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[MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

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taher

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Hi Sharan,

A few questions to see if I can help:

- What is the purpose of the re-design?
- Can we use any frameworks or APIs beyond what's used right now (bootstrap, etc ...)
- Can we use trademarked artwork (stock photos and so on)
- Can we unify the whole website or is it just the main page? I ask because usually when we design a website we have unified regions, blocks, shared resources and so on

I think answering those questions might be a first step in brainstorming and would also show how much we can contribute in our areas of expertise.

Taher Alkhateeb

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sharan-F" <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Tuesday, 28 July, 2015 10:06:29 AM
Subject: Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Hi All

Is anyone available to help me start putting together some ideas or examples
of what our new OFBiz website main page could look like ?

Thanks
Sharan

--
View this message in context: http://ofbiz.135035.n4.nabble.com/MARKETING-Updating-our-OFBiz-Website-tp4668990p4671121.html
Sent from the OFBiz - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

Adrian Crum-3

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

In reply to this post by Sharan-F

It would be nice if our site update targeted end users - with links to
the existing developer-centric content.

Our site appeals to geeks, not to CFOs or CEOs - those who need to make
platform decisions. Maybe we should rethink our presentation to the
outside world.

Adrian Crum
Sandglass Software
www.sandglass-software.com

On 7/28/2015 12:06 AM, Sharan-F wrote:

> Hi All
>
> Is anyone available to help me start putting together some ideas or examples
> of what our new OFBiz website main page could look like ?
>
> Thanks
> Sharan
>
>
>
> --
> View this message in context: http://ofbiz.135035.n4.nabble.com/MARKETING-Updating-our-OFBiz-Website-tp4668990p4671121.html
> Sent from the OFBiz - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>

Jacques Le Roux

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Administrator

That sounds like a good idea Adrian!

Jacques

Le 28/07/2015 10:14, Adrian Crum a écrit :

> It would be nice if our site update targeted end users - with links to the existing developer-centric content.
>
> Our site appeals to geeks, not to CFOs or CEOs - those who need to make platform decisions. Maybe we should rethink our presentation to the outside
> world.
>
> Adrian Crum
> Sandglass Software
> www.sandglass-software.com
>
> On 7/28/2015 12:06 AM, Sharan-F wrote:
>> Hi All
>>
>> Is anyone available to help me start putting together some ideas or examples
>> of what our new OFBiz website main page could look like ?
>>
>> Thanks
>> Sharan
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> View this message in context: http://ofbiz.135035.n4.nabble.com/MARKETING-Updating-our-OFBiz-Website-tp4668990p4671121.html
>> Sent from the OFBiz - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>>
>

Michael Brohl-3

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

In reply to this post by Adrian Crum-3

I totally agree with that point with an addition - the business *and*
technical stuff must be presented in a clear and easy to find way.

We don't know who is looking at the site and for what purpose so
everything should be covered:

- the CEO/CFO who is looking for a new platform wants to see features,
licenses, references who is using OFBiz, service providers etc.,
everything you need to decide if OFBiz is for you on the business level
and which risks and chances it brings

- the CIO and his staff who has the task to evaluate new platforms for
his company, he needs some of the above but also some more technical
informations like architecture, used frameworks, documentation etc. to
decide if the platform is also fitting to the company system landscape,
the know-how of his staff etc.

- the developer who is searching for technical documentation, data
models, API, best practices etc.

- the user who is searching for user centric documentation, best
practices and help

I think the main page should include these entry points with easy to
understand titles.

Michael Brohl
ecomify GmbH
www.ecomify.de

Am 28.07.15 um 10:14 schrieb Adrian Crum:

> It would be nice if our site update targeted end users - with links to
> the existing developer-centric content.
>
> Our site appeals to geeks, not to CFOs or CEOs - those who need to
> make platform decisions. Maybe we should rethink our presentation to
> the outside world.
>
> Adrian Crum
> Sandglass Software
> www.sandglass-software.com
>
> On 7/28/2015 12:06 AM, Sharan-F wrote:
>> Hi All
>>
>> Is anyone available to help me start putting together some ideas or
>> examples
>> of what our new OFBiz website main page could look like ?
>>
>> Thanks
>> Sharan
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> View this message in context:
>> http://ofbiz.135035.n4.nabble.com/MARKETING-Updating-our-OFBiz-Website-tp4668990p4671121.html
>> Sent from the OFBiz - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>>

smime.p7s (5K) Download Attachment

Sharan-F

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Hi Michael

I created this page to summarise the requirements captured so far.

https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/OFBIZ/New+OFBiz+Website+Requirements

At the bottom I started to list the potential visitors we might have and what they could be looking for. We could easily add the CFO / CIO etc requirements to this to see what is common across those type of users.

Thanks
Sharan

Sharan-F

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

In reply to this post by taher

Hi Taher

I think there are a few reasons behind the re-design and I highlighted a few in my initial mail in this thread. I started documenting things here
https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/OFBIZ/New+OFBiz+Website+Requirements

- If I needed to choose one then it would be to make it more accessible to the different types of visitors including our existing community. At the moment I don't think it really appeals to business people and our community is a mix of technical and business.

- have no idea about frameworks or APIs we can use. Is there anyone else that can answer this?

- I don't know anything about what limitations we have for artwork. I don't even know where the ones we use now came from. Does anyone else know?

- I am thinking about unifying the whole site. I mentioned the main page because that is the most visible but the whole website needs to be reviewed, updated and re-organised if necessary.

Sorry I havent been able to answer them all but I hope it helps.

Thanks
Sharan

Nick Rosser-2

RE: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

In reply to this post by Michael Brohl-3

Agree with all.

From our experiences anyone who contacts us about OFBiz services is typically a techy. They have dug around the OFBiz and BigFish sites and are looking for additional information in order to gauge how applicable OFBiz is for their business. As a tech their first hurdle will be to convince the bosses to consider OFBiz. I'm sure in most cases the bosses do some basic research and are totally unimpressed with our current informational web sites.

As a business owner, whenever I'm looking for software solutions I will be swayed by:

(a) who is using it now -- number of customers and who those customers are (have I heard of them)

(b) who can support my tech / user team to get up and running

(c) who can support my tech / user team into the future (strength of documentation, resources, community)

Now for a more contentious topic that has been raised before -- a more compelling and prominent list, with some visuals, of who-is-using-OFBiz and Service Providers. IMHO, we have to remember that most of the other Apache projects are technical in nature, and the decisions for selection are made by techies, with approval from a techy boss. These offerings are also downloaded thousands of times (of hundreds of thousands) so having a who-is-using-this section is inappropriate.

OFBiz is different, it's a bet-your-business decision and a decision typically approved by the business. I'd like to think we can do a much better job of promoting (marketing) the solution for the real decision makers (in Adrian's words, CFO / CIO).

Nick

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Brohl [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2015 4:39 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

I totally agree with that point with an addition - the business *and*
technical stuff must be presented in a clear and easy to find way.

We don't know who is looking at the site and for what purpose so
everything should be covered:

- the CEO/CFO who is looking for a new platform wants to see features,
licenses, references who is using OFBiz, service providers etc.,
everything you need to decide if OFBiz is for you on the business level
and which risks and chances it brings

- the CIO and his staff who has the task to evaluate new platforms for
his company, he needs some of the above but also some more technical
informations like architecture, used frameworks, documentation etc. to
decide if the platform is also fitting to the company system landscape,
the know-how of his staff etc.

- the developer who is searching for technical documentation, data
models, API, best practices etc.

- the user who is searching for user centric documentation, best
practices and help

I think the main page should include these entry points with easy to
understand titles.

Michael Brohl
ecomify GmbH
www.ecomify.de

Am 28.07.15 um 10:14 schrieb Adrian Crum:

Ron Wheeler

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Good points.

How many of the new visitors are going to install OFBiz themselves as
compared to the number who will ask an OFBiz System Integrator to do the
job?

How many are coming here to verify the assertions made by System
Integrators or to assess the maturity of their proposed system's base
product (roadmap, release frequency, maintenance policies, strength of
the management team) and activity of the community?

Many (most???) of the key contributors make their living by delivering a
fork of OFBiz that they customize for each client so they may have a
different perspective of what the site should do.
What should be the balance between open source traditions vs promoting
individual SI companies through listing their customers and resources or
linking to their web sites?

Ron

On 28/07/2015 11:58 AM, Nick Rosser wrote:

> Agree with all.
>
> >From our experiences anyone who contacts us about OFBiz services is typically a techy. They have dug around the OFBiz and BigFish sites and are looking for additional information in order to gauge how applicable OFBiz is for their business. As a tech their first hurdle will be to convince the bosses to consider OFBiz. I'm sure in most cases the bosses do some basic research and are totally unimpressed with our current informational web sites.
>
> As a business owner, whenever I'm looking for software solutions I will be swayed by:
>
> (a) who is using it now -- number of customers and who those customers are (have I heard of them)
>
> (b) who can support my tech / user team to get up and running
>
> (c) who can support my tech / user team into the future (strength of documentation, resources, community)
>
> Now for a more contentious topic that has been raised before -- a more compelling and prominent list, with some visuals, of who-is-using-OFBiz and Service Providers. IMHO, we have to remember that most of the other Apache projects are technical in nature, and the decisions for selection are made by techies, with approval from a techy boss. These offerings are also downloaded thousands of times (of hundreds of thousands) so having a who-is-using-this section is inappropriate.
>
> OFBiz is different, it's a bet-your-business decision and a decision typically approved by the business. I'd like to think we can do a much better job of promoting (marketing) the solution for the real decision makers (in Adrian's words, CFO / CIO).
>
> Nick
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Brohl [mailto:[hidden email]]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2015 4:39 AM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website
>
> I totally agree with that point with an addition - the business *and*
> technical stuff must be presented in a clear and easy to find way.
>
> We don't know who is looking at the site and for what purpose so
> everything should be covered:
>
> - the CEO/CFO who is looking for a new platform wants to see features,
> licenses, references who is using OFBiz, service providers etc.,
> everything you need to decide if OFBiz is for you on the business level
> and which risks and chances it brings
>
> - the CIO and his staff who has the task to evaluate new platforms for
> his company, he needs some of the above but also some more technical
> informations like architecture, used frameworks, documentation etc. to
> decide if the platform is also fitting to the company system landscape,
> the know-how of his staff etc.
>
> - the developer who is searching for technical documentation, data
> models, API, best practices etc.
>
> - the user who is searching for user centric documentation, best
> practices and help
>
> I think the main page should include these entry points with easy to
> understand titles.
>
> Michael Brohl
> ecomify GmbH
> www.ecomify.de
>
> Am 28.07.15 um 10:14 schrieb Adrian Crum:
>> It would be nice if our site update targeted end users - with links to
>> the existing developer-centric content.
>>
>> Our site appeals to geeks, not to CFOs or CEOs - those who need to
>> make platform decisions. Maybe we should rethink our presentation to
>> the outside world.
>>
>> Adrian Crum
>> Sandglass Software
>> www.sandglass-software.com
>>
>> On 7/28/2015 12:06 AM, Sharan-F wrote:
>>> Hi All
>>>
>>> Is anyone available to help me start putting together some ideas or
>>> examples
>>> of what our new OFBiz website main page could look like ?
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>> Sharan
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> View this message in context:
>>> http://ofbiz.135035.n4.nabble.com/MARKETING-Updating-our-OFBiz-Website-tp4668990p4671121.html
>>> Sent from the OFBiz - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>>>
>
>

--
Ron Wheeler
President
Artifact Software Inc
email: [hidden email]
skype: ronaldmwheeler
phone: 866-970-2435, ext 102

taher

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

In reply to this post by Sharan-F

Hi Sharan and everyone,

Okay so based on your feedback and everyone's input, I have the following ideas in mind:

main features
=============
- First, we introduce bootstrap to make it a responsive website and re-align everything with the grid system
- We introduce a modern design, this includes at a minimum a unified header, footer and main menu (and possibly a secondary menu) unified across the entire site
- A more powerful and flashy slider on the main page to showcase the framework. I prefer the mega sliders that fill up almost the entire page
- Big buttons and icons
- Much less text, much more pictures and animation
- We need artwork, some of which can be purchased for marginal costs (photos, graphics, etc ...)

Now to give a lot of space for your "marketing" pitch in the main page, a lot of things need to either be deleted or moved to other locations, so the website structure is of crucial importance. For example, we can redesign the main menu to look something like this:

main menu structure
===================
- Main
- Getting Started
- Download (which version to download and dependencies)
- Install (how to step by step for installation)
- My First Component (A hello world component with a single screen)
- Documentation
- User Documentation
- Technical Documentation
- Wiki
- API Reference
- Community
- Getting Involved
- Meetups and Events
- Mailing Lists
- Source Repository
- Issue Tracker
- About
- Features (put screenshots here)
- FAQ
- Members
- License
- Who uses OFBiz

Footer Features
===============
- social media links
- secondary links less often used
- possible replication of the main menu

That's what I have for now, I hope it's useful

Taher Alkhateeb

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sharan-F" <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Tuesday, 28 July, 2015 3:26:35 PM
Subject: Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Hi Taher

I think there are a few reasons behind the re-design and I highlighted a few
in my initial mail in this thread. I started documenting things here
https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/OFBIZ/New+OFBiz+Website+Requirements

- If I needed to choose one then it would be to make it more accessible to
the different types of visitors including our existing community. At the
moment I don't think it really appeals to business people and our community
is a mix of technical and business.

- have no idea about frameworks or APIs we can use. Is there anyone else
that can answer this?

- I don't know anything about what limitations we have for artwork. I don't
even know where the ones we use now came from. Does anyone else know?

- I am thinking about unifying the whole site. I mentioned the main page
because that is the most visible but the whole website needs to be reviewed,
updated and re-organised if necessary.

Sorry I havent been able to answer them all but I hope it helps.

Thanks
Sharan

--
View this message in context: http://ofbiz.135035.n4.nabble.com/MARKETING-Updating-our-OFBiz-Website-tp4668990p4671134.html
Sent from the OFBiz - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

Nick Rosser-2

RE: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

In reply to this post by Ron Wheeler

> What should be the balance between open source traditions vs promoting individual SI companies through listing their customers and resources or linking to their web sites?

Indeed, here lies a big issue. It's an open-source project with pure goals -- with a solution set that is "bet your business" -- with a mandate to not overly support any specific corporate entity -- but having to give some confidence to any viewer that there are significant resources available so they can execute on the most important decisions they will make (at least for full-blown ERP).

Take a look at netsuite.com. Notice how they organize their main navbar:

Products (for us, could be features / solutions or similar)
Customers
Solutions (note the "By Role", exactly to Adrian's point there is CEO / CFO / CIO)
Platform
Services (for OFBiz, this could be "Resources")
Partners (SI's?)
Company (History, Intro Committers and other key contributors?)

Nick

-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Wheeler [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2015 12:16 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Good points.

How many of the new visitors are going to install OFBiz themselves as compared to the number who will ask an OFBiz System Integrator to do the job?

How many are coming here to verify the assertions made by System Integrators or to assess the maturity of their proposed system's base product (roadmap, release frequency, maintenance policies, strength of the management team) and activity of the community?

Many (most???) of the key contributors make their living by delivering a fork of OFBiz that they customize for each client so they may have a different perspective of what the site should do.
What should be the balance between open source traditions vs promoting individual SI companies through listing their customers and resources or linking to their web sites?

Ron

On 28/07/2015 11:58 AM, Nick Rosser wrote:

--
Ron Wheeler
President
Artifact Software Inc
email: [hidden email]
skype: ronaldmwheeler
phone: 866-970-2435, ext 102

Sharan-F

RE: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Thanks for your feedback Nick.

And I can see that it's not only Netsuite – look at the websites of other open source ERPs like

https://www.odoo.com/
http://www.openbravo.com/

I can see that we have a great opportunity to improve our website so let's do it.

Thanks
Sharan

Sharan-F

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

In reply to this post by Sharan-F

Hi Everyone

Is anyone available to help me start putting together some ideas or examples of what our new OFBiz website main page could look like ?

I know that we have another Community Day coming up next month so perhaps that could be used to focus the website effort. What do people think?

Thanks
Sharan

taher

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Hi Sharan,

I'd like to help. I think it would be hard to collaborate by email though. Perhaps we should conference on Skype or similar service to try and reach consensus before continuing the work by writing.

Taher Alkhateeb

----- Original Message -----

From: "Sharan-F" <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Wednesday, 19 August, 2015 12:14:56 PM
Subject: Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Hi Everyone

Is anyone available to help me start putting together some ideas or examples
of what our new OFBiz website main page could look like ?

I know that we have another Community Day coming up next month so perhaps
that could be used to focus the website effort. What do people think?

Thanks
Sharan

--
View this message in context: http://ofbiz.135035.n4.nabble.com/MARKETING-Updating-our-OFBiz-Website-tp4668990p4671422.html
Sent from the OFBiz - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

JulienNicolas

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

In reply to this post by Sharan-F

Hello Sharan,

Sorry but it's very hard for me to find time... I would like to help but
for now it's just impossible.
I'll help as soon as I'll be available.

Have a nice day,

Julien.

Le 19/08/2015 11:14, Sharan-F a écrit :

> Hi Everyone
>
> Is anyone available to help me start putting together some ideas or examples
> of what our new OFBiz website main page could look like ?
>
> I know that we have another Community Day coming up next month so perhaps
> that could be used to focus the website effort. What do people think?
>
> Thanks
> Sharan
>
>
>
> --
> View this message in context: http://ofbiz.135035.n4.nabble.com/MARKETING-Updating-our-OFBiz-Website-tp4668990p4671422.html
> Sent from the OFBiz - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

Sharan-F

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

In reply to this post by taher

Hi Julien / Taher

Thanks for the responses.

My goal at this stage was just to prepare something like a simple presentation graphic that could outline each of the potential ideas, that way it could be shown to the community for feedback and discussion.

I think the idea of a group call could be really useful to get things started so let's try that. The earliest it could be done is probably sometime next week.

So anyone wanting to be involved in a group call to discuss the website, please respond to this message.

Once we have the list of people I will try to get a time and date arranged for a call.

Thanks
Sharan

Sharan-F

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Hi Taher

It looks like it's just you and me at the moment, so I'll contact you offline and we can arrange a date and time to chat.

Thanks
Sharan

taher

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

Look forward ...
On Aug 24, 2015 6:53 PM, "Sharan-F" <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Hi Taher
>
> It looks like it's just you and me at the moment, so I'll contact you
> offline and we can arrange a date and time to chat.
>
> Thanks
> Sharan
>
>
>
>
> --
> View this message in context:
> http://ofbiz.135035.n4.nabble.com/MARKETING-Updating-our-OFBiz-Website-tp4668990p4671532.html
> Sent from the OFBiz - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>

FGomez

Re: [MARKETING] Updating our OFBiz Website

In reply to this post by Sharan-F

Sharan,

I can participate too. Let me know when you are planning to start the
discussion.

Regards,
Fernando

Le 2015-08-24 11:48, Sharan-F a écrit :

> Hi Taher
>
> It looks like it's just you and me at the moment, so I'll contact you
> offline and we can arrange a date and time to chat.
>
> Thanks
> Sharan
>
>
>
>
> --
> View this message in context: http://ofbiz.135035.n4.nabble.com/MARKETING-Updating-our-OFBiz-Website-tp4668990p4671532.html
> Sent from the OFBiz - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.