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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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Optimizely Release Notes — July-August 2023
The following release notes highlight major or interesting changes in Optimizely's products from July and August 2023.
Keeping Your Website Fresh: 10 Post-Launch Web Tasks
A website's success doesn't hinge on what happens on launch day — it's an ongoing balance of maintenance and improvement after your site has already launched.
Episode 22: Test and Launch the Site (w/ Bob Davidson) Off-site link
Corey and Deane talk about the concept of the “Nails List.” Then, Bob Davidson, Director of Development at Blend Interactive, joins to talk about how to get your site ready for launch, what makes a good QA practitioner, the role of quality assurance and testing in the development process, and how to prep the site so it doesn’t fall over when exposed to the real world. We also spend a lot of time talking up Jenna Bonn, Blend’s QA Practice Manager.
Journaling as a Management Tool
In management, your team depends on you to help follow up on solving pain points and barriers. But, for the mind of an engineer with a spotty memory, managing this workload can be difficult. Blend's Director of Development Bob Davidson explains how he supplements his workflow with a mix of technology, process, and habit through daily journaling.
Optimizely Release Notes — May-June 2023
The following release notes highlight major or interesting changes in Optimizely's products from May and June 2023.
Umbraco Releases Version 12
An overview of Umbraco's newest release, Umbraco 12, highlighting the anticipated changes it brings to the user experience.
Episode 20: Implement the Back-end Functionality (w/ David Knipe) Off-site link
Corey and Deane discuss a high-level philosophy of back-end development. Then, David Knipe, Vice President of Product at Optimizely, joins to discuss back-end development — how developers and project stakeholders work together to make decisions, the difference (and balance) between technical perfection and audience needs, and the reasons why AI will help, but not take over, back-end development. Deane also equates developers to lumberjacks.
Optimizely Release Notes — March-April 2023
The following release notes highlight major or interesting changes in Optimizely's products from March and April 2023.
Episode 19: Implement the Design (w/ Ethan Marcotte) Off-site link
Corey and Deane talk about how front-end development has evolved past the early days. Then, Ethan Marcotte, author of Responsive Web Design and Partner at Autogram, joins to discuss front-end development and how the world has impacted how front-end design is treated and approached. We also joke about whether Deane actually “invented” responsive web design. (He didn’t.)
Episode 18: Select an Implementation Partner (w/ Tony Byrne) Off-site link
Corey and Deane discuss what clients should look for when selecting an implementation partner. Then, Tony Byrne, co-author of The Right Way to Select Technology and President of Real Story Group, joins to talk through the implementation partner selection process, including common mistakes, the value of domain knowledge, and how most projects should focus on technology first.
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.