Using audits to drive change, Mechanics Bank launched with a new CMS and an improved design that follows web best practices. Find out how.
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.
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Episode 7: Know Your Content (w/ Paula Ladenburg Land) Off-site link
Corey and Deane talk about Blend CEO Karla Santi’s recent selection as Small Business Person of the Year for South Dakota. Then, Paula Ladenburg Land, author of The Content Inventory and Audit Handbook and principal at Strategic Content LLC, joins the podcast to talk about content inventories and content audits, including what separates the two, when and how to worry about auditing, and her first ever content inventory, which arrived as a spreadsheet on one-and-a-half inches of printed paper.
Optimizely Release Notes — March / April 2022
The following release notes highlight major or interesting changes in Optimizely's products in March and April 2022.
Umbraco Release Notes — March / April 2022
The following release notes highlight major or interesting changes in Umbraco's products in March and April 2022.
Five Ways Umbraco Helps Editors
Talk around content management systems so often focuses on features and technological advances. But there’s another side to the equation: the people who use the content management system as an editorial tool.
A Quick Definition of Scrum
In project management, the process of Agile development is dependent on a pretty important element: the “scrum” — a quick meeting designed to level-set before work begins. Here's how Blend puts it to use.
Announcing Blend.Optimizely
Announcing release of Blend.Optimizely, a collection of helpful utilities for Optimizely CMS 12 sites from the development team at Blend.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.