experience-manager.html">Adobe Experience Manager</a> (AEM) and updates to their Commerce Integration Framework (CIF).
The features were announced at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOVtXt-xx4c&amp;ab_channel=AdobeDevelopers">Adobe Developers Live</a> Conference, giving their community a first glimpse of how these dynamic enhancements will streamline the development of headless content delivery via GraphQL APIs, as well as enable users to create shoppable, app-like experiences that combine content and commerce.
The announcements were made just as the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/key-takeaways-from-gartners-2021-magic-quadrant-for-digital-experience-platforms/">Gartner 2021 Magic Quadrant for DXPs</a> and the <a href="https://go.forrester.com/blogs/agile-cms-moves-the-market-beyond-headless-forresters-just-released-wave-evaluation/">2021 Forrester Wave for Agile CMSes</a> were being released. Both reports position Adobe as the top vendor, and the addition of these new features reinforces their leadership role in a rapidly-evolving market landscape.
<h3>What is Adobe Experience Cloud?</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/03/adobe-journey-diagram.png" alt="Adobe Journey Diagram" />
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Adobe Experience Cloud is a comprehensive collection of integrated cloud applications and services that give enterprises the best-of-breed tools for marketing, analytics, advertising, and commerce. Adobe Experience Cloud also integrates with <a href="https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud.html">Adobe Creative Cloud</a>, which features an industry-standard suite of digital publishing and experience design tools – including <a href="https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html">Photoshop</a>.
Heading up the Leader quadrant of this year's Gartner MQ, Adobe reigns over the DXP landscape. Over the course of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic elevated competition across the enterprise marketplace, forcing the CMS and DXP industries to accelerate their own transformation goals.
Adobe has remained in a solid leadership position because of its ubiquitous brand presence and continued commitment to innovation. The most recent enhancements to Adobe Experience Cloud reflect current market trends and elevated demand for headless and API-driven strategies – as well as a heightened need for integrating with customer data.
So, what’s new with Adobe Experience Cloud?
<h3>New Headless CMS Capabilities</h3>
Headless platforms have seen a dramatic rise in the CMS and DXP enterprise market over the last few years. This includes <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/contentstack-and-gatsby-announce-partnership-to-power-ultra-fast-websites-with-headless-cms/">Contentstack</a> – which was positioned as a <a href="https://www.contentstack.com/company/press/forrester-named-contentstack-strong-performer-agile-cms/?utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=organic_social">Strong Performer</a> on the 2021 Forrester Wave Report for Agile CMSes.
To enable developers to distribute content across multiple touchpoints, Adobe is now introducing <a href="https://graphql.org/">GraphQL APIs</a> for headless content delivery. GraphQL is a data query language developed by Facebook and open-sourced in 2015 and is trusted by many big tech brands – including Pinterest, GitHub, Netflix, Shopify, Twitter, and more.
Facebook initially developed GraphQL because they needed a more powerful data-fetching API for their mobile applications. REST API has its limitations because whenever data requirements change, more endpoints are needed. GraphQL is typically served over HTTP via a single endpoint, which expresses the full set of capabilities of the service without the need for additional endpoints.
GraphQL also makes personalization much easier. For instance, using a REST API to retrieve a customer’s information (like recently viewed products and purchases), you need to send a fetch request for three endpoints: USER, USER_PURCHASE, and RECENTLY_VIEWED. This makes data fetching slow and cumbersome. With GraphQL, all you need to do is fetch the user object to gather all the data.
By leveraging GraphQL, Adobe is giving developers the power to deliver content to any touchpoint and access data across the Adobe ecosystem. For example, a mobile app developer can query marketing content from Adobe Experience Manager and have personalized results sent to the app, which renders in its UI. From there, a marketer can use Adobe Experience Manager’s authoring capabilities to add or edit marketing content across multiple devices and touchpoints – saving time and resources.
Siloing has been a significant problem in experience platforms. In the customer data (CDP) layer of the stack, Segment has been working to unify customer data from fragmented corners of the ecosystem. That’s why Twilio dropped a whopping $3.2 billion to <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/twilio-acquires-segment-for-3-2b-adds-market-leading-cdp-for-building-data-driven-apps/">acquire Segment</a> to build data-driven apps.
Likewise, Adobe has also recognized the deep gaps around siloed data. They are working to enhance their platform capabilities for creating personalized app-like experiences and leverage customer data from end to end.
<h3>Easy Integrations with Commerce Integration Framework</h3>
In addition to the headless capabilities, Adobe Experience Manager can now integrate and extend commerce services from <a href="https://magento.com/">Magento</a> and other commerce solutions through Adobe’s Commerce Integration Framework (CIF). CIF is built on rich APIs that can be easily extended, enabling a seamless storefront authoring experience in Adobe Experience Manager with faster-time-to-market at a lower cost.
Headless is quickly becoming a necessity for commerce platforms because it enables marketers and merchants to deliver world-class commerce experiences without the engineering burden. Nearly all the vendors who earned a place on the Gartner 2021 Magic Quadrant for DXPs offer headless capabilities; in fact, Adobe’s largest competitors – <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/acquia-digital-commerce-unifies-data-content-commerce-and-digital-merchandising/">Acquia</a> and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/sitecore-updates-experience-platform-and-experience-commerce-releases-new-sitecore-content-hub/">Sitecore</a> – have been successfully advancing in the DXP Leaders quadrant by offering a headless play.
<h3>Headless in a hybrid world</h3>
While Adobe’s addition of headless isn’t a shocker, it represents the challenges that CMS and DXP platforms face. Content operators have multiple channels to contend with, and each consumes content in a different way. While one may access HTML, another requires JSON, and so on. These channels are also independent of one another, creating the aforementioned silo effect around content and data.
Adobe has always lead the way in CX and personalization, and headless is essential to every part of their experience ecosystem – specifically commerce. There are significant challenges with maintaining brand, message, and price consistency, as well as the cost of duplicating content from channel to channel. Now, Adobe provides more of a complete solution for managing the chaos.
One of the biggest issues that pure headless platforms face is the ability for content owners and marketers to visualize their channels. Adobe has clearly stated that developers are struggling to deliver cohesive content across every touchpoint (modern web, smartwatches, native apps, etc.) – and the limitations of headless are a big part of the pain.
By offering a hybrid platform, Adobe addresses some of the "multiverse" that exists by bringing websites and applications together with headless capabilities. That said, even Adobe doesn't have a solution for presenting digital signs, IoT devices, or other form factors within their CMS. At least not yet.
The real challenge for Adobe? Staying in the leadership position.

Adobe Experience Cloud Adds Headless CMS Capabilities, Updates to Commerce Integration Framework

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This week, via the Liferay Symposium event being held in San Francisco, Liferay Portal 6.2 was officially announced.
Liferay, Inc, provider of the world's leading <a href="http://www.liferay.com">enterprise-class open source portal</a>, which is trusted by numerous Fortune 500 companies, have now enhanced their flagship product with a number of direct changes and additions, making it easier for enterprises to engage with their audience.
Attendees of the North America Liferay Symposium event are getting their hands on Liferay Portal 6.2 for the first time, with live demos on the floor and sessions tailored to highlighting key uses of new features. Let's explore exactly what those attendees will be experiencing.
<h2>More Modern, Intuitive &amp; Flexible</h2>
Liferay Portal 6.2, which is now available as part of the Liferay Enterprise Subscription, has introduced a higher emphasis on flexibility, by offering modernized support for both mobile and web apps.
All websites and content created with Liferay Portal 6.2 will now automatically display correctly on mobile devices in a responsive fashion. Administrators can make use of  mobile device previews right from the interface, enabling them to quickly see how pages look on smaller screens. Different rules can also be defined to handle specific devices and families in various ways.
To compliment these mobile enhancements, a new mobile Software Developer Kit (SDK), currently in the works for 6.2, will help developers build custom native apps that incorporate Liferay Portal functionality, including collaboration applications and integrated back end systems.
Accompanying these announcements, the Liferay CEO, <a href="http://www.liferay.com/about-us/leadership/bcheung" target="_blank">Bryan Cheung</a>, had this to say:
<blockquote>“Today’s enterprises need to interact with their customers, partners, and employees through compelling, seamless experiences across several channels. Liferay Portal 6.2 is a modern, intuitive platform designed to help enterprises understand and reach their customers across mobile, web, and live contexts.”</blockquote>
<h2>Better Mobile Engagement, Smoother Interfaces &amp; More</h2>
With increased mobile readiness with responsive layouts, one-click mobile previews, mobile device rules and a Mobile App SDK, Liferay have certainly added a new dimension to their Portal's mobile engagement. But there's more.
On top of these flexible mobile enhancements, Liferay Portal 6.2 users will also get to enjoy an entirely new, smoother interface with Twitter Bootstrap theming. Users also have access to the Bootstrap theme library, plus a new Control Panel theme with streamlined site administration features.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/liferay_-_liferay_portal_6_2_app_manager700x0.png" alt="Liferay Portal 6.2" /> 
Additionally, the update brings about an improved web management experience, thanks to Site Hierarchies for managing both content and users across multiple sites, along with Application Display Templates, which allow developers to quickly customize the look and feel of their applications.
Multi-Language support has also been enhanced for content, URLs and applications.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/lifeary_-_liferay_portal_6_2_control_panel700x0.png" alt="Liferay Portal 6.2" />
Finally, Liferay Portal 6.2 also brings increased platform stability through portlet sandboxing, and greater modularity in Liferay Portal architecture with ability to manage multiple versions of libraries. This improved modularity also makes it easier to share libraries across multiple plugins, upgrade and rollback portlets from version to version.
To find out more about what Liferay Portal can offer you, check our <a href="http://www.liferay.com/products/liferay-portal/overview" target="_blank"> Liferay's official breakdown of their popular product</a>. If you want more information on Liferay's current North America event, including agendas and speakers, you can find everything you need to know right here.
Additionally, you can learn more about <a href="/products/liferay/" target="_blank"> Liferay via our CMS Directory</a>.

Liferay Portal 6.2 Announced at Liferay's North America Event

With the myriad of commercial forum solutions on the market, it can be challenging to figure out which one might be the best and our goal is to make that decision easier.
Businesses everywhere rely on powerful community solutions that offer flexibility, affordability and customization capabilities in order to provide powerful solutions for their customers and audience.
This is where forum solutions come into play. Today, we're announcing the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Commercial Forum Solution.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best_commercial_forum_solution220x0.png" />
Contenders this year were Vanilla Forums, NinjaPost and IP.Board.
The winner this year was none other than <a href="http://vanillaforums.com">Vanilla Forums</a>.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/logo-vanilla.png" />
Looks like Vanilla has cleaned up this year with both free and commercial forum wins!
Congrats to the team at Vanilla. Check them out here: <a href="http://vanillaforums.com">http://vanillaforums.com</a>

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

Running an organization with a large number of employees is no easy task, especially when regular staff training needs to be carried out to ensure that industry knowledge is not just maintained, but also increased.
<a href="http://learncore.com/" target="_blank"> LearnCore</a> is a modernized learning management system built from the ground up to offer a user-friendly experience to both administrators and learners. The LearnCore platform can enhance the training content your organization already offers, via personalized course and test creation, direct user management, social features, and even constructive gamification.
Thanks to a careful blend of these features, LearnCore is a training platform that actively engages the user on a number of levels, making the overall learning experience a far more effective one.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/URdf9Jc-_J4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h2>A Powerful Learning Environment</h2>
LearnCore offers administrators every essential tool needed to build a comprehensive course and testing system for corporate staff.
Administrators can quickly and easily construct questions, tests and courses based on existing staff training materials. Various forums of content can be uploaded and arranged into bite-sized modules, perfect to help staff brush up n their industry knowledge.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2700x0.png" alt="LearnCore" /> 
LearnCoredoesn't stop there though. Administrators have access to detailed analytics and tracking features, which can relay updates on the progress of different staff members, including their course completion rates, average scores and all other activity within the LearnCore platform.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/11.png" alt="LearnCore" />
Organizations also have the freedom to create specific user types, giving each type different levels of access to various features and modules. Users are created extremely quickly using the user management interface, requiring only a full name and corresponding email address.
<h2>Keeping Staff Trained, Yet Entertained</h2>
Any software that seeks to modernize the way users interact with information, will need to ensure that it is moving with the times in terms of accessibility – and that's exactly what LearnCore has done.
For example, the platform is perfect for teams who are regularly on the move, relying on mobile devices to keep on top of their work. As a SaaS (Software as a Service), LearnCore lives in the cloud, which frees it up to be accessed from any device connected to the Internet, including smart phone and tablets. LearnCore's responsive nature means that no matter which device is used, the user will experience the platform in a smooth, device-tailored way.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/3700x0.png" alt="LearnCore" />
Additionally, LearnCore has an integrated both social and gamification features in ways which will promote learning and discussion between team members.
The discussion forums existing within the software, enable administrators and general users alike to ask questions, share information and interact with each other in a constructive fashion.
Accolades and credentials can also be awarded to team members whenever they pass modules or courses, which will help keep users engaged, and entertained as they get through their educational content at office, at home or in the office.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/4.png" alt="LearnCore" />
What's more is, LearnCore has cleverly integrated gamification features, including credentials and accolades which can be awarded to users whenever they pass courses.
These awards, along with the social forums and mobile accessibility, will all help to keep users engaged, and entertained as they get through their educational content at office, at home or in the office.
To learn more about what LearnCore can offer your organization in terms of revolutionizing your staff training programs, <a href="http://learncore.com/" target="_blank"> visit their website</a>.
Additionally, you can find some more key information about LearnCore via our CMS Directory.

Revolutionize Corporate Staff Training with LearnCore

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.
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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

cms-critic-staff

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

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