CMS Launch

The beta was launched and the reviews were mixed. Some had headaches with the install. Some reported great success and excitement. And some were under-whelmed.

What to do…

Failing Forward

I wouldn’t call this a failure by any stretch, but it also didn’t meet my over-blown expectations.

But this is one of those cases of “nothing ventured nothing gained.”

Creating software for the masses is extremely difficult. But I already knew this.

Rather than tweaking a few things, I need to go back, analyze some critical elements and revamp.

First Impressions Are 90% of Everything

Those that had an easy install experience were generally pretty enthusiastic about the product. Those that struggled with it seemed turned off from the start.

That’s how it is. I knew all along that the install had to be easy and flawless. That’s where the first impression is made.

Unfortunately, I didn’t predict all the ways that folks would try to install the software. This beta test gave me some new info and I can go back and improve things dramatically.

I’ll Be Back

Time to sharpen the old pencil and see what I can do.

Thank you to everyone that went through the install of the beta test and gave me feedback.

If you’re on my announcement list, you just received an email with an invitation to try out my BETA version of the CMS software I’ve created.

Deadline Blues

Remember my last post where I said nothing happens without a deadline? Well, I definitely felt the heat from the deadline and I really wish I had more time to tweak “this” and modify “that” - but a promise is a promise and besides… it’s time to get your feedback.

The other headache of mine is that today I have to leave the office on a family event that I just can’t get out of… [sarcasm]great planning on my part[/sarcasm]. So I won’t be able to respond to your emails until later tonight… much later.

Oh well.

Last Minute Side Notes

My apologies for the rambling and less-than-spectacular video… I only had time for one take.

My goal was to give you a step by step guide to get you off the ground and up and running with my software so you could test it out.

The installation guide will become more detailed as your questions roll in and I start to answer them. I also have plans for a support forum, help desk, and FAQ section when the new site is launched.

There has been a HUGE lag between my last post and now. By way of explanation, and not excuse (’cause there is no good excuse), I have learned:

1- I’m too much of a perfectionist
2- Without a deadline, ain’t nothin’ happening

There were some major projects that landed in my lap unexpectedly that took up all my time, including one of my best clients needing a full blown custom made calendar. As much as I would have loved grabbing one of the many calendar apps available — theirs needed to read events from an xml data feed. Lots of moving parts, lots of headache, but good money.

But honestly, I’m a bit ashamed at how long it’s been since I posted anything about the CMS which I’ve worked so hard on and which many of you are anxiously awaiting.

So, I’m putting my feet to the fire and announcing that on Sept 15th, I will make a beta test available to all of you that have expressed an interest. I’ll send out an email to the list and post a download page.

Note - although the final release will be 99% source code-viewable, the beta test will be encoded, while I iron out and clean up some of the spots that are less-than-pretty (from a coding perspective).

Special thanks to many of you who have sent me encouraging, enthusiastic emails describing how desperately you want what I’ve described. Now it’s up to me to deliver.

Finally, as we approach launch date, there will be special announcements to the list that might not end up on the blog. These could include special early bird discounts, opportunities to get your website url on my new home page for the cms, contest promotions, and other goodies.