With these tips, your association's site can stay ahead of the curve and be at its best. Get the tips here.

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 16: Select a Content Management System (w/ Cathy McKnight) Off-site link

Corey and Deane talk about a Donald Rumsfeld quote, and about the concept of “unknown unknowns.” Then, Cathy McKnight, Chief Problem Solver and lead analyst for The Content Advisory, joins us to talk about selecting a content management system — the process for choosing a system, how a CMS selection analyst can help keep vendors honest, and what to do if you’re selecting on your own.

February 21, 2023 | The Web Project Guide Podcast

An Introduction to Sprints and Sprint Planning

Life is full of complicated projects — event planning, construction, and, yes, building a website. This introduction to sprints and sprint planning will illustrate how we keep it all moving forward.

February 13, 2023

Upgrading from Umbraco 7 to 11 — The Editor Experience

On September 30th, Umbraco will stop support on Umbraco 7. What does this mean for the overall editorial experience, and what can you expect as you begin upgrading?

January 25, 2023

Episode 15: Determine System Requirements (w/ Joe Kepley) Off-site link

Corey and Deane discuss the three parts of selecting a CMS: requirements, tool, and development team. Then, Joe Kepley, chief technical officer at Blend Interactive, joins us to discuss the world of translating design and IA into code within a content management system — including balancing groundbreaking design with realistic engineering — and the need to tie high-level project goals into the real nuts and bolts of code.

January 17, 2023 | The Web Project Guide Podcast

Optimizely Release Notes — September-December 2022

The following release notes highlight major or interesting changes in Optimizely's products from September through December 2022.

January 9, 2023

What Do You See, 2023?

For many of us in leadership, it's our job to cast a vision for the future. However, taking time to pause and look back is an essential exercise. We reflect to celebrate accomplishments, learn from mistakes, and appreciate the past: the good stuff and the parts we're not so proud of.

December 30, 2022

Episode 14: Know Your Integrations (w/ Greg Dunlap) Off-site link

Corey and Deane discuss the four major parts of a content model. Then, Greg Dunlap, Director of Strategy at Lullabot, joins us to define a web integration, discuss the finer details of development risks and runtime risks — as well as real-time vs scheduled data — and praise the efficiency of using Google Docs as a workflow tool. Corey and Greg give Deane a music lesson, too.

December 14, 2022 | The Web Project Guide Podcast

Corey Vilhauer Joins The Content Strategy Podcast Off-site link

Corey Vilhauer joins Kristina Halvorson on The Content Strategy Podcast to discuss his start in content strategy, his thoughts on communicating with clients and stakeholders, and his work toward demystifying the world of web projects.

December 13, 2022 | The Content Strategy Podcast

The Web Project Guide joins Content Strategy Insights podcast Off-site link

The Web Project Guide’s Corey Vilhauer and Deane Barker joined Larry Swanson on the Content Strategy Insights podcast to talk about all things The Web Project Guide — how the book came to be, how it ties to the work of building websites, and what's next as the book expands into the podcast space.

November 30, 2022 | The Web Project Guide

There Should Be No “Season of Giving”

During the holidays, there’s a heightened awareness around philanthropic activities, and many use it as a time to focus on others less fortunate. At Blend, we believe the "season of giving" shouldn't be a season at all.

November 29, 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.