All entries filed under “Ask the Readers”
Yesterday I asked you for your wishes for ExpressionEngine in 2012. The feedback is mixed (keep it coming!) but there was more than one mention of easier upgrades and a one-click update process (like WordPress).
As is usually the case with software, I’m sure this is easier said than done but I agree that it needs to be done. I sincerely hope that this will be on the radar for the EllisLab development in the coming year (and hopefully before EE3).
We’re nearly a week into the new year and it’s already been a little crazy. I’m just now thinking about my ideas for ExpressionEngine in 2012.
The last two years have been pretty big for ExpressionEngine: EE 2.0 beta, EE 2.1, all of the problems in between, and then the big EE 2.2 and 2.3 releases. There’s certainly a lot to be happy about and all of us probably wish for something else.
I am not into predictions but I do have wishes. And I certainly have wishes for ExpressionEngine. But I’m just one person. You, dear readers, are multiple persons. What’s on your mind?
What do you want to see from ExpressionEngine in 2012?
Last week I wrote my opinion on the recent EE2 release issues and recommended that those who are gun shy to wait until upgrading.
Some readers shared their thoughts but I want to ask everyone: do you upgrade to each new build or release immediately or wait?
Share you thoughts and experience upgrading in the comments.
There is a wide range of ways to pitch ExpressionEngine as a CMS. Some people use EE as a differentiator, saying they are an EE-only shop, and clients choose them partly for that reason. Others will wait to pitch EE until after they’ve landed the gig, maybe letting the client choose from among a few different options. And there are plenty of other scenarios in between those two extremes.
My question for you is: How do you pitch ExpressionEngine to your clients? Is it an easy sell or sometimes a challenge? Does it figure into your initial pitch to land the client? Give us your thoughts in the comments.
Friend of the site Kenny Meyers brought up an interesting question via Twitter last night that I thought would make a good “Ask the Readers” question:
Kenny asks:
Now is a good time to ask: What are your EE2 add-on defaults?
So, readers, if I may borrow his question and ask it in a different venue: What are the EE2 add-ons you always install every time you set up EE?. For me, it’s Textile and not much else, though I rarely get through a site without purchasing and installing Matrix, so that one may as well be a default for me. What about you?
If you happened to already have listened to the latest EE Podcast you might recall Ryan and Lea talking about how they decide if an add-on is something they are willing to add to the site they are building. There are a lot of factors that go into this kind of decision: Whether the developer will continue to support the add-on, any potential performance drawbacks, does it make the clients life incredibly easier, etc.
My question for today’s “Ask the Readers” segment is: Do you have a process for deciding what kinds of add-ons you will install? What reasons might you have for avoiding an add-on?
I saw a tweet from Michael Roling where he gives a sneak peek at what he’s using his EE2 freelancer license that he got with his Fusion Ads Holiday Bundle. That got me thinking… I wonder what other people are using it for?
So, if you happened to jump on that great deal from Fusion Ads for the holidays, what are you using your new EE2 license for?
Yesterday I posted a link to a post on Design Litmus about creating screencast user guides for your clients. That got me thinking: I wonder what other people do for user guides? I’ll bet others wonder this too, and what better venue to find out than making an Ask the Readers post!
The options for user guides are myriad. Some people create rich PDFs, like the ones from Headspace Design. Others, like Matt at Design Litmus, shoot screencasts and include them as accessories in the control panel. Then again, David in the comments from yesterday maintains that you’re “doing it wrong” if your client needs anything more than a well-organized site with simple inline documentation.
I’m sure there are more ideas than these, so today’s question is simple: How do you equip your clients to use the ExpressionEngine site you built for them?
The Latest EE Podcast about Multiple Site Manager got me thinking that MSM would make a great topic for an “Ask the Readers” feature. I remember when EllisLab debuted MSM and it kind of blew my mind. What a wild idea, being able to run lots of websites from the same installation. What a dream! Over time, though, I have only had the opportunity to use it once or twice.
My questions to you the reader: Do you use Multiple Site Manager? How is it working out for you? Anything in particular EllisLab could do to make it better?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
In the past seven days there have been no less than two conferences devoted to ExpressionEngine: ExpressionEngine Camp in Denver and Engine Summit 2. And less than a month ago EECI took place.
ExpressionEngine has a thriving community who doesn’t seem to hesitate to organize conferences, big and small, in person or online. My question for you today is actually three questions: Have you ever been to an ExpressionEngine conference? Do you prefer one conference style over another? Do you have plans to attend any in 2011?
Some clients can’t live without a Microsoft Word toolbar in every text field, some prefer to write all the HTML themselves, and others live and die by Textile or Markdown. Maybe you quote all your projects with a WYSIWYG editor for text formatting, or maybe you train clients that What You See is Not Quite What You Get.
Now that there are some really good options for text formatting in ExpressionEngine, what do you prefer? Do you always use a WYSIWYG for your projects or do you prefer some other option like XHTML or Textile?
Share your text editing strategy in the comments.
EE 2.1 has been out for a couple of weeks and we’re starting to see a lot of new add-ons released. It’s exciting to see developers coding some great stuff that will make using EE 2 just as great as using EE 1.
At this early point in the life of EE 2, what is your favorite EE 2 add-on? Is there one that wasn’t available for EE 1.6 that you like?
Let us know in the comments.
A lot of people have said that they are waiting for such and such add-ons or the final release of EE 2 before they upgrade. Well, most of the popular add-ons have been ported to EE 2 and the final release of EE 2 is here.
Now that you’ve had time to wait it out, we’d like to know: will you be moving to ExpressionEngine 2 for your websites?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
At EECI in San Francisco, EllisLab announced a new mini CMS product called MojoMotor. Okay, I know you’ve heard about it already. My question to you is this:
Is MojoMotor something that appeals to you? Would you use it for projects?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
There has been a lot of buzz recently in the world of e-commerce and ExpressionEngine so we want to know:
Do you build e-commerce sites with ExpressionEngine? If so, what’s your tool of choice and has your experience been positive?
Let us know in the comments!
Email
Comments
Post to Twitter
Post to Delicious
