Blend has upgraded from Gold to Platinum Partnership with Umbraco! Read the full press release.

Thoughts from Blend Interactive

One of Blend’s core values is a dedication to advocacy and progress — to expand upon and give back to the community that fuels us. This is where those thoughts live.

Search Results List

Episode 6: Identify Outcomes and Expectations (w/ C. David Gammel) Off-site link

Corey and Deane talk about understanding the audiences of the The Web Project Guide book, and the concept of predicate knowledge. Then, C. David Gammel, author of Online and On Mission, joins the podcast to talk about how to prioritize outcomes when stakeholders all have their own interests, understanding the expectations of those who use your website, and how to best introduce domain knowledge.

April 14, 2022 | The Web Project Guide Podcast

Searching With Solr: A Startup Guide

Adapting a default search engine can be a bit of a sticky situation. But, there are options beyond the default: here's how to get started with Apache Solr.

April 1, 2022

Blend’s Bob Davidson Named One of the Best: Optimizely OMVP

Blend Interactive is excited to recognize Bob Davidson for his selection as one of 2022’s OMVP (Optimizely Most Valuable Professional) developers.

March 25, 2022

Episode 5: Identify Your Audiences (w/ Erika Hall) Off-site link

Corey and Deane talk about Bleachers, music producers, and how understanding your audience increases effectiveness. Then, Erika Hall, author of Just Enough Research, joins the podcast to talk about interviewing the people who will visit your site — how to frame interviews, effective incentives, and the difference between researching assumptions versus learning about your users.

March 15, 2022 | The Web Project Guide Podcast

How Blend Chooses a CMS

Over its history, Blend has developed a pattern of being an early North American partner for a number of European CMS systems. Blend was an early North America Partner for eZ Publish (now Ibexa), Episerver (now Optimizely), and Umbraco (still Umbraco!).

March 14, 2022

The Value of Project Management

Every day, we encounter things in our life that require a plan — vacation, meals, kid’s school and after-school activities. If there’s not a plan, something will get missed. A ball will get dropped. And you’ll be left wondering, “What happened?” Enter project management.

March 9, 2022

Umbraco Release Notes — January / February 2022

The following release notes highlight major or interesting changes in Umbraco's products in January and February 2022.

March 3, 2022

Optimizely Release Notes — January / February 2022

The following release notes highlight major or interesting changes in Optimizely's products in January and February 2022.

March 3, 2022

Episode 4: Create a Project Plan (w/ Brett Harned) Off-site link

Corey and Deane talk about how project plans rarely stay intact upon first contact with real life.  Then, we chat with Brett Harned, author of Project Management for Humans, about his definition of a project plan, creating better retrospectives, and how to help clients and project teams keep on track. (Also, Brett tells us the best album in his record collection.)

February 15, 2022 | The Web Project Guide Podcast

Content References in XhtmlString Properties

XHtmlString properties are more than just HTML, they include HTML, internal links to content, embedded blocks, personalization, and more. Blend's Director of Development Bob Davidson takes a brief look at the internals of XhtmlString properties and the fragments that make them.

February 2, 2022

Beyond Blend.

Blend doesn’t just write here: we also write books, create videos, and dive deep into our individual disciplines. Check out some of our external sources of knowledge.

The Web Project Guide

A phase-by-phase look at the web design and development process, providing context to each step.

Coding with Bob

A YouTube series by our director of development, focusing on .NET coding and Optimizely development.

Eating Elephant

A blog about content strategy, information architecture, and understanding user needs.