Content Management System

b2evolution

June 8, 2010 By Jeffrey Leave a Comment

B 2 Ebolution

It never ceases to amaze me the variety of tools that are available to the Blogger. Blogging has become so prevalent today that the Blog itself is now considered the ultimate CMS (Content Management System). Computers, Websites, The Internet, Technology are all a pain in the ass. The more you know the worse it gets. This does not a happy population make! People have got to have something like the modern Automobile, where they just get in, turn the key and go. The Blog does just that! You can just light the candle and go. b2evolution is another user-friendly option for the new Blogger.

b2evolution includes all the features of traditional blog tools, and extends them with evolved features such as file & photo management, versatile skins, multiple blogs, detailed user permissions… not to mention plugins, of course.

b2evolution is free, open-source software (GPL), runs on virtually any webserver featuring PHP + MySQL and is available in several languages. You could compare b2evolution to Movable Type, except b2evo runs on the very common PHP/mySQL platform, which allows it to run easily on almost any web hosting service!

b2evolution also generates web pages dynamically from the MySQL database, so no clumsy ‘rebuilding’ is involved. It also means faster search/display capabilities, and the ability to serve your posts/news in different ‘templates’ or ‘skins’ without any hassle.

b2evo is probably the most comprehensive blog engine you could find, with a unique set of features including:

* Simple installation
* Multiple blog support
* Multiple user support
* Multiple skin support
* Localized in many languages
* Multilingual blogging
* Web standards compliance with integrated XHTML checker
* Clean search engine friendly permalinks
* Advanced user permission management
* Private/protected posts
* Open/closed/disabled comments
* Trackback & feedback
* Integrated hitlogs and stats
* Robust antispam features (referrer & comments)
* Plug-in architecture
* Advanced rendering plug-ins (Textile, Auto-P, BBcode… )

These are just a few of the features that are available for the New Blogger with more technical features that are offered for the advanced Blogger. The total list of features is extensive and can be viewed at their Website: b2evolution.net. If you’re new to Blogging check out b2evo. This CMS might be just what you are looking for.

Filed Under: Jeffrey's Corner Tagged With: b2evolution, Blog, Blogging, CMS, Content Management System

BlogHarbor

May 25, 2010 By Jeffrey Leave a Comment

BlogHarbor

This Blog is all about preparing you to learn how to make money Blogging. The more you know about Blogging the better you will be prepared. I say if you want to go the route of Blogging for a buck, than grab a mitt and get in the game by signing up for a domain name and hosting services for WordPress and get on with it. However, this is just not going to be the way it is for a lot of people. I think the most important thing you can do ……… is to start, somehow, someway! Here is a new way for new Bloggers. BlogHarbor.

BlogHarbor is a full service weblog hosting site powered by the Blogware platform from Tucows Inc. Here is a feature summary for the new Blogger. I’m just going to hit the highlights here for a full list of features check out the website here.

Photo Album: Easily upload and manage your digital images. With automatic thumbnail generation and resizing and up to 2 GB of disk space, BlogHarbor Photo Albums are the best way to share your digital images with family and friends.

Domain Name Mapping: BlogHarbor makes it easy to use your own domain name for your weblog address. You can even add business-class email for your BlogHarbor-hosted domain name.

Category Support: Arrange your articles and photos by category, you can choose to let articles “bubble up” from a sub-category and appear on the Main Page, or your articles can appear only in their own category.

Polls and Surveys: Polls and surveys are a great way to add interactivity to your weblog.

Web Stats: BlogHarbor weblogs feature advanced Web Stats providing you with detailed information about visitors to your weblog, how they found you, and what they are reading on your weblog.

File Manager: Upload Word files, PDF files, ZIP files, any type of file. You’re not limited to uploading images! The File Manager allows you to upload files to your weblog using your web browser.

Trackbacks: See who’s linking to your articles, and notify other weblogs when you’re linking to them! Your articles will all have a Trackback URL which allows other bloggers to notify your site when they link to you. And you can enter a Trackback URL when you write an article on your site referring to an article another blogger has written – and your Trackback will appear on their article!

Look and Feel: Customize the look of your blog using built-in themes. Advanced web designers can modify CSS stylesheets and HTML templates to make your weblog truly unique.

Again, these are just the highlights, there are many more, so check out BlogHarbor. It may be just the CMS (Content Management System), you are looking for.

Filed Under: Jeffrey's Corner Tagged With: BlogHarbor, CMS, Content Management System, Make Money Blogging, WordPress

Expression Engine

April 21, 2010 By Jeffrey Leave a Comment

Expresson Engine

If you are committed to Blogging, you’re going to have to be able to communicate well to others when it comes to the tools of the trade. One of those tools is Expression Engine.

ExpressionEngine is a flexible, feature-rich content management system that empowers thousands of individuals, organizations, and companies around the world to easily manage their website. If you’re tired of the limitations of your current CMS then consider take ExpressionEngine for a spin. However be advised that it’s going to cost. Usually between $100.00 and $250.00. They do have a free version named “Core” for personal non-commercial use, that comes without tech support. Not good for the new Blogger! If you are seeking to earn a living with your Blogging, prepare to purchase the commercial product for $250.00.

It would appear that Expression Engine is best suited for those with commercial aspirations where the major focus is on products and not necessarily Blogging. But if you wanted to do an interactive site, the best way is the Blog. So if you wanted to sell something along the lines of Bumper Stickers or T-Shirts and wanted that site to be interactive then this could very well be the perfect CMS (Content Management System) for you. A good example of this can be found at Trevor Allen Photography. This site shows the power of the Blog along with the highlighting of beautiful products.

Several starter themes are provided for the beginner, however they leave a lot to be desired. It would appear that most that use the system already have a pretty good idea of how they want their site to look, by passing the starter themes. Support is provided by the standard delivery system; forums, documentation, wiki and a knowledge base.

So take a look at Expression Engine and see what you think!