eCommunity

New advances for Activedition

Ross — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:59:00 GMT

The Product Solutions team has been busy working on some new advancements to Activedition, aimed at making the Users life easier. These include the introduction of bookmark anchor tags and draft site portals.

Bookmark anchors are hyperlinks used in web pages to link to another part of the page. They can be particularly useful in long documents to allow users to move around the page without the need for scrolling or to link to particular subject areas. Activedition now has a feature which makes creating bookmarks easy.

Users can insert bookmarks into a page using the current WYSIWYG editor in Activedition. A new option in the toolbar gives the user a pop-up box which allows them to select an ID for the bookmark. The bookmark is then added to the page, represented by a small anchor icon. The user can check the ID of each bookmark on the page by hovering over its icon. Another option in the toolbar allows the user to show or hide the location of all bookmarks on the page.

When a new bookmark is created, a link is automatically created for it and stored in the link library in Activedition. These links can be placed as per other Activedition links. Once placed, each link will take the user to the exact location of its corresponding bookmark. These links can be placed on the same page as its bookmark to allow quick navigation or on any other page in the site to link to specific subject areas.

A new feature in Activedition will allow the draft version of a website to be viewed via the delivery application. This would allow clients to have a current live website but also be able to preview or demo another version of the site which may include new content, new features or even a whole new re-branding of the site. This would be available without the need to log in to the Activedition management application. The user must still be a registered user within the site. They provide login details which will then open the site in draft mode.

Possible Scenario; A client has a website: www.livesite.com The client is developing an all new improved version of the current site to fit in with the re-branding and change of focus of the company. The company’s head of IT is summoned to a meeting with the board who want to see this amazing new website and give their approval. There is internet access but no Activedition or development tools etc. Head of IT can still show off the site as he has either set up a link from the existing site or even better, has set up www.newsite.com which allows the site to be viewed in draft mode.

New image profile feature for Activedition

Derek — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:44:00 GMT

As part of the Product Solutions team, I have been working on a new feature for Activedition 4.1, build 8 that deals with image profiles.

Image profiles can be created on a per multimedia library basis. You can set a prefix and/or a suffix to be applied to the image name, the quality of the image and the maximum height and width you want the image to be.

The first profile you create is the pictures ‘main’ profile whereby every image that you upload into Activedition will take on these settings and become the main image. Any other profiles that are created will create sub pictures of the main picture and will be listed so in a treeview structure in the multimedia manager.

Profiles come in handy if you want to display smaller or larger images of the same image in certain parts of your website. Instead of manually editing an image, simply set up the profiles to do all of your resizing for you automatically.

Image profiles can also be used in Content Management Designer Templates where you specify the name of the profile of the library that the image is being held in and that particular image will be displayed on the screen. The same thing can also be used in meta data, whereby you specify an image profile name in an Activedition Meta tag which will display profile picture on screen to the user.

I'm a developer, adopt me!

Phil — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:21:00 GMT

I recently attended the Microsoft REMIX08 conference held in Brighton. The main theme of the conference was the user experience.

In the past, the some of the most successful software has offered the best user experience. Bill Buxton said in his keynote speech that he admired some of Microsoft’s most successful competitors including Google and Apple, for their user centric applications and devices.

Why did he admire them? Probably for the same reason that has made many people buy their products. They have turned the focus of the product to User Experience. They make their products a joy for the consumer to use.

From the initial stages of creating a product, it should not just be engineers that are involved in shaping the product, with the designers involved at the end to make it look nice. Designers are the creators of as important a part of the product as any other – creating the interface and thus experience that the user has while using the product. This is not something that can be added at the end, it is intrinsic to the design, specification and implementation of the product.

Successful projects have shown the importance and success that can be obtained from developing a user experience that works.

Apple’s success came from the design of some key products – the iPod and iMac. Before these products were created, Apple was not as successful. However, the designer that created the iPod and iMac was an Apple employee in both eras. So what happened? What happened was the focus of the development of the new products changed to include design from the start – Apple had found a winning formula. Their products were easy to sell as the user experience had been developed as part and parcel of the products.

Microsoft have bought into this idea, and so showcased a variety of new technologies and development tools that can be used to create Rich Application Interfaces (RAI). One of the most talked about ones is Silverlight. Expect lots more on this in the coming months.

At the designer panel, an open discussion was had about the role of Designers and Developers. Developers can gain an understanding of design, but cannot become a designer, just as designers could not develop a technical application. The roles of both are key and equally as important. Developers should work with designers and not think they can do their job!

The room was mostly full of designers. To bridge the standoff, one lead designer said to fellow designers – adopt a developer. I agree! I am a developer, and can develop whatever is wanted.

Go on Mr Designer, I’m a developer, adopt me! Let’s make a great user experience!

C2 Software is on the move!

Gayle — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:31:00 GMT

It has been said that one of the top five most stressful things a person can do in their life is move house. Interestingly getting married also features in that list.

This month the team at C2 Software experienced the biggest 'house move' in the companies history. We packed up our desks, laptops and coffee mugs and made the short trip across the road to our new offices in the Grianan building in the Technology Park in Dundee. We occupy two floors of this building, which was voted 34th in the 100 Best Modern Buildings poll in architecture magazine Prospect and was designed by Nicoll Russell Studios.

Our new offices, being much bigger, have more scope for expansion and feature a large training and meeting room.

Watch this space for news of our client open day early next year!

SaltireFoundation selects Activedition for Community Development

Gayle — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:37:00 GMT

C2 Software is pleased to announce that The SaltireFoundation, a Scottish based charity backed by Scottish Enterprise, has selected the Activedition CMS as a platform for further developing its online strategy. The solution proposed by C2 Software is to be complimented with best in class social media functionality enabling their target community to interact, while also providing relationship management that allows the SaltireFoundation to organise and develop the network.

The SaltireFoundation has a vision to generate a pipeline of confident, entrepreneurially-driven executives, ready to enhance Scotland’s commercial performance. By making these individuals aware of what can be achieved and by opening their eyes to new possibilities for Scotland, the SaltireFoundation seeks to push the boundaries of success for Scotland and raise the aspirations of its people.

Finlay Carmichael, Managing Director, C2 Software said “We are delighted to have been selected by the SaltireFoundation to progress this initiative and that the innovative solution we presented was accepted.”

Irene Johnstone, Director - Global Relations and International Networks, SaltireFoundation, said “The solution presented by C2 Software fully appreciated the unique needs of our organisation. We look forward to working with C2 Software and to launch of an engaging website early in 2009”

Activedition to attend the Members 2008 exhibition

Gayle — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:29:00 GMT

C2 Software will be showcasing the Activedition Content Management system at the forthcoming Members 2008 exhibition, to be held in the Business Design Centre in London on the 16th September.

Members 2008 is the essential forum for leading charities, societies, associations and membership bodies. Today’s fast evolving digital business age presents organisations with significant challenges as well as huge opportunities. Now in its twelfth successful year, Members leads the way in linking its visitors with a wide range of web based innovation and technology providers.

Activedition is a popular choice for membership organisations including British Cycling, General Teaching Council for Scotland and itSMF. We work with membership organisations to develop solutions specific to their unique requirements leveraging off of the underlying flexibility and power of Activedition. Membership organisations typically use their websites to interact with existing and prospective members. Membership subscriptions and renewals taken online through secure payment gateways cut administration costs and drive efficiency. Conference and events bookings taken online can maximise attendance and return from investment.

If you are thinking of attending Members 2008, please come and visit our stand. We are located to the rear of the hall on stand number 26 and we would be delighted to give you a demonstration of Activedition!

Is technology taking customer service too far?

Gayle — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:53:00 GMT

How very apt (that’s apt – a, p, t) that in the week we are nearing the nail biting climax of the current Big Brother series, I was subjected to my very own Big Brother moment. Yes unfortunately I have succumbed again to the car crash telly that fills our screens for three months of the year. Cameras everywhere watching the participants every move. No words or actions go unnoticed, not matter how innocent or otherwise. And all for the notoriety of being a Z list celebrity for a few weeks, trawling China Whites and the odd film premier before plummeting to the depths of has-been-ness.

Anyway, my Big Brother moment came in the form of being ‘stalked’ while perusing a well known direct mail list website. I had registered my details as required in order to progress past the initial screen. Without going into too much detail regarding the usability or lack of it of the site, after some time (and weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth) I managed to filter to a list that I may or may not wish to purchase. And all of a sudden, as if by magic, I received a call from said company, asking after my well being and general happiness with all things direct marketing. Coincidence? I would have liked to have given them the benefit of that doubt, had the same thing not happened on EVERY occasion I used the site.

I have visions of huge rooms filled with ‘account managers’ trawling the lists of users on the site, tracking their every move, leaping on the phone to close the sale, should they dare to abandon their shopping cart and leave before purchasing.

This sales tactic that they are employing is making me not want to buy from them. In the same way that I don’t want to buy from the sales assistant in the electrical goods shop that insists on following me around asking if they can help me. The buying process of the consumer is an easy concept to grasp. I am happy to browse your wares at my leisure, without your interference. If I need your help, you will know because I will ask for it. Simple really.

And on that note, I am off to resume my obsessive people watching on the Big Brother live streaming.

.NET Certification: What's the point?

John — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:27:00 GMT

When I started at C2 Software a little over a year ago I set myself a personal goal; to pass at least one Microsoft certification before the end of 2008.

Now one year on and I have exceeded this, passing two exams, 70-536 and 70-528. Together these exams combine to qualify me as a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) in .NET Framework 2.0 Web Applications.

The MCTS credentials are designed to enable I.T. professionals to target specific technologies, in my case Web Development.

The exam format is multiple choice and at the end of the exam you are given the opportunity to review your answers prior to finishing. The results are provided there and then and I can tell you it's a great feeling when you see the “Passed” message.

Along with the processes and services that C2 Software offers, certification also counts towards C2 Software’s membership as a Microsoft partner. This is an accreditation that we are all proud of as it shows that we have proven abilities to provide our clients with the solutions they require. For clients it provides reassurance on the level of capability provided by the organisation and the company’s area of expertise.

For me the next step is to sit more exams. 70-547 is the next one. This course concentrates on designing and developing Web based applications. On completion of this I will achieve the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) certification and following on from this I will be looking towards sitting an upgrade exam to move to .NET 3.5. Given that the Activedition CMS has moved to support the .NET 3.5 platform this can’t come soon enough for me.

Being a developer is more than just a job for me, I find it a very rewarding career, giving me the opportunity to push myself further and ultimately provide me with the skills required to continue to offer our clients new and innovative solutions. I suppose this is the main reason for sitting these exams.

FDA adds to the list of membership organisations using Activedition

Gayle — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:35:00 GMT

The FDA , the union representing the UK’s senior public servants, has selected C2 Software to develop their new website, based on the Activedition Content Management System, and a new membership database being created specifically for their organisational needs. The new integrated website and database will enable the FDA to easily manage and maintain its public facing website, modernise its membership administration and facilitate two-way communications among its members.

“We selected C2 over other suppliers because Activedition appeared to be the most intuitive CMS with all the functionality we could wish for. It also provided good value for money.” Jessica Stark FDA Head of Communications.

The FDA represents more than 18,000 members including Whitehall policy advisers and senior managers, tax inspectors, economists and statisticians, government lawyers, crown prosecutors, school inspectors, diplomats , accountants and NHS managers.

"We are delighted to be working with the FDA, affirming our position as a leading supplier of content management solutions to membership organisations." Richard Tindall, Sales and Marketing Director, C2 Software.

Ajax: The good, the bad and the confused!

The Twig — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:30:00 GMT

When I was just a sapling, Ajax was a mere household cleanser but now it is more widely known amongst us techies as an acronym for Asynchronous Javascript and XML.

Ajax is the stuff that allows web applications to become much more interactive. Rather than the web server sending down whole pages in response to some user input only small parts of the page are refreshed. When using a classic desktop application such as Excel you would get pretty frustrated if your whole screen flickered whilst it was refreshed after entering a value or formula. Ajax starts to bridge the gap between desktop applications and the “click-refresh” web we are used to by making things quicker and more interactive.

One of the biggest challenges with Ajax is maintaining accessibility as many assistive technologies (screen readers and the like) don't implement Javascript. The key to the implementation of Ajax is the concept of graceful degradation. Where accessibility is paramount, Ajax should only be used to enhance the user experience and shouldn’t hinder task completion.

An example of good use of Ajax can be found on the ever-popular Youtube site. The search box at the top of the page will find suggestions dynamically as you type which will represent actual content on the site. If you don't have Javascript enabled or it isn't implemented then you can still enter search terms and browse the site unhindered. This is a nice touch and actually ticks some accessibility guidelines boxes along the way.

Recently I had the unenviable task of renewing my car insurance. I decided to use a popular comparison site in the hope of getting the best deal. When I got to the part of the form that asked me for my occupation and type of business there was a nifty bit of Ajax that would show a list of matching entries as a typed. All well and good! In writing this blog posting I thought I would try turning off Javascript to see what happened. To my surprise I couldn’t take my quote any further as I was given a very unfriendly error message saying “please select an occupation” despite having typed something into the box. The little pop-up thing that helps you select an occupation didn’t work either so effectively at this point I’m totally stuck.

Above is a classic example where Ajax was implemented to make the process easier for the user and more predictable for the organisation concerned with giving me a car insurance quote BUT crucially they forgot to make it degrade gracefully. In this case the end result is disastrous for the organisation because they end up losing my business due to my inability to complete the quote form.

So graceful degradation is the way forward for interactive web applications? Well, yes, but unfortunately at a cost. There is an intrinsic overhead in using Ajax and making it degrade as everything needs to be coded in effect twice (not strictly true but a reasonable rule of thumb). The great danger is that organisations commission web applications and either disregard accessibility (Hotmail being a prime example as it doesn’t work without Javascript) or they underestimate the work required to maintain accessibility whilst making the application as easy to use as possible by providing Ajax enhancements.

One final point with Ajax is the expectation of the user. Ajax isn’t new but its use is only now becoming more apparent. One issue is that users don’t always realise that something has changed on the web page as they expect having clicked a button that they will get a page refresh. Until such times as a high level of interactivity is expected on the web visual cues will be necessary to draw user’s attention to changes. I’ve not yet seen any usability studies on sites that use Ajax but I’m guessing that in some cases people just won’t get it.

All this Ajax talk has got me inspired…..I really must clean that bathroom!

National Counties Building Society and Belfast City Council select Activedition

Gayle — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:11:00 GMT

We are delighted to be working with National Counties Building Society and adding them to the growing list of organisations operating in the Financial Services Sector that use Activedition. Providing convenient and personal service for its members is a key objective for National Counties and the further development of its main website, using Activedition, will enhance the services available. Epsom based National Counties is the UK's largest single office building society, with financial strength that ranks amongst the best in its industry.

In addition to this, Belfast City Council has selected the Activedition Content Management System as its vehicle of choice to underpin the delivery and management of their Council websites. Belfast City Council is the largest local council, serving the largest city in Northern Ireland and has an estimated population of 267,400. It is the central council for the Belfast Metropolitan Area which has a population of c.650,000.

We really need to push the envelope on this one...

Gayle — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:36:00 GMT

I’ve just had a brainstorming session to touch base about the decentralization of knowledge acquisition that has got me thinking out of the box. We’re all on a three way street here and the question we should ask is what we can bring to the table?

I mean, our business is a finely balanced situation, weighted heavily toward the customer. But in order to grab the low hanging fruit, we need to make sure all our ducks are in a row.
So let’s take a blue sky approach to this. It’s obviously important that we are all on the same page and 360 degree feedback is vital. But let’s park that offline for a moment. Have we mapped the processes for this? We don’t need a seagull manager who drops the ball. We need someone who can step up to the plate and hit the ground running.

So I’ll just run this up the flagpole if I may. Let’s get ahead of the drag curve, stop all this prairie dogging and take a helicopter view. If we drill down, we can rightsize the road map and reduce the burn rate.

However at a guesstimate, I would say that I don’t have the bandwidth at the moment to third eye this by close of play. Perhaps we should just draw a line in the sand until we are all singing from the same hymn-sheet.

But I will keep you in the loop...

Back to school for C2

Gayle — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:45:00 GMT

I found myself in a place I haven’t been for far too many years to disclose last week – a secondary school! Kirk and I were involved in an initiative with schools from the Angus area to promote the uptake of computer science in secondaries in a bid to reverse the decline in places sought on computing courses in Scotland’s universities.

The initiative, the brainchild of Carole Munro, Principal Teacher Curriculum (Technology) of Arbroath High School, saw each of the eight Angus schools enter a team of four, third year pupils to take part in a competition to produce a page for a website, promoting their own town. The pupils were asked to use specialist software which they were only introduced to on the day and were given just basic instruction on how to use it.

The pupils had approximately 3 hours to complete the task and then were asked to ‘sell’ the pitch to a panel of ‘clients’ who included our very own Mr Potter.

I was absolutely blown away by the high standard of submissions from the pupils. And their ability to navigate round the new software completely unfazed would put most adults to shame.

As a company, we were delighted to be asked to sponsor the competition and to take part in the day itself. However it’s a little worrying that the issues surrounding the reason for the competition could have far reaching implications for businesses in Scotland.

Indeed, uptake of pure computing courses in Scotland’s universities has been on the decline for several years resulting in good development staff being thin on the ground. If this trend continues, businesses will be forced to move development work overseas which is bad news for the Scottish technology community.

Interesting however is the fact that Computer Gaming courses are among the most sought after places in further education. So perhaps we need to teach our kids that there is more to computer skills than Grand Theft Auto and Wii Fit...

Internet World 2008: The aftermath...

Gayle — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:10:00 GMT

The Sales and Marketing Team at C2 Software has just returned from a hectic week in London at the Internet World show at Earls Court.

The first day of the show was a bit quieter than in past years, not helped by the torrential rain that had met us on the Monday and remained with us until the Thursday. However Wednesday was much more positive with a good number of visitors and clients to the stand, with varying interests, not just in Content Management. Finlay demonstrated to several potential prospects the new C2 Software product, Content Management Designer, an exciting new concept in web content management that makes contribution accessible for all, removes the need for training and encourages content contribution from the community. Our eCommunity offering was also a popular topic, again proving that online communities are alive and kicking.

We also held two very successful seminars, delivered by Angela Hamilton, eServices Manager at the General Teaching Council for Scotland and our own Finlay Carmichael, Managing Director of C2 Software. Both seminars were well attended with Finlay’s in particular commanding ‘standing room only’.

An interesting observation from the show: the ‘glamour girl’ is still a very prominent feature at this show which had an equal mix of male / female visitors. And their outfits seemed even more risqué than in previous years with attractions including bikini clad Hula girls, a life-size version of ‘Operation’ and a Harley Davidson... However visitors to our stand had to make do with the motley crew from C2 and our offering of Activedition branded mints and pens...

Of course it wasn’t all work and no play. In fact Wednesday evening was spent taking refuge in a local Chinese while the masses descended on Stamford Bridge, a mere stone’s throw from our hotel and then back to the bar to watch the second half of the game.

So a long, busy week culminated in a very enjoyable if fleeting visit through Heathrow’s Terminal 5, including a visit to Gordon Ramsay’s new offering ‘Plane Food’

And to validate the age old saying ‘you can never have enough handbags / shoes / dresses (delete as applicable)’ some shopping was squeezed in too...

Would you like ice with your page layout sir?

The Twig — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:59:00 GMT

Designing an accessible website isn't about compromise but is more about embedding the accessibility requirements into your design process. One of the most important decisions you take is what layout technique you will use.

These days there are a lot to choose from including fixed-width (sometimes call ice), liquid, elastic, etc. - each with their own set of challenges and compromises. In the early days of the web designers didn't need to worry too much as nearly everyone had a screen resolution of 640x480 and widescreen was reserved for your visit to the local cinema.

Now we have PDAs, widescreen and more resolution combinations than you would care to know about. To help you understand the challenges and compromises we'll take a look at the main layout techniques below.

Mixing it up

Fixed width layouts are very common as typically they provide a great deal of predictability of how a design will be represented on a variety of screen resolutions but they don't always work that well on high resolution screens. The net result of this is sometimes a web page that is lost in the middle of the page. Once someone has decided to increase the text size line lengths can also become a problem and the resulting text wrapping can make reading uncomfortable.

Liquid layouts use percentage sizes rather than fixed ones and they are designed to scale to the browser window size. These layouts make the most efficient use of space but multi-column layouts become problematic at lower resolutions and on higher resolutions paragraphs of text can end up as single lines which can look a bit strange.

Elastic designs take the best bits from fixed width and liquid layouts by defining maximum and minimum widths to overcome the problems described above. This is a good compromise and if done properly results in a design that looks great on both smaller resolutions and high ones.

A good example of good elastic design is the website of the General Teaching Council for Scotland (http://www.gtcs.org.uk/) which has a maximum width of approximately 1150 pixels and a minimum width of 800 pixels.

WCAG

The final question to be answered is how all this affects the accessibility of your site. Under WCAG 1.0 there was always a raging debate as to whether a non-liquid layout (that includes both fixed width and elastic) were compliant or not. Rather than attempt to answer that it is worth applying this question against WCAG 2.0 which is currently in working draft status with the W3C.

Strange as it may sound WCAG 2.0 makes no reference to the size and behaviour of structural elements of page but does talk about text sizing under checkpoints 1.4.4 (Resize text) and 1.4.8 (Visual Presentation). The resize text checkpoint falls under Level AA and visual presentation under Level AAA.

Most fixed width layouts would fail checkpoint 1.4.4 due to the requirement that text should be capable of being resized by up to 200% without impairing the functionality of the page especially when multiple columns are used.

Liquid layout easily passes this checkpoint especially when columns are relatively sized based on the text size. Elastic layouts need to be carefully defined in terms of maximum and minimum widths to ensure that they comply with this checkpoint.

The visual presentation checkpoint has some overlap with the resize text checkpoint in terms of the 200% text resize requirement but also introduces some other requirements in terms of layout. There is a somewhat arbitrary requirement that "width is no more than 80 characters" which could cause problems with both liquid and elastic layouts - one way of achieving this is ensuring that blocks of text wrap at a certain width.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Mike — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:47:00 GMT

It is widely known that different people learn in different ways and a training programme that is suitable for one person may not suit another, which always presents problems to the trainer when delivering training to large groups. In fact this problem is not necessarily restricted to large groups as it is quite easy to have very different learning styles in smaller groups.

Trainers have their own learning style and there can be a tendency to assume that what is good enough for them is good enough for everybody. When a person decides to become a trainer there are a number of excellent accredited courses that not only enables that person to recognise their own learning style but those of others. Organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) and the Institute of IT Training (IITT) run excellent courses for prospective trainers and offer a wealth of experience and support for further development in the field.

Which leads us back to the different learning styles that trainers will experience. A training course should be designed with plenty of variety so that although we may not please all of the people all of the time at least we will be able to please all of the people some of the time, and hopefully in the process, help them to understand each other's differences so that they become more tolerant and understanding of other people in their own workplaces. This is a tall order by any standard and it would help if we knew what the different learning styles were so that we can adjust the training delivery to suit those styles.

Fortunately there are only four recognised learning styles and they are:

Activist

The activist is normally a lively outgoing type who is always keen to try new experiences; they have the following learning characteristics:

Learns best from short here-and-now tasks.
Tries anything once and is enthusiastic about new activities.
Throws themselves into action based courses, games and exercises, especially anything competitive.

Reflector

A quieter, more cautious individual who has a preference for sitting back and watching others, preferring to think before acting:

Learns best from standing back and observing what's happening.
Prefers to collect and analyse data before coming to a conclusion.
Enjoys watching people in action.

Theorist

Could be described as a perfectionist, with a tendency to think things through in a logical step-by-step way, while questioning and probing basic assumptions behind something:

Learns best when reviewing content in terms of a system, model or theory.
Tends to be detached and analytical.
Puts great stock on rationality and logic.

Pragmatist

This person is practical and is always looking for new techniques or ideas to try out in the job.

Learns best when there is an obvious link between the subject matter and a problem or opportunity on the job.
Searches for new ideas and the chance to apply them to a relevant situation.
Likes to get on with things, rather than having long, open-ended discussions.

Imagine having all four learning styles under the same roof, quite a challenge! It doesn't take long to recognise the learning style of a person and a good trainer will adjust their training delivery to get the best from those attending the training.

Incidentally I am mostly a Pragmatist with a smattering of Activist, what learning style do you think you have?

A popularity contest? The Web 2.0 'friends' phenomenon...

Gayle — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:03:00 GMT

I received an email yesterday from someone who can only be described as a passing acquaintance inviting me to be her ‘friend’ on an online community site. This prompted a quick check on my own ‘Bebo’ page to review my friends list which was disappointingly depleted compared to that of my peers, in this new popularity race called Social Networking. Perhaps I needed to ‘market’ myself as the email sender who prompted this had.

Online community websites can also however play another role aside from highlighting your own lack of popularity. Big brands such as Philips, British Airways and O2 are launching their own community websites to engage with consumers and test their reactions to new products, adverts and designs.

Community members can offer opinions and suggestions allowing the Brands to gain valuable market research while in turn promoting their products to a mass audience in a more sincere manner than standard advertising.

Similarly online forums can prompt brand interaction and provide valuable feedback to marketers on possible improvements to products and can quash negative feedback at the source by rectifying highlighted issues.

And forums can get your customers talking about your product and interacting with each other. Fundamentally, people have a need to belong and forums, online community sites and consumer panels feed that need.

Activedition as standard is available with forums, polls and blogging included. For advanced features, Activedition integrates with Community Server by Telligent. This provides organisations with the tools to engage their customers make friends and influence people.

Now I’m off to work on my own self- marketing plan and see if I can’t up my number of friends...

Hitting the exhibition trail...

Gayle — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:11:00 GMT

It’s been a busy few months for us here at C2 Towers, not least from the new client wins and site launches that are a near daily occurrence from the Client Solutions team. We’ve also been out and about at some key trade shows – Information Management Systems and Technology for Marketing – the latter being a very successful show for us.

We used the Technology for Marketing show to launch our new product offering, Community Server. C2 Software has become a registered partner for the Telligent product which features advanced community networking capabilities including blogging, forums, media sharing, folksonomies, tag clouds and social networking. This was a big hit at the show, indicating that the desire for user generated content and community involvement continues to be on the rise.

Indeed BMW plans to focus on social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo to target car buyers during 2008. The motor manufacturer plans to expand its digital strategy to capitalise on the growing number of consumers using such sites.

And at the end of April the Activedition roadshow calls at Internet World for the annual three day exhibition held at Earls Court. This is usually a very busy show for us and in past years we have met and aquired some high profile clients from it.

So no rest for the wicked...for a few months anyway!

New Law & Membership Client Wins Mark Busy Start to 2008

Finlay — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:14:00 GMT

A busy few months for the team at C2 Software has resulted in new client acquisitions including learndirect scotland, legal practice McGrigors LLP and the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management.

learndirect scotland have selected Activedition to power their Training Provider website and will incorporate integration with Microsoft CRM while McGrigors LLP will use Activedition for their company intranet and will integrate with the Interwoven document management solution.

Other new clients that have opted for Activedition include Building Supplies R Us, an online retailer providing building supplies ranging from kitchens and bathrooms to garden decking. Activedition will power their busy eCommerce site.

The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management has selected a new product from the Activedition range - Activedition Content Management Designer. This will allow them to build forms and directories in familiar language, empowering non technical users to update content to the site. Alongside this will run Activedition which will include integrated eCommerce, CRM and eMembership modules.

"We are delighted to announce so many new client wins in such a short space of time." said Richard Tindall, Sales & Marketing Director for C2 Software. "With clients such as CIWM and Building Supplies R Us, we are establishing ourselves firmly as eMembership and eCommerce specialists. The start of 2008 has been very busy for us and shows no sign of relenting."

New C2 Software clients include IRT, an ITC certified and UKTA registered thermal imaging company with over 13 years experience in the construction industry and 5 years research and development experience. IRT have selected C2 Software to develop bespoke Thermal Analysis software.

New Activedition Website Launched

Finlay — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:35:00 GMT

Welcome to the new Activedition website and our new blog based News service.

From now on we will be using the newly integrated Community Server blog faciltiy to keep you up to date with all things Activedition. To ensure you keep in touch why not subsribe to the RSS service for the news or other blogs.

As well as proving a more informal news service we would also welcome your comments and feedback on all the blog posts.

The rise of the community...

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:28:00 GMT

I've had a great time getting to know Community Server. It represents a new approach for us here at C2 as it is a third party product that we have integrated with Activedition.

The good news is that it has a great interface for blogging and forums and that's the key issue that it will solve for clients.

This is just a first short post to get the new site up and running. We are planning a once to twice weekly update on the Activedition blog to keep you up to date with the latest updates and the new ideas.

We hope you enjoy!

Finlay