The Final Sandpile! Siteglide: The Platform-OS Powered CMS (designed for BC Partners)
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
August 21 2018 (Aug 22 in AUS)
You’ve researched Platform-OS. You’ve heard about its incredible power and flexibility. It’s a bit technical, and right now your priority is finding a replacement for your BC sites.
Ideally you want the power of Platform-OS, but with an easy-to-use CMS (that includes a cost-effective way to migrate your BC sites).
If this sounds like you, watch this exciting Sandpile for the official introduction of Siteglide: The Platform-OS Powered CMS (designed for BC Partners).
During this Sandpile not only will you experience Siteglide’s easy-to-use CMS, but also its built-in Business Catalyst migration tool.
BONUS: Adam Broadway will be introducing the company behind Siteglide, and give an official update on Platform-OS.
Don’t miss this opportunity! Join us for the very last BC Sandpile.
You won’t be disappointed!
Siteglide for BC Partners: https://www.siteglide.com/calling-business-catalyst-partners
RESOURCES: Siteglide Preso with important links
RECORDING: The Final Sandpile! Siteglide: The Platform-OS Powered CMS (designed for BC Partners)
Where Did You Wind Up?
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
August 14 2018 (Aug 15 in AUS)
This week we talked about which platform(s) folks in the BC Community wound up choosing, and a little about why.
You can view the survey results here.
https://goo.gl/forms/XJRN0p6yWtDH9USP2
Link to the results in a spreadsheet
Link to Weebly Cloud Facebook Group mentioned during Sandpile
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bc2weeblycloud
RECORDING: Where Did You Wind Up?
SiteWild: The reseller website platform that ELIMINATES vendor lock-in
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
July 31 2018 (Aug 1 in AUS)
SiteWild is a white-label website platform built exclusively for designers, marketers, and other web professionals.
In this demo, founder Denny Cave shows how to use the drag-and-drop editor to quickly create dynamic, engaging sites for your clients without writing a line of code.
He also discussed the importance of building your web design business on a platform free from vendor lock-in, explore the developer-level support services included when growing your business on SiteWild, and gives you an inside track on upcoming enhancements that will further streamline your workflow for building and managing multiple client websites.
For Business Catalyst partners
25% off any plan up to 50 sites
50% off of any custom design migration from BC, or other platform
https://sitewild.com
https://sitewild.com/create-account
To set up a time to chat with Denny about SiteWild use this link
RECORDING: SiteWild: The reseller website platform that ELIMINATES vendor lock-in
Webflow - The future of web design is not code
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
July 24 2018 (Jul 25 in AUS)
Webflow is a tool that has been around since 2013. In this short demo, Nelson Abalos Jr will show you the basics of the Webflow designer, Collection Manager, and CMS. He'll also answer any questions you may have about Webflow and how it can fit your workflow.
Before the meeting, you can also learn about the differences between Muse and Webflow here: https://webflow.com/blog/alternative-to-adobe-muse
Treepl CMS v1 release
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
July 17 2018 (Jul 18 in AUS)
During this Sandpile Alex Yagolnik provided a demo of the stable version 1 of Treepl CMS as well as talked about Hosting Plans, Migration Pricing, Templates & the Partner Program.
This is a long one (just over 2 hours) as we provided ample time for questions.
PS. You may also be interested in seeing past Sandpile presentation recordings
RECORDING: Treepl CMS v1 release
Taking another Break - No Sandpile This Week
Hosted by: No Sandpile This Week
Presenter: No Sandpile This Week
July 10 2018 (Jul 11 in AUS)
This weeks Sandpile is cancelled. I'm taking another short vacation. Maybe I'll teach the Grandson how to make some extra money busking.
Join us again on the following weeks Sandpile for a full demo of the stable version 1 of Treepl CMS as well as talking about Hosting Plans, Migration Pricing, Templates & the Partner Program
Details here: https://www.bcsandpile.com/sandpiles/special-sandpile-treepl-cms-update
Are You Target? or Targeted?
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
July 3 2018 (Jul 4 in AUS)
Is your business like a Target Department Store?
Trying to offer a wide range of services to a wide range of customers.
Or is your business more targeted?
You focus on a niche and work at being seen as experts IN that niche.
Both approaches are valid of course. At this weeks Sandpile we'll discuss each way of doing business and see if perhaps there are some ideas or approaches that you could use for YOUR business.
I will try to have a list of questions/opinions to guide us through, but please....bring your knowledge and experience to the discussion!
PS. You may also be interested in seeing past Sandpile presentation recordings
RECORDING: Are You Target? or Targeted?
I Got Nothing
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
June 26 2018 (Jun 27 in AUS)
I've got nothing to talk about this week, no ideas, nothing interesting....nadda....zip....you get the picture.
So this week we're down to an open meeting unless one of you folks has an idea.
Please....bring your questions and random thoughts. We'll see where it takes us.
PS. You may also be interested in seeing past Sandpile presentation recordings
Accessibility - What Does It Mean To You and Your Clients
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
June 19 2018 (Jun 20 in AUS)
This Sandpile we're going to talk about Website Accessibility and what it means to you and your clients.
I have an outline of things to talk about to help guide us through the conversation
For instance:
- What does your website being accessible mean?
- What are the current laws in your location?
- What are the moral obligations?
- Class Action Lawsuits (Remember Ambulance Chasers?)
- What are the main things to check? (at least to get started)
- Tools (that I have looked at)
- What have I learned so far. I'll let you know some thoughts I have gathered since starting down this path.
Please....bring your knowledge and experience to the discussion!
As a group we have a powerful knowledge base of ideas and techniques that will help us all when we share it.
RESOURCES: Download PDF of notes from the Sandpile for reference
RECORDING: Accessibility - What Does It Mean To You and Your Clients
Demo - BC to Weebly Cloud
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
Presenter: Mary Blight - Rangs Graphics and Design
June 12 2018 (Jun 13 in AUS)
Mary has kindly offered to share her experience with getting one of her Business Catalyst sites moved over to Weebly Cloud
Here is the BC website she replicated: http://www.stonecareaustralia.com.au
Here is the Weebly Cloud one she did: http://www.rangs-templates.com.au
Mary plans to go through the code setup and show the help pages she used.
Mary's Presentation Slides
Weebly Cloud FAQs
BC - Weebly FAQ
RECORDING: Demo - BC to Weebly Cloud
Let's Talk Future - RocketSpark
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
Presenter: Greg Wallace of Rocketspark Ltd
May 29 2018 (May 30 in AUS)
Rocketspark is a potential solution for AU, NZ and UK Business Catalyst Partners who are needing a system to fill the basic, web marketing & simple e-commerce space in their business.
- Brief introduction of Rocketspark
- Positioning why Rocketspark is applicable for basic, web marketing & simple e-commerce requirements currently covered by the BC Adobe web plans
- Industries that work well with Rocketspark
- Examples and case studies
- Live Demo of the system
- Rocketspark Partner Programme
Links from the Sandpile
https://www.rocketspark.com/blog/rocketspark-alternative-business-catalyst-how-we-can-help-you-survive-closing-down-adobe-business-catalyst-and-adobe-muse
https://www.rocketspark.com/pricing
RECORDING: Let's Talk Future - RocketSpark
Let's Talk Future - duda
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
Presenter: duda Sales and Technical team
May 22 2018 (May 23 in AUS)
Duda is a leading web design platform for web professionals and agencies of all sizes, with powerful team collaboration and client management tools for building and managing websites at scale. Our platform enables you to build feature-rich websites that are perfectly suited to desktop, tablet and mobile, and automatically optimized for Google PageSpeed.
Duda has partnered with some of the biggest players in the industry, including Hibu, Italiaonline, 1&1, UOL, Sensis, and Publicar. The company has won multiple awards over the years and was ranked 224 in Deloitte’s Fast 500 list for 2016. In 2017, Duda was named PCMag’s Editors’ Choice website builder.
Duda was founded by Itai Sadan and Amir Glatt in 2009. Based in Palo Alto, California, it currently hosts more than 12 million websites.
More information about BC Partner offer
Other links shared during the Sandpile for more research
https://www.duda.co/blog/duda-partners-lets-encrypt-provide-free-ssl-certificates
https://www.duda.co/plans/ecommerce
https://www.duda.co/website-builder/site-widgets
https://www.duda.co/fulfillment-channel
https://www.duda.co/website-builder/seo
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DudaResellers
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dudesplusdudettes
RECORDING: Let's Talk Future - duda
Let's Talk Future - SIMVOLY
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
Presenter: Stan Petrov
May 15 2018 (May 16 in AUS)
Simvoly is the fastest way to create amazing landing pages, build funnels, websites or full-grown online stores in a matter of minutes. We have a great variety of fully customizable templates for any business type to get you started right away.
The platform doesn't require any coding skills but you have the option to add Custom HTML/CSS and JavaScript if you want.
We have on our roadmap a Simvoly WebApps functionality specially planned for BC Partners.
Simvoly has the world's best White Label program that allows you to get the whole builder under your brand to build websites faster and provide a website building solution to your customers.
For BC Partners we provide a limited time special 100% discount for the first year.
All websites are hosted on secured Amazon Cloud Servers with daily backups that allows your pages and websites to open fast anywhere in the world.
RECORDING: Let's Talk Future - SIMVOLY
Let's Talk Future - Pixel Together
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
Presenter: Simon Moore
May 8 2018 (May 9 in AUS)
Pixel Together is a website builder that gives you the power to easily create the sites you imagine. Freeing you from restrictive templates or hacking away at code, Pixel Together is a powerful platform with a drag and drop editor that places you firmly in creative control of your tailor-made websites.
Pixel Together offers special plans for agencies (https://pixeltogether.com/agencies) that provide reduced prices based on the number of sites. All agency plans come with a fully white labelled platform, global CDN hosting, SSL standard on all sites, site export and a broad range of design features.
Pixel Together also offers a migration service from BC to Pixel Together. Simon Moore, co-founder and CEO will demo the platform along with a real example of a recent BC site migration.
RECORDING: Let's Talk Future - Pixel Together
Let's Talk Future - WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
May 1 2018 (May 2 in AUS)
Over the weekend it occurred to me that we've been chasing platform providers, seeking out one that we thought we could adapt to our needs.
Perhaps we should be compiling a list of what we WANT....and thereby letting the platform providers know what's important to our community of agencies and freelancers.
I don't know what such a compilation will ultimately be used for, or if the various platform providers will take our feedback and adapt their systems to account for it. But I thought it would be a good exercise to go through regardless....and if nothing else it could give you a better understanding of what you need to move forward.
PDF OF RESULTS: Click to view the results
RECORDING: Let's Talk Future - WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Let's Talk Future - WHERE ARE YOU AT?
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
April 24 2018 (Apr 25 in AUS)
Well...it's been a few weeks now since the EOL announcement from Adobe. With no one asking for time to present their platform I thought it would be a good use of Sandpile time to have a discussion about where you're at.
View the results of the survey from this Sandpile
https://goo.gl/forms/BZOmBYQ1mFgs5vwx2
Survey results in PDF for platforms that are either being used or in the final consideration: Click here
Survey results in PDF for Questions Still Answers For: Click here
Survey results in PDF for Experiences So Far: Click here
RECORDING: Let's Talk Future - WHERE ARE YOU AT?
Let's Talk Future - Synergy 8 Website & Digital Marketing Platform
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
Presenter: Alex Cumberland
April 17 2018 (Apr 18 in AUS)
With a similar feature-set to BC, Synergy 8 offers a solid CMS, e-mail and sms marketing tools, automated workflows, a central customer database, events rsvp and e-commerce capabilities.
Synergy 8 is a product based out of Brisbane Australia, aimed at established small and medium sized businesses. Their team is currently looking to increase their partner network of web design / developers and agencies.
Alex and Scott from Synergy 8 will walk-through a Synergy 8 demo, discuss their partner program and answer questions from the Sandpile community.
Here's a link to a recorded webinar that walked BC Partners through Synergy 8
https://www.synergy8.com/blog/adobe-business-catalyst-vs-synergy-8
Watch the recording and come to the Sandpile to hear more and have your questions answered!
RECORDING: Let's Talk Future - Synergy 8 Website & Digital Marketing Platform
Next Steps for the Sandpile
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
April 10 2018 (Apr 11 in AUS)
I'm sure we're all still figuring out what we're going to do moving forward after Adobe's announcement of the End of Life for Business Catalyst.
Where do you want it to go?
Do we continue to use this time to discuss transition strategies and plans?
Do we leave it open for people that are discovering ways to move forward, or perhaps even offering migration tools and/or alternate hosting facilities
to bring them to the community?
Does Sandpile need to combine with something else or become something new?
Has Sandpile run it's course and it's time to let it go?
RECORDING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU7PG1Hnzoc
This Sandpile was shorter than usual to allow the community to attend a webinar put on by Pretty to discuss their strategy.
Link to Pretty's RECORDING: https://experts.adobeconnect.com/_a204547676/plezxue5847w/
Lets Talk Future - Weebly Cloud
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
Presenter: Karim Ardalan
April 3 2018 (Apr 4 in AUS)
Karim Ardalan from AID+BC has been building sites on Weebly Cloud (not Weebly retail) for the last 12 months. At this weeks Sandpile he will share his experience as a BC partner on what Weebly Cloud has to offer. Karim will also provide details about a special BC Partner only offer for those that choose to move to Weebly Cloud.
Karim was also successful in negotiating a special discount for BC Partners.
Details here: https://bc-partners.weebly.com/
Video showing how to move a website from BC to Weebly Cloud: http://www.aidbc.com/business-catalyst-videos/migrating-a-bc-website-to-weebly-cloud-in-15-minutes
Sandpile Recording:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MABblUZUWT8
PDF of Sandpile Presentation:
Download PDF
Special Follow Up Sandpile - Lets Talk Future with Code Production
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
April 2 2018 (Apr 3 in AUS)
This special Sandpile is to allow time for Code Production to answer a number of questions and provide some clarification for the Community that came up from last weeks Sandpile.
During this meeting Alex Yagolnik will present an updated version of the solution he presented last week. Adam Broadway has kindly agreed to attend as well. You will be able to get all answers to all questions from the last sandpile.
Normally I would have scheduled this in a future Sandpile, but with things happening so quickly and Partners feeling adrift and confused I felt it best
to schedule this follow up asap.
RECORDING: Special Follow Up Sandpile - Lets Talk Future with Code Production
Let’s talk future - Code Production
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
March 27 2018 (Mar 28 in AUS)
During this meeting Alex from Code Production (formerly EZ-BC) and guest Adam Broadway, founder of Business Catalyst and now NearMe (Platform OS), will reveal results of a recent collaboration that we hope will be highly valuable to BC partners.
PLATFORM OS PRESENTATION: Click here (watch
first)
SANDPILE RECORDING: Click here (watch second)
Video recording tools, what do partners use. What platforms do you use for distribution
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
March 20 2018 (Mar 21 in AUS)
Do you use video to educate/support your customers? Are you doing something else with video? Let's talk about the tools and platforms available and whats working for you.RECORDING: Video recording tools, what do partners use. What platforms do you use for distribution
Proposals....what works for you, what hasn't worked for you
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
March 13 2018 (Mar 14 in AUS)
Proposals.....love them or hate them, they are what get you the work you need to thrive. Let's talk about what's been closing deals for you.RECORDING: Proposals....what works for you, what hasn't worked for you
Templates vs Custom Build, what are partners doing and why
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
March 6 2018 (Mar 7 in AUS)
They both have a purpose. Let's talk about what you're doing these days and why it's working for you.RECORDING: Templates vs Custom Build, what are partners doing and why
The Tool Show - discussing the various tools we're using.
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
February 27 2018 (Feb 28 in AUS)
Let's talk about what you're using that's working for you, and perhaps what you've given up on.
Before the Sandpile we sent out a survey for the community to complete. We had a great response and the survey was the basis for discussion during the
Sandpile.
View survey results here.
RECORDING: The Tool Show - discussing the various tools we're using.
Custom Parameter Examples
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
February 20 2018 (Feb 21 in AUS)
Some examples of using custom parameters for modules and include filesRECORDING: Custom Parameter Examples
Module Strengths, Weaknesses and Enhancements
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
February 13 2018 (Feb 14 in AUS)
Some discussion about the varous modules in BC and how we're working with them (and in some cases around them)Think Tank - Social Sharing with BC
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
February 6 2018 (Feb 7 in AUS)
There's lots of tools out there for social sharing, we'll have a think tank about it and perhaps you will find YOUR answer.
RESOURCES: download pdf of links
RECORDING: Think Tank - Social Sharing with BC
Finding the best BC Partner for the the job
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
January 30 2018 (Jan 31 in AUS)
Need some help getting that project done? We'll talk about how to find the best resource to help you out.RECORDING: Finding the best BC Partner for the the job
Dave Haggblad Ask A Web Pro Development Panel Discussion Think Tank
Think Tank - Discussion on BC's Shipping Module
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
January 23 2018 (Jan 24 in AUS)
It's good in some ways, and a real challenge in other ways. Maybe through a think tank discussion we can make things a little better for you.Implementing dynamic menus in BC
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
January 16 2018 (Jan 17 in AUS)
Menu's are used on almost every website, and the BC Menu Module is pretty decent. We'll talk about what we're using these days and why.
RESOURCES: download pdf
RECORDING: Implementing dynamic menus in BC
Liquid Templates, using liquid code vs content holders, page modules, page control
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
January 9 2018 (Jan 10 in AUS)
Some disucssion around when to use liquid vs content holders. Additionally some conversation aound the concept of Page Modules and Page ControlRECORDING: Liquid Templates, using liquid code vs content holders, page modules, page control
RESOURCES: Liquid Templates, using liquid code vs content holders, page modules, page control
Using Lat & Longitude fallbacks in a webapp map output, avoiding the offshore of Africa error
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
January 2 2018 (Jan 3 in AUS)
The built in webapp output on a map is not bad, and using a plugin makes it a bit better. But how do you handle things when BC doesn't understand the address you've entered. We'll talk about Latitude and Longitude fallbacks, and how to avoid having a map marker off the coast of Africa when BC doesn't know where you're address is.RECORDING: Using Lat & Longitude fallbacks in a webapp map output, avoiding the offshore of Africa error
IT'S BOXING DAY - NO SANDPILE TODAY
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
December 26 2017 (Dec 27 in AUS)
Getting Started with Business Catalyst
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
December 19 2017 (Dec 20 in AUS)
New to Business Catalyst? We'll discuss some of the basics for getting started with a solid foundation and hopefully provide you with some direction for next steps.
Download a PDF of links to Getting Started Resources discussed
RECORDING: Getting Started with Business Catalyst
How BC apps are used in the production process
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
December 12 2017 (Dec 13 in AUS)
BC Apps can speed up your development, make it more consistent, and even make it simpler for your client to update their site.
Download a PDF of links to apps discussed
What's the value of a BC Partner? (What does it mean to be a BC partner)
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
December 5 2017 (Dec 6 in AUS)
Lots of you have asked if it's still worthwhile -- many have asked if it's even still possible. Hopefully we can answer those questions on this sandpileRECORDING: What's the value of a BC Partner? (What does it mean to be a BC partner)
Things you can do on Ecommerce sites you may not have known about
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
November 28 2017 (Nov 29 in AUS)
On the heels of completing the latest BC Gurus template, which is ecommerce focussed, Dave will discuss some features you may not have know you can accomplish with BC on an ecommerce site.
RESOURCES: PDF with link to plugins, widgets & tutorials mentioned
RECORDING: Things you can do on Ecommerce sites you may not have known about
Best Practices for Implementing Open Graph Tags on Business Catalyst
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
November 21 2017 (Nov 22 in AUS)
It's confusing, and tough to get it right. We're hoping as a group we can figure out what's working best for sandpilersRECORDING: Best Practices for Implementing Open Graph Tags on Business Catalyst
Getting a Non-BC html template ready for BC
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad
November 14 2017 (Nov 15 in AUS)
Did you or your client find a template on theme forest that they really like? No worries, we'll talk about what it takes to get that working on BC.
RESOURCES: PDF with link to related tutorials
RECORDING: Getting a Non-BC html template ready for BC
Member messaging within the Sandpile website
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
November 7 2017 (Nov 8 in AUS)
Did you know there's a member messeging tool on the Sandpile site? We'll show you how it works and even reveal the techy stuff behind it.
RECORDING: Member messaging within the Sandpile website
How To Best Use The WYSIWYG Editor
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
October 31 2017 (Nov 1 in AUS)
Pick up some tips and tricks that will make it easier for your clients to use the WYSIWYG editor.
RECORDING: How To Best Use The WYSIWYG Editor
Adobe Max Wrapup
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
October 24 2017 (Oct 25 in AUS)
We spent the week at Adobe Max, this sandpile will be used to discuss what we liked, what we didn't like, and what we thought overall.RECORDING: Adobe Max Wrapup
BC Preconference @ Adobe MAX 2017
Presenter: Magda Neagu
October 17 2017 (Oct 18 in AUS)
Join the live stream of the Adobe Business Catalyst pre-conference at the 2017 Adobe MAX Conference.
This is the can't miss event of the year.
Presentations from Business Catalyst partners and the Business Catalyst team. The event will conclude with a live Q&A session with the Adobe Business Catalyst team.
To virtually attend the conference, join the Adobe Connect room: my.adobeconnect.com/
Are you in Australia? Join Pretty and CBO for a special viewing of the event in Sydney Australia. More details here: https://businesscatalyst.com/bc-blog/max-conference-for-our-australian-partners
Liquid Shopping Cart
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
October 10 2017 (Oct 11 in AUS)
A look at how a liquid markup based shopping cart improves your user experience and responsiveness.
Link to an alternate shopping cart built with JS (sent by Richard of Color Rich): https://www.colourrich.co.uk/inside-design/adobe-business-catalyst-responsive-shopping-cart
RECORDING: Liquid Shopping Cart
Using Dreaweaver, Business Catalyst and Github Together
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
October 3 2017 (Oct 4 in AUS)
A discussion about using Dreamweaver and Github together to make your development more consistent and quicker.RECORDING: Using Dreaweaver, Business Catalyst and Github Together
Care Package vs Support Plan
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
September 26 2017 (Sep 27 in AUS)
A panel discussion about how you provide support to your customers. Some call it a Care Package, some call it a Support Plan. What do you call yours? How much to you charge? Do you bundle it with Hosting or charge it separate? Let's talk about it and perhaps you can come up with something that makes sense for you.
Download sample Care Plan courtesy of A2Z Enhanced Digital Solutions here
RECORDING: Care Package vs Support Plan
AngularJS and Business Catalyst
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad and Mike Sallander
September 19 2017 (Sep 20 in AUS)
In this sandpile we'll discuss the use of angularjs as a potential filtering tool for webapps. We've just begun working with it so can't give you the definitive answer, but we'll share what we've got so far.RECORDING: AngularJS and Business Catalyst
How the Sandpile Members Portal was built
Hosted by:
Dave Haggblad & Mike Sallander
September 12 2017 (Sep 13 in AUS)
There's been lots of questions about how the Sandpile website was built. How the messaging works, how the 'follow' works and the partner search.
In this Sandpile we'll discuss some of the phylosophy behind the Sandpile site and provide some overall details on how those features work.
We will also field questions from Sandpilers and do our best to answer them.
RECORDING: How the Sandpile Members Portal was built
Ask a Web Pro: Mike Sallander
Hosted by: Michael Sallander
September 5 2017 (Sep 6 in AUS)
In the first Sandpile that Chicago Digital is leading, Mike Sallander will be running solo, reviewing the Sandpile feedback and fielding questions from the audience.
This is your chance to ask Mike any questions about BC Sandpile, Business Catalyst, the BC App Store, BC Academe, BC Gurus, Solid Sky or Chicago Digital.
Mike will also be announcing an exciting new format for BC Sandpile moving forward.
RECORDING: Ask a Web Pro: Mike Sallander
The Dawn of A New Era for BC Sandpile : A Sandpile for All
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
August 29 2017 (Aug 30 in AUS)
This week we have a super exciting announcement about changes in BC Sandpile.
BC Sandpile has had a gradual evolution; growing from about 5 regular members in 2011 through to massively huge meetings where it felt like we had all the major and minor BC players attend.
As our community has evolved, as technology has evolved, and indeed as BC has evolved, we have tried to adapt and move with what will be of most value to the community.
But enough of a teaser - we invite you to the big reveal tomorrow.
Don�۪t miss it.
RECORDING: The Dawn of A New Era for BC Sandpile : A Sandpile for All
Email Choices - options and setups
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
August 22 2017 (Aug 23 in AUS)
The topic of how to set up email for clients will come up every time you make a new site live.
While many partners use BC Email most of the time, other partners prefer using Google or Microsoft services.
At other times, email is already hosted externally, and this presents it's own set of challenges.
This week we revisit these varied options and see if there are any changes or new best practices to help us help our clients make the best decisions for their business.
RECORDING: Email Choices - options and setups
What Is Your Business Catalyst IQ? (August 2017)
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
August 8 2017 (Aug 9 in AUS)
It's been a year since we last tested your BC knowledge! Are you a BC Genius? A BC Novice? Or, somewhere in between?
As a group we will take the BC IQ Quiz. The quiz will contain all Business Catalyst related questions. You will have a chance to answer the question before we discuss it as a group.
No matter where you are in your BC journey, please join us. This is a great opportunity to test your knowledge and walk away with a new understanding of BC
Liquid Markup Refresher
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
August 1 2017 (Aug 2 in AUS)
In this BC Sandpile we are going to take another look at Liquid Markup. Scott B Reynolds of Thrise will walk through both the basics of Liquid Markup, and go over features and tecniques you probably didn't realize were available. No matter if you're a newbie or an expert, you will walk away with knowledge you can use in your future Business Catalyst projects.
RECORDING: Liquid Markup Refresher
Beat Out The Competition : How to Stop Discounting Your Web & Digital Projects
Hosted by: Brent Weaver
July 18 2017 (Jul 19 in AUS)
Brent Weaver is going to talk us through something many partners are dealing with - Discounting!
- How to win against cut-rate competitors and website builders like Wix and Squarespace
- How to find more clients that don’t expect a custom website for cheap ‘do it yourself’ pricing
- How to deliver the same project for more money, without putting in extra hours to get it done.
We are thrilled that he will be presenting a series of business-building topics over the coming months.
RECORDING: Beat Out The Competition : How to Stop Discounting Your Web & Digital Projects
Think Tank : Pricing, Packaging and more
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
July 11 2017 (Jul 12 in AUS)
Another major change which partners have been implementing is the new partner pricing.
Many partners have taken the opportunity to review and revamp the entire way they 'do business'.
While next week we will have Brent Weaver talking more about positioning our products & services, this week's discussion will be a perfect pre-cursor to this.
Come and join the think tank to let us know what you are doing, any challenges you are facing and any solutions you have come up with.
RECORDING: Think Tank : Pricing, Packaging and more
Implementing SSL - Your Experiences So Far, Your Tips & Challenges
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
July 4 2017 (Jul 5 in AUS)
It's been three weeks since the release of SSL & the new pricing, so we though it would be a good time to check in and see how you are going.
- Have you hit any problems and solved them?
- Or still need to solve them?
- How are your clients reacting?
- Have you worked out any hacks or workflows?
- How have you been communicating with your clients about it?
Come and share your experiences, or learn from the pioneers who have been implementing.
RECORDING: Implementing SSL - Your Experiences So Far, Your Tips & Challenges
Is Your Partner Site Outdated?
Presenter: Alex Yagolnik
June 27 2017 (Jun 28 in AUS)
Let me guess, you don’t have a great partner site because you are too busy with your current projects?
Maybe you still have that standard outdated template as a base of your partner site?
Code Production team believes every BC partner must have a responsive, cross-browser, modern-looking professional site.
During this sandpile Alex Yagolnik will introduce a brand new special template along with a program based on their Custom Templates solution. This program will be aimed to help any BC partner create a top-notch professional partner site in a very short term and at low cost.
RECORDING: Is Your Partner Site Outdated?
Templates 2.0 – The Next Generation of Templates from BC Gurus
Presenter: Michael Sallander
June 20 2017 (Jun 21 in AUS)
BC Gurus and Chicago Digital have teamed up to create a new generation of incredible templates, launching June 29th.
Rebuilding everything from the ground up, they focused on making templates that are not only enhanced with best-in-class UI/UX design but also include tons of new features and exclusive add-ons, all available for easy and fast customization.
Michael Sallander will be giving a sneak peek into what they've been hard at work developing, the first template 2.0 to be released Gadgets & Gear: A Review & Magazine Theme.
RECORDING: Templates 2.0 – The Next Generation of Templates from BC Gurus
SSL, New Pricing Implementation Tips from the BC Team
Hosted by: Magda Neagu
June 13 2017 (Jun 14 in AUS)
Find out everything you need to know about the new SSL feature available in Business Catalyst. Which plans include it by default, which plans have it available as an overage, what you need to do to install it and how you can sell it to your customers.
RECORDING: SSL, New Pricing Implementation Tips from the BC Team
Custom Templates Becomes a Game Changer
Presenter: Alex Yagolnik
June 6 2017 (Jun 7 in AUS)
Alex Yagolnik of EZ-BC/Code Production will introduce the new customization features that will change the way one can design and deliver sites.
And we will make it different this time: every attendee will be able to play with the newest feature set giving a real time feedback and getting answers to any questions.
RECORDING: Custom Templates Becomes a Game Changer
BC Webinar - Connect Business Catalyst with Slack
Presenter: Michael Sallander
May 30 2017 (May 31 in AUS)
Slack is becoming the central communications platform for companies, don't leave Business Catalyst out!
In this webinar, Mike Sallander will show you practical use cases for connecting Adobe Business Catalyst and Slack together, using real-world examples from the brands that he runs such as Chicago Digital, BC App Store, and BC Academe.
Mike will show you the variety of ways you can go about connecting the systems including both plug and play methods in addition to developing an integration. Speaking of Slack, if you are not already a member of the BC Sandpile Slack Community, join for the webinar and we will show you how you can get an invite!
RECORDING: BC Webinar - Connect Business Catalyst with Slack
Custom Templates Getting New Tools for Designers and Developers
Presenter: Alex Yagolnik
May 23 2017 (May 24 in AUS)
Alex Yagolnik of Code Production will present the new powerful customization tools for creating sites from custom templates.
How about those who prefer to code themselves? New advanced tools are prepared just for coders!
P.S. Bonuses and coupons for attendees guaranteed
RECORDING: Custom Templates Getting New Tools for Designers and Developers
Marketing BC - Starting a conversation about a collaborative way forward
Presenter: Urszula Richards
May 16 2017 (May 17 in AUS)
This week, Carolyn Frost from Adobe BC will join a facilitated discussion about the marketing of BC.
One of the things we often hear about, is the need for more up-to-date marketing resources and the need for BC to have a much higher profile in the overall website solutions conversation. Most people, simply have not heard of it.
While the focus of the BC team is currently on implementing https and the major work this requires, we thought it was a good time to start this conversation
and have input into what we think would work, and we are grateful that Carolyn has agreed to be part of the conversation.
RECORDING: Marketing BC - Starting a conversation about a collaborative way forward
Xero Integration has now arrived - CBO showcases this new integration
Hosted by: Shane McGeorge
May 9 2017 (May 10 in AUS)
Shane will be talking about the latest (and much requested) app - BC to Xero integration.
He will showcase the functionality of the App with a live set up and demonstration, along with some behind the scenes diagrams of how the system works
and answer any API questions the audience may have.
RECORDING: Xero Integration has now arrived - CBO showcases this new integration
A cool new tool - this WILL help your business
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
May 2 2017 (May 3 in AUS)
Sometimes a new tool is released into the online universe which is a complete game changer.
This is one such tool and Urszula Richards has not been so excited since she discovered Trello (and she's still excited about that).
She has already used this tool to close a sale, do some staff training and create a built-in training and support library for her clients, and collaborate with other partners. And she's been using it for under a week.
What is it? Loom.
Be prepared to be in awe. This WILL help your business.
BC Webinar - Personalize Your Website and Email Marketing
Hosted by: Michael Sallander
April 25 2017 (Apr 26 in AUS)
Business Catalyst is an amazing Content Management System that has the website hosting, CMS, CRM, Ecommerce, secure zones and Email Marketing combined,
in one product. This enables developers to build web experiences that are more personalized to their audiences. Mike Sallander, President of Chicago
Digital, will show you the potential of personalization in Business Catalyst by walking you through practical examples: Display different Home
Page Sliders based on the country of the visitor
Send email marketing campaigns to users based on their country or state without asking for the information
Change calls to actions on your website based on users past interactions with your website
RECORDING: BC Webinar - Personalize Your Website and Email Marketing
BC Webinar - Here's to Making JSON Part of Every Developer's Vocabulary
Hosted by: Michael Sallander
March 28 2017 (Mar 29 in AUS)
Most people know that Business Catalyst is a very secure, simple, and powerful platform to build websites, but what you may not know is that Business Catalyst is also flexible and customizable.
To unlock the full potential of Business Catalyst you will need to learn more than HTML and CSS. If you are ready to take Business Catalyst to the next level, then demystifying JSON is the next step.
If the word JSON intimidates you, this webinar is for you. If you struggle with liquid or working with APIs, this webinar is for you. While Mike Sallander from Chicago Digital cannot make you a JSON expert in this webinar, he will help you understand the importance of JSON and make you feel more comfortable with it so you can begin to unlock the power of the platform.
RECORDING: BC Webinar - Here's to Making JSON Part of Every Developer's Vocabulary
Custom Design/Development vs Templates vs Custom Templates by EZ-BC
Presenter: Alex Yagolnik
March 7 2017 (Mar 8 in AUS)
Should I start from scratch and charge more, or use a pre-designed/pre-developed template and charge less?
Are there any other options?
EZ-BC claims their templates solution for Business Catalyst is a better alternative in both cases. Alex Yagolnik, founder of EZ-BC/Code Production will share the story behind the Custom Templates project and how it can drastically change the way you sell and deliver websites.
In addition, there will be exclusives offered to just the Sandpile attendees!
RECORDING: Custom Design/Development vs Templates vs Custom Templates by EZ-BC
BC Webinar - Unlock the Potential of Business Catalyst with Web Apps
Hosted by: Michael Sallander
February 28 2017 (Mar 1 in AUS)
Web Apps are a simple way to add complex functionality to Business Catalyst websites while making the backend editing experience for customers easier.
In this webinar Mike Sallander, from Chicago Digital, will explain what web apps are, how they are used, and show basic and advanced implementations.
For advanced users, Mike will discuss how you can get around one of the limitations of Web Apps in Business Catalyst.
RECORDING: BC Webinar - Unlock the Potential of Business Catalyst with Web Apps
Social Media Feed
Hosted by: Ursh
February 21 2017 (Feb 22 in AUS)
Finally a simple way to aggregate all of your brands' social media posts into a single beautiful social media feed on your website.
Aggregate - Automatically pulls in new posts from your social media accounts.
Choose - Choose the accounts you want to show in your feed.
Display - Display them in a beautiful, easy to install social feed on your website.
Features Get Noticed - Beautiful social feed with posts from all your accounts. Save Time - Easy website embed. Specially built for Business Catalyst Stand Out - Use our provided styling or style it yourself! Be everywhere - Responsive. Looks great on all devices. Sit back and relax - Automatically updates your feed. Pulls in new posts when you post them.
RECORDING: Social Media Feed
4 Ways to Charge More With BC and SEO
Hosted by: Fraser McCulloch
February 14 2017 (Feb 15 in AUS)
4 Ways to Charge More With BC and SEO
Who doesn't want to charge more for web design and development ?
We're going to show BC partners how they can use a new free and paid BC app to bill customers more each month.
Then we're going to show you how to charge new clients more with a creative SEO approach.
RECORDING: 4 Ways to Charge More With BC and SEO
RESOURCES: 4 Ways to Charge More With BC and SEO
Landing Page Builder - How to Use it & How to Monetise it
Hosted by: Scott & Ursh
February 7 2017 (Feb 8 in AUS)
This week we have the first of our App Developer presentations - Scott from Thrise & Ursh from onlineiq will present the Landing Page Builder App.
The Landing Page Builder has been in beta for some time, gathering valuable feedback from early adopters, and now they believe it is at a stage where you can confidently create new business by offering Landing Pages, or speed up your existing Landing Page development.
In order to ensure that the presentation is relevant to you, they have asked that you fill out this one minute survey to help them ensure that the presentation is of value to you.
RECORDING: Landing Page Builder - How to Use it & How to Monetise it
Fatal Errors of Business Planning
Presenter: Jon Elbery
January 17 2017 (Jan 18 in AUS)
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in London and moving to Australia, Jon has had a varied career, including -
- as Managing Director of a private company with cattle, wine, property and art interests in Australia, a chain of theatres in London and other interests
in the USA, and
- as a director of a public listed company involved in a range of business to business services
- Jon has vast experience in business strategic planning and working to develop successful small businesses.
Utility Apps in Business Catalyst
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
December 6 2016 (Dec 7 in AUS)
When we think of a BC Admin App we often think of a module-type of app designed for our clients. But, what about apps that help the day-to-day activities of a BC Partner?
Join us for a Business Catalyst Sandpile dedicated to leveraging utility BC Apps to speed up our workflow, and provide more value to our clients. We’ll look at include management, web app helpers, customizing the admin, landing pages, etc.
RECORDING: Utility Apps in Business Catalyst
Special 2 Hour Adobe MAX 2016 Sandpile
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
November 2 2016 (Nov 3 in AUS)
At this special BC Sandpile we will be live in San Diego, CA during Adobe MAX! We are fortunate to have three BC Partners and a representative from the Business Catalyst Team giving presentations.
Where: The event will be in our normal Sandpile Connect Room
When: November 2nd from 6pm - 8pm (PT - San Diego time)
Business Catalyst Community Updates (Mike Sallander)
Mike Sallander of Chicago Digital, BC Academe, Solid Sky, and BC App Store will be sharing the latest releases and upcoming announcements from the
community. Discover the amazing things that partners around the world are accomplishing with Business Catalyst.
RECORDING
You Asked For It (Dave Haggblad)
Dave Haggblad be announcing something you’ve been asking BC Gurus to create for a long time.
RECORDING
Invoicing with Business Catalyst (Scott B Reynolds)
When it’s time to bill your clients, which invoicing tool do you use? Have you considered using Business Catalyst? Scott B Reynolds of Thrise will
show you how to turn your Partner site into a powerful invoicing system. Business Catalyst is set up for invoices, and with a few changes, you will
be able to start invoicing your clients without relying on a 3rd-party billing service.
RECORDING
The Potential of Business Catalyst (Shane McGeorge)
RECORDING
What's going on with BC? (Magda Neagu)
Q&A with a Business Catalyst representative from Adobe.
RECORDING
Pre-MAX Open Meeting
Hosted by: Sandy Sandpile
November 1 2016 (Nov 2 in AUS)
Many of you won't be able to join us at the Business Catalyst Social Event during Adobe MAX in San Diego, but it doesn't mean you can't socialize here instead.
At this meeting we will discuss any BC/web related topic the group wishes. If you were around when BC Sandpile first started you will remember that we were all about open and honest conversations focused on Business Catalyst. It was simple, valuable, and fun. We are going back to our roots with an open meeting. No presentations. No pitches. Just simple Partner-to-Partner discussions.
Don't miss the special Sandpile the day after this Sandpile.
Think BC Apps First
Presenter: Michael Sallander
October 25 2016 (Oct 26 in AUS)
Have you spent hours (or days) developing solutions for your clients that could have been solved in minutes by using a BC App offered in the BC App Store? In this session Michael Sallander from the BC App Store is going to review what is available now, and give some sneak peeks on some exciting BC Apps coming soon.
RECORDING: Think BC Apps First
Landing Pages and Business Catalyst - A Match Made in Heaven
Presenter: Urszula Richards
October 18 2016 (Oct 19 in AUS)
Landing Pages and Business Catalyst are a match made in Heaven. Well certainly Scott & Ursh, the creators of the Landing Page Builder think so.
But what has been obvious to us for some time, is presenting as a brand new idea to many partners, so in this month of BC Apps, we thought the first place to start would be to explore Landing Pages and see how they can be used to enhance their clients' businesses, as well as their own.
What is exciting about the pairing Business Catalyst & a Landing Page product is that nowhere in the market is this solution available at this price point with the amount of integration which Business Catalyst affords.
The session will include case examples of Landing Pages you can create easily, and how you can monetise these.
We will also demonstrate examples of how the Landing Page Builder (which is currently in Beta) can be used by Partners already, and let you know what else is in store.
And if you simply can't wait that long, you can sign up and get access to the beta ahead of time.
RECORDING: Landing Pages and Business Catalyst - A Match Made in Heaven
BC App Review: Email Marketing Template Pack
Presenter: Shane McGeorge
October 4 2016 (Oct 5 in AUS)
We're going to take a close look at the exciting new BC Admin App: Email Marketing Template Pack
Specifics:
- Overview of the email marketing module
- Using the CRM anniversary dates
- Using the ICE editor
- Dynamic content in emails
- How to test emails using 3rd party software like Litmus
- Examples of email marketing designs
- Advanced examples of web form auto-reply emails
- UTM tracking
RECORDING: BC App Review: Email Marketing Template Pack
What Is Your Business Catalyst IQ? (August 2016)
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
August 23 2016 (Aug 24 in AUS)
Are you a BC Genius? A BC Novice? Or, somewhere in between?
As a group we will take the BC IQ Quiz. The quiz will contain all Business Catalyst related questions. You will have a chance to answer the question before we discuss it as a group.
No matter where you are in your BC journey, please join us. This is a great opportunity to test your knowledge and walk away with a new understanding of BC
BC App: Communicate With Website Visitors
Hosted by: Penny Elbery
July 26 2016 (Jul 27 in AUS)
Jason Miller from 3MD Communications, has built a free app which plugs into BC Sites, and offers an integrated support solution using native BC functionality.
Jason will show us not only how to install and use the admin app, but how it can benefit BC Partners by bringing in additional revenue.
RECORDING: BC App: Communicate With Website Visitors
Google Basics for New Websites
Hosted by: Katherine Anderson
July 19 2016 (Jul 20 in AUS)
She will also touch on the complexities of website migrations or when an old domain needs to be redirected to a new one and keep its rankings. It is not
for the faint-hearted and shows why expert help in order to ensure your clients keep their hard-earned rankings may be required.
RECORDING: Google Basics for New Websites
e-Commerce | The odd, the inspired and the {almost} impossible
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
May 31 2016 (Jun 1 in AUS)
With some pretty amazing, stand alone, e-Commerce offerings in the market, our clients are coming to us with requests for online shops and online selling which not only stretch the imagination, but the limits of what many of us think is possible in Business Catalyst.
At the same time, each request sends a challenge to us to see if we can indeed find a work-around, create a BC App or some other way of meeting these requirements.
In this Sandpile, we invite you to share any challenges, solutions or examples.
Show and tells most welcome.
RECORDING: e-Commerce | The odd, the inspired and the {almost} impossible
Roles, Permissions & Workflows
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
May 17 2016 (May 18 in AUS)
This week, we start our partner discussion by looking at the various Roles and Workflows we can set up in Business Catalyst.
- What default Roles do you set up and why?
- What mistakes (or discoveries) have you made in setting up Roles?
- Do you use Roles to show/hide functionality which you charge extra for?
- Have you set up any interesting Workflows for your clients?
- Do you have a standard workflow for setting up Roles and Workflows when you build a website?
Here is a link to the google doc spreadsheet you can use to see what the default BC Roles are, and to create some of your own. You can view this document and create
a copy for yourself.
Pauline has further upgraded this document and added another column and document with screenshots if you don't quite know all the admin menu items
Permissions with Menu Locations
RECORDING: Roles, Permissions & Workflows
Webflow and Business Catalyst with Fraser from Platonik
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
May 10 2016 (May 11 in AUS)
In this week’s Sandpile, Fraser from Platonik will talk us through an interesting process of using
Web Flow for front end design with Back End development in Business Catalyst.
He will show us some benefits to using Webflow, export the website in BC, then go through how he integrated and customised with BC modules and web apps.
This will be more of a ‘top line” presentation and discussion.
In the meantime, if you missed this awesome post by Fraser on trends you’re really missing out - hop over there and have a read!
RECORDING: Webflow and Business Catalyst with Fraser from Platonik
RESOURCES: Webflow and Business Catalyst with Fraser from Platonik
BC + 3rd-Party Server Overview
Presenter: Shane McGeorge
May 3 2016 (May 4 in AUS)
Is there a way to connect Business Catalyst to your own server? Why would you need another server outside of BC? At this Sandpile Shane McGeorge from Complete Business Online will give an overview of BC’s Server-to-Server capabilities, and share some real-world examples. See how CBO has used the Business Catalyst REST API to connect their server system on AWS which gives them the ability to extend the capability of their customer’s websites.
Join us as we explore unexplored Business Catalyst territory.
RECORDING: BC + 3rd-Party Server Overview
Wireframes, Mockups, and Templates
Hosted by: Ursh
Presenter: Ursh
April 12 2016 (Apr 13 in AUS)
How do you start your designs? Do you use a wireframing tool? Do you mockup a design for your client’s approval? Maybe you give your client a selection of templates?
Join us as we discuss the design process. Scott will start with showing off Adobe’s new application Experience Design CC (Adobe XD). Then we’ll discuss how your Business Catalyst projects get designed. Don’t miss this one.
RECORDING: Wireframes, Mockups, and Templates
Open Meeting Recordings
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
April 5 2016 (Apr 6 in AUS)
If you were around when BC Sandpile first started you will remember that we were all about open and honest conversations focused on Business Catalyst. It was simple, valuable, and fun. We are going back to our roots with an open meeting. No presentations. No pitches. Just simple Partner-to-Partner discussions.
Recordings
March 2016 Release Overview
Hosted by: Ursh
March 22 2016 (Mar 23 in AUS)
Too busy to check out March 2016 release (R213)? Didn’t know about the release? No worries, at this Sandpile we are going to explore the most important BC updates of March 2016.
RECORDING: March 2016 Release Overview
Successful Adwords Campaigns For BC Partners
Presenter: Bob Ingram
March 15 2016 (Mar 16 in AUS)
Learn first-hand how to advertise on Google with practical advice on how to run a successful campaign. Find out how top performing AdWords campaigns can translate to higher performing organic results. Call-Only campaigns are a great alternative and can be easy wins for your customers.
RECORDING: Successful Adwords Campaigns For BC Partners
An Introduction to BC Widgets
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
March 8 2016 (Mar 9 in AUS)
On March 2nd 2016 Adobe launched what they are calling BC Widgets. This meeting will we will explore this new exciting feature.
Meeting agenda:
- Difference between web apps, bc apps, modules, content holders, includes, and bc widgets.
- What is a BC Widget?
- How to install a BC Widget.
- Examples of how to customize.
- Group Discussion
- Donuts and coffee
RECORDING: An Introduction to BC Widgets
Business Catalyst Development & Deployment Strategies
Presenter: Justin Kirkwood
February 16 2016 (Feb 17 in AUS)
Discussion of best practices, tips and tricks for Business Catalyst Development.
- How do you deploy your changes to already live sites?
- Do you develop on a “development” site and push live to a production site?
- What tools do you use to make your deployment and development cycles faster?
- Do you have a development strategy to ensure you aren’t working on live sites?
RECORDING: Business Catalyst Development & Deployment Strategies
Let's Talk Images!
Presenter: Urszula Richards
February 2 2016 (Feb 3 in AUS)
Images can make or break a website. That's why we are going to dedicate an entire meeting on image optimisation for Business Catalyst sites.
What are server side settings for image optimisation and does BC use them? What are best dev practices for image optimisation? What are best image editing practices? What are best image uploading and naming practices?
Join us as we explore an often overlook subject.
RECORDING: Let's Talk Images!
January 2016 Release Overview
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
January 26 2016 (Jan 27 in AUS)
To be able to offer your clients the most value out of Business Catalyst it's a good idea to keep up with the releases. Join us as Scott B Reynolds and Dave Haggblad explore the most important updates of January 2016.RECORDING: January 2016 Release Overview
BC vs Wordpress, BC is expensive, BC won’t …. vs a Focus on Value
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
Presenter: Urszula Richards
January 12 2016 (Jan 13 in AUS)
Sometimes it seems that we tie ourselves into knots trying to explain why BC really is the best solution for our clients. Of course BC is not the best for ALL clients, nor would we expect it to be, but hopefully we are all at the point where we know that when we recommend BC it really IS the best solution for our clients.
Wrestling with this fact, I recently came up with a document for a client who was very familiar with WP, so he could see and understand this comparison
and then make his own informed decision.
If your clients are anything like mine, they will not, at the beginning, understand the value of all the features BC has built in.
RECORDING: BC vs Wordpress, BC is expensive, BC won’t …. vs a Focus on Value
What's New with BC (Latest 2015 Releases)?
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
December 15 2015 (Dec 16 in AUS)
To get the most out of Business Catalyst it's a good idea to pay attention to the releases. The last few months there have been some updates and enhancements that you will want to know. Join us as Scott B Reynolds and Dave Haggblad explore the most important changes.
RECORDING: What's New with BC (Latest 2015 Releases)?
Meeting Business Needs with Liquid
Presenter: Steve Johnson
November 3 2015 (Nov 4 in AUS)
Steve Johnson from Graphite Web Solutions has his own small business and employs a young developer part time for 2 days a week. Back in July they launched a website for a cookery school in Scotland and used liquid to solve some of the business website needs. Steve wants to show those that haven't looked at using liquid yet how a small agency can leverage some basic liquid to help solve problems and help improve website experience. Steve will cover the original website and some of the issues and then demo how they solved those problems in the new website. It wont be code heavy!
RECORDING: Meeting Business Needs with Liquid
Ask A Web Pro: Urszula Richards
Presenter: Urszula Richards
October 27 2015 (Oct 28 in AUS)
Want to know how other BC Partners run their business? In this Sandpile Scott Reynolds will interview veteran Business Catalyst Partner Urszula Richards to find out specifically how she runs onlineiq. Ursh will also be taking questions from the audience.
RECORDING: Ask A Web Pro: Urszula Richards
Ask BC: Paul Chirita
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
October 6 2015 (Oct 7 in AUS)
If you could ask the Senior Engineering Manager of Business Catalyst a question, what would it be?
Well, get your question ready...it's going to be an open discussion between you and Paul Chirita, Senior Engineering Manager at Adobe. Paul has agreed to answer our questions and listen to our concerns. We’ll be accepting questions both before and during the meeting. Questions that come in before the meeting will be given preference so get those in asap.
Scott B Reynolds will be meeting with Paul in person at Adobe Max and will facilitate the conversation.
RECORDING: Ask BC: Paul Chirita
Business Catalyst Conference at MAX 2015
Hosted by: BC Community
Presenter: BC Community
October 4 2015 (Oct 5 in AUS)
Below are all of the session recordings from the Business Catalyst conference in Los Angeles, CA.
Recordings:
- Opening and BC Open Platform Advances, Radu Cosnita
- Earn money while you sleep with BC Backup, Joe Wellborn
- Discover the potential of BC Apps, Mike Sallander
- BC Liquid Advances, Cristinel Anastasoaie
- How To Build a Liquid Library, Scott Reynolds
- Practical use of Liquid libraries, Dave Haggblad
- BC strategy for 2016, Cristinel Anastasoaie
Beta Introduction of the BC Pie framework
Presenter: Adam Cook
September 29 2015 (Sep 30 in AUS)
BC Pie has been a long time coming. It’s the fulfillment of a promise Adam Cook (ONE Creative) made to the community a year and a half ago, that he would champion better tools and techniques for BC site development. BC Pie is a modern front-end framework for Business Catalyst, complete with powerful tools and brand new opportunities for partners.
RECORDING: Beta Introduction of the BC Pie framework
Edge Animate for Responsive BC Sites
Presenter: Mary Blight
September 8 2015 (Sep 9 in AUS)
A tutorial on the basic steps to produce a responsive Edge animation, and how to insert it into a responsive Business Catalyst template and send it live.
RECORDING: Edge Animate for Responsive BC Sites
RESOURCES: Edge Animate for Responsive BC Sites
Ask A Web Pro: Beth Kahlich
Presenter: Beth Kahlich
September 1 2015 (Sep 2 in AUS)
In this interview Scott Reynolds is going to interview Business Catalyst Partner Beth Kahlich to find out specifically how she runs her businesses, Dallas Search Engine Academy and Kahlich Internet Consulting. Scott will ask practical questions to discover what's behind Beth's success as an SEO trainer and internet marketing consultant.
RECORDING: Ask A Web Pro: Beth Kahlich
BC Liquid Development Recipes
Presenter: Michael Sallander
August 18 2015 (Aug 19 in AUS)
Michael Sallander, President and Co-Founder of Chicago Digital will share practical use cases of using liquid markup for Business Catalyst websites. This will include many liquid snippets that you can implement on your websites immediately.
This presentation will also be infront of a live audience at the Chicago Business Catalyst User Group. Questions and participation is encouraged by both groups.
RECORDING: BC Liquid Development Recipes
Ask A Web Pro: Debra Scarpa
Presenter: Debra Scarpa
August 11 2015 (Aug 12 in AUS)
How do you find your clients? Do you typically use contracts? What is your payment schedule like? In this Ask A Web Pro interview Scott Reynolds will interview Business Catalyst Partner Debra Scarpa, of Design By Friday. Scott will ask practical questions to discover how she runs a successful web business.
The group is encouraged to ask questions during and after the interview to learn more about Debra's business.
RECORDING: Ask A Web Pro: Debra Scarpa
What We Learned Building BC Sandpile
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
August 4 2015 (Aug 5 in AUS)
There's a new bcsandpile.com and Scott B Reynolds and Dave Haggblad will show how some of the more interesting parts were built. This will include Liquid Markup and some of the other new features in Business Catalyst.
RECORDING: What We Learned Building BC Sandpile
Site Launch and Discussion
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
July 28 2015 (Jul 29 in AUS)
In this landmark BCSandpile, we come together to celebrate 3 1/2 years of BCSandpiles, with an opportunity for us all to review and contribute to BCSandpile’s future direction.
So much has changed in 3 1/2 years! Responsive websites, liquid, the BC Advisory Board.
Many of our early, regular Sandpilers have gone on to create some awesome products and services as a result of the feedback and support of the the BC community. Many have contributed to our collective knowledge and free ‘in-service’ education, and new partners and micro operators have had somewhere to go for support and information.
Sandpile has always been a community driven project, so we felt it was a good time to review what you love, what you want more of, how you’d like to see it change and what you think is no longer relevant.
And we have something exciting to show you…
We’d love to invite all past and present contributors, presenters, existing and newbie sandpilers and lurkers.
Be a part of the continuing evolution of a resource you can tap into whenever you need.
RECORDING: Site Launch and Discussion
Responsive Images with the Chicago BC User Group
Hosted by: Michael Sallander
July 21 2015 (Jul 22 in AUS)
Brian Mulholland, Senior Web Designer and Scott Shefler, VP of Web Development at Chicago Digital will be discussing how to effectively use responsive images from both a design and development perspective. Topics include selecting the right file types (jpg, png, svg), showing different images for different devices, and speed optimization. These techniques will help you deploy better looking websites across devices that take less time to load.
Ask A Web Pro: Neil Eisenberg
Presenter: Neil Eisenberg
July 14 2015 (Jul 15 in AUS)
Have you ever wondered how other web professionals work? How do they find clients? How much money do they ask for at the beginning of a project? Do they charge for support? In this meeting we will run through a series of questions asking everything you want to know, but are afraid to ask.
In this session, Neil Eisenberg of Design Intervention Studio has agreed to share his successful workflows, and answer all of our questions.
RECORDING: Ask A Web Pro: Neil Eisenberg
What’s New in Creative Cloud 2015?
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
July 7 2015 (Jul 8 in AUS)
We’ve had some requests lately to discuss the most recent changes in Dreamweaver and other web-related updates in the Creative Cloud.
This release (CC 2015) has given us lots of new ways to speedup our workflows, but taking the time to discover each one on your own can be frustrating and time-consuming. This is why we are going to explore the new features together. This includes artboards in Photoshop, responsive web design in Dreamweaver, crazy zooming in Illustrator, and much much more. Join us as we improve together.
RECORDING: What’s New in Creative Cloud 2015?
Scott B Reynolds Creative Cloud Dreamweaver Photoshop Release
Keyword Research for Business Catalyst
Presenter: Dave Haggblad
June 23 2015 (Jun 24 in AUS)
Effective Keyword Research is said to be the starting point to a successful website. But there is a huge variation in the way people do it, and it seems to be both an art and a science. In today’s sandpile, we collectively look at how we do Keyword Research - the process of knowing which words to research, the tools we use, how we interpret and implement the results. Come along with your knowledge, tools, questions and experience for another member-driven sandpile. And if you are an expert in Keyword Research - please consider coming and sharing your experiences.
RECORDING: Keyword Research for Business Catalyst
Ask A Web Pro: Jayne Burgess
Presenter: Jayne Burgess
June 16 2015 (Jun 17 in AUS)
Have you ever wondered how other web professionals run their business? Do they use contracts? How do they handle Scope Creep? Do they charge for support? In this meeting we will run through a series of questions asking everything you want to know, but are afraid to ask.
Jayne Burgess is the owner and Creative Director of Flirt Group. Jayne works with a wide range of clients in areas such as corporate communication, branding, packaging and online communications. Her background in Psychology, combined with proven skills in user interface design and the technical production aspects of online development have led to the development of a keen interest in UX within online and retail branding environments.
RECORDING: Ask A Web Pro: Jayne Burgess
Using Liquid to Show Different Content Based on Opening Times
Presenter: Mat Baxter
June 9 2015 (Jun 10 in AUS)
Learn how to show different content depending on opening times. Mat Baxter from Commotion will share how to use module_json to gather opening times, compare to the current server date, and then work some magic!
RECORDING: Using Liquid to Show Different Content Based on Opening Times
BC and Google Analytics
Presenter: Michael Sallander
June 2 2015 (Jun 3 in AUS)
Michael Sallander from BC Academe, The BC App Store, and Chicago Digital is going to discuss best practices when it comes to Google Analytics and Business Catalyst. Mike is one of the most requested Sandpile presenters. To see why, watch his previous Sandpile presentations:
- Top 5 jQuery Techniques Every BC Developer Should Know
- Web App Driven Blogs with Mike Sallander
- Event Registration with Mike Sallander
RECORDING: BC and Google Analytics
Host Multiple Sites Using Liquid Markup
Presenter: Phil Marcuson
May 26 2015 (May 27 in AUS)
Are you wondering how to leverage a single Business Catalyst subscription to host multiple websites? In this Sandpile, Phil Marcuson will share some of the steps he’s taken to implement this capability using a bit of Liquid and some out-of-the-box features. We’ll touch on page templates, liquid logic and includes, categories/classifications and the use of custom module templates. We’ll wrap up with time to share your tips and a Q & A.
RECORDING: Host Multiple Sites Using Liquid Markup
RESOURCES: Host Multiple Sites Using Liquid Markup
Liquid Tips and Tricks For Success
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
May 19 2015 (May 20 in AUS)
This meeting is what the BC Sandpile is all about - BC Partners exchanging knowledge. We will spend the entire meeting sharing tips and tricks related to Liquid Markup to help each other speed up and improve their Business Catalyst workflow. Bring your tips and tricks to share.
Panel Discussion: Niche Marketing
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
May 12 2015 (May 13 in AUS)
Does it make sense to work with just one group of customers? We're going to talk to a couple of BC Partners that do just that about the ups and downs of working with a specific Niche of customers . And why they found that approach to be the best choice for their agencies.
Join us as we explore this very important topic with experienced BC Partners as guest panelists.
RECORDING: Panel Discussion: Niche Marketing
Scott B Reynolds Business Interview Marketing Panel Discussion
SEO Best Practices with Katherine Anderson
Presenter: Katherine Anderson
May 5 2015 (May 6 in AUS)
More Best Practice SEO essentials with Katherine Anderson from Business Catalyst SEO.
- robots.txt,
- 301 redirects and
- internationalisation.
We hope you can join us.
RECORDING: SEO Best Practices with Katherine Anderson
Business Catalyst Speed Dating (April 2015)
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
April 28 2015 (Apr 29 in AUS)
It's been awhile since we had speed rounds of BC vendors showing off their products/services. Each will get 10 minutes to show off they have to offer to the community.
Our BC Speed Dating sessions usually turn out to be the most fun and interesting Sandpiles. Don't miss it!
RECORDING: Business Catalyst Speed Dating (April 2015)
Think Tank: Fonts and Business Catalyst
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
April 21 2015 (Apr 22 in AUS)
Fonts are an important part of the web, and are often overlooked. At this Sandpile we are going to invest an hour discussing how the group selects and implements fonts.
RECORDING: Think Tank: Fonts and Business Catalyst
Let's Get Visual: Mind Mapping for Business Catalyst Projects
Presenter: Patrick Baker
April 14 2015 (Apr 15 in AUS)
Let's get Visual - Using Mind Mapping for Website Navigation and Content Development with Patrick Baker of Mindlogik.
Have you ever completed a project only to find out that your client has expectations that go way beyond the scope of the project? One of the challenges facing Business Catalyst Partners is conceptualising the website design and navigation with the client in an intuitive and easy to adapt format.
Mind mapping is a technique that provides a great way to quickly record ideas, associations and connections and to map out a website design and structure.
It is also a tool that can be used to manage:
- The complete web development process with; Staged sign-off linked to a mutually approved project schedule.
- Provide a collaborative platform for rolling out a staged project with sign-off by the client to minimise 'scope' creep.
- This webinar will cover the development of a website concept from start to finish with question and answer opportunity.
RECORDING: Let's Get Visual: Mind Mapping for Business Catalyst Projects
Improving Productivity With Online Tools
Presenter: Megan Taylor
April 7 2015 (Apr 8 in AUS)
Following on from our recent Sandpile on “Tools Tools Tools,” Megan Taylor from Kapow Interactive will present a suite of online tools she uses in her business to increase productivity, make communication more effective, and decrease administrative overheads. She will discuss how online tools keep her work days organised and reveal her secret trick to staying highly productive every day. We anticipate a lively discussion afterwards to discuss the pros and cons of various software.
RECORDING: Improving Productivity With Online Tools
Save Time with Business Catalyst Robots
Presenter: Matthew Knighton
March 31 2015 (Apr 1 in AUS)
Macros are helpful in doing all sorts of tasks. From testing to data management, these automation tools can save you hours of time.
In this BC Sandpile Matthew Knighton from MRK Development will show you how to go from start to finish with Macros, and how to share macros with the Business Catalyst community.
Lets get these robots working for us!
Topics to be covered:
- What are Browser Macros?
- Install the Browser macro tools
- Getting Started - Recording a macro testing your site
- Using macros for performing deletion tasks - removing spam comments
- Adding lots of Shipping variations with a macro
- Using CSV files
- Sharing Macros
- Q and A
SLIDES: Slides
EXAMPLE: Examples
RECORDING: Save Time with Business Catalyst Robots
How to fix Duplicate Content issues - with Katherine Anderson
Presenter: Katherine Anderson
March 24 2015 (Mar 25 in AUS)
Some Best Practice SEO essentials with Katherine Anderson from Business Catalyst SEO.
In this BC Sandpile with Katherine Anderson we will hear about how to fix one of the major issues she sees with websites - Duplicate content.
In working with partners in her business BusinessCatalystSEO.com.au, she is in a perfect position to see what we are currently doing and in what areas we can improve in order to give our clients bigger wins.
Come and join us for this information filled session - or if you missed it - watch the recording.
RECORDING: How to fix Duplicate Content issues - with Katherine Anderson
BC Tips and Tricks 2015
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
March 17 2015 (Mar 18 in AUS)
This meeting is what the BC Sandpile is all about - BC Partners exchanging knowledge. We will spend the entire meeting sharing tips and tricks to help each other speed up and improve their Business Catalyst workflow. Bring your tips and tricks to share.
Previous Tips and Tricks meeting (6th August 2013)
RECORDING: BC Tips and Tricks 2015
Customer Retention - A Think Tank with Urszula Richards
Presenter: Urszula Richards
March 10 2015 (Mar 11 in AUS)
Supercharge Client Retention
It’s that 80/20 Pareto Principle. Even good old common sense tells us that retaining our existing clients is one of the most profitable things we can do for our business.
So what is it that you do to keep your clients happy and not moving away from you. Is it your customer service? Is it expanding your service offering? Is it something else?
In today's Think Tank, we will be sharing our own strategies for keeping those hard won clients.
RECORDING: Customer Retention - A Think Tank with Urszula Richards
Tools, Tools, Tools ....
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
March 3 2015 (Mar 4 in AUS)
Why don’t you 'down tools' for an hour this week, and join us on Sandpile to share which tools you use in your business.
We have previously had Sandpiles on specific types of tools - such as Time Tracking and Invoicing. But this week, we will be getting Partners to talk about any tools they find useful in their business. You may discover a completely new tool, or find that a something you had reviewed and rejected some time back now does exactly what you need it to do.
So come along this week, prepared to share and discuss - you may even discover 'the one' which will transform your work life forever!
Tools, Tools Tools
(1910 KB)
RECORDING: Tools, Tools, Tools ....
Open Meeting - February 2015
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
February 24 2015 (Feb 25 in AUS)
If you were around when BC Sandpile first started you will remember that we were all about open and honest conversations focused on Business Catalyst. It was simple, valuable, and fun. We are going back to our roots with an open meeting. No presentations. No pitches. Just simple Partner-to-Partner discussions.
Using Dreamweaver as a Business Catalyst Partner
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
February 17 2015 (Feb 18 in AUS)
Did you know that you have access to Photoshop files directly from Dreamweaver? If you start your web projects in a PSD and end up in Dreamweaver, this feature alone should save a ridiculous amount of time and frustration.
And, that’s just one of the most recent improvements that makes Dreamweaver and Business Catalyst a winning combination.
Scott B Reynolds with Thrise will walk us through recent Dreamweaver updates and share time-saving techniques of using Dreamweaver with Business Catalyst. Join us as we take a second look at Dreamweaver to see what’s new, and how we can update our workflows for the modern web.
How To Be A Successful Business Catalyst Partner
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
February 10 2015 (Feb 11 in AUS)
Want to learn what other Business Catalyst are doing to succeed? Find out how they find new customers, how they deal with difficult customers, how they bill, and many other topics related to running a successful business.
Join us for our panel discussion on being a successful web professional. We have three experienced web pros who are ready to share their experiences and answer all of your questions.
Reliable Email Campaigns in Business Catalyst with Matt Knighton
Presenter: Matthew Knighton
February 3 2015 (Feb 4 in AUS)
Sending Emails can be daunting. Checking all those email clients and making sure your email gets the best response is at times overwhelming.
Help is at Hand.
In this presentation Matt Knighton from BC App Centre and M R K Development will show you some of the tricks and tools he has found to make sure your emails get to inboxes in a reliable way.
This presentation will see you equipped to send better emails for your customers and get better results in mobile using frameworks and testing tools for your BC Campaigns.
SLIDES: Email Marketing Slides
RECORDING: Reliable Email Campaigns in Business Catalyst with Matt Knighton
Business Catalyst Speed Dating (Jan 2015)
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
January 20 2015 (Jan 21 in AUS)
It's been awhile since we had speed rounds of BC vendors showing off their products/services. Each will get 10 minutes to show off they have to offer to the community.
Our BC Speed Dating sessions usually turn out to be the most fun and interesting Sandpiles. Don't miss it!
RECORDING: Business Catalyst Speed Dating (Jan 2015)
Overview of BC's January 2015 Release
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
January 20 2015 (Jan 21 in AUS)
To get the most out of Business Catalyst it's a good idea to pay attention to every release. This month there are updates and enhancements that you will want to know. Join us as Scott B Reynolds and Dave Haggblad explore the most important changes.
January's release:
- Liquid data type updates
- Enhanced Web App Items user interface with new widget types for custom Web App fields
- More User Information available through globals (globals.user enhancements)
- Bug fixes on the new BC engine
- Apps and APIs bug fixes
- Redactor (new admin editor) updates
- Transfer site between partners
RECORDING: Overview of BC's January 2015 Release
Scott B Reynolds BC Apps Liquid Markup Redactor Release Web Apps
Results of The Sandpile Spam Experiment
Presenter: Dave Haggblad
January 13 2015 (Jan 14 in AUS)
Spam...we all get it. Our customers get their share as well and they let us know about it. But, how do we best stop it?
In June we had a Sandpile that explored various techniques to stop unwanted spam. We then applied those techniques to web forms on bcsandpile.com.
In this Sandpile we're going to present our findings. Which technique was the most effective?
Original Spam Experiment (Recording): The Sandpile Spam Experiment
RECORDING: Results of The Sandpile Spam Experiment
Think Tank: Membership Sites
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
January 6 2015 (Jan 7 in AUS)
You might say that Membership Sites are all the rage.
In fact, number 6 in the top 15 Digital Marketing and Social Media Trends for 2015. From Social Media Today we hear that ...
Businesses will look to other ways to create engaging communities. This means outside of the traditional networks like Facebook & Twitter, but on to your own site. Think memberships and exclusive content.
We are planning to have a number of Sandpile sessions this year on Membership sites, and we kick this theme off with a Think Tank Sandpile.
Which 'out of the box' BC functions are perfect for Membership Sites?
Some suggested topics discuss -
- What are the best join up processes?
- What experiences have you had in setting up regular payments, and are some payment gateways better than others?
- What community building functionality does Business Catalyst have?
- What would you like to learn regarding a membership site?, and
- What kind of membership sites are out there?
Come and share what you know, ask about what you’d like to know and we will try to source community experts to help our collective knowledge of membership sites grow.
RECORDING: Think Tank: Membership Sites
Practical Things You Can Use Liquid For Today
Presenter: Dave Haggblad
December 30 2014 (Dec 31 in AUS)
In this Sandpile Dave Haggblad from Digital Inkwill show you practical examples of how you can use Liquid. He will go over some common but useful applications, including some that were requested in previous BC Next Sandpiles like hiding image tags if no image exists.
Learn the true power of Liquid!
Code Faster: An Introduction to Emmet
Presenter: Brad Lawryk
December 23 2014 (Dec 24 in AUS)
Looking for a tool to make you a faster and more efficient coder? Emmet provides a shortcut language for writing HTML, XML, and CSS, based on an abbreviation structure most developers already use that expands into full-fledged HTML markup and CSS rules. In this demo Brad Lawryk from Auroratec Digital Publishing will give you an introduction to using Emmet with Dreamweaver to write your HTML and CSS quicker.
RECORDING: Code Faster: An Introduction to Emmet
BC.Next Best Practices with Adam Cook
Presenter: Adam Cook
December 16 2014 (Dec 17 in AUS)
With so many new features included in BC.Next it's difficult to know the best way to begin. Adam Cook from One Creative will continue his series on BC's best practices by showing how to use some of the new features recently released (BC.Next). Adam will show off best techniques with Liquid, templates, API V3, and much more.
RECORDING: BC.Next Best Practices with Adam Cook
Web Components and Business Catalyst
Presenter: Matthew Knighton
December 9 2014 (Dec 10 in AUS)
In this talk we will review what components are and why it is exciting.
We will also cover the basics of ECMA-6 and will then make a menu using polymer components.
We will finish with answering your questions and how to download the source code from our examples.
RECORDING: Web Components and Business Catalyst
RESOURCES: Web Components and Business Catalyst
Admin Panel How-To (Part 2) with Dave Haggblad
Presenter: Dave Haggblad
December 2 2014 (Dec 3 in AUS)
Still mystified by some of the options in Business Catalyst Admin? Join us for another dive into BC Admin where I’ll go over each menu item, discuss it’s purpose, and uncover any tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way. Once again, please bring what YOU know about the Admin Panel items so if I’m stumped you can jump in and give me a hand!
If you weren’t at the Oct 28th Sandpile where we did this for your Partner Portal, now’s a great time to watch the recording.
BC.Next Wrapup - For Developers and Non-Developers
Presenter: Urszula Richards
November 25 2014 (Nov 26 in AUS)
Business Catalyst has typically been marketed as a platform for designers who did not want to touch code. We now all know that this is not quite true, and that this lack of access to code has had the developers and those with specific client requirements less than happy.
Enter BC.Next. So much excitement, but what does it really mean?
In this session, we will talk about how this new set of tools will solve customer problems - in a way that non-techies will understand.
And if you are a developer playing around with Liquid - we’d love it if you share your ‘best so far’ application of Liquid which solves a specific customer problem.
RECORDING: BC.Next Wrapup - For Developers and Non-Developers
Learn to use module_data and BC V3 APIs Interactively
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
November 18 2014 (Nov 19 in AUS)
Are you interested in learning about BC.next and module_data, a module that makes all BC data, for all modules, accessible in both list and detail views, with sorting capabilities on any field and pagination? Join us discovering module_data and how it works with the new BC V3 APIs and in website’s frontend?
Join our session to learn how to easily test the new V3 APIs on your site and how to use them when building websites? This is a hands-on session with live demos from production sites.
RECORDING: Learn to use module_data and BC V3 APIs Interactively
How BC Partners Are Using Liquid
Presenter: Timothy Blevins
November 11 2014 (Nov 12 in AUS)
In the second sandpile in our month dedicated to BC.Next Partners are stepping up to show off how they are using Liquid. You will see practical applications using new techniques. This is the per fect meeting for anyone interested in how other BC Partners are using Liquid.
Timothy Blevins from Rithmic Digital will be one Partner who shares how he is using Liquid.
RECORDING: How BC Partners Are Using Liquid
BC.Next Basics with Scott B Reynolds
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
November 4 2014 (Nov 5 in AUS)
This may be the most exciting time ever to be a Business Catalyst Partner. The most recent releases (labeled BC.Next) are giving BC Partners a new set of tools to make powerful online businesses. This meeting kicks off an entire month (November 2014) of BC.Next discussions. We'll begin with exploring each part of BC.Next (Liquid, APIs, etc), and if time allows going into a group discussion.
Scott B Reynolds from Thrise will walk through each part of BC.Next giving lots of examples.
RECORDING: BC.Next Basics with Scott B Reynolds
Admin Panel How To with Dave Haggblad
Presenter: Dave Haggblad
October 28 2014 (Oct 29 in AUS)
Do you know how to add Powered by "INSERT YOUR AGENCY NAME" on the bottom of your clients email newsletters to get some credit for your hard work?
Do you know how to stop receiving those weekly reports for every single one of your clients? Want to know an easy way to do AB Testing of some content for a page?
Join the Admin Panel Sandpile where Dave Haggblad will go over as many items in the Admin panel and Partner Portal as we have time for. Dave says bring what YOU know about the Admin Panel items too so if he's stumped you can jump in and give him a hand!
RECORDING: Admin Panel How To with Dave Haggblad
Open Source BC Plugins with Matthew Knighton
Presenter: Matthew Knighton
October 21 2014 (Oct 22 in AUS)
Matthew Knighton will unveil MRK Development's new open source BC plugin, explain how to install it, and show how to create your own. Some of the topics to be discussed:
- What is a BC plugin?
- How to generate a key
- How to install an open source plugin
- How to use a BC plugin
- How to open source your own BC plugin
- AngularJS Basics for rapidly building BC plugins
RECORDING: Open Source BC Plugins with Matthew Knighton
How to Improve your Web Design Productivity by 100x
Presenter: Thomas Amos
October 14 2014 (Oct 15 in AUS)
Thomas Amos from Essex Web Creatives will share how he goes from Photoshop to Business Catalyst in a way that saves his team hours of work. He is going to attempt to break a Sandpile World Record by completing a three page Business Catalyst website in less than an hour. Don't miss this chance to be a part of Business Catalyst history!
RECORDING: How to Improve your Web Design Productivity by 100x
BC Unconference at MAX 2014
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
October 6 2014 (Oct 7 in AUS)
Schedule (Los Angeles time, PDT):
1:00pm - 1:15pm – Welcome & Introductions
1:15pm - 1:55pm – Official Adobe opening presentation
2:00pm - 2:55pm – BC.Next deep dive with Lucian Cozma
3:00pm - 3:55pm – Open Admin deep dive with Radu Cosnita
4:00pm - 4:55pm – BC Roadmap open table with Alexandru Costin
5:00pm - 5:55pm – BC Sandpile with Scott Reynolds from Thrise
RECORDINGS:
Open Meeting before Adobe MAX 2014
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
September 30 2014 (Oct 1 in AUS)
We have a huge event next week, so we're keeping this meeting light.
Bring your questions. Bring your concerns. Bring your sense of humor.
Teaching Clients Marketing with Urszula Richards
Presenter: Urszula Richards
September 23 2014 (Sep 24 in AUS)
Teaching Clients Marketing - a split training approach
Over the past 18 months, Urszula Richards has been involved in delivering training for the Digital Enterprise Program, an initiative of the Federal Government to digitally up skill small business - primarily in the area of online marketing. It has been a great exercise in teaching business owners with varying degrees digital skills and marketing knowledge.
What she learnt as a result of this process is something she now uses with her own clients, in order to help them really ‘get’ the point of marketing rather than simply ‘do some Facebook’ or ‘send some emails’.
If you have ever thought that despite your best efforts your clients are not quite getting it, then this presentation on the ‘split training’ approach may help.
Solving Common Business Catalyst Problems
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
September 16 2014 (Sep 17 in AUS)
Working with almost 200 BC partners and over 550 completed BC sites has given EZ-BC insight on what features and techniques are most important to BC Partners and their clients. Alex Yagolnik and Vlad Zaytsev of EZ-BC are going to share some of their best techniques, and answer as many Business Catalyst related questions as time allows.
RECORDING: Solving Common Business Catalyst Problems
Open Meeting - September 2014
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
September 9 2014 (Sep 10 in AUS)
If you were around when BC Sandpile first started you will remember that we were all about open and honest conversations focused on Business Catalyst. It was simple, valuable, and fun. We are going back to our roots with an open meeting. No presentations. No pitches. Just simple Partner-to-Partner discussions.
Bring your questions. Bring your concerns. Bring your sense of humor.
BC Development: The Lazy Way
Presenter: Adam Ladrach
September 2 2014 (Sep 3 in AUS)
Admit it, we're all lazy. We're always looking for ways to make the development process easier and more efficient.
Adam Ladrach from BC Gurus will show that even though developing sites on BC can be a complex process, given a little work, it can be much simpler. He will use his experience in managing development projects to show you some best practices in your development workflow, as well as managing the productivity of your team.
RECORDING: BC Development: The Lazy Way
CSS Preprocessors with Scott B Reynolds
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
August 26 2014 (Aug 27 in AUS)
We found that many Business Catalyst partners are not using a CSS preprocessor, yet want to learn more about it. This sounds like a job for BC Sandpile!
Scott B Reynolds from Thrise is going to show you how to use a CSS preprocessor to speed up your next Business Catalyst project. He will explain what a preprocessor is, why it’s a good idea, and give lots of live examples.
RECORDING: CSS Preprocessors with Scott B Reynolds
Vertical Market: Case Study with Stephanie Campanella
Presenter: Stephanie Campanella
August 19 2014 (Aug 20 in AUS)
One of the big requests for this year has been to revisit verticals as a way of focussed marketing allowing for specialisation and speed of implementation for sites. Stephanie Campanella, from Summit Web Design has adopted this approach and targeted the niche of ‘Tradies'. She comes to us with her experiences to date about how this is working - with takeaways we can all use for a niche of our own choosing.
RECORDING: Vertical Market: Case Study with Stephanie Campanella
BC Best Practices: Smart Template Design
Presenter: Adam Cook
August 12 2014 (Aug 13 in AUS)
Adam Cook from One Creative will continue his series on BC's best practices by starting where he left off in his last demonstration. Adam will show how to build 75% of a Business Catalyst site with smart template design. No matter if you're a designer, developer, project manager, or site owner you will walk away with a better understanding of how Business Catalyst works.
RECORDING: BC Best Practices: Smart Template Design
Social Media Best Practices
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
August 5 2014 (Aug 6 in AUS)
This week we have invited a guest speaker who comes to us by a recommendation from Adam Broadway.
Our clients often invest time and resources into social media but don't see a return on their investment. Laina Reginelli, from ZootRock will share some insights on how to engage customers and gain new followers using social media. She will show us -
- Some mistakes and successes made by other companies on social media
- Tips on how to engage with followers and keep active social media pages using curated content
- How to gain new followers and effectively promote your brand on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin
Laina has also volunteered to do an assessment of a few Facebook, Twitter or Linked In profiles - either provided on the day, or preferably sent a day ahead so she can review them.
Come along with any social media questions you may have….
RECORDING: Social Media Best Practices
Building and Marketing Food & Restaurant Websites
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
July 29 2014 (Jul 30 in AUS)
In this second of our series on focused industry discussions, we will be looking at best practices for building and then marketing Food and Restaurant Websites.
This of course does cover a wide range - from Pubs with big menu and functions offerings, to small cafes and well established restaurants. There are also many food related businesses and add on services such as catering and prepared meals.
In this BC Sandpile, we will again be pooling our collective knowledge and experiences to learn from each other. We hope to see you there!
RECORDING: Building and Marketing Food & Restaurant Websites
Open Meeting - July 2014
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
July 22 2014 (Jul 23 in AUS)
If you were around when BC Sandpile first started you will remember that we were all about open and honest conversations focused on Business Catalyst. It was simple, valuable, and fun. We are going back to our roots with an open meeting. No presentations. No pitches. Just simple Partner-to-Partner discussions.
Bring your questions. Bring your concerns. Bring your sense of humor.
The Sandpile Spam Experiment
Hosted by: Dave Haggblad
July 15 2014 (Jul 16 in AUS)
Spam...we all get it. Our customers get their share as well and they let us know about it. Even the Sandpile website is not immune.
In this Sandpile we're going to present some methods several Sandpile members are considering or actually using to combat spam. We're going to load those methods into some test forms on the Sandpile website and run an experiment for a couple of months to see which method seems to be most effective at managing spam. We'll report the results back to the group in a future Sandpile.
So bring your ideas, we'll add them to our test pages and see what happens. We hope some open discussion and this testing will provide a framework or spark some ideas for how Sandpilers can reduce the spam their customers are seeing.
RECORDING: The Sandpile Spam Experiment
Case Study: A BC Audio Training Site
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
July 8 2014 (Jul 9 in AUS)
TheVoiceCafe.net, a site developed by Lindsey Lawson and BC Partner, Katie Zulanas, facilitates learning new accents. Actors and Business people throughout the world are able to sign up for "passports" (secure zones) to hear and practice whatever english speaking accent they wish to study. Most recently, a "record" widget was added to allow users to hear what their practice sounds like.
At this Sandpile we will investigate how local storage was used to pass a variable to the length of the passport. And, how jPlayer was used to allow the audio files to be stored and played on the site.
RECORDING: Case Study: A BC Audio Training Site
BC Best Practices: Starting From Scratch
Presenter: Adam Cook
July 1 2014 (Jul 2 in AUS)
Adam Cook from One Creative will continue his series on BC's best practices by demonstrating how to start a BC project. Adam will show how simple a site-build can be when applying best practices. No matter if you're a designer, developer, project manager, or site owner you will walk away with a better understanding of how Business Catalyst works.
RECORDING: BC Best Practices: Starting From Scratch
Empower Users with the Updated In-Context Editor
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
June 24 2014 (Jun 25 in AUS)
Fallen out of love with the In-Context Editor? Maybe it’s time to make friends again.
Most of us, at some point, have dabbled with the old InContext Editor … and then never looked at it again. Let’s be honest, it wasn’t great.
BC has upgraded InContext Editor into a more robust tool. Tarik (Creativaholic) & Megan (Kapow Interactive) have already provided some great introductions to this.
With the latest updates to ICE we now have a even more powerful tool allows our customers to update their websites, without breaking (or destroying) our hard work with the website design by locking down components where they can make changes.
But what is ICE really capable of?
Gary Swanepoel of IT Business is going to show examples of leveraging ICE to really empower users to make major changes without web apps and get better control of using back-end modules when walking through the website by passing the internals of the Admin Console.
With all this in place, is there finally the possibility for creating beautiful websites for the web basic plans with only ICE?
Building and Marketing Accommodation Websites
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
June 17 2014 (Jun 18 in AUS)
In this first in a series of focused industry discussions, we will be looking at best practices for building and then marketing Accommodation websites.
There are of course a wide range of accommodation website types; from the small B&B or holiday rental, through to large hotels. If you have built any accommodations, come along and share your experiences - what to do, or perhaps what NOT to do!
With accommodation it is common to have the booking system work with third party providers. Are there any you recommend? And what about best ways of marketing these businesses online. What has you found works, and what doesn't?
Open Meeting - June 2014
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
June 10 2014 (Jun 11 in AUS)
If you were around when BC Sandpile first started you will remember that we were all about open and honest conversations focused on Business Catalyst. It was simple, valuable, and fun. We are going back to our roots with an open meeting. No presentations. No pitches. Just simple Partner-to-Partner discussions.
Bring your questions. Bring your concerns. Bring your sense of humor.
RECORDING: Open Meeting - June 2014
Best Practices in Building BC Websites
Presenter: Adam Cook
June 3 2014 (Jun 4 in AUS)
Its no secret that Adam Cook from One Creative is on a mission to help websites be built correctly from the ground up. But he also loves helping us all be smarter about the way we achieve that result.
To this end, he started a collaborative document which covers things like general pointers for BC site development, right through to some specifics about the best way to code in Business Catalyst.
Come along to this Sandpile to take a look at these best practice tips to see what you can pick up, or add to in our quest to create excellent websites, as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Whether you have been building websites in Business Catalyst for years or are just starting out, this session is bound to provide you with something to take away and implement straight away!
RECORDING: Best Practices in Building BC Websites
Sometimes Tables are a Good Thing
Presenter: Dave Haggblad
May 27 2014 (May 28 in AUS)
Sure, we’ve come a long way from when we used tables for website layout, and popular opinion is that you shouldn’t use them at all. Sometimes though, a table is the best way to present your clients data. In this weeks Sandpile Dave will show you how to install and configure a plugin he uses called Data Tables. This plugin makes it easy to sort, filter, print and export your table based data. Even if you have more than the 500 items per page that BC limits you to.
RECORDING: Sometimes Tables are a Good Thing
Tracking and Billing Project Time - Discussion Panel
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
May 13 2014 (May 14 in AUS)
There are a myriad of ways in which time can be tracked, and there is a huge choice in terms of software for project time tracking. This week we have 3 sandpipers talking about the software they use to track their time. Kristen Lindsey, from Apokrisis, will be showing Mavenlink. Debra Quartararo from Doodlefish will show us Toggl. And Megan Taylor from Kapow Interactive will show us Harvest. This session will also include a Q&A following each software presentation, and a general discussion on the topic of time tracking with Sandpilers.
By the end of this session you will have had an introduction to at least three software options for time tracking, and have an idea if there is a better way of tracking your time for projects than what you are using now.
RECORDING: Tracking and Billing Project Time - Discussion Panel
Make Business Catalyst Dance with Underscore
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
May 13 2014 (May 14 in AUS)
Business Catalyst is all about lists, and Scott B Reynolds from Thrise is going to show how to use Underscore to give your visitors greater control over how to view those lists via filtering, sorting, shuffling and about 80 other handy features. Underscore.js is a popular javascript library allowing you to rearrange your Business Catalyst data. Make Business Catalyst dance with the power of Underscore.
RECORDING: Make Business Catalyst Dance with Underscore
How To Use Bootstrap's jQuery Plugins with BC
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
May 6 2014 (May 7 in AUS)
Bootstrap, a popular front-end framework makes developing BC sites easier, but you still need to configure the components to leverage the functionality. Joseph Salinas from Business Barista will share how to best use Bootstrap's built-in jQuery plugins. The first half of his presentation will show how easy it is to bring Bootstrap to life with plugins. The second half will go over more advanced tricks that integrate with Business Catalyst. Joe is known for his Bootstrap webinars and videos.
Ask An Engineer: BC Apps
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
April 29 2014 (Apr 30 in AUS)
Have you ever wished you had access to a Business Catalyst engineer? What would you ask someone responsible for BC Apps? Well, get your questions ready...it's going to be an open discussion between you and Radu Cosnita, the main engineer for the Open Admin Project.
RECORDING: Ask An Engineer: BC Apps
BC App Collaboration: Benefits of Working Together
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
April 22 2014 (Apr 23 in AUS)
Karim Ardalan and Joe Wellborn from BackupBC will share their experiences of working together to build a popular BC App. Karim and Joe will walk us through how they came to work together, the process they took to complete the project, and what it takes to have a successful professional relationship. Don't miss this opportunity to hear a successful behind-the-scenes BC collaboration story.
Open Discussion: BC Apps
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
April 15 2014 (Apr 16 in AUS)
Have strong feelings regarding Business Catalyst Apps? Have a BC App idea you want to share with the community with the intention of having someone else build it? Do you have specific questions on how to do something? Are you a Business Catalyst junkie and need your fix? Join us for an honest and open discussion on the new Business Catalyst Open Admin.
RECORDING: Open Discussion: BC Apps
Think Tank: BC App Collaboration
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
April 8 2014 (Apr 9 in AUS)
Are you overwhelmed with the idea of creating a BC App by yourself? Ask the community to build it for you, or try collaborating with other BC Partners to get it built. We are dedicating this entire meeting to the Open Admin (Business Catalyst Apps) and how BC Partners can collaborate on projects. Use BC Sandpile as a way to find others who have the same app needs.
Speed Dating: BC Apps (April 2014)
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
April 1 2014 (Apr 2 in AUS)
To kick off our April Apps Month (a full month dedicated to bc apps) we are going to hear from the BC developers who have launched their apps in the BC App Store. Each developer will get 10 minutes to show off their apps, receive feedback, and answer questions. BC Speed Daters:
- Gary Swanepoel
- Mike Sallander
- Karim Ardalan
- Brett Stockley
- Scott B Reynolds
RECORDING: Speed Dating: BC Apps (April 2014)
The UX Checklist: 10 Steps to Better Design
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
March 25 2014 (Mar 26 in AUS)
Do you have a system to make your websites user-friendly? For your next web project try using a User Experience (UX) checklist. Information Architecture & User Experience Consultant Mary Kennedy will review 10 simple, yet effective, tactics to ensure better user experiences.
Best Practices for Email Marketing
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
March 18 2014 (Mar 19 in AUS)
We have all been inspired by BC's new capabilities in relation to extended functions available now in email marketing. In Context Editing is a huge bonus, and things like excluding lists is very cool.
However, this Think Tank is devoted to finding out how partners manage some of the best practices for email marketing within BC, and how they work towards best practice. For example, is there a better way to handle updating subscriber options other than a basic 'unsubscribe'.
What is the consensus on best practice and what tips and tricks do you have which you think work. Come along with your experience, ideas and questions…
RECORDING: Best Practices for Email Marketing
Fundamentals of Javascript with Mark Lassoff
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
March 11 2014 (Mar 12 in AUS)
In this presentation, author and Javascript expert Mark Lassoff will examine what Javascript's capabilities are relative to the new HTML5 paradigm and show you how to get started with basic coding. Attendees will be provided with a complementary digital copy of Lassoff's best selling book Javascript for Beginners from LearnToProgram Media.
RESOURCES: Javascript can be found in our resources section
RECORDING: Fundamentals of Javascript with Mark Lassoff
Lessons Learned from a jQuery/BC Project
Presenter: Dave Haggblad
March 4 2014 (Mar 5 in AUS)
jQuery can be intimidating. Dave Haggblad from Digital Ink was scared of jQuery until he needed to dive deeper into it in order to accomplish what was needed for a client. In this Sandpile Dave will talk about the lessons he learned while getting this job done. A little bit of jQuery went a long ways and he's not quite so scared any more.
RECORDING: Lessons Learned from a jQuery/BC Project
How To Generate A Revenue Stream From Your Existing Clients
Presenter: Greg Marcel
February 25 2014 (Feb 26 in AUS)
Greg Marcel from 2140 Interactive and BC Client Training, will explain how he leverages the Email Marketing Module to market new BC Modules and features to his existing client base to create consistent work and a steady revenue stream.
RECORDING: How To Generate A Revenue Stream From Your Existing Clients
BC Inspiration from Two Blokes with a Postie
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
February 18 2014 (Feb 19 in AUS)
One Year On - Eddy Chan and Mario Gudelj from Two Blokes with a Postie will be presenting some of their latest and greatest API integrations with BC.
1) Javascript Email Plugin for pages that connects to our API service so you can create fully customized email autoresponders with your own layout and render the tags how you want.
2) Vend-BC integration - for all those who need a cost-effective POS system integrated with BC online store so that business owners have centralised inventory and order reporting
3) Custom CRM/Order tracking app integrated with BC to help businesses who have a small salesforce perform better and simplify their workflows.
RECORDING: BC Inspiration from Two Blokes with a Postie
Are You Prepared For Business Catalyst Apps?
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
February 11 2014 (Feb 12 in AUS)
Are you prepared for BC Apps? Scott B Reynolds from Thrise will show you how to plan and design your first Business Catalyst App. You should attend this event if you are currently building an app, plan to build an app, or just want to learn more about apps. Don't miss out - join the BC App Revolution!
RECORDING: Are You Prepared For Business Catalyst Apps?
BC Sandpile's Product Enhancement Project and Open Meeting
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
February 4 2014 (Feb 5 in AUS)
This week we will let you know about Sandpile’s Product Enhancement Project and progress that has been made.
This will be followed by an Open Meeting.
Do you have a Business Catalyst question? Do you have a cool project you want to show off? Do you have a Business Catalyst addiction and need a fix?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is definitely the meeting for you.
Links mentioned during meeting:
Top 5 jQuery Techniques Every BC Developer Should Know
Presenter: Michael Sallander
January 28 2014 (Jan 29 in AUS)
Michael Sallander from BC Academe is going to show off the top 5 jQuery techniques every BC developer should know. Mike is one of the most requested Sandpile presenters, and to see why you should watch some of his previous Sandpile presentations:
JS Fiddles from presentation:
http://jsfiddle.net/mikesallander/v599m/
http://jsfiddle.net/mikesallander/3xsHT/2/
RECORDING: Top 5 jQuery Techniques Every BC Developer Should Know
Business Catalyst Questions and Answers
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
January 21 2014 (Jan 22 in AUS)
This Sandpile we are going to ask the group questions. The answers will likely uncover solutions and techniques that will better everyone who attends. Some of the questions that will be asked are listed below:
- When you first took up BC did you find it easy to learn?
- Why did you choose BC as your platform of choice?
- Who would you consider to be the nearest competitor to BC?
- Do you contact, or meet, other BC partners regularly to share information?
- What is your favourite source of information for all things BC (besides BC Sandpile!)?
RECORDING: Business Catalyst Questions and Answers
Marketing with Business Catalyst (3 of 3)
Presenter: Adam Zoblotsky
January 14 2014 (Jan 15 in AUS)
Adam Zoblotsky from Mustard Mouth Marketing is going to complete his three part series on Marketing with Business Catalyst. Be sure to watch Adam's previous Sandpiles:
Marketing with Business Catalyst (1 of 3)
Marketing with Business Catalyst (2 of 3)
RECORDING: Marketing with Business Catalyst (3 of 3)
How To Use Business Catalyst In Develop Mode
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
January 7 2014 (Jan 8 in AUS)
Scott B Reynolds from Thrise and PrestoBC is going to show how to best use the develop mode in Business Catalyst. This is going to be a short presentation, and then the group will discuss which tools they use to build BC sites.
RECORDING: How To Use Business Catalyst In Develop Mode
Happy New Year - Open Meeting
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
December 31 2013 (Jan 1 in AUS)
This is an open meeting where all Business Catalyst topics are on the table. Or, just drop in for a drink!
Drop In Drink - Open Meeting
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
December 24 2013 (Dec 25 in AUS)
This is an open meeting where all Business Catalyst topics are on the table. Or, just drop in for a drink!
2013 SEO Update Panel & Discussion
Presenter: Katherine Anderson
December 17 2013 (Dec 18 in AUS)
There have been a lot of changes recently in the search engine world (Hummingbird, etc), and we are going to sort through it. Katherine Anderson from Business Catalyst SEO, together with Scott Thomas from Apokrisis will guide the conversation. This is not a formal presentation but an update by experts presenting their perspective, followed by a Q & A session and group discussion. Please come prepared to participate.
RECORDING: 2013 SEO Update Panel & Discussion
Creating Tags in Business Catalyst
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
December 10 2013 (Dec 11 in AUS)
Scott B Reynolds from Thrise is going to show how to connect different parts of a Business Catalyst site using dynamic tags. This presentation will walk through a web app submission process that both creates and assigns tags to web app items.
RECORDING: Creating Tags in Business Catalyst
Integrating Social Media & Business Catalyst - Cash In On Your Passion!
Presenter: Jonathan Hinshaw
December 3 2013 (Dec 4 in AUS)
In this BC Sandpile, Jonathan Hinshaw from Ebway Creative will cover the philosophy of social media and how to incorporate it into your Business Catalyst platform and/or business. This is an action based session. You will come away with a game plan! From philosophy to production you’ll learn how to grow your Business Catalyst revenue with social media…
- Figure Out Your Brand Story
- Top 3 Social Channels (and why...)
- Content Supply & Demand
Basically, you’ll learn how to SELL stuff... 'Nuff Said.
RECORDING: Integrating Social Media & Business Catalyst - Cash In On Your Passion!
Think Tank - Planning A Website (continued)
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
November 26 2013 (Nov 27 in AUS)
In this session we will continue where we left off in our last Think Tank. We encourage everyone to bring questions and opinions. At the end we hope to figure out the best practices in a Business Catalyst project.
RECORDING: Think Tank - Planning A Website (continued)
Unleash The Power Of Business Catalyst with Evernote
Presenter: Urszula Richards
November 19 2013 (Nov 20 in AUS)
Evernote is one of those online tools which some people have adopted with a passion and others have tried but not really understood. In this week's Sandpile, Urszula Richards from onlineiq will show why this is the ONE tool she cannot live without - and how she uses it as her own personal 'google' for her whole business.
She will demonstrate how she has integrated it with PrestoBC's CCC, but that is just one of many possible applications. The incredible search with Optical Recognition, its integration with browsers, and its latest reminders feature are just some of the features which make this tool as popular as it is.
Its real power comes when you start using it for everything - and Ursh will give you some tips for setting it up right from the ground up so you can get the most out of it. If you have ever considered using Evernote, but not quite seen what all the fuss was about, this is one session you should not miss.
RECORDING: Unleash The Power Of Business Catalyst with Evernote
It's Not Goodbye BC, It's See You Later
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
November 12 2013 (Nov 13 in AUS)
Has Business Catalyst co-founder Adam Broadway really left Adobe? Join us for this special BC Sandpile to find out what it took to build BC, what Adam's hope for the future of BC is, and what's next for Adam.
RECORDING: It's Not Goodbye BC, It's See You Later
Membership & Marketing Websites with Business Catalyst
Presenter: Thomas Amos
November 5 2013 (Nov 6 in AUS)
Limited or Limitless? Thomas Amos of Essex Web Creative will go through some of the challenges when building a large project on Adobe Business Catalyst and how he overcome them. Showing that with the right method of thinking, anything is possible with business catalyst. He will also be going through some of the social media and email marketing strategies he used to make this website successful before the website was even launched.
RECORDING: Membership & Marketing Websites with Business Catalyst
Speed Dating with BC Partners - October
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
October 29 2013 (Oct 30 in AUS)
With so many Business Catalyst resources it's easy to get lost. We are dedicating this entire meeting to explore as many helpful BC resources as possible. Each presenter will have a a short amount of time to talk about their product or service.
- Adam Cook
- Brent Weaver
- Greg Marcel
- Scott B Reynolds
RECORDING: Speed Dating with BC Partners - October
Enhanced Web Forms with Scott B Reynolds
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
October 22 2013 (Oct 23 in AUS)
Creating a web form in Business Catalyst is easy. Customizing the way it looks and acts can be difficult. Using the popular Bootstrap 3 framework and some JavaScript Scott B Reynolds of Thrise will walk through some of the steps he took to enhance his web forms.
RECORDING: Enhanced Web Forms with Scott B Reynolds
Scott B Reynolds Bootstrap CRM Javascript Secure Zones Web Forms
Think Tank - Planning A Website
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
October 15 2013 (Oct 16 in AUS)
In this Think Tank session we will explore how BC Partners typically plan a web project. We encourage everyone to bring questions and opinions. At the end we hope to figure out the best practices on laying out a Business Catalyst project.
RECORDING: Think Tank - Planning A Website
Building a Blog with Business Catalyst and Muse
Presenter: Karim Ardalan
October 8 2013 (Oct 9 in AUS)
Wouldn’t it be great if you could combine the ease of designing a website with Muse and the power of Business Catalyst? At first glance Muse doesn’t seem like it can tap into all of Business Catalyst features, but with a few clever techniques you can have Muse and Business Catalyst work together to make full-featured powerful websites.
Karim Ardalan from AID+BC is going to show us how to create a Business Catalyst blog with Adobe Muse. Using these techniques you will be able to use Muse to integrate most of BC’s features, like ecommerce, forum, etc.
DNS Unravelled with Wayne Lawson
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
October 1 2013 (Oct 2 in AUS)
Wayne Lawson from Inhale Digital Marketing will provide information on how DNS works and how you can make changes to get even more out of your customers websites.
RECORDING: DNS Unravelled with Wayne Lawson
Open Meeting: September 2013
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
September 24 2013 (Sep 25 in AUS)
Our last open meeting went so well, we are doing it again. Do you have a Business Catalyst question? Do you have a cool project you want to show off? Do you have a Business Catalyst addiction and need a fix? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is definitely the meeting for you.
Spam Free Comments with Dave Haggblad
Presenter: Dave Haggblad
September 17 2013 (Sep 18 in AUS)
This week Dave Haggblad from Digital Ink Multimedia will demonstrate installation of the DISQUS commenting system on the blog section of a website.
DISQUS is an easy to install and simple to use system which has all but eliminated spam comments on the websites he has installed it on. Log into DISQUS once in the morning, and a user can easily leave comments on any site that is using DISQUS.
Dave will also show using DISQUS with web apps, and provide an overview of the DISQUS moderation panel.
RECORDING: Spam Free Comments with Dave Haggblad
Adobe Muse with James Malloy
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
September 10 2013 (Sep 11 in AUS)
In some circles James Malloy is known as “Mr Muse”, and at this sandpile you will find out why. Learn how to create and publish a site using Adobe Muse that is optimized for desktop and devices, including phones and tablets. Learn quickly how to incorporate some of the most popular web design features, including: Slideshows, social media, google maps, forms, and more.
RECORDING: Adobe Muse with James Malloy
Leverage Your Partnership With Adobe
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
September 3 2013 (Sep 4 in AUS)
Are you making the most of your partnership with Adobe? Diana Herac, the BC Sales Consultant for Adobe will be joining us to explain how you can best leverage your partnership with Adobe. This is also a great opportunity for you to ask questions directly from in an "insider". Don’t miss this one!
RECORDING: Leverage Your Partnership With Adobe
Open Meeting - August 2013
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
August 27 2013 (Aug 28 in AUS)
Do you have a Business Catalyst question? Do you have a cool project you want to show off? Do you have a Business Catalyst addiction and need a fix? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is definitely the meeting for you.
RECORDING: Open Meeting - August 2013
Combine Multiple Web Apps with Scott B Reynolds
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
August 20 2013 (Aug 21 in AUS)
Web Apps are one of the reasons why Business Catalyst stands out from other systems. Combining two (or more) web apps can make them even more powerful and allow BC Partners to build more more valuable business websites relying less on 3rd-party tools. Scott B Reynolds of Thrise will show off how this works and display some working examples.
BC Think Tank: Starting a Web Project
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
August 13 2013 (Aug 14 in AUS)
In this Think Tank session we will explore how BC Partners typically start a web project. We encourage everyone to bring questions and opinions. At the end we hope to figure out the best practices on starting a Business Catalyst project.
RECORDING: BC Think Tank: Starting a Web Project
Business Catalyst Tips and Tricks
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
August 6 2013 (Aug 7 in AUS)
This meeting is what the BC Sandpile is all about - BC Partners exchanging knowledge. We will spend the entire meeting sharing tips and tricks to help each other speed up and improve their Business Catalyst workflow. Bring your tips and tricks to share.
Meeting link: John Kempen's Two Funnels
RECORDING: Business Catalyst Tips and Tricks
BC Speed Dating - July 2013
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
July 30 2013 (Jul 31 in AUS)
The first time we had a speed dating event it went over really well, so we're trying it again. With so many Business Catalyst resources it's easy to get lost. We are dedicating this entire meeting to explore as many helpful BC resources as possible. Each presenter will have a a short amount of time to talk about their product or service.
Links:
- OWNSourcing: http://www.codesixzero.com/
- BC Gurus Contributor Program: http://bcgurus.com/contributors
- BC Tweaks: http://www.bctweaks.com/
- BC Academe: http://www.bcacademe.com
RECORDING: BC Speed Dating - July 2013
BC Think Tank: Working With Frameworks
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
July 23 2013 (Jul 24 in AUS)
When building your websites do you use a specific framework? If so, please join us and share. If not, join us and let us know why not. We will compare the strengths, weaknesses, and everything in between. We'll discuss best practices, and attempt to answer all questions. Bring lots of questions!
Popular Frameworks:
RECORDING: BC Think Tank: Working With Frameworks
Minority Report Wireframing with Tim Gentle
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
July 16 2013 (Jul 17 in AUS)
Tim Gentle from Design Experts knows how to sell Business Catalyst solutions. This become evident for those that have heard his "Sales Process presentation" at AdobeMAX 2013. Part of Tim's approach is constantly reviewing and refining the sales process he uses to ensure it remains effective and innovative.
One of the techniques he's working on is experimenting with a technique he refers to as "Minority Wireframing". Tim will spend time with BC Sandpilers, demonstrating this experimentally technique and discuss his vision for it. Part of the session will be Tim seeking ideas and feedback from Sandpilers as to how it could be improved.
If you're interested learning more about where "website planning" could go, then this is a session not to be missed!
Meeting Links:
RECORDING: Minority Report Wireframing with Tim Gentle
Taking On Small Projects, but Still Being Profitable
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
July 9 2013 (Jul 10 in AUS)
BC Catalyst Partners from all over the world have different approaches to running their business and taking on website projects. But, quality standards and profit differ based on unique circumstances. This presentation will cover different workflows to building BC websites based on talent and technology. It will also uncover a variety of project cycle models while reviewing effort, schedule, and profit margins. SimpleFlame has been tweaking and adapting to grow since 2007. Cesar Keller is happy to discuss the growth pattern and diversification course that SimpleFlame has chosen and unveil the latest brand/model "SMB Fuel".
SLIDES (pdf): Taking On Small Projects, but Still Being Profitable
RECORDING: Taking On Small Projects, but Still Being Profitable
Using Rich Snippets in BC to Increase Traffic from Search Engines
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
July 2 2013 (Jul 3 in AUS)
Brian Lowry of BC Gurus
Everyone wants the number one position in Google for their relevant search terms and it can be extremely challenging to achieve, sometimes even impossible. Did you know that a search listing that uses rich snippets can get more than 250% more clicks, even in the 2nd - 5th position?
It’s likely you see rich snippets everyday, even if you don’t know what they are. When you are on Google, Yahoo, or Bing, for almost any search term, you’ll find search results that really stand out from the rest.
You’ll find results that include author photos, video thumbnails, ratings and reviews, product pricing, etc. These are all things that help the searcher make a decision before actually clicking a result. They are also all great ways to attract eyeballs to your client’s business.
In this presentation you’ll learn why this is one of the absolute best value added services you can offer your clients and how exactly to implement in your BC sites.
Links:
- Presentation Slides
- Implementing Schema To Increase Search Traffic/
- http://schema.org
- https://plus.google.com/authorship
- http://www.blindfiveyearold.com/how-to-implement-rel-author
- https://plus.google.com/me/about/edit/co
- https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets
- https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/3069489?hl=en
RECORDING: Using Rich Snippets in BC to Increase Traffic from Search Engines
BC Utility Plugin Repository with Adam Cook
Presenter: Adam Cook
June 25 2013 (Jun 26 in AUS)
Adam Cook from One Creative will give information on his BC Utility Plugin repository. He will explain what it is and how to use it.
By way of explanation, a utility plugin is:
- A jQuery plugin that is simple in scope. It has a narrow purpose in order to make it easy for any level of partner to use.
- Unobtrusive. It does its job and gets out of the way. It doesn't alter large amounts of html, etc.
- Plays well with others. You can mix and match them without running into problems.
- Well documented. The plugins' features, effects, options, authors, and page impact are outlined.
RECORDING: BC Utility Plugin Repository with Adam Cook
Backing Up BC with Wayne Lawson
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
June 18 2013 (Jun 19 in AUS)
One of the most frightening questions you will ever hear from one of your Business Catalyst clients is "Can you please put the images folder back up on our website; I think I have accidentally deleted it!" Wayne Lawson from Inhale Digital Marketing on the Sunshine Coast of Australia will talk us through this actual experience and what prompted Inhale to create bcbackup.com.au and allowed him to sleep better at night.
With a deep rooted background in the ancient field of operations and disaster recovery it has always been Wayne’s one recurring "What if" nightmare in relation to BC, and something that he decided to do something about.
Wayne will walk us through bcbackup.com.auand what it currently backs up and the challenges that were behind this creating the software.Other links from session:
- bcbackup.com.au
- Inhale Digital Solutions Facebook
- Inhale Digital Solutions Twitter
- Wayne Lawson LinkedIn Profile
RECORDING: Backing Up BC with Wayne Lawson
InContext Editing with Tarik Essadki
Presenter: Tarik Essadki
June 11 2013 (Jun 12 in AUS)
Tarik from Creativaholic Studio and Author of the upcoming BcTweaks will walk you through the newly released ICE (InContext Editing) feature recently added to BC, and how and when his Studio reduced the amount of Web Apps used in their clients' sites for editing using just ICE, leaving Web Apps to be used for what is Web Apps good at. Tarik will also raise a poll, discuss and share how his Studio implements or offer to implement any new released features within BC to their Clients' sites.
Forum Post Mentioned: New Content Editor for Business Catalyst users
RECORDING: InContext Editing with Tarik Essadki
Keeping it small, but making it BIG!
Presenter: Greg Marcel
June 4 2013 (Jun 5 in AUS)
Greg Marcel from 2140 Interactive will discuss making the most of a one person shop. Greg will share his tips on running an efficient virtual business and not putting in 10+ hours days to do it.
Greg will also talk about the BC Client Training program he uses that turns his clients into raving BC fans while simultaneously reducing his support load and creating a monthly residual income!
RECORDING: Keeping it small, but making it BIG!
Speed Dating with BC Partner Resources
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
May 28 2013 (May 29 in AUS)
With so many Business Catalyst resources it's easy to get lost. We are dedicating this entire meeting to explore as many helpful BC resources as possible.
The BC Partners presenting their products/services are Justin Mountford, Katherine Anderson, Brent Weaver, Jason Tinnin, & Mike Sallander.
RECORDING: Speed Dating with BC Partner Resources
Testing Business Catalyst Sites with Jared Checkley
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
May 21 2013 (May 22 in AUS)
Jared Checkley from Code Six Zero is going to show us how Selenium can be used as a tool to test Business Catalyst sites. An often overlooked topic, this talk will hopefully stimulate the wider discussion of how BC Partners can deliver better quality websites to their clients. Jared’s background is in software development and he has managed large teams that developed and tested web-enabled applications for top tier Storage companies.
RECORDING: Testing Business Catalyst Sites with Jared Checkley
Enhance BC's Customer Service Ticketing
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
May 14 2013 (May 15 in AUS)
Scott B Reynolds from Thrise will explain how to set up Business Catalyst's integrated Customer Service Ticketing system, and show how to improve it. Enhancing the built-in support system saves time, empowers clients, and reduces the need for 3rd-party support software. Business Catalyst thrives on being the All-In-One solution - why not leverage it?
RECORDING: Enhance BC's Customer Service Ticketing
Sandpile Think Tank: Email Marketing
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
May 7 2013 (May 8 in AUS)
We’ve had some of our best meetings lately, including our first Think Tank session and Megan Taylor’s email marketing presentation. We are going to combine the two with an entire meeting as a Think Tank with the topic of email marketing. We are going to discuss best practices, and attempt to answer all questions. Bring lots of questions!
BC Marketing Tactics
Presenter: Fraser McCulloch
April 30 2013 (May 1 in AUS)
Fraser McCulloch from Platonik will share some of his quick fire marketing tactics that can easily be done with a BC site. He’ll also walk us through one of his most recent projects focusing on how BC was used to make the original idea come to life.
Fraser started with BC after one night he was in the pub with a good friend and his client said "build me a website". So he did. Platonik then became an Adobe Business Catalyst Partner and 50 clients later they've never looked back
Email Marketing with Megan Taylor
Presenter: Megan Taylor
April 23 2013 (Apr 24 in AUS)
Megan Taylor from Kapow Interactive will show us how to best use BC’s E-mail Marketing tool and walk us through some of the new features, including some of the improvements in the most recent BC update.
PDF: Email Marketing Cheat Sheet
RECORDING: Email Marketing with Megan Taylor
A Festival Site with Urszula Richards
Presenter: Urszula Richards
April 16 2013 (Apr 17 in AUS)
Urszula Richards from onlineiq will explain the steps she took to put together a Festival website. Web apps and Ad Rotators were an important part of the project, and she will discuss some of the challenges she faced making them work.
We are also going to start something new called the Sandpile Think Tank. We pick a topic of interest, and collectively solve problems through brainstorming and resource sharing. This is a group exercise where all questions and comments are collected in the attempt to solve and share solutions related to BC.
RECORDING: A Festival Site with Urszula Richards
Selling Business Catalyst for All It's Worth
Presenter: Jonathan Hinshaw
April 9 2013 (Apr 10 in AUS)
Jonathan S. Hinshaw from EBWAY Creative Solutions will go over the pros and cons to charging higher monthly rates, as well as, how to properly on-board a higher paying client and create a raving fan - not just another customer.
Many BC Partners offer the platform at the suggested retail rate and while there's nothing wrong with this there is a better way. But, in order to sell BC for all it's worth - you'll have to work on how you "pitch" the monthly fee. It's more than hosting, it's more than a "Platform".
Having a value-add can help you double your margins on BC monthly fees. After all, you're probably giving these services away right now, why not get paid for them.
SLIDES: Jonathan's Meeting Slides
SUPER SECRET DOCUMENT: Design Continuum
RECORDING: Selling Business Catalyst for All It's Worth
A Case Study with Neil Eisenberg
Presenter: Neil Eisenberg
April 2 2013 (Apr 3 in AUS)
Neil Eisenberg, from Design Intervention Studio, will present a case study on his project for Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber is a large organization, and he'll be talking about how he went about getting the job that was bid on by 23 web design companies, how he made it a win-win, how he maximized what BC can do and set the stage for future projects, and how this strategy can pay off for not-for-profit organizations of all shapes and sizes.
Leveraging BC with Chambers of Commerce isn't new, but Neil will show you how it's something you need to be looking at to help grow your business. We are going to focus on marketing strategies, but can touch on any aspect of the project in Q&A that might be helpful.
API Showcase with Two Blokes
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
March 26 2013 (Mar 27 in AUS)
Mario Gudelj and Eddy Chan from Two Blokes [with a postie] will be going over some of their API projects, most notably a BC to ZenDesk integration app.
After the presentation there will be plenty of time for questions, and our normal partner discussion.
Legal Answers For BC Partners
Hosted by: Urszula Richards
March 19 2013 (Mar 20 in AUS)
Al Zulanas holds a LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law and is ready to answer your legal questions. Some of the possible topics:
- Contracting for services
- Copyright ownership in a website
- Copyright ownership of an app
- How to register a copyright
- Rights of a copyright holder
- Copyright enforcement
- Assignment of copyright - i.e. "work for hire"
RECORDING: Legal Answers For BC Partners
SEO and BC with Beth Kahlich
Presenter: Beth Kahlich
March 12 2013 (Mar 13 in AUS)
Beth Kahlich will be reviewing the ways to help your Business Catalyst site be SEO-friendly as well as cover a couple of best-practices for overall SEO that are easier thanks to BC's great features.
After the presentation there will be plenty of time for questions, and our normal partner discussion.
Multilingual Websites
Presenter: Karim Ardalan
March 5 2013 (Mar 6 in AUS)
Karim Ardalan from Dashbee is going to be showing how they built a multilingual website for a client in Switzerland. The website uses Web apps and the e-commerce product and catalog modules even though their client doesn't sell anything online. They also utilized a third party google map tool that allows them to do somethings that weren't possible with the built-in proximity search options.
RECORDING: Multilingual Websites
Responsive Web Design with Scott B Reynolds
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
February 26 2013 (Feb 27 in AUS)
Scott B Reynolds from Thrise will lead the discussion on Responsive Web Design and Business Catalyst. RWD has been one of the most requested topics, and we’re finally going to spend an entire meeting on the subject. We’ll go over the basics, the possible hurtles, and introduce some tools to help along the way.
RECORDING: Responsive Web Design with Scott B Reynolds
Essential BC Tips with Mary Blight
Presenter: Mary Blight
February 19 2013 (Feb 20 in AUS)
Mary Blight of Rangs Graphics is joining us to share some of the fundamental rules BC Partners need to know about Adobe Business Catalyst. Mary will go through the important concepts she has learned during the last 6 years of implementing 100+ BC Sites. Attend this meeting and avoid getting tripped up by missing one of these fundamental points.
RECORDING: Essential BC Tips with Mary Blight
Organic SEO, SEM and SMO White Label Solution
Presenter: Katherine Anderson
February 12 2013 (Feb 13 in AUS)
Katherine Anderson from Sirocco Web Design is launching a new white label solution for Business Catalyst Partners to provide Organic SEO, SEM and SMO services. Sirocco Web Design are Google Engage and Adwords Certified Partners and will show you how they work side-by-side with Partners or behind the scenes to achieve Online Marketing strategies.
Web App Driven Blogs
Presenter: Michael Sallander
February 5 2013 (Feb 6 in AUS)
Mike Sallander from BC Academe will explain why and demonstrate how a blog can be built using web apps. This demonstration will serve as a practical example as to how the new web app SEO improvements (included in January release) can be applied.
RECORDING: Web App Driven Blogs
Marketing with Brett Stockley
Presenter: Brett Stockley
January 29 2013 (Jan 30 in AUS)
Brett Stockley, from Pretty Pollution, joins Sandpile again - this time with a topic which is close to PP's heart - online marketing. Pretty Pollution are one of the leading BC partners in this field and we look forward to hearing about the different ways they use BC to achieve great results for their clients.
E-Commerce Case Study
Presenter: Paul Ridoutt
January 22 2013 (Jan 23 in AUS)
Paul Ridoutt recently posted an example of an ecommerce site The Bowery had developed onto LinkedIn. This resulted in lots of kudos from other partners, and some Sandpile members wondered if Paul would be able to come and talk to us. He will be joining us this month and will describe the planning and strategy behind this very creatively developed eCommerce site.
RECORDING: E-Commerce Case Study
API Case Study with Madonna C. Mendoza
Presenter: Madonna Mendoza
January 8 2013 (Jan 9 in AUS)
Madonna C. Mendoza from Konsum Technologies will walk us through a cloud-based Hotel Management System integrated into Adobe Business Catalyst using API. She will discuss the scope of the integration and some of the issues they came across and how they overcame them.
Here are some additional resources provided by Madonna
Link to information about the booking system - and you can request a demo.
RECORDING: API Case Study with Madonna C. Mendoza
Podio Overview with Urszula Richards
Presenter: Urszula Richards
December 18 2012 (Dec 19 in AUS)
Urszula Richards from onlineiq will explain how to work more efficiently using the online work platform, Podio. She will show how to add structure to Business Catalyst projects using collaboration and discussion.
RECORDING: Podio Overview with Urszula Richards
December 2012 Release with Scott B Reynolds
Presenter: Scott B Reynolds
December 11 2012 (Dec 12 in AUS)
Scott B Reynolds from Thrise will lead the discussion on the updates in the December Business Catalyst release. Some of the topics will include webform/comment spam, SEO, in-context editing, etc. Learn what you need to do to update your sites.
There will be plenty of time for our normal partner discussion. If you don't already get our email notifications, sign up to get the link for this meeting (and all future BC Sandpile meetings). And, leave any questions or topics would like covered below.
RECORDING: December 2012 Release with Scott B Reynolds
Adobe Support with Vlad-Cristian Stanilescu
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
December 4 2012 (Dec 5 in AUS)
Vlad-Cristian Stanilescu from Adobe will be discussing how to get the most out of Business Catalyst’s support, including the in-product help, the new support page, tools & workflows, and the documentation revamp.
RECORDING: Adobe Support with Vlad-Cristian Stanilescu
Event Registration with Mike Sallander
Presenter: Michael Sallander
November 27 2012 (Nov 28 in AUS)
Mike Sallander from Chicago Digital & BC AcadeMe will demonstrate an event registration implementation that will have you wondering why you would ever use another method. This implementation is dynamic, adjusting based on the customers input and best of all, still uses the BC built-in events module, so you can still access registrations and event follow up emails.
RECORDING: Event Registration with Mike Sallander
API Case Study with Beth Kahlich
Presenter: Beth Kahlich
November 20 2012 (Nov 21 in AUS)
Beth Kahlich will walk us through a Business Catalyst website that uses API extensively. She will show us how the API made it possible for food-related charities to share resources by allowing registered users to add products, edit those products and much more.
RECORDING: API Case Study with Beth Kahlich
Card Sorting with Tim Gentle
Presenter: Tim Gentle
November 13 2012 (Nov 14 in AUS)
Tim Gentle from Design Experts will explain his technique of using card sorting during the sales process. The outcome of the card sorting technique assists you to prepare for a Business Catalyst solution. Tim will define card sorting, explain why it's effective, and go over the specifics on how to involve the client during the card sorting process.
RECORDING: Card Sorting with Tim Gentle
Web Apps & Bootstrap with Joseph Salinas
Presenter: Joe Salinas
November 6 2012 (Nov 7 in AUS)
Joseph Salinas from Grounded Software will show off his most recent Business Catalyst project - a financial tracking tool that makes great use of web apps. He’ll show us how he used Bootstrap with web apps to create a great experience for his client.
RECORDING: Web Apps & Bootstrap with Joseph Salinas
BC API with Erick Stubbs
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
October 23 2012 (Oct 24 in AUS)
Erick Stubbs from BC Gurus will be presenting on the BC API, and talking about issues and concepts related to Membership Sites. He will be using the membership site BcGurus.com as a case study; talking a little bit about how and why they built the applications to manage their own membership based business.
RECORDING: BC API with Erick Stubbs
CRM with Brett Stockley
Presenter: Brett Stockley
October 16 2012 (Oct 17 in AUS)
Brett Stockley from Pretty Pollution will be discussing Business Catalyst’s CRM (Customer Relationship Management).
RECORDING: CRM with Brett Stockley
TribeVita Cloud with Jason Tinnin
Hosted by: Scott B Reynolds
October 9 2012 (Oct 10 in AUS)
RECORDING: TribeVita Cloud with Jason Tinnin
Part 2 on Marketing with Adam Zoblotsky
Presenter: Adam Zoblotsky
October 2 2012 (Oct 3 in AUS)
Part 1 was a very well received presentation which you can take a look at here if you missed it: