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The open-source community always seems to be quite busy so it should be no surprise that many new CMS projects are in the works.  Here are a few platforms and vendors that have recently been making noise in this vibrant segment of the software industry.

DotNetNuke

September was a very busy month for the DotNetNuke project.  Shaun Walker, co-founder and Chief Architect of the project, was appointed on the Board of Directors for the Microsoft CodePlex Foundation, where he will lend the expert perspective that helped DotNetNuke become one of the most successful open-source CMS platforms built on the Microsoft technology stack.  Last month also saw the launch of the DotNetNuke Fusion Partner Program, a partner program that offers Registered, Certified and Gold memberships to web hosting providers, system integrators, web designers and training partners.  The most noteworthy news was DotNetNuke’s anointment as a Network Partner in the Microsoft Website Spark program.

eZ Systems

In September 2009, software vendor eZ Systems released version 4.2 of its eZ Publish CMS.  This version release emphasizes usability, better performance and more advanced capabilities for built-in search.  There are also many new extensions as well as a new version of the eZ Find tool, the company’s innovative search engine.  eZ Systems plans to keep itself occupied in the month of October by attending the IFRA Expo in Vienna, Austria on from the 12 to 15^th and hosting its own seminar in Paris for its French base of users and customers on the 16^th.

Hippo CMS

In October, the Hippo team will be organizing an International Forge Friday dedicated to the communities of Hippo and Jetspeed Portal.  The purpose of these gatherings is to bring, developers, system administrators, technical support staff and others together to discuss plugins, add-ons, components and other items that could become Hippo Forge projects.  The event is taking place on October 30 at 9 am to 2 pm PDT from the Hippo San Francisco office and 14:00 to 21:00 CET from the Hippo Amsterdam office.  Interested parties can also attend the event online.

Movable Type

The latest version of Movable Type, 4.32 was just released last week.  This version is mainly a bug release fix as it addresses a number of small bugs.  Version 4.32 also includes the Zemanta plugin, which acts as an editorial management tool that recommends content relative to your blog entries.  The latest version of Movable Type is available free at the official website.

Nuxeo

This October, software vendor Nuxeo will launch a new release of its Nuxeo EP CMS.  Some of the most notable features of the release include a new tag service, an enhanced import/export function, support for Microsoft SharePoint, OpenSocial widgets and a CMIS implementation based on the Apache Chemistry platform.

Xoops

This past September, the Xoops CMS project launched the RC (release candidate) of version 2.4.0.  The enhancements targeted for this particular version emphasize productivity and better usability, focusing on areas such as a new graphical user interface for administrators, the ability to modularize and extend the core via preloads, a much improved installer and centralized support for jQuery among others.  The final release for Xoops 2.4.0 is expected very soon.

Many website owners are not getting quality results from their SEO efforts.  This even holds true for those who have decided to outsource these tasks to professional third-party companies.  While you are paying the company for its services, there are some responsibilities that must be handled on your end in order to get the best bang for your buck.   In this article we will give you a few pointers for getting the most out of your SEO firm.

Lend Valuable Insight Where Needed

It does not matter how good the SEO company is, there is no way they can be fully grasp all the activities and processes going on within your organization.  By emphasizing some of the essentials upfront, you can shed light on areas that aid the outsourced agency and result in a win-win situation for both sides.  Don’t want until the SEO firm has almost completed the project to bring up matters that should have already been discussed.

Build Trust within the Firm

One definite way to hinder the success of your SEO project is to challenge the service provider with justification for every little recommendation.  True, since they are working for you, the company should have no trouble providing you with the answers you require at any given time.  However, making them do so repeatedly and needlessly could tie up resources that may have been devoted to pouring more productivity into your project.  Establishing a level of trust is not always as easy as it sounds, but if it does not exist, your campaign can turn out be very chaotic very fast.

Stay Open to Change

Some SEO campaigns require that significant changes to be made to the actual content or the overall structure of the site.  Depending on your role in the project, you may have to argue on behalf of the agency in order to change existing corporate polices and bridge the two parties together.  This could be a major hold up if top decision makers are not willing to discuss the negative impact their polices could have on the project.  If it is you making the decisions, keep yourself open to exploring possible changes that will benefit the campaign.

Learn and Apply

The more you know about your campaign and what it needs to be a success, the less the SEO firm has to go over.  Therefore, if a particular area has already been thoroughly covered, the firm should be able to build on it and consistently elevate their efforts to achieve the desired results.  That does not mean you shouldn’t try to bring something to the table.  If you don’t know or care enough to add to working concepts, it is very unlikely that your SEO agency will get the support they need to successfully employ advanced methods such as link building via social media and video sharing platforms.

If you want good results from your SEO campaign, get involved with the company handling all the hard work and give aid where ever you can.  By sitting back and leaving the entire project in the agency’s hands, you are more than likely to receive less than desirable results.

With so many entrepreneurs and businesses profiting from the internet, it should come as no surprise that more hopeful people are investing in e-commerce solutions.  However, you should know that there are many online businesses out there and very few of them obtain the success they were looking for.  This serves as proof that simply having an online storefront does not mean you will be successful.  Luckily, there are some proven approaches that can be employed to help ensure that your e-commerce site is just as fruitful as the next.

1.) Create a Professional Design

Several beginners make their first critical mistake at the design stage.  Being that HTML programming is fairly easy to master, some develop the gumption to go at it alone and decide to build their own website from the ground up.  Even though web technology has made it much more feasible to create a site with little to no experience, there are many reasons why you may want to leave this task in the hands of someone else.  Building a fully functioning website from scratch can be a hassle and very costly when considering that you will have to invest countless hours on time that could have been spent focusing on something else.  By outsourcing this part of the project to a professional design or development expert, you can devote your time and energy to developing a sound business strategy.

2.) Make Easy Navigation and Usability a Priority

Creating an e-commerce site that offers simple navigation and usability is a must.  You can get a better understanding by viewing your website as the aisle of a retail store.  In an ideal environment, all items are organized accordingly and easy to find.  Customers should have no trouble finding what ever it is they want to purchase.  The same holds true for an online storefront.  Even it is a measly checkout button, it is should be made visible and easy to find on your site.

3.) Don’t Forget Your Inventory

There are some online store owners that get so caught up in running their business, they forget about other key areas such as inventory.  You can avoid this by cataloging all the items you have for sale.  Be sure to update your inventory on a regular basis to avoid scenarios where a customer tries to purchase something that is out of stock.  This can help you salvage a sale and elude embarrassment as well.

4.) Incorporate Customer Friendly Features

One surefire way to succeed with an e-commerce venture is to incorporate and make effective use of desirable features that will benefit your customers.  These features could range from essentials such as an easy to use shopping cart and SSL certificate to novelties like a site map and talking avatars.  You may also want to consider rich media features such as animation and video or something simple and effective like auto-responders to deliver immediate responses.  By pampering your customers, you can increase the probability of a pleasurable shopping experience that keeps them coming back for more.