Sitecore CMS

I attended a demo for a CMS by Sitecore recently. The organization is looking at it in order to more efficiently update content on our external sites but it’s also of interest to me as an intranet developer for the same reasons. Sitecore offers full support for Microsoft’s .NET plus XML, SOAP, XSLT, HTML, CSS,Javascript,C#,and the DOM so that it can easily integrate with ERP systems,CRM tools,financial systems,etc. More about that in a later post however. Because of the wide range of department representatives attending,the demo didn’t get too technical but focused more on the role of an Editor.

The Editor functions seem to most closely map to the responsibilities of copywriter,meaning they are ultimately responsible for generating content. What I liked most about Sitecore in this regard is the ability to establish a workflow. Within the system,the overall adminstrator can specify areas which are editable by the Editor. The Editor can then add,delete,modify,etc content within these areas and mark it as pending for the next step in the workflow. This could be the adminstrator,another higher level Editor,legal counselor,compliance,corporate branding,or anyone who might need to approve content before it is published. Any level can send copy back to lower levels for revisions along with the ability to attach notes to the copy. It’s my understanding this workflow can have unlimited steps as long as it stays linear.

Sitecore also makes allowances for dated content. Content can be created in a staging area and then given a date in the future when it should automatically be published. For example,the developers for an E-Commerce web site can put together promotional materials ahead of time for their big post-Thanksgiving sale and set it to be published Thanksgiving day at11:59p or whenever they like. Conversely,content can also be set to expire automatically at a future date.

The technical developer-focused demo is this week so I’ll have additonal details after that. So far though,I’m pretty impressed with this product and excited about the opportunities using it could uncover.

Google is pushing Firefox with the Google toolbar

I first became aware of Google’s promotion of the Firefox web browser through a recent post on Dave Shea’s web site,although I see from the comments there that this has been the buzz in certain circles for a little while. Loads of Google-related extensions have been available for Firefox from day one and the built-in search box lets you choose between a handful of search engines (with Google as the default) so I’ve never really thought about it. Google has created a win-win situation by actively promoting Firefox and its Google toolbar by creating a referral program and paying referrers per download. Google sees increased usage of their toolbar by tying it in with a new,hip product used by people in the know and Firefox gets promotion of its product subsidized by Google. How can you beat that?

I have to be honest,I don’t have the Google toolbar but a little research revealed that it has some nifty features including SpellCheck,a built-in translator,PageRank display (I have the stand alone extension of this useful feature),and a pop-up blocker for those unlucky enough to still be using Internet Explorer. Whether you download and/or use the Google toolbar,you ultimately owe it to yourself to get Firefox. One of the first browsers to offer pop-up blocking,increased security,and most importantly (to me anyway) tabbed browsing. Click on the image above and Get Firefox already.

The next phase of my career

It’s been over two weeks since my last post,and here’s the reason. I’ve been offered and accepted a position at Citibank as an intranet developer for the student loan division. Over the last few weeks I’ve been trying to tie up loose ends and outstanding projects for my current employer and get oriented and start being productive for my new one. Because I’ll be developing strictly intranet sites,I’m not sure what I can disclose and what I can’t (especially since it’s a financial institution) but suffice to say that I have some rather challenging and very cool projects ahead.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make and leaving is bittersweet. I’m looking forward to loads of new opportunities but there’s also lots left that can be accomplished at WWWEnterprise,Inc. I want to thank everyone there for being so supportive and send everyone best wishes for the future. Hopefully posts will become more frequent again as I settle into my new responsibilities.

Now with more hosting!

I’m pleased to announce hosting is now available to my design clients! Thanks to Lou for the suggestion and encouragement and of course to the first client willing to sign a contract. He shall remain nameless to avoid any possible future embarassment.

Hosting is on a Linux platform and naturally includes email,FTP access,the Plesk control panel,which I’ve been very impressed with,not to mention about two dozen ready to go scripts and applications just a mouse click away. Some of these include WordPress,galleries,forums,e-commerce,and more.

I hope to post more information by the end of this week.

Freelance work

I think this says it all…

The Servant Leader

This isn’t really on topic for web development but I have to mention it…and it’s been a while since my last post. I borrowed a pretty amazing book from the manager of the local Starbuck’s. It’s called The Servant Leader by James Autry. I don’t know if it’s required reading for their managers and assistants or not,but it’s good. I’ve read almost the entire book in a few hours over the last few days. This reaffirms my ideas that one of a manager’s main roles is to act as a resource for his or her employees. By fostering a collaborative environment and enabling the employee to succeed,the servant leader creates a loyal productive employee who directly contributes to the company. While targeted directly at managers,implementing the ideals discussed in this book can probably make non-managers better employees and coworkers. This book definitely makes my required reading list.