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Blog convergence to "total solutions"
By Gearhead, NetworkWorld.com, 06/28/05
We just got a press release announcing the latest version of Manila from UserLand Software. Manila 9.5 "includes powerful new features like versioning and access control as well as a large number of other improvements and bug fixes" and, as the press release points out, the product has evolved into a "complete website environment."
This is a trend that we suspect will become a major force in the blog/BBS/CMS spheres because the blog world has become mainstream and product differentiation demands higher levels of functionality. The convergence of features into "total solutions" then becomes the logical direction for the market. For users the problem will become trying to find the best solution for a given site as converged products will inevitably incorporate some really strong features, many so-so features, and some really weak features.
The result of this evolution? A number of bigger total solution vendors will discover they have reached too far and get acquired cheap or wither. Some of the smaller vendors of more modular or limited function solutions will survive and verticality will define the remaining top end total solution vendors.
So, who's your money on for surviving the shake-out?
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