One of the interesting things about Devin’s list is how many are hosted services – outside of a user’s control. The Jekyll-style blog generators might end up being a threat on the other end where people want to control/customize/run their own platforms.

Our automation tools and WordPress hosting configurations are getting better and better; thanks in part to the generosity of so many in the community. I’m proud that Jon is taking the time to return the favor.

But with major user interface changes such as Aqua or iOS 7, Apple has another tendency: they overshoot the mark. Their incremental approach then becomes one where unnecessary items are removed (such as Aqua’s stripes) or improved (excessive shadows and transparency are toned down.)

It’s really hard to design any system with an unknown number of permutations and get it right the first time. Iteration is needed, as Craig outlines.

Given a choice, in most situations I would opt for a blog over a traditional news section. That blog should be aimed at existing customers and have a focus on providing excellent customer support, while building a sense of customer loyalty.

This is what we’re doing in the next iteration of the Crowd Favorite website. I’ve resisted a company blog for about 10 years now, but the way we’re approaching it now makes sense to me.

Interesting… (thanks mrgan)

The Capistrano automation tools that we’ve created at Crowd Favorite have been a huge time saver. It’s on a list to package them along with “required set-up” docs so they can be useful to other shops as well.