Squarespace, a subscription-based solution for managing websites and blogs together in the same platform, has released version 4.0 of its publishing software. Along with improvements to site architecture and enhancements to bandwidth and storage, five features have been added to provide users with more options for creating a professional and dynamic web presence. Bloggers will have access to a search function that operates across all of a website’s content types, including blog posts, discussion forums, FAQs, photo galleries and standard webpages. Squarespace search can also operate on protected areas of a site and index content as soon as it is published. Users can create online forms, allowing users to address the difficult problem of capturing and analyzing data from their customer base. Website owners can use Squarespace’s new FAQ component. Publish questions and answers in a search engine friendly format that is as easy to manage as a blog post. Webmasters and bloggers alike are now able to host a discussion forum within Squarespace just as they would a photo gallery or guestbook. Users can add Google Maps to their site and highlight the location of offices, meetups or other events for their readers. Hosting packages range from $7 to $65 per month, and are available for individuals or businesses. Enterprise users can also take advantage of Squarespace’s customized support and bandwidth plans for $175 per month. http://www.squarespace.com
Category: Publishing & media (Page 40 of 53)
Informative Graphics Corporation (IGC) announced the latest release of its Java version of the Brava! product line, Brava Enterprise 5.2J. Version 5.2J is the next step in IGC’s secure, Java-based viewing technology, bringing features like thumbnail views, term-hit highlighting, redaction, markup consolidation and the ability to output to PDF to the client/server viewer. Brava Enterprise brings unified view and annotation capabilities to a large number of users inside and outside the firewall. Brava! Enterprise integrates into existing systems, honoring user rights, leveraging metadata and managing annotations. Brava Enterprise is integrated with content management systems like EMC Documentum and Open Text Livelink ECM, Interwoven WorkSite MP and Microsoft SharePoint, and project management systems like Primavera Expedition and Meridian Project Systems, as well as many commercial collaboration web sites. http://www.bravaviewer.com, http://www.infograph.com
Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Scene7, a technology provider of real-time rich media delivery services. Adobe plans to offer and expand these interactive publishing services as it extends the online presence of its creative technologies. Most of Scene7’s employees are expected to join Adobe, with chief executive officer Doug Mack taking the position of vice president, Creative Solutions Services at Adobe. Scene7 is based in Novato, California. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close by the end of May 2007. The addition of Scene7 is not expected to have a material impact to Adobe revenue and earnings in fiscal year 2007. Terms were not disclosed. http://www.adobe.com/go/scene7_faq/
When I was much younger, I lived in Upstate NY and was vexed by a certain Gannet Newspaper whose news wasn’t particularly current. I always said that their motto should be “the news in retrospect”.
Now I do some writing in the form of this blog and am embarrassed to admit that my report on the recent Gilbane Conference in SanFrancisco would be covered by the same motto. Age makes us humbler with every passing year.
I was very pleased with the quality of presentations in this year’s Publishing Track. In his recent post, Thad McIlroy was much too modest in his depiction of his impressive Future of Publishing Website. The result of almost 10 years of hard work, the site is a fascinating compendium of past and current views of the future of publishing. It is impressive in its scope, organization, and innate wisdom. We were honored to have it released to the public at our conference.
Thad did his usual outstanding job in leading a panel that gave a crisp and concise view of what is possible today in the world of publishing automation. As publishers, Thomson and O’Reilly distinguished themselves with the processes they are using today and products that resulted from those processes. Their willingness to completely rethink their strategies and re-engineer their processes should prove an inspiration to other publishers.
As you can see from my previous post on We are Smarter than Me, I am very interested in activities at the intersection of communities and publishing entities. Our Panel with representatives of San Diego Union Tribune, MERLOT, and Leverage Software gave vivid examples and insights as to how communities can develop valuable new information or enhance traditional information products. Their talks further fueled my curiosity and thinking on this topic.
Bill Rosenblatt led a great Panel of representatives from Adobe, Mark Logic, Marcinko Enterprises, and Quark through an excellent discussion of how today’s technology can enable publishers to design and implement processes that support true cross media publishing. And then Bill shared the lessons that were learned in an innovative cross-media strategy project that he did with Consumer’s Union. He was joined by Randy Marcinko who cited several clear examples of how the proper processes support cross media publishing and By Chip Pettibone Safari U’s Vice President of Product Development who dazzled the audiance with some of Their new products and business models . Their Rough Cuts and Short Cuts product lines are particularly impressive!
Finally Thad’s posting speaks glowingly of the panel for the International Publishing panel. I concur!!
Thanks to all conference panelists and attendees!! Please send me any comments and critiques that would make the next conference more valuable to you.
There has been much speculation and lots of quick judgments on the Negroponte laptop project. I’ve found all of the articles and blogs I’ve seen to be so devoid of factual matter, while so packed with unsubstantiated opinion, that I’ve found it impossible to form any kind of judgment of my own on the topic.
Obviously addressing the huge problem of literacy in the third-world is essential to a bright future for publishing. Will this be part of the solution?
Read a truly excellent article here:
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/apr07/4985
It’s that rara avis — an article full of both technical, social and political insight, and extremely balanced in presenting its ideas and information. Fascinating and provocative.
StreamServe Inc. announced it has entered into an agreement with Adobe Systems Incorporated to provide support for XML Forms Architecture (XFA), the format of Adobe LiveCycle Designer software. This collaboration provides a common design environment for the production and distribution of business-critical documents in support of both interactive and high-volume output processes. XFA combines the data and capabilities of XML with rich presentation capabilities for multi-channel delivery, including PDF. Adobe LiveCycle Designer enables the creation of dynamic XFA form templates. This software supports XML data and schema bindings, enhances document security with template designs for digital signatures and enables compliance with government accessibility requirements for online forms. With it, anyone with Adobe Reader software can participate in secure, interactive data capture processes that extend to customers, partners or suppliers. Examples include new account applications, bid response or correspondence generation. StreamServe Persuasion permits companies to take information from enterprise applications such as ERP, CRM, SCM and legacy systems and transform it into business correspondence that acts as a dynamic and personalized marketing vehicle for cross-sell, up-sell and brand building. http://www.streamserve.com
Nick Bogarty from the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) writes that the Open Publication Structure (OPS) 2.0 has been elevated for IDPF Member and Public Review. The review period will begin today and extend for 30 days ending on Wednesday, May 16th, 2007. The IDPF strongly encourages feedback from potential users, developers and others, whether IDPF members or not, for the sake of improving the interoperability and quality of IDPF work.
You can view the draft document here. Feedback on the draft specifications should be made by posting a reply to the forum topic, and sample OPS 2.0 files can be found for download here.
As our readers know, we are long-time advocates of open-document formats. Over the past couple of years, we have written a great deal about DITA and formats like ODF, but we also have a lot of experience and interest in DocBook and vertical DTDs such as J2008 for the automotive industry and the various DOD standards. We are clearly reaching a point where interoperability among these standards has become an issue. Organizations are more diverse, more likely to be sharing content between operating groups and with other organizations, and more likely to be sourcing content from a variety of partners, customers, and suppliers. Needless to say, not all of these sources of content will be using the same XML vocabulary; indeed, even two organizations using DITA, for example, will likely have specialized DITA differently.
With this need for interoperability in mind, OASIS has announced a new discussion list, regarding a possible new OASIS Document Standards Interoperability Technical Committee (TC). Details on the list, including how to subscribe, can be found here.
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