CMSX Updates: Blog From CMS Expo

2012 CMS Expo Session Presentations

Linda@cmsexpo.net (Linda Coonen) — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:26:58 +0000

View 2012 CMS Expo Session Presenations Here. (more to come!)

2012 CMS Expo Spotlight Awards

alyssa@cmsexpo.net (Alyssa Miller) — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:55:43 +0000

Congratulations to all who won at the 2011-2012 CMSA Spotlight Awards! Over 40 entries submitted nominations this year, by far the most active year to date. If you want to be included in next year's CMSA Spotlight Awards, be sure to subscribe to our news updates. Below, see a slideshow of all this year's winners!

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The 2011-2012 CMSA Spotlight Awards showcases the best CMS Sites and CMS Apps on the web today, among the 15 CMS Showcase CMSs which were represented at the 2012 CMS Expo Learning and Business Conference.

T Shirts and CMS Expo

john@cmsexpo.net (Scott Liewehr) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:50:51 +0000

by Scott Liewehr
Founder, Digital Clarity Group

T-shirts. CMS Expo. What do they have in common? To me, they represent seamless practicality. They're both informal, yet they're both desirable. When you look in your closet and decide what to wear in the morning, is there anything more comfortable, more practical, more unpretentious or liberating than that favorite t-shirt?

You may be forced to wear something more formal, but you'd probably rather not. What if you could just wear what you wanted? What if you didn't have to put on a facade or play a part for anyone?

I've had the pleasure of attending CMS Expo each of the last two years, and I have not attended another conference like it...

Seriously. In 2010, I was invited to attend as the President of CM Pros. I felt a bit out of place at first, but I'm sure that mostly had to do with the fact that I wore a full suit (fortunately for me, I left the tie at home). Usually, when I go to a content management conference, there are a sea of familiar faces -- the clique of "insiders" to hang out with and the group of conference-goers I've met or seen on many occasions. But CMSX was different - there were no "regulars" from what I could tell, at least not from my side of the CMS world. And then I realized the reason: many of the attendees were of the open source slant. There were flag-toting DrupalHeads, Joomla!-lovers, and WordPressers abound, along with Ploners, eZ-goers and Hippos too. At the time, I focused most of my time as an industry analyst studying the proprietary vendors and very little, if any, on the open source tools. That all changed after CMS Expo 2010.

The thing I enjoyed most about my first CMSX, and what set it apart from other conferences, is that it was grounded in real world, what-can-I-do-differently-on-Monday advice. It was that t-shirt mentality: practicality ruled. And that expectation persisted through the audience. They knew very well what they were going to get: a notebook full of ideas they could put to good use immediately. Having cut my teeth as both a practitioner and integrator in this industry, I've always prided myself as a pragmatist, so I really appreciated that mindset. Was this the open source psyche at work? Brilliant planning by the conference organizers? I was't sure.

But here's the thing: since my first CMSX in 2010, the profile of the average conference attendee has shifted right along with the sponsorship base. What used to be a primarily open source conference now welcomes hundreds of practitioners from the proprietary world as well. The lineup of CMSs represented now includes Sitecore, Sitefinity and Hannon Hill right alongside Drupal, DNN and MODX. But the theme of pragmatism has not changed. As far as I know, CMSX is the only conference truly bridging the gap between proprietary and open source, where vendors and practitioners from both walks of life are learning and sharing side-by-side. Honestly, where else is that happening?

Maybe one of the conference organizers, either John or Linda Coonen, should run for office. We could use some of that kumbaya in our politics as well. Maybe I'll print up a t-shirt: "Vote for Linda!"

Scott Liewehr is the Founder & Principle Analyst of Digital Clarity Group in New York
You can reach Scott here, Connect to him here or on Twitter here.

CMS Profile: Megan Valentine

Linda@cmsexpo.net (Tina Kesova) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:25:47 +0000

SiteGround, a CMS Expo Silver Sponsor, shares a recent conversation with a long time hosting customer, Megan Valentine. SiteGround nominated one of Megan's Joomla! websites, The Peorian, for a CMSA Spotlight Award. We are grateful to Megan to have taken the time to share her thoughts about her experience with Content Management Systems, the importance of web hosting for her business and her expectations for CMS Expo.

Content Management Systems - Suitable For Any Level of Proficiency!
As a web designer and programmer, there is always the fear that a CMS will become so easy to use that my skills will become obsolete. However, as time has passed I have seen CMSs evolve in a different direction. There was a time when it seemed to make sense to give each CSS class a user-friendly name and a color-picker field, but that method becomes quickly overwhelming no matter what skill level you’re at.

Nowadays I see more CMSs separating functionality in ways that make sense to both content managers, who are more interested in editing text, swapping out photos, and rearranging sidebar modules, and developers, who just want to dig into the code. Just because you can do everything doesn’t mean you want to see the hundreds of options available all at once.

The Opportunities Joomla! CMS Provides
With how quickly anything related to the internet changes, it’s hard to get a foothold, let alone become a master in any one area. CMSs like Joomla allow me to build amazing websites with only a basic understanding of how the code behind them works. As a CMS’s popularity grows, so do the number of readymade, third-party add-ons for it. Sometimes I just browse the Joomla Extension Directory to see what new things I can do with a website that I never thought of trying on my own!

Importance of a reliable hosting platform?
As a smaller business involved in hosting, we don’t have the resources to invest in some of the fancier solutions to guarantee that the websites we build for our clients are always up and running. Nor do I have the skills necessary to manage a server for our company by myself. We needed to find the perfect balance between the freedom to make any customizations we needed and the safety of being managed and maintained by a professional. Most hosting providers will severely limit your server options (for your own good), or just hand you a box and leave you to your own devices if you break it. Thankfully, we found SiteGround several years ago and their tech support staff goes above and beyond.

CMS Expo for you is...?
I haven’t spent a lot of time around other programmers and a lot of what I know has been self-taught, so I’m really looking forward to the Expo and seeing where I have gaps in my knowledge as well as what other people in similar positions are doing. As far as CMSs, my focus has really been on Joomla but there will be a lot of panels on other CMSs at the conference. I think it will be a great opportunity to see what else is out there without having to spend a few hours installing and trying out a new program on my own.

What Does Being Nominated for A CMSA Spotlight Award Mean to You?
And having my work recognized by a web hosting provider is a wonderful validation that I really do know what I’m doing. I think the CMSA Spotlight Awards in particular are great for web developers. I expect the judges will have an understanding of what the CMS used is capable of, whereas more generic contests may look solely at the design of a site without understanding any additional work that went into it.

CMS From a Business Perspective

alyssa@cmsexpo.net (Alyssa Miller) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Whether your "business" is non-profit, government or education, small business or corporate - the fact is, learning about content management is far more effective when you're getting to know the subject within the context of growing and managing your business.

That's why, during year-one, we created the Business Track for attendees of CMS Expo. With our open seating, you're not stuck in a "one-track" mindset. You can go from a technical learning session to a business panel, and vica-versa; and even our technical sessions are presented from a businessperson's perspective.

At CMS Expo, we've got a lot of highly relevant, timely business sessions for the most market-savvy technologist, or the most tech-savvy "marketologist" (to steal a term, coined by one of our speakers, Ric Dragon.)

Come to CMS Expo to learn CMS from a business perspective about user experience, revenue and business models, customer experience management, SEO and more. CMS Expo brings top business people to share insights to help you with the ins and outs of your business strategy. Cases in point: User Experience From a Business Perspective, Content as a Customer Magnet, Killer Project Management: Site Costing & Budgeting Insights, Sales-in-a-Box: A 5-Step Approach to Improve Sales Using Content, and Automate Your Marketing.

Each session in our Business Track is uniquely structured to push the boundaries on your business strategy, test it, improve it, challenge it, and help you be more effective in your business. At CMS Expo you can climb to the next level with your business by going to sessions like: SEO - Because PageRank Matters, Content Strategy Panel: Because Lorem Ipsum is Not a Strategy, Squeeze Maximum Performance from Your Hosting Platform, and CMS Mythbusting: Web Experience Management.

Our presenters will show you how to manage your website; its content, rankings, marketing, budget and user experience in order to be at the top of your game in the business world; and who doesn't want that? It makes good business sense.

Come May 8th, 9th & 10th to the 2012 CMS Expo, in Evanston Illinois, hosted by the CMS Association at the Hilton Orrington Hotel. Come learn more about these topics and come to help others learn from you and your success as well. That's a big part of CMS Expo.

CMS Expo Learning & Business Conference
May 8th, 9th & 10th 2012
Hilton Orrington Hotel
Evanston, Illinois

Price: $279 / day or $779 / 3-day conference
Learn more at: www.CMSExpo.net
Register now at: www.CMSExpo.net/register

Networking A Go-Go

alyssa@cmsexpo.net (Alyssa Miller) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:00:00 +0000

...cue the Austin Powers music...

"Networking." Where would your business be without networking? Where could we all be with MORE of it?

So, how do you get it? Well, at CMS Expo, you can mix it up and network with over 350 experts, newbies and middle grounders; business decision-makers and customers, suppliers and demanders, developers, designers, artists, writers and marketers - they're all in the mix!

Get to know the person next to you; there is a good chance they need what you have, or the other way around. Start a business with someone who happens to sit at your table; this would not be a first for CMS Expo. Seriously.

"Yeah baby, yeeeah!"

At CMS Expo, we stacked the crowd with talent and go-go-go folks such as: Liz Strauss, Daniel Mittleman, John Eckman, David Hedrick Skarjune, Avery Cohen, Duke Skarda, Ric Dragon, Terry Walsh, Tenko Nikolov, Jenna Ryan, Jake DiMare and many more! At CMS Expo you've got the resources at your fingers to get all your business questions answered, answer other people’s questions, meet new people, re-connect with past acquaintances, learn new things, teach others, and interact!

CMS Expo is the place to stay ahead on new trends, valuable insights, time-saving techniques and must-know best practices. Come to CMS Expo to get timely, relevant, actionable advice from people you trust. Come for insightful real-world case studies, head-to-head comparison panels, learning sessions and business networking opportunities.

Speaking of trends, CMS Expo teaches you how to keep your business up to speed on all the current web shifts, crazes, and advances. Sessions like: Go Mobile or Go Home, Social Marketology, Hosting and CMS Platforms Becoming One, Getting Google to Love You and more! (Also don't miss out on Liz Strauss's Key Note on How to Make Your Business Irresistable!

At CMS Expo you will find everything you need to advance your online presence and grow your business as a whole!

Come May 8th, 9th & 10th to the 2012 CMS Expo, in Evanston Illinois, hosted by the CMS Association, at the Hilton Orrington Hotel and learn more about these topics and meet the right people, at the right time, in the right place to help you go, go, go!

We'll see you there!

CMS Expo Learning & Busines Conference

May 8th, 9th & 10th 2012
Hilton Orrington Hotel
Evanston, Illinois
Price: $279 / day or $779 / 3-day conference
Learn more at: www.CMSExpo.net
Register now at: www.CMSExpo.net/register

Rackspace Cloud Sites: A Look At The Numbers

john@cmsexpo.net (Angela Bartels) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 22:12:44 +0000

Hosting over 400,000 sites across 112 countries, the Rackspace Cloud Sites product is the Platform-as-a-Service many advertising agencies and web design shops go to for creating sites that are stable, scalable and backed by support that is available in a moment’s notice.

During the recent Apple iPad announcement, Cloud Sites customer, gdgt.com, handled 55,697,141 requests for the event and over 110,000 concurrent connections. It’s examples like these that web agencies turn to Cloud Sites for the scalability and reliability of the Cloud Sites platform. Take a look at the numbers in the infographic below...

What You Publish Is Far More Important Than How You Publish It

john@cmsexpo.net (Hannon Hill CMS) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:07:04 +0000

As a Content Management System (CMS) provider, we Hannon Hill folks consider ourselves experts on all things content--content publishing, content marketing, content strategy, content promotion, content optimization, and so on and so forth... I’m not going to tell you that it doesn’t matter which CMS you use--it certainly does--but what matters even more is what you publish using your CMS.

If you’re in the market for a CMS, you’ve probably already figured out that there’s more to using a content management system than publishing words on the internet. You want those words to have meaning, you want them to generate traffic for your site, you want them to get you noticed, you want them to be timely and relevant, and most importantly, you want them to persuade people. Welcome to content strategy.

The most important reason for getting a CMS is to help you execute a content strategy.

Here are some of our tips for helping you plan and execute a content strategy for your business or organization:

Think Long and Hard About Who Your Audience Is

Create a persona--or two or three--to represent the majority of the readers in your target audience. What are their interests, what are their titles, are they students, what industries are they in, when do they typically search the web, what are their favorite sites or LinkedIn groups, how can you best reach them? Here’s a resource on our sister site, Spectate.com, that goes more in depth on how to create personas.

Figure Out Who Will Contribute Content

If you have multiple content contributors, you should get them together periodically to discuss the purpose of your content, who the audience is, and some guidelines on content creation as well as to make sure they understand how to use the tools at their disposal (such as your CMS). It’s okay--even encouraged--for your individual contributors have individual writing styles, as long as they are all writing professionally in an appropriate tone for your industry and audience.

Work to Build Trust--not Sell Stuff

The reason for writing content is to attract people to your site, give them resources that will help them out and ultimately build trust for your brand. You want to form a mutually beneficial relationship with your readers, whether they buy your product, attend your events, enroll in your university, tell their friends about you or write a story about you. This is the main premise of inbound marketing. You meet people where they are and help educate them until they are ready to become a customer. Don’t include a sales pitch in every piece of content; instead, Educate them, build trust, build a community.

Determine Your Golden Topics

About which subjects are you an expert? Ideally, these topics will be related to your core offering. If you sell lawn mowers, hopefully you know some stuff about lawn maintenance, fertilizer, aeration, and different types of grass. Some of your customers will probably be interested in these topics as well. Determine your areas of expertise, ask yourself what your target customer is most interested in, and Bam! The overlapping areas are your golden topics. Write about these.

Reuse Your Best Content

We published a blog post a few months ago about why you should view content as an asset rather than an expense. Think about it. You will spend hours or days or weeks writing content for your site. Don’t let that content sit on your site being underutilized! If you have a series of blog posts about a related topic, why not package them up together and offer them as a white paper? If you’ve published an infographic packed with interesting research data, leverage that into a conference presentation or a webinar! Content is not a one-time expense. When used correctly, your content will be an asset that will pay off repeatedly over time.

Optimize Your Content for Search Engines

Great content strikes a balance between being well-written for humans and being well-written for robots. The top priority should always be to write in a style that your human readers will respond to, but make sure you’re not leaving readers on the table by making glaring SEO mistakes. Our recent post, How to Blog for SEO, gives you our top seven tips for maximizing the number of readers that will find your post via organic searches.

Use Connectors and Outside Tools

After you write that fabulous content, you’ll want to promote it via your social media channels, rss feeds, and email newsletters. You’ll also want to find out who’s reading it, and follow up with them in the future. Some content management systems offer connectors to your social accounts or to rss services. Be sure you fully investigate these options and use them to their fullest! Additionally, a good complement to a CMS is a content marketing tool. A good content marketing tool will help you promote your content, track social engagement, capture leads on your landing pages, and help you figure out how to improve your content in the future to best meet your audience’s needs.

Conclusion

Ultimately, a CMS is a tool. Choosing the right one is a big decision because it’s a big investment--whether it’s in time and personnel in the case of open source, or in licensing fees and maintenance and support in the case of enterprise systems. But that’s just the first step. Welcome to the next frontier in content management: Content Empowerment. Provide your contributors with the information they need to write more targeted, more valuable, and more effective content. It’s the beginning of a long and rewarding process of content strategy execution, which ultimately results in greater return on investment (ROI) for your business or organization.

For more information about content strategy or purchasing a CMS, please download one of our free white papers:

Joomla: The Powerhouse You Didn't Know You Had

alyssa@cmsexpo.net (Alyssa Miller) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:52:13 +0000

Joomla, Joomla, Joomla.... You are so powerful, so all-controlling, so organized. *Ahhh* now if only someone could teach me HOW to get the most from you! If this sounds like something you frequently mutter to yourself, you are in luck. CMS Expo has the most qualified speakers to teach you how to get the most out of this powerful young Content Management System.

CMS Expo has featured Joomla for five years now in Chicago, bringing all members of the CMS Team together under one roof. It's the one place to stay up on the latest powerful advancements in Joomla, and what's most relevant to your business, non-profit, government or education-related site.

A World Class Business Tech Conference, Right In Your Own Back Yard

You're invited to come be part of what's hot in the Open Source CMS world. It's all right here in Chicago, at the 2012 CMS Expo, May 8th, 9th and 10th at the Hilton Orrington Hotel. At CMS Expo, we've got three full days of Joomla learning sessions, created especially for tech-savvy business people, and business-savvy technologists. Oh, and you don't need to be a coder to get your money's worth either. No matter how experienced you are at Joomla - from newbie to expert - you will be challenged, taught, asked, reminded, and re-introduced to Joomla and its powerful capabilities!

On the technical side, you can learn everything from Migrating Joomla from 1.5 to 2.5 to creating your own template with Trick My Template: Create Custom Joomla Templates. Interested in Joomla, but don’t know what extensions to pair with it? We have a session for that: Must Have Extensions for Joomla CMS. Want to figure out how to mobilize your Joomla based site? Come learn about How To Create HTML5 Mobile Apps Using Joomla! We've got sessions on Joomla ECommerce, Becoming a Joomla Sitebuilding Samarai, and much more...

But Beyond That...

On the business side, CMS Expo offers you an incredible line-up of web business learning sessions, relevant to all web business people, no matter which CMS you're driving. We're talking Master's level and PhD level speakers, all here for you. Come learn from the thought leaders at the very top of their game on subjects such as Content Marketing, Content Strategy, SEO, Integrated Marketing, Web Experience Management, Analytics, Leadership and much more.

And Beyond That?

If you like Joomla Days and user group meetings, you're going to love CMS Expo. It's a great conference to truly get beyond Joomla, and learn how it compares to other leading CMSs. CMS Expo is the only event in the world that gives you a front row seat, comparing how Joomla stacks up to other CMSs. Moderated by independent, veteran vendor-neutral analysts, you'll get insights you simply can't get anywhere else.

The knowledge you gain in just a few short hours will provide you with unique perspectives and powerful context that will give you a real edge when it comes to leveraging Joomla's strengths for your business.

CMS Expo has become THE PLACE for the gladiators of the CMS world - both Open Source and Proprietary CMSs - to not only showcase their advancements, but in turn LEARN directly from end users. In a word, CMS Expo helps CMSs and you to compete. That head-to-head competition in a live setting has fostered innovation and advancement for Joomla, as well as other notable CMSs. And that is good for business. And that in turn, is good for you.

OK, Back To Joomla...

CMS Expo is geared towards bringing fellow business people together and letting them share their experiences, knowledge, tips, and trends so we can all move forward and learn how to use Joomla as the efficient, time-saving, money-making, stress-relieving powerhouse it is.

A Quick Summary

CMS Expo's learning sessions on Joomla are aimed at giving you the tools to increase your knowledge, and your utilization of this powerful CMS to propel your business forward making its mark on the internet. We have sessions specific to site-building which can take anyone from just owning a domain to owning an online storefront. Already at this point? Want more for your business? Be on the cutting edge of technology and boost your business with going mobile and attend the Creating HTML5 Mobile Web Apps with Joomla session where you will learn exactly how to use Joomla to create web apps specific to your needs.

Come to the “Ask the Experts Panel” to get all your Joomla questions answered and learn where Joomla is, where it is going, and how to harness its power for your benefit.

These three days are filled with experts like; Nick Martinelli, Kendall Cabe, Justin Kerr, Jen Kramer, Robert Gerald Porter, Andrew Holden, Robert Jacobi and many more! Plenty of time for questions, discussions, networking, business planning, and of course learning!

Come to CMS Expo, bring your questions, bring your concerns, bring your suggestions. All are welcome at this interactive Expo!

Can't Attend All Three Days?

Sign up for Wednesday, May 9th or Thursday, May 10th, which will focus heavily on Joomla specific topics. It's a smart $279 investment (and it includes meals).

CMS Expo Learning & Busines Conference
May 8th, 9th & 10th 2012
Hilton Orrington Hotel
Evanston, Illinois
Price: $279 / day or $779 / 3-day conference
Learn more at: www.CMSExpo.net
Register now at: www.CMSExpo.net/register

CMS Expo Welcomes Content Strategist Kristina Halvorson

john@cmsexpo.net (John Coonen) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Come to CMS Expo to hear Content Strategy superstar Kristina Halvorson, business author of the highly successful book, Content Strategy For The Web. Kristina is the CEO and Founder of Brain Traffic, Founder of Confab Content Strategy Conference, and is recognized as the undisputed thought leader in the world of Content Strategy.

"In the space of a few chapters, she had changed our field forever, for the better."
- Jeffrey Zeldman

Kristina Halvorson will share her unique insights on Content Strategy, and how business leaders can take a proactive approach toward their content strategy, and how to close the loop between strategy, marketing and sales with the right CMS. We're very excited to have Kristina at CMS Expo!

Come join us for Kristina Halvorson's empowering keynote!

In addition to Kristina, we will have over 60 other business and technology experts presenting at CMS Expo. See the bios for Kristina Halvorson and our entire line-up of talented and innovative CMS Speakers here.