Content 911

Business Blogging 101

Wondering what a blog is and why you'd need to use one for your business?

A blog (or weblog) is basically an online journal that lists current and previous posts about a particular topic, usually in reverse chronological order. Personal blogs are usually created and managed by one person, but business blogs frequently have multiple content contributors.

Blogs are particularly attractive for business owners, web site managers and marketing folks for a few reasons:

• Blog technology is simple, so anyone can easily set up a blog very quickly.
• It’s also easy for others to comment on a blog. This means that blogs are inspiring unprecedented interactivity between writers and readers--or companies and their customers or prospects.
• Blogging is considered to be quick and informal. That means that blogs can cut through a lot of unnecessary steps and really reach people.
• Blogs are easily linked to other blogs and sites, so information can be shared very quickly.
• Blogs are a great way to obtain high-quality incoming links, which are critical to search engine optimization and modern search algorithms.

There are a variety of blogging tools on the market, including Wordpress, Typepad, Blogger and others.

Here at Flair, we frequently help clients select a blogging platform, set up their first blog or create blog content on an ongoing basis. We frequently hear our clients--especially B2B clients!--saying that they don't need a blog. We beg to differ and we'll be sharing some more information about that in an upcoming blog post here.

Stay tuned for more about business blogging--and in the meantime, let us know if you need help with your blog.

Lisa Kirschner
Managing Editor, Content 911 Blog
Managing Director, Flair Interactive Services Inc.

EXCERPT: Customizing SharePoint: Start with the Solution or the Business Problem?

Before you begin adding customization tools to SharePoint to create a solution for your business, you must understand your company’s business problem. In this article, I cover a few important areas you need to address before you look at technology...

via www.cmswire.com

Hear, hear! I couldn't have said it better myself!

In this CMS Wire article, author Jennifer Mason is really just providing a gentle reminder that "You have to know where you're going in order to figure out how you're going to get there" or "Don't put the cart before the horse."

This is a problem that I see businesses struggling with all the time. I've had dozens and dozens of conversations with clients who really want to select a technology language or tool before they've really determined what they're trying to do.

Study this article carefully if you're planning to customize SharePoint or any CMS. You'll save yourself lots of time and frustration, and your end result will be better because you've taken the time to think through your business goals carefully.

Lisa Kirschner
Managing Director, Flair Interactive Services Inc.
Managing Editor, Content 911 Blog

How to Install a Joomla 1.5 Template

Want to know how to install a template for your Joomla 1.5 web site? In this video, I'll show you how to do it in 10 minutes or less.

 

Contact Flair Interactive today to find out how we can help you set up a web site in Joomla 1.5, Joomla 1.6, Wordpress, Drupal or another content management system.

Lisa Kirschner
Managing Director, Flair Interactive Services Inc.
Managing Editor, Content 911 Blog

Joomla! Community Magazine - February 2011

The February issue of the Joomla! Community Magazine is available now at the Joomla! site:

http://www.joomla.org/announcements/general-news/5349-joomla-community-magazine-february-2011.html

 

Gilbane Group Offers Cloud Computing White Paper

Check out this interesting white paper from the Gilbane Group, "Taking Online Engagement to the Cloud."

This is a really useful resource for senior-level IT or digital marketers who are considering moving to the cloud. It answers basic questions, such as "What is cloud computing?" and "What are my deployment options?"

How have you utilized cloud computing at your enterprise or company?

Joomla! 1.6 is Here!

Hooray! Joomla 1.6 has arrived!

We at Flair are really excited about this new version, which includes—among other things—advanced access control levels (ACLs), nested categories, improved language support and SEO, automatic extension updates, tableless core layout files, layout overrides and much more.

We're recommending that our customers wait a while to move to 1.6 so they can work out the kinks, but this is still a really exciting time for all Joomla fans.

Content management systems, blogs, social networking and more for SMBs

Need a web site, blog, landing page or social marketing presence?

Flair's team can help you create high-quality online marketing properties that support your overall brand and business goals—without breaking your budget. You'll be surprised at how easy and inexpensive it can be to get up and running in no time. Find out about our packages for small to mid-sized businesses now.

Adobe Acquires Day Software for $240 Million

As Adobe recently announced, it has acquired Swiss-based Day Software and will be moving into the crowded content management, digital asset management and social collaboration space. The $240-million-dollar deal is not surprising, considering that many Adobe users also need a CMS, a DAM and social collaboration tools.

Day's flagship suite, called CQ5, will be integrated into Adobe's offering and will give the company another avenue to market its Flash, Flex and LiveCycle tools. It will come as good news to Adobe's "cult" followers and even better news to current or previous Day users who have grappled with poor support and lack of Day resources in the U.S. For those of us who have experience with both Day and Adobe products, it's particularly exciting.

We'll be interested to see how the products are integrated and how long it takes for the dust to settle. Word on the street is that the deal is expected to close during the fourth quarter, so we don't expect to see any real progress or mature capabilities for at least another year or two. Still, very welcome news and we'll be closely monitoring their progress. We'll keep you updated here as well.

Interested in hearing your thoughts on the Day acquisition...are there any current or previous Day users out there and how do you feel about this? Let us know.

Lisa Kirschner
Managing Editor, Content 911 Blog
Managing Director, Flair Interactive Services Inc.

Announcing the Joomla! Community Magazine

The Joomla! Community Magazine has launched! Check it out:

http://magazine.joomla.org/#

It includes articles and information about current Joomla! topics, extensions, events, interviews with industry leaders and more. Created by a team of volunteer writers, editors and Joomla! experts, it provides dynamic, informed and useful information about everything Joomla!. Bookmark it and check back often.

Lisa Kirschner
Managing Editor, Content 911 Blog
Managing Director, Flair Interactive Services

SharePoint 2010 Books for Developers, Administrators, Designers, Project Managers and End Users - SharePoint Joel's SharePoint Land

In his blog, Sharepoint Joel offers a list of really helpful books that can help you get up to speed with Sharepoint 2010:

http://www.sharepointjoel.com/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=342#

Whether you're a project manager, developer, admin, content manager or designer, you'll find these books to be invaluable references as you get acclimated to Sharepoint 2010. Do you have additional Sharepoint 2010 resources that you'd like to share with other users? Let us know!

Lisa Kirschner
Managing Editor, Content 911
Managing Director, Flair Interactive Services Inc.