Drupal is a great tool for creating online communities. You can have all the necessary features for an online community, such as, aggregator, blogs, books (or wikis in my opinion), discussion boards (forums), polls, and RSS feeds. There are 31 modules that come with the original installation. Even these modules that come with an original Drupal are enough for building a good Web site. You can also install other useful modules that the Drupal community provides you for free. There are many categories from which you can choose which ones are suitable for your site.  

I successfully installed Drupal, which is as easy as Wordpress, but when I configured Drupal, it was not so easy. For admin, there are default menus such as Content management, Site building, Site configuration, User management, Logs, and Help. In Drupal we can install modules, which are the same thing as we call plugins in WordPress and extensions in MediaWiki.  

· Content management – shows what kinds of content you can publish in a Drupal site, such as books, forums, comments, image galleries, news aggregators, RSS, etc.
· Site building – manages themes, blocks, menus, modules, etc.
· Site configuration – deals with the configuration of default modules and installed modules.
· User management – manages access control, access rules, profiles, roles, search users, users, and user settings.
· Logs – monitors the Drupal site and shows statistics of system events, such as recent log entries, recent hits, status report, etc. and maintains site performances and prevent misbehavior of users or robots.
§Help – provides help topics.

Site configuration-> Site information - adds information to a Drupal site such as slogan, mission, and footer messages. 
Site configuration->Administration Theme - changes the Administer theme which can be different from the main Drupal theme. This means when I log in as an Admin, I have two different themes, one for admin and another one for the main theme that visitors will see. This feature is like in phpBB.
User management -> Access control – grants permission for anonymous and anthenticated users to have rights to use modules.
Site building->Menus – creates and customizes the menus.
Site building -> Blocks - changes the layout of the menu bar such as left sidebar, right sidebar, content, header, and footer. I can choose what I want to display on the left side bar such as User login and Navigation. On the right side bar I can choose to show such options as Who's online, Who's new, Sumonta.mysocialtech.com, and Recent comments.
Site building -> Themes – installs themes by uploading themes to the server at drupal/themes/ and configuring those themes.
Site building -> Modules – enables or disables add-on modules. Each module allows me to configure what I want to have on my Drupal site.

This table shows the original modules that come with Drupal.  

I enable almost every module that I think is useful. I will explain only the main features that I think are important and interesting. 
Blog – allows each user to have his/her own blog. This feature works like Wordpress MU but it is better. When each user posts an article in his/her own blog, it displays that post on the main page. This feature can help maintain content on the main page when we have an online community and want other members to know what is going on in other blogs.
Book – allows users to write books together. I claim that this is a wiki feature in Drupal. The user can add new pages, edit, and delete contents. It provides a history to keep track of who adds, changes, and deletes. We can also revert to an old version if we wish.
Forum – allows the user to create discussion boards on the Drupal site. It may not be as good as phpBB that is used for discussion boards but this feature makes it possible for Drupal to provide almost everything in one Web site. 

I also installed many modules in my Drupal site to make it more powerful. Some modules don’t work unless they have other modules to support them, so sometimes I have to find other modules. It is quite difficult in Drupal to install and learn how to use each module. It is not as easy as Wordpress. After I enable it, I have to change its permission in User management->access control, configure each module, and learn how to use it. Each module may display in different places.  

These are modules that I installed in addition to the original modules:  
 

Event Module – displays calendar and events. I can choose where I want this calendar to display. Users can add more events at the create content menu. 

Image Module – allows uploading and showing pictures. It can create and manage galleries.  

SWF tools module – allows the user to add MP3 and flash movie and show them on the Drupal site. 

Chat room module– allows users to create chat rooms and chat with each other by using AJAX technology. 

TinyMCE module– provides a WYSIWYG editor for page, post, and comment. The user can easily edit the contents. The editor that it provides works like MS-word.  

In conclusion, Drupal is an open source that is very useful and is interesting to learn how to use. I believe that I can gain many benefits from it if I understand thoroughly how to use it. It is complicated but it is also flexible. You can configure what you want to have in your site. There are many modules for you to install and configure. It also has an active community and developers to improve and support Drupal. I think this is a great tool for building an online community.

LifeType is an open-source blogging platform with support for multiple blogs and users in a single installation.

LifeType's design goal is to create a blogging platform that will enable users to spend as little time as possible between installation and actually posting. For that reason, LifeType will stay within its confines of a blogging platform and will not add any official features that aren't strictly blogging related. LifeType will not attempt to become another content management system like PostNuke or Joomla, though the templating system is simple enough, so that embeding other software packages into LifeType is relatively simple (and vice versa).

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/About_LifeType

LifeType Version

The first version that I have installed is Version 1.2.5 Beta.   After the crash of my LifeType, I have installed the latest version, which is Version 1.2.5.

Requirements of LifeType

LifeType Version 1.2.5 requires the followings :

(i)         PHP 5.0.x or later

(ii)        MySQL 4.0.x or later

Strengths of LifeType

The strengths of LifeType are :

(i)                 LifeType has a multiblog platform.  I actually tried the multiblog platform just before the crash and it did work.  But I wasn’t sure whether that was the cause of the crash, so I did not try to set up the other blog again.

(ii)               LifeType is very simple.  Those people who just want to blog will definitely like LifeType as at the post template, icons for embedding video, images and music have been provided.  

(iii)             Some of the plugins for LifeType do not need any configuration and that makes life easier.  All the user need to do is download the plugin and upload it to the Virtual WorkSpace.  Once uploaded, the plugin can be seen at the Administration page of LifeType.  All that is required now is to enable the plugin. 

Limitations of LifeType

The limitations of LifeType are :

(i)                 LifeType does not have a good HELP facility.  Even when I googled, there is not much help.  I guess all the users are simple people that they just used what is provided for by LifeType.  I have even tried to contact LifeType and asked some questions, until now, there is no response from them!

(ii)               There are also not many plugins for LifeType.  The reason may be due to the fact that it is still a nascent social networking platform and again those people using it are not so techky.  Some of the plugins does not function that well.  For example, I couldn’t get Technocrati Tag Cloud or TagCloud to work.

(iii)             The templates options are very few.  Unlike WordPress, LifeType has only 14 templates option. 

Plugins Installed

I have installed 6 plugins and got them working.  The effect of 2 plugins can only be seen in the administration page.  The rest can be seen at the user pages.  I have written some remarks on each plugin as shown below.

(i)       Copy Article

This plugin adds extra functionality to the "Edit Posts" page, so that it is possible to copy an existing article into a new one. The functionality is exposed via a new icon in the "Action" column for each one of the posts, and only one article can be copied at a time.   Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_copyarticle

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated.   This feature can be seen at the Manage - Post page.  This is one of the plugins that can only be seen at the Administrator Page.

(ii)      Mail Center

This plugin allows site administrators to easily contact their users via email, via a couple of easy to use screens. Site administrators can either send emails to a user or a group of users. 

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_mailcentre

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated.  This plugin can be seen at the Administration – Mail Center. This plugin is only meant for Administrator.

(iii)     FeedReader

This plugin uses pLog's integrated RSS parser to allow users to read RSS and Atom feeds right from within their administration interfaces. The plugin also features support for RSS 2.0 enclosures.

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_feedreader

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated.  The only thing that is required to be done is to find the RSS materials.  To include the RSS materials, this has to be done at the Manage-Manage Link.  First, I have to create a new link by completing the name of the link, the URL and descriptions. 

To read the RSS from the administration page, just click at Manage – Feed Reader.  For the user, this feature is at the side bar under the Menu – RSS Links.

(iv)     Require Email

The Require Email plugin makes email addresses required for adding comments.  Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_requireemail

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated. 

For the Administrator, this plugin can be seen at Control Center – Anti Spam Management.  As for the user, this plugin can be seen at the Comment template, where the user will be required to input their email.

(v)     Smileys

This plugin adds the smileys at the comment template.  However, I was rather disappointed as the smiley that will be on the text is not the actual smiley.  Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_smileys

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, I had to include this script at the commentFrom.template in the default folder :

{if $smileys->isEnabled()} <script type="text/javascript" src="{$url- >getBaseUrl()}/plugins/smileys/js/smileys/smileys.js"></script><br/><label for="smileysBar"></label>{$smileys->generateSmileysBar()}{/if}

 The smileys can be seen at the comment template.

(vi)     Sociable

This plugin display all the sociable icons at the blog post.

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_sociable

Installing this plugin was not that straight forward.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, I have to put this script {$sociable->showCSS()} at the header.template.  The I have to put this script {assign var="postId" value=$post->getId()} {$sociable->show($postId)} at the post.template.

LifeType Updates

There are 6 weeks of comments for LifeType.  All the comments have been entered into my personal blogs under the following headings :

(i)                 LifeType - The First Impression

(ii)               LifeType Update 2

(iii)             LifeType Update 3

(iv)              LifeType Update 4

(v)                LifeType Update 5

(vi)              LifeType Update 6

I have also attached all the write-ups for the above 6 updates in the pages below. 

Final Words on LifeType

For any blogger who just want to blog for the first time, this is the simplest platform that can be used.  So, this can be a test bed or the stepping stone for novice bloggers.  Most of the features like embedding of video, music and images have been catered for, at the post template.   I don’t actually enjoy using LifeType as there are limitations such as the templates, the plugins and also the poor Help feature. 

I guess those who are adventurous and aggressive with social networking platforms, will not choose LifeType as their platform because it doesn’t have much to offer, unless those bloggers are willing to help out to develop more plugins.  I guess that is why there is not many help providers even when googling for help.

LifeType is an open-source blogging platform with support for multiple blogs and users in a single installation.

LifeType's design goal is to create a blogging platform that will enable users to spend as little time as possible between installation and actually posting. For that reason, LifeType will stay within its confines of a blogging platform and will not add any official features that aren't strictly blogging related. LifeType will not attempt to become another content management system like PostNuke or Joomla, though the templating system is simple enough, so that embeding other software packages into LifeType is relatively simple (and vice versa).

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/About_LifeType

LifeType Version

The first version that I have installed is Version 1.2.5 Beta.   After the crash of my LifeType, I have installed the latest version, which is Version 1.2.5.

Requirements of LifeType

LifeType Version 1.2.5 requires the followings :

(i)         PHP 5.0.x or later

(ii)        MySQL 4.0.x or later

Strengths of LifeType

The strengths of LifeType are :

(i)                 LifeType has a multiblog platform.  I actually tried the multiblog platform just before the crash and it did work.  But I wasn’t sure whether that was the cause of the crash, so I did not try to set up the other blog again.

(ii)               LifeType is very simple.  Those people who just want to blog will definitely like LifeType as at the post template, icons for embedding video, images and music have been provided.  

(iii)             Some of the plugins for LifeType do not need any configuration and that makes life easier.  All the user need to do is download the plugin and upload it to the Virtual WorkSpace.  Once uploaded, the plugin can be seen at the Administration page of LifeType.  All that is required now is to enable the plugin. 

Limitations of LifeType

The limitations of LifeType are :

(i)                 LifeType does not have a good HELP facility.  Even when I googled, there is not much help.  I guess all the users are simple people that they just used what is provided for by LifeType.  I have even tried to contact LifeType and asked some questions, until now, there is no response from them!

(ii)               There are also not many plugins for LifeType.  The reason may be due to the fact that it is still a nascent social networking platform and again those people using it are not so techky.  Some of the plugins does not function that well.  For example, I couldn’t get Technocrati Tag Cloud or TagCloud to work.

(iii)             The templates options are very few.  Unlike WordPress, LifeType has only 14 templates option. 

Plugins Installed

I have installed 6 plugins and got them working.  The effect of 2 plugins can only be seen in the administration page.  The rest can be seen at the user pages.  I have written some remarks on each plugin as shown below.

(i)       Copy Article

This plugin adds extra functionality to the "Edit Posts" page, so that it is possible to copy an existing article into a new one. The functionality is exposed via a new icon in the "Action" column for each one of the posts, and only one article can be copied at a time.   Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_copyarticle

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated.   This feature can be seen at the Manage - Post page.  This is one of the plugins that can only be seen at the Administrator Page.

(ii)      Mail Center

This plugin allows site administrators to easily contact their users via email, via a couple of easy to use screens. Site administrators can either send emails to a user or a group of users. 

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_mailcentre

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated.  This plugin can be seen at the Administration – Mail Center. This plugin is only meant for Administrator.

(iii)     FeedReader

This plugin uses pLog's integrated RSS parser to allow users to read RSS and Atom feeds right from within their administration interfaces. The plugin also features support for RSS 2.0 enclosures.

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_feedreader

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated.  The only thing that is required to be done is to find the RSS materials.  To include the RSS materials, this has to be done at the Manage-Manage Link.  First, I have to create a new link by completing the name of the link, the URL and descriptions. 

To read the RSS from the administration page, just click at Manage – Feed Reader.  For the user, this feature is at the side bar under the Menu – RSS Links.

(iv)     Require Email

The Require Email plugin makes email addresses required for adding comments.  Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_requireemail

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated. 

For the Administrator, this plugin can be seen at Control Center – Anti Spam Management.  As for the user, this plugin can be seen at the Comment template, where the user will be required to input their email.

(v)     Smileys

This plugin adds the smileys at the comment template.  However, I was rather disappointed as the smiley that will be on the text is not the actual smiley.  Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_smileys

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, I had to include this script at the commentFrom.template in the default folder :

{if $smileys->isEnabled()} <script type="text/javascript" src="{$url- >getBaseUrl()}/plugins/smileys/js/smileys/smileys.js"></script><br/><label for="smileysBar"></label>{$smileys->generateSmileysBar()}{/if}

 The smileys can be seen at the comment template.

(vi)     Sociable

This plugin display all the sociable icons at the blog post.

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_sociable

Installing this plugin was not that straight forward.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, I have to put this script {$sociable->showCSS()} at the header.template.  The I have to put this script {assign var="postId" value=$post->getId()} {$sociable->show($postId)} at the post.template.

LifeType Updates

There are 5 weeks of comments for LifeType.  All the comments have been entered into my personal blogs under the following headings :

(i)                 LifeType - The First Impression

(ii)               LifeType Update 2

(iii)             LifeType Update 3

(iv)              LifeType Update 4

(v)                LifeType Update 5

(vi)              LifeType Update 6

I have also attached all the write-ups for the above 6 updates in the pages below. 

Final Words on LifeType

For any blogger who just want to blog for the first time, this is the simplest platform that can be used.  So, this can be a test bed or the stepping stone for novice bloggers.  Most of the features like embedding of video, music and images have been catered for, at the post template.   I don’t actually enjoy using LifeType as there are limitations such as the templates, the plugins and also the poor Help feature. 

I guess those who are adventurous and aggressive with social networking platforms, will not choose LifeType as their platform because it doesn’t have much to offer, unless those bloggers are willing to help out to develop more plugins.  I guess that is why there is not many help providers even when googling for help.

LifeType is an open-source blogging platform with support for multiple blogs and users in a single installation.

LifeType's design goal is to create a blogging platform that will enable users to spend as little time as possible between installation and actually posting. For that reason, LifeType will stay within its confines of a blogging platform and will not add any official features that aren't strictly blogging related. LifeType will not attempt to become another content management system like PostNuke or Joomla, though the templating system is simple enough, so that embeding other software packages into LifeType is relatively simple (and vice versa).

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/About_LifeType

LifeType Version

The first version that I have installed is Version 1.2.5 Beta.   After the crash of my LifeType, I have installed the latest version, which is Version 1.2.5.

Requirements of LifeType

LifeType Version 1.2.5 requires the followings :

(i)         PHP 5.0.x or later

(ii)        MySQL 4.0.x or later

Strengths of LifeType

The strengths of LifeType are :

(i)                 LifeType has a multiblog platform.  I actually tried the multiblog platform just before the crash and it did work.  But I wasn’t sure whether that was the cause of the crash, so I did not try to set up the other blog again.

(ii)               LifeType is very simple.  Those people who just want to blog will definitely like LifeType as at the post template, icons for embedding video, images and music have been provided.  

(iii)             Some of the plugins for LifeType do not need any configuration and that makes life easier.  All the user need to do is download the plugin and upload it to the Virtual WorkSpace.  Once uploaded, the plugin can be seen at the Administration page of LifeType.  All that is required now is to enable the plugin. 

Limitations of LifeType

The limitations of LifeType are :

(i)                 LifeType does not have a good HELP facility.  Even when I googled, there is not much help.  I guess all the users are simple people that they just used what is provided for by LifeType.  I have even tried to contact LifeType and asked some questions, until now, there is no response from them!

(ii)               There are also not many plugins for LifeType.  The reason may be due to the fact that it is still a nascent social networking platform and again those people using it are not so techky.  Some of the plugins does not function that well.  For example, I couldn’t get Technocrati Tag Cloud or TagCloud to work.

(iii)             The templates options are very few.  Unlike WordPress, LifeType has only 14 templates option. 

Plugins Installed

I have installed 6 plugins and got them working.  The effect of 2 plugins can only be seen in the administration page.  The rest can be seen at the user pages.  I have written some remarks on each plugin as shown below.

(i)       Copy Article

This plugin adds extra functionality to the "Edit Posts" page, so that it is possible to copy an existing article into a new one. The functionality is exposed via a new icon in the "Action" column for each one of the posts, and only one article can be copied at a time.   Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_copyarticle

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated.   This feature can be seen at the Manage - Post page.  This is one of the plugins that can only be seen at the Administrator Page.

(ii)      Mail Center

This plugin allows site administrators to easily contact their users via email, via a couple of easy to use screens. Site administrators can either send emails to a user or a group of users. 

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_mailcentre

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated.  This plugin can be seen at the Administration – Mail Center. This plugin is only meant for Administrator.

(iii)     FeedReader

This plugin uses pLog's integrated RSS parser to allow users to read RSS and Atom feeds right from within their administration interfaces. The plugin also features support for RSS 2.0 enclosures.

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_feedreader

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated.  The only thing that is required to be done is to find the RSS materials.  To include the RSS materials, this has to be done at the Manage-Manage Link.  First, I have to create a new link by completing the name of the link, the URL and descriptions. 

To read the RSS from the administration page, just click at Manage – Feed Reader.  For the user, this feature is at the side bar under the Menu – RSS Links.

(iv)     Require Email

The Require Email plugin makes email addresses required for adding comments.  Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_requireemail

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  No configuration was needed.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, the plugin is ready to be activated. 

For the Administrator, this plugin can be seen at Control Center – Anti Spam Management.  As for the user, this plugin can be seen at the Comment template, where the user will be required to input their email.

(v)     Smileys

This plugin adds the smileys at the comment template.  However, I was rather disappointed as the smiley that will be on the text is not the actual smiley.  Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_smileys

Installing this plugin was straight forward.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, I had to include this script at the commentFrom.template in the default folder :

{if $smileys->isEnabled()} <script type="text/javascript" src="{$url- >getBaseUrl()}/plugins/smileys/js/smileys/smileys.js"></script><br/><label for="smileysBar"></label>{$smileys->generateSmileysBar()}{/if}

 The smileys can be seen at the comment template.

(vi)     Sociable

This plugin display all the sociable icons at the blog post.

Source : http://wiki.lifetype.net/index.php/Plugin_sociable

Installing this plugin was not that straight forward.  Once uploaded to the Virtual WorkSpace, I have to put this script {$sociable->showCSS()} at the header.template.  The I have to put this script {assign var="postId" value=$post->getId()} {$sociable->show($postId)} at the post.template.

LifeType Assignments

There are 5 weeks of comments for LifeType.  All the comments have been entered into my personal blogs under the following headings :

(i)                 LifeType - The First Impression

(ii)               LifeType Update 2

(iii)             LifeType Update 3

(iv)              LifeType Update 4

(v)                LifeType Update 5

(vi)              LifeType Update 6

I have also attached all the write-ups for the above 6 updates in the pages below. 

Final Words on LifeType

For any blogger who just want to blog for the first time, this is the simplest platform that can be used.  So, this can be a test bed or the stepping stone for novice bloggers.  Most of the features like embedding of video, music and images have been catered for, at the post template.   I don’t actually enjoy using LifeType as there are limitations such as the templates, the plugins and also the poor Help feature. 

I guess those who are adventurous and aggressive with social networking platforms, will not choose LifeType as their platform because it doesn’t have much to offer, unless those bloggers are willing to help out to develop more plugins.  I guess that is why there is not many help providers even when googling for help.

http://claremontconversation.org/tcourse/kharusi/weblog/

http://claremontconversation.org/tcourse/kharusi/weblog/

Installed :

 

B2 Evolution 2.2.0- Las Vegas Again

B2 Evolution 2.1.0 - Las Vegas

B2 Evolution 2.0.2- Millenium Park

B2 evolution 1.9.3- Rainforest

 

Location:

 

Shantanu.mysociatech.com

 

 

B2 Evolution:

 

 

For the third assignment, I stumbled upon B2 Evolution (B2E). I never heard of B2E before this, I have gone through various other technologies out there, but what made B2E stands out from others is, multilingual, multiuser and multi blog publishing system. I chose B2E to explore as my third technology for the class.  According to b2evolution.net, "B2E includes all the features of traditional blog tools, and extends them with evolved features such as file & photo management, advanced skinning, multiple blogs support as well as detailed user permissions…"

 

B2E is an open-source (GPL), it runs on virtually any webserver featuring PHP+MySQL and it's available in many languages! The Installation process was straight forward and pretty much similar to the others we did in the class. Once the installation is complete it provides a username and password that can be changed later.

 

I installed  B2E 1.9.3 (code named, Rainforest), which is one of the earliest version of B2E to see the evolution till the latest release, B2E 2.1.0 (code named, Las Vegas).  B2E 1.9.3 requires you to download plugin(s) and widgets according to the enhancement you like to have. There is not much scope to do with the B2E 2.1.0, as the latest version has inbuilt plugin(s) and widget(s), which needs to be installed in the earlier version like B2E 1.9.3. I installed an earlier version of B2E and can compare it with the latest version.

 

 

Key Features:

 

1. Administration Bar: This one reminds me of Admin bar Reloaded plug-in that we installed for the WordPress. If logged  in as an administrator of the site, I see a tool bar just below the tab bar of an Internet explorer, which allows me to do my administration work including see, write, manage, upload, customize and others. Admin bar is prebuilt in the latest versions of B2E, and it makes the administration very easy. It allows easily to toggle between front page and administrative page. Given below are some of the menu items:  

 

Dashboard: It takes you directly to the dashboard. Dashboard contains information on recently edited posts. It allows to manage blog, customize blog, and perform administrative tasks. It also includes information on the current version of the B2E.     

 

Admin Skin: It allows you to change the admin skin. It provides three options in the drop down menu to select the admin skin; Chicago, Evo, and Legacy are the three skins available.

 

See/write/manage/upload/customize: These are the other options in the admin bar menu and are self explanatory.   

 

2. Global Settings: As I mentioned above B2E is a multiblog publishing system. You can have multiple blogs (pages), and for each blog page you can have a different skin. While global settings  take care of those settings which will not be affected if the skin is changed or allows changes to be effected irrespective of the blog page(s) or skin. It includes plugin(s), so if the skin is changed it will not affect plugin(s). This one is really a good feature, and allows flexibility to users to change themes and do many other things with your blogs. 

 

3. Blogsettings: It is particular to each blog (page).  You can have a particular setting for a blog (page), which includes skin, widgets, display and many others.

 

4. Linkblog: According to b2evolution.net, " linkblog is a simple way to add content to the sidebar of your regular blog without having to change any skin files or add any content manually."

 

5. File: It allows you create folders and upload file of almost any format.

 

6. Stats: It show activity graphs for each blog, including robots, RSS readers and browser hits broken down by referrers, searches, direct accesses, self-referred, etc. Also includes search keywords, user logins and more.

 

7. Antispam Settings:  It allows to block comments and blacklist. If I am not wrong the blacklist is shared by the entire B2 evolution community.  This one is embedded in the blogging tool. There is no way to turn the antispam services off.

 

 

List of plugins installed (2.1.0)

 

B2 evolution provides some prebuilt plugins that need to be to activated or deactivated depending on your use.

 

8. Video : It is prebuilt in the system, and allows to embed videos from various video offering websites.

 

9. Smilies: It allows you to use emoticons in your posts.

 

10. Themes: B2E has a huge collection of themes and they are generally known as evo skins. B2E installed is the latest version, so there are not much themes available. I have to use those which comes with the package. B2E allows you to have multiple themes instead of single; each blog can have a separate theme.    

 

11. Widgets: B2E also allows you have to widgets.  Like tag line, logo, etc.                                                                                       

   

 

In B2E 1.9.3 there was no prebuilt admin bar and it was really hard to toggle between front page and back office page. This version doesn't have global setting, but it does have application setting, which works quite similar to the global setting of the latest version. This version allows anyone to change theme from the sidebar without logging in. 

 

List of Plugins installed (1.9.3)

 

12. Youtube Video: Its name is Youtube video plugin, but it allows you to embed video from many other popular multimedia websites. The best part of this plugin is it allows you to search a video from the post, play it, and embed it.   

 

13. Democracy poll: It shows the poll on the blog.

 

14. Technorati: It allows the blog to be searched in Technorati. 

 

15. Sticky Announcement : It allows to post a message as a stick note and will be always posted ahead of other post(s) or blog(s).

 

16. Lastfm : It allows to write the title of a song, you are listening to (if you are) and want to share with others. It also allows to stream songs from a popular website by the same name, but you need an account. 

 

17. Avatars: Allows you to have avatar. There are two options available, either you can have a large size or a small size avatar.

 

18.  Gallery: It allows you to show image gallery in the sidebar.

 

19. B2 Commerce: It allows you to give your post a commercial look. Using this plugin you can have a price tag and person interested can pay using the pay pal link provided by the plugin. However, I am unable to change the language to English, it is displaying in other foreign language.

 

20. Lightbox: It allows you to provide a url to your photo.

 

21. Starrating: It allows you to instantly rate any post.

 

22. Geo-code: It allows to embed Google map in your blog. I am facing some problems in making this plugin work.

 

23. Sidebar comments: It allows you to see comments in sidebar.

 

 

My final impression about B2E is that they are constantly working towards the improvement of the product. This tool is so neat and well managed. In my opinion, a rookie as well as a pro both can have fun working on B2E. It would not be wrong to say that there blogging tool is one of the best in the market, but now they should focus on integrating it with other popular social technology tools to extend its reach. 

 

 

 

http://b2evolution.net/about/features.html