Reviews
Current Version
Before 4.0.1
Seamless!
What a great addition to a clients site. All the functionality they were looking for... and then some. They're getting compliments on their site... I'm looking like a Rock-Star to my client. THANKS CHAD!
By the way, I stumbled a bit setting permissions for multiple authors and Chad responded right away with the help to get me past it. Outstanding service
By the way, I stumbled a bit setting permissions for multiple authors and Chad responded right away with the help to get me past it. Outstanding service
Awesome blog add-on!
I have used this blog add-on for a couple of sites. I love the ease of integration into an existing template and my customers love the ease of use for blog management.
Nice Blog Package
I've spent time customizing both the included C5 blog and another free add-on package from the marketplace but neither provided the features required by my clients. I like that I can build my own template for this block, and that my clients did not have to re-create all of their existing blog posts when we upgraded. I've only hit one error so far and that may indeed be because I wrote my own template. :)
Best C5 Blog Add-on!
This blog was absolutely perfect. I've tried several different C5 blogs, but this one was ideal. Good job!
Two blogs or thumbs up!
I purchased this for my first blog. I watched the tutorial video from the link on the Pro Blog information page before installing. And all went well from there. And I have already made my first blog posts. About the only requirement the Pro Blog has, is that you have a left or right page theme to use for your Blog. Great add-on. I recommend this.
very nice release
very nice application for c5 :) easy to install,easy to use and edit entry, and to custom the view
i'm using it since a short time, and play a lot with it.
if you need a blog, try this ne is to adopt it i think
i'm using it since a short time, and play a lot with it.
if you need a blog, try this ne is to adopt it i think
This new version is amazing
I love that you can now manage your comments in one place, as well as being able to add blog posts right from the front end. Great Job Chad. I would recommend this to everyone.
Definitely worth it.
Not only is the Addon good, but the support matches. Very well designed and allows you to implement easily into your current concrete5 theme. Superior support is what makes this an even better deal! Highly recommended.
If I can do it -- You can do it!
Install was easy, it was easy to use and its fun ....
The only problem I had was not watching the videos. I recommend you watch video 1 a couple of times before monkeying around.
Great Add-on!
The only problem I had was not watching the videos. I recommend you watch video 1 a couple of times before monkeying around.
Great Add-on!
Great product, great support
Very easy install, had some issues (my fault) but the support from ChadStrat was second to none :)
Now fully up and running, easy to style to my needs and my client amazed by its ease of use.
I would recommend to anyone wanting a blog package and will undoubtedly be buying more licenses :)
Now fully up and running, easy to style to my needs and my client amazed by its ease of use.
I would recommend to anyone wanting a blog package and will undoubtedly be buying more licenses :)
Very good!
Excellent product. Very good usability, easy to install and style as you want. Works very well with all Concrete5 features including tags. Great support from Chad, many thanks! I'm planning to use it on other websites as well.
Great product
Very flexible and easy to use, ability to maintain separate blogs was a big plus. Worked well with c5 permission system as well if you require that. Top notch support by Chad - thank you!
Great Blogging solution
Just like the ProNews and ProEvents packages, the Pro Blog package functions exceptionally well.
It has great usability, easy and quick to get going, and i love the inclusion of the social media icons for sharing the content. Also the fact you can truncate blog lists is the biggest bonus for me.
Its a great way to add simple blogging capabilities to your site.
It has great usability, easy and quick to get going, and i love the inclusion of the social media icons for sharing the content. Also the fact you can truncate blog lists is the biggest bonus for me.
Its a great way to add simple blogging capabilities to your site.
4.0.1 - 4.0.8
Just plain Easy! Customization is Easy, Easy for Clients to grasp.
I used Pro Blog for the site I developed forhttp://www.whitsendwellness.com....
It was easy to customize the Pro Blog to fit the design of the site and the client loves using it. They love everything about editing their site with C5 but especially their blog.
Thanks for making this excellent product available for us developers out there trying to provide a better experience for our clients. You made me look like a rock-star to my client... their words not mine.
Thanks Again
Greg Cayer
Cayer Creative LLC
It was easy to customize the Pro Blog to fit the design of the site and the client loves using it. They love everything about editing their site with C5 but especially their blog.
Thanks for making this excellent product available for us developers out there trying to provide a better experience for our clients. You made me look like a rock-star to my client... their words not mine.
Thanks Again
Greg Cayer
Cayer Creative LLC
To say THANKS!
Just wanted to say thanks and kudos, not only for great products (Simple/composer Blog) and Pro Blog BUT super responsive help/communication. Thanks! :-)
To say THANKS!
Just wanted to say thanks and kudos, not only for great products (Simple/composer Blog) and Pro Blog BUT super responsive help/communication. Thanks! :-)
Nice Add on!
This is a nice add-on if you are looking to build a news/blog section on your site. Do be aware if you have created your own theme that the 'view.php' file is set up correctly.
There is plenty of information about this and Chad is very proactive with his support.
There is plenty of information about this and Chad is very proactive with his support.
The perfect blog solution
Recently I had to integrate a Wordpress existing blog into a new C5 site. This block was the perfect solution, a full featured blog, easy to customise with css and easy to use.
5.0.0 - 5.5.6
Great Bloging Tool - The only bloging addon worth using
Most of my clients don't use blogs, but its a great tool for those who do!
Chad offers great support and has been superb watching this improve!
I would like to see a more vanilla version of Chads addons, but its certainly not a criticism!
Chad offers great support and has been superb watching this improve!
I would like to see a more vanilla version of Chads addons, but its certainly not a criticism!
Wordpress Killer ... Easy Install in just a few minutes
I recently converted a website from Wordpress into Concrete5, and wanted to make sure that the blogging experience for the client was as easy as it was with WordPress.
I can say without a doubt, that this is not only easier to use than Wordpress, but had all the features that we needed!
Installed for me in minutes, with about zero configuration needed to get it up and running.
A major selling point was the 5.5 compatibility as well as the iOS interface. I know there will be support, and I'm very glad to be able to support such awesome developers for Concrete5.
Thanks for an awesome product, I'd recommend to anyone needing a robust blogging solution that is well supported!
I can say without a doubt, that this is not only easier to use than Wordpress, but had all the features that we needed!
Installed for me in minutes, with about zero configuration needed to get it up and running.
A major selling point was the 5.5 compatibility as well as the iOS interface. I know there will be support, and I'm very glad to be able to support such awesome developers for Concrete5.
Thanks for an awesome product, I'd recommend to anyone needing a robust blogging solution that is well supported!
Pro Blog makes Word Press unnecessary
Concrete 5 is a really great Content Management System out of the box. But a blogging tool, it is not.
Chad Cantrell at http://stratisdesign.com changes that with Pro Blog (v. 5.5.0) for Concrete 5. Now the blog part of Concrete 5 is, in my opinion, better looking than Word Press, and has a less cluttered admin interface. Also, you usually spot a site built on Word Press from a far, but Pro Blog gives you something more unique.
I also use Chad Cantrell´s Pro Blog Mobile, and that makes posting from my Iphone easy too (Pro Blog Mobile costs under 40 Swedish kronor in the App Store for Iphone).
Not that easy for me to configure and get up and running. But Chad Cantrell offers really great support. And after watching the Pro Blog tutorial and reading the documentation, it is not hard to get it to work.
Chad Cantrell at http://stratisdesign.com changes that with Pro Blog (v. 5.5.0) for Concrete 5. Now the blog part of Concrete 5 is, in my opinion, better looking than Word Press, and has a less cluttered admin interface. Also, you usually spot a site built on Word Press from a far, but Pro Blog gives you something more unique.
I also use Chad Cantrell´s Pro Blog Mobile, and that makes posting from my Iphone easy too (Pro Blog Mobile costs under 40 Swedish kronor in the App Store for Iphone).
Not that easy for me to configure and get up and running. But Chad Cantrell offers really great support. And after watching the Pro Blog tutorial and reading the documentation, it is not hard to get it to work.
Great Blog
I really like this blog and can recommend it.
For the design 5 stars
For integration in template 4,5 stars (was for me not so easy)
For the use 5 stars (very good and easy to work with)
For the design 5 stars
For integration in template 4,5 stars (was for me not so easy)
For the use 5 stars (very good and easy to work with)
Pro Blog Rules! The Update Helped Too!
I Love pro blog it is soooooooooo much better than the blog that comes with concrete5. Still trying to get the hang of a couple things but it's just learning the definitions of some of the items like selection/location and how that plays into the Navigation drop down menu on my site.
Love the add on though, I have about 21 add ons from concrete 5 and this one I can't live without. Highly recommend it!
Love the add on though, I have about 21 add ons from concrete 5 and this one I can't live without. Highly recommend it!
6.0.0 - 6.0.4
btw....
oh yeah, and I forgot to mention... it takes him like a minute and a half to get back to you with support. He's not like others who take your money and disappear!! He stands behind his products.
Best Blogging tool in the C5 Marketplace
This is another of Chad's great add-ons. He put together a good one here. Lot's of options, including admins specifying the users making posts.
Love Pro Blog!
Chad has done it again. You can always count on his add-ons being done well. Thanks for a great blog tool that integrates into Concrete5! I love it.
Pro Blog
Very nice tool, for very small price, and excellent response time on support queries. I would definitely purchase an add-on from Chad again and feel confident in a good product and recieving any support required.
:)
:)
Excellent Suppor & Great add-ont!
I have just bought this and highly rate this add-on. I posted some questions I had and receieved replies within 20 mins!!
Very good!
Very good!
Pro BlogGreat Features
Just swithced over from Simple Blog. I'm all thumbs with technology and even I could use the Pro Blog add-on. Chad's support is always 100%.
When you've found the best: stop looking
This is positively the best module for enabling "normal" users to create news-like content . In this respect it is better than ProNews.
Very good!
Easy to set up, great support - excellent blog :)
Excellent Blog Add-On
This was really easy to install, set up, and start using. We had one question about how to get it set up the way the client needed and my support request was answered within just a few minutes. Well worth the small price.
7.0.0.1 - 6.0.4
good product, great service by Chad.
just be careful when you update, make sure you know what you're doing!
This user is highly petty, dishonest, and not forthright in this "review"
Said user was using ProBlog illegally for over 4 month as the version he was using was under a licensing deal with a company called "movingPixel.ca".
Said user failed to pay movingPixel a large sum of money, and thought he would "be better off on his own".
Because said user stiffed our client, we were notified, and since said point has been using our product illegally. (until a purchase just yesterday)
Unfortunately, said user failed to confirm or deny any of the following:
- said user updated their core from C5.4.2.1 modified, custom version of C5 to C5.5.1.2 standard core
- said user had errantly modified user permissions in the system, and then tried to revert. A known way to cause bugs.
- errors tossed on update are not reproducible in any way, on any version of C5 except MovingPixels modified versions of the core.
Our team can not, will not, and will never be responsible for how our products function on modified cores or updates.
Not only this, but said user tried to mislead us, despite the fact that we factually know all of these facts do to our working relationship with MovingPixel
We were not rude. We were not condescending.
This user, is simply trying to ding our good name to make up for his own ineptness.
ChadStrat
Said user was using ProBlog illegally for over 4 month as the version he was using was under a licensing deal with a company called "movingPixel.ca".
Said user failed to pay movingPixel a large sum of money, and thought he would "be better off on his own".
Because said user stiffed our client, we were notified, and since said point has been using our product illegally. (until a purchase just yesterday)
Unfortunately, said user failed to confirm or deny any of the following:
- said user updated their core from C5.4.2.1 modified, custom version of C5 to C5.5.1.2 standard core
- said user had errantly modified user permissions in the system, and then tried to revert. A known way to cause bugs.
- errors tossed on update are not reproducible in any way, on any version of C5 except MovingPixels modified versions of the core.
Our team can not, will not, and will never be responsible for how our products function on modified cores or updates.
Not only this, but said user tried to mislead us, despite the fact that we factually know all of these facts do to our working relationship with MovingPixel
We were not rude. We were not condescending.
This user, is simply trying to ding our good name to make up for his own ineptness.
ChadStrat
It just works!
Works great. Had some trouble, but this was a bug with concrete5, not the addon. Followed the creators instructions and all is fine. Support is very responsive and helpful. AAA+++
7.1.0.0 - 6.0.4
By far the most convenient Blog addon for your C5 website
Chad's Pro Blog addon makes blogging convenient and centralized on any C5 Website. I've used Pro Blog, Pro Events, and Pro Buttons on at least 10 websites in the last year and all my clients have nothing but positive feedback. More than anything though, he responds... simply put. He will actually communicate with you and help you work through issues unlike many other developers. Thanks Chad!
The best blogging option for Concrete5
ProBlog brings professional level blogging features to Concrete5's intuitive editing and dashboard. Having tried a couple of other blog solutions from the basic C5 blog to other add-ons in the past, I went with ProBlog on my last web project because I'd had success and good client reception with a sister package, ProEvents. On a current project install, for some reason there was some server and core funkiness, and the developer was quick to step in and support my purchase with installation help, and got me up and running within a day. Thanks Chad!
8.1.2.0 - 6.0.4
Works very well and great support!
Had an issue with SEO and the developer rolled out an update within hours of posting the request. I pretty much use this now instead of wordpress for all our client site blogs.
9.0.0.1 - 6.0.4
Just the best extension there is for adding concrete5 functionality.
........Really good blog add-on. Nice how it connect with twitter.
Just use it for a day. Must say, looks good.
Just the one to buy and make your site connect to the world.
2017 C5 v9.1.0 nosupport anymore
Just use it for a day. Must say, looks good.
Just the one to buy and make your site connect to the world.
2017 C5 v9.1.0 nosupport anymore
9.1.0 - 6.0.4
Everything I needed and simple to implement
I used this add-on with my portfolio site. I wanted something I could easily bolt onto my current site that would use my existing styles and setup without too much extra work. Problog gives me everything I could want from a blog. Plus extra stuff I wouldn't have expected such as Disqus integration, that works great.
Everything was simple to set up and Chad answered a few queries I had very efficiently. Very happy.
Everything was simple to set up and Chad answered a few queries I had very efficiently. Very happy.
Gonna love it
I haven't finished config'ing this yet, but I can tell already I am gonna love it.
How about making it responsive?
How about making it responsive?
9.8.0 - 6.0.4
It´s a 10, and then some!
Great add-on. That "pro" in the name is no joke.
If you want to blog, this is what you need.
If you suck as a blogger, you can still take advantage of the features included with Pro Blog. For example, you can have a great looking page list of whatever kind of content you have. Or how about a tag cloud? They look terrific with any content, not just blogs.
It is very intuitive, it's C5!
Support is overwhelming. We went from v9.8.0 to v10.0.0 and then to v10.0.1 in just one day, and just because I had a couple of issues. Nobody does that anymore. Also, they were very patient with me. Thanks Chad!
If you want to blog, this is what you need.
If you suck as a blogger, you can still take advantage of the features included with Pro Blog. For example, you can have a great looking page list of whatever kind of content you have. Or how about a tag cloud? They look terrific with any content, not just blogs.
It is very intuitive, it's C5!
Support is overwhelming. We went from v9.8.0 to v10.0.0 and then to v10.0.1 in just one day, and just because I had a couple of issues. Nobody does that anymore. Also, they were very patient with me. Thanks Chad!
9.8.0 - 6.0.4
Excellent!
For an instant blog setup with a lot of features, you can't beat this.
9.8.0 - 6.0.4
Nice add-on!
After playing around with Composer in Concrete5 I decided I needed more for my site. Pro Blog seemed to fit the bill. At first I had some problems with the installation erroring out but support took care of it right away. I was able to customize our blog to work just as I envisioned. Everything is running very smoothly!
11.5.1 - 6.0.4
Would like better support, but product is good
Would like better support, but product is good
Hi Susan, did you ever pm me site admin and login info? I'd be happy to take a look for you.
11.8.3 - 6.0.4
Great support and application.
Problog is the real deal. Makes blogging very easy in a non-blog-based-cms. Support was the best and quickest I ever had.
Excellent Add-on, Excellent Support!
We have been using Pro Blog for about 6 months now, and it has been great! Pro Blog is quite extensive in the features that it offers, and it's ease-of-use for a beginner blogger is very great.
The support has been spectacular! Any time I've had an issue, Chad has been very quick to respond and fix the problem accordingly.
Highly recommend this add-on!
The support has been spectacular! Any time I've had an issue, Chad has been very quick to respond and fix the problem accordingly.
Highly recommend this add-on!
11.9.0 - 6.0.4
Full-featured and simple for developer and end-user alike
This is an excellent plugin that will do virtually anything you need your blog to do. I have multiple blogs on my site with different post types, some of which feed into other components such as sliders for featured content.
What at first seemed a complex task was very easy to realize with this addon. At a couple of points I needed some guidance, and Chad was quick and very helpful in his responses. Would recommend to anyone wanting more than they can get out of C5's default blog!
What at first seemed a complex task was very easy to realize with this addon. At a couple of points I needed some guidance, and Chad was quick and very helpful in his responses. Would recommend to anyone wanting more than they can get out of C5's default blog!
11.9.9.1 - 6.0.4
Newest Version
I posted a review 2 years ago about this blog. Once I found it, it was the only blogging system for me. I probably have purchased 10 licenses by now. Not sure.
Chads latest version includes some well thought out SEO tools. We're a full-service agency that offers SEO, and training clients on best practices when writing a blog can sometimes be a bit daunting. Giving them a checklist to remember is a bit cumbersome, and their response is often "And...what is meta data?". Chads new Optimize tab included while crafting the blog, is seriously beneficial and adds TREMENDOUS VALUE when selling to your client. It's easy for you or a client to understand how Google can measure your blog entry's relevance to the keywords you're targeting. Not to mention, some other important goodies! This tool alone inspired me to write a new and updated review!
If you haven't already, update your ProBlog, and get the goodness. If you haven't already purchased it, stop wasting your time considering Composer, or the other "Blog" packages here. You simply can't compare them to the value you get out of this.
Chads latest version includes some well thought out SEO tools. We're a full-service agency that offers SEO, and training clients on best practices when writing a blog can sometimes be a bit daunting. Giving them a checklist to remember is a bit cumbersome, and their response is often "And...what is meta data?". Chads new Optimize tab included while crafting the blog, is seriously beneficial and adds TREMENDOUS VALUE when selling to your client. It's easy for you or a client to understand how Google can measure your blog entry's relevance to the keywords you're targeting. Not to mention, some other important goodies! This tool alone inspired me to write a new and updated review!
If you haven't already, update your ProBlog, and get the goodness. If you haven't already purchased it, stop wasting your time considering Composer, or the other "Blog" packages here. You simply can't compare them to the value you get out of this.
12.0.0 - 6.0.4
Great Product & Support
We purchased this module and also professional services from the Chad / RadiantWeb. It's a Great product with an unsurpassed team and CEO! Thank you for the quick turnaround! We HOPE to do business again soon.
Great addon, great service
We used this for the first time with a client who wanted to migrate out of Wordpress and into Concrete5. ProBlog has all the features required to surpass WP in my opinion, especially combined with the flexibility of C5.
The documentation is great and following it step-by-step meant set up was straightforward. The only place we had difficulty was importing everything from WP into ProBlog using the ProBlog Importer; despite the fact this is not an official addon, Chad still provided prompt, useful support and we were able to get everything imported correctly.
I don't believe there are any other plugins available that allow for a WP to C5 migration. Furthermore, our clients have been thrilled with how easy it is to use (including the SEO options) and are very happy to be away from Wordpress at last!
Big thanks to Chad and the RadiantWeb team for all their continued hard work and prompt support.
The documentation is great and following it step-by-step meant set up was straightforward. The only place we had difficulty was importing everything from WP into ProBlog using the ProBlog Importer; despite the fact this is not an official addon, Chad still provided prompt, useful support and we were able to get everything imported correctly.
I don't believe there are any other plugins available that allow for a WP to C5 migration. Furthermore, our clients have been thrilled with how easy it is to use (including the SEO options) and are very happy to be away from Wordpress at last!
Big thanks to Chad and the RadiantWeb team for all their continued hard work and prompt support.
Great Add-on
This block has a lot of different options but I would say it's more for an intermediate level C5 Developer. It's likely that you'll need to contact support to figure out just how to configure it but they're fast and friendly it's no hassle.
<removed>
interesting...
Can you get canonical URLS with standard Blog?
Can you get Direct post to Twitter?
Do you get embed.ly with standard Blog?
Do you get professional SEO tools with that?
Do you get clean tag and category URLs with that?
Do you get simple to use permissions tasks with standard blog? (let me help...no you don't)
Do you get filter by author?
Filter by category?
Related pages block?
No reply needed.
There are no system load issues with ProBlog that we are aware of at this time
In fact, we have users with thousands of posts. That's right....thousands. Dozens per day with millions of traffic per month. They love ProBlog and are extremely happy with it.
ProBlog will continue to be one of the premier solutions for concrete5 publishing. And we will continue to make it better & better every release. And we are extremely proud of its growth and development.
But again, thank you for your "half star" review following zero support tickets for your "reported load problems".
Very tasteful of you.
Respectfully,
ChadStrat
CEO RadiantWeb
Can you get canonical URLS with standard Blog?
Can you get Direct post to Twitter?
Do you get embed.ly with standard Blog?
Do you get professional SEO tools with that?
Do you get clean tag and category URLs with that?
Do you get simple to use permissions tasks with standard blog? (let me help...no you don't)
Do you get filter by author?
Filter by category?
Related pages block?
No reply needed.
There are no system load issues with ProBlog that we are aware of at this time
In fact, we have users with thousands of posts. That's right....thousands. Dozens per day with millions of traffic per month. They love ProBlog and are extremely happy with it.
ProBlog will continue to be one of the premier solutions for concrete5 publishing. And we will continue to make it better & better every release. And we are extremely proud of its growth and development.
But again, thank you for your "half star" review following zero support tickets for your "reported load problems".
Very tasteful of you.
Respectfully,
ChadStrat
CEO RadiantWeb
12.0.0 - 6.0.4
Slick install, great features and excellent support
I couldn't be more pleased with this addon, especially with the most recent update with SEO advice. Excellent blogging add on! Support is really fast (I thought I had a problem but I had misunderstood the documentation).
Easy to use and does just want I needed
We were looking for a tool to manage many people to post blogs and be able to allow users to subscribe to these blogs.
This tool did everything we needed and more. I could not be happier with the purchase of this and the other addons from this developer.
I highly recommend this and the other addons from them.
This tool did everything we needed and more. I could not be happier with the purchase of this and the other addons from this developer.
I highly recommend this and the other addons from them.
12.3.1 - 6.0.4
Powerful blogging package
ProBlog seems to be a very powerful blogging package.
I would recommended it to everyone who wants to use concrete5 as a serious blogging platform.
Still there is miles to go do make concrete5 the ideal platform for blogs but ProBlog does get it close.
I would recommended it to everyone who wants to use concrete5 as a serious blogging platform.
Still there is miles to go do make concrete5 the ideal platform for blogs but ProBlog does get it close.
12.4.3 - 6.0.4
What's happened?
The "Replies to tickets every few days" support expectation for this plugin doesn't marry up with the experience sorry.
Something seems to have changed as previous reviews look glowing but getting support over the past several months has been like getting blood out of a stone.
Right now we're seeing duplicate content issues because the ProblogList template outputs SEO friendly links (which is something C5 should do out of the box) but the Problog search template does not.
We've tried .htaccess URL rewriting (301 redirects don't work with ?query string URLs) but because the Problog search template is still outputting non-seo links, google seems to still indexes them.
Also, when the developer gets around to support (after multiple "is anyone even out there?" posts) they ask for a review - as if expecting a good one.
Our issues might be our own fault because we don't understand what's going on but that's why we're looking for support.
Overall this is a good plugin, one I would happily pay a lot more for ($150+), if it mean't more timely support. Yes, they would sell less but that's the point - keep putting the price up until the support level is manageable. Those that disagree have no clue what it takes to support custom code.
Another recommendation would be to change the support expectation from "Replies to tickets every few days" to "Replies to tickets every few weeks". I don't think there's any shame in doing this - setting the correct expectation prior to purchasing ensures people get what they pay for.
Something seems to have changed as previous reviews look glowing but getting support over the past several months has been like getting blood out of a stone.
Right now we're seeing duplicate content issues because the ProblogList template outputs SEO friendly links (which is something C5 should do out of the box) but the Problog search template does not.
We've tried .htaccess URL rewriting (301 redirects don't work with ?query string URLs) but because the Problog search template is still outputting non-seo links, google seems to still indexes them.
Also, when the developer gets around to support (after multiple "is anyone even out there?" posts) they ask for a review - as if expecting a good one.
Our issues might be our own fault because we don't understand what's going on but that's why we're looking for support.
Overall this is a good plugin, one I would happily pay a lot more for ($150+), if it mean't more timely support. Yes, they would sell less but that's the point - keep putting the price up until the support level is manageable. Those that disagree have no clue what it takes to support custom code.
Another recommendation would be to change the support expectation from "Replies to tickets every few days" to "Replies to tickets every few weeks". I don't think there's any shame in doing this - setting the correct expectation prior to purchasing ensures people get what they pay for.
No customer support whatsoever - F+
Absolutely no customer support whatsoever. Extremely sarcastic, arrogant, lazy, and rude. The dev even admitted to ignoring me as a paid customer (see “Just purchased, however...” on the get help page). After my interaction with Radiant Web I requested a refund, several times, and have been ignored.
Beware and avoid is my advice... Habari is far superior to this add-on and is free. It works with Concrete5 with minimal setup.
Beware and avoid is my advice... Habari is far superior to this add-on and is free. It works with Concrete5 with minimal setup.
Disappointed with Support
This block is OK. It was the first and last I will be buying though.
It has most of the features I was after (categories, tags, pretty URLs with categories and tags), but at the same time it was limited (e.g. I need to have "blogsearch") off the root of the site, can't alphabetise my categories/tags). Also - it indexes some hidden page in /problog/api/ folder that it shouldn't.
I got stuck on a number of things and got little to no support. I only got some sort of response after I complained to them in response to an automated-email they sent me asking for a positive review! Even then, I got an automated response for my ticket and no reply. All my tickets recently auto-closed because of no activity.
If you can check out the support area you see very little activity from RadiantWeb.
I gave it 2 stars because we are keeping the addon. But for any other websites I am just going with Wordpress for C5 addon instead - which I've now implemented on two other sites with much less issues.
It has most of the features I was after (categories, tags, pretty URLs with categories and tags), but at the same time it was limited (e.g. I need to have "blogsearch") off the root of the site, can't alphabetise my categories/tags). Also - it indexes some hidden page in /problog/api/ folder that it shouldn't.
I got stuck on a number of things and got little to no support. I only got some sort of response after I complained to them in response to an automated-email they sent me asking for a positive review! Even then, I got an automated response for my ticket and no reply. All my tickets recently auto-closed because of no activity.
If you can check out the support area you see very little activity from RadiantWeb.
I gave it 2 stars because we are keeping the addon. But for any other websites I am just going with Wordpress for C5 addon instead - which I've now implemented on two other sites with much less issues.
Mixed feelings
I will say this upfront, I like to think I am reasonably tech savvy in terms of websites and I have found that if I can fix a problem myself then I learn a lot but I guess the fact that I 'buy' solutions shows that I am not as smart as I think. i must admit to being a bit alarmed by the documentation begins with links about custom views, stacks and page properties and that my theme might have an issue with it's view.php file. But the lemts were in place on the page I looked at (my theme is Slate) and for this reason I felt I could safely ignore all the section on styling my bog as it picked up the site colours straight away.
So I moved on to the blog settings, easy enough. There was only 1 thing here that I found odd was that the Archive created an entry for February 2013 and lciking on the link displays links to menu options from the navigation
Creating a new blog section seemed straightfoward enough.
At this point I grew impatient, I have used boogs before, go create a post which I did, added a few tags and categories, and I had my first post but nothing in the tags or categories list. So I scrapped the blog and restarted, following the documentation, here's hwere my lack showed up as it took me three false starts to get four category pages done and that start a create my first post - I went to category page 1, created the post, went back to the 'home' page, linked to my new post, nothing listed in the Category list - figured out that I needed to add the category when creating the post, and now I had a category listed - unfortunately clicking on that link led to a 404 error. I made two more 'start' from scratch' attempts before finally I found a kind of solution (which you can find on the support page).
Perhaps having used a Wordpress blog gave me a wrong impression of what to expect. I have raised three tickets so far(but two were only raised on the 14th February, same day i am writing this but the previous ticket I raised was answered promptly and fixed my problem, you can ask no more. The documetation worried me a bit, all that stuff about custom views and possible theme issues but I am happy that Problog fitted in easily but I suppose, prior to buying, I should haved asked if it would work with my theme and how could I check my view was okay. I didn't so was faced with posibly having to try to work that out as well.
As I stated at the top of this piece I am maybe not as smart as I think I am in relation to these things but, on the other hand, I did buy a solution so I wouldn't have to be.
Example sites using the Blog show quite nice integration with the rest of the site so it has that to recommend it.
I suppose, bottom line is, would I recommend it, well I am going to take the easy option here and say yes, as long as you don't mind having a few issues a long the way.
So I moved on to the blog settings, easy enough. There was only 1 thing here that I found odd was that the Archive created an entry for February 2013 and lciking on the link displays links to menu options from the navigation
Creating a new blog section seemed straightfoward enough.
At this point I grew impatient, I have used boogs before, go create a post which I did, added a few tags and categories, and I had my first post but nothing in the tags or categories list. So I scrapped the blog and restarted, following the documentation, here's hwere my lack showed up as it took me three false starts to get four category pages done and that start a create my first post - I went to category page 1, created the post, went back to the 'home' page, linked to my new post, nothing listed in the Category list - figured out that I needed to add the category when creating the post, and now I had a category listed - unfortunately clicking on that link led to a 404 error. I made two more 'start' from scratch' attempts before finally I found a kind of solution (which you can find on the support page).
Perhaps having used a Wordpress blog gave me a wrong impression of what to expect. I have raised three tickets so far(but two were only raised on the 14th February, same day i am writing this but the previous ticket I raised was answered promptly and fixed my problem, you can ask no more. The documetation worried me a bit, all that stuff about custom views and possible theme issues but I am happy that Problog fitted in easily but I suppose, prior to buying, I should haved asked if it would work with my theme and how could I check my view was okay. I didn't so was faced with posibly having to try to work that out as well.
As I stated at the top of this piece I am maybe not as smart as I think I am in relation to these things but, on the other hand, I did buy a solution so I wouldn't have to be.
Example sites using the Blog show quite nice integration with the rest of the site so it has that to recommend it.
I suppose, bottom line is, would I recommend it, well I am going to take the easy option here and say yes, as long as you don't mind having a few issues a long the way.
Addon & app don't work, so far no support for either
I purchased & installed the ProBlog addon to my Concrete5 website and also purchased the ProBlog app for my iPhone so that I could post to my blog from my phone while on the go.
Unfortunately the blog addon doesn't appear to work out-of-the-box, but requires development, which I was hoping to avoid, since I just spent money purchasing this addon. I thought that an addon that costs this much money would be able to work as soon as it was installed.
The only reason that I purchased this addon for my website was because I saw that it had an iPhone app so that blog posts could be made from my phone, since I'm on the go a lot. So, not only did I purchase the $40 addon, but I also purchased the $2 app, neither of which work.
The app appears to be workable, but the several times that I have tried to post a test blog post, it just keeps spinning and spinning and never actually posts. After hours of spinning, I eventually just close out to the app. There is also no way of putting images in the blog post content, which is very pointless.
I have sent several messages to the app developer and have also requested a refund for both, but I have yet to get any real help (only a message saying that a developer would have to do work on my site's pages before the addon would work), and have not gotten any money refunded to me.
I do not recommend this addon or app to anyone until they are updated to actually be fully functional.
Unfortunately the blog addon doesn't appear to work out-of-the-box, but requires development, which I was hoping to avoid, since I just spent money purchasing this addon. I thought that an addon that costs this much money would be able to work as soon as it was installed.
The only reason that I purchased this addon for my website was because I saw that it had an iPhone app so that blog posts could be made from my phone, since I'm on the go a lot. So, not only did I purchase the $40 addon, but I also purchased the $2 app, neither of which work.
The app appears to be workable, but the several times that I have tried to post a test blog post, it just keeps spinning and spinning and never actually posts. After hours of spinning, I eventually just close out to the app. There is also no way of putting images in the blog post content, which is very pointless.
I have sent several messages to the app developer and have also requested a refund for both, but I have yet to get any real help (only a message saying that a developer would have to do work on my site's pages before the addon would work), and have not gotten any money refunded to me.
I do not recommend this addon or app to anyone until they are updated to actually be fully functional.
User is having issues with theme layout, not the addon. Some themes, if not properly structured (no right or left sidebar layout, ill-named block areas) can be a pain in the but and may require additional code changes. But this is not an issue with the addon. Have offered to assist the user at our hourly rate to help set up their website. The user is also still using the app on their site, hence no refund.
Good software, support is limited
Compared to most other add-ons in the C5 environment, PB is fairly sophisticated. Our only issue was with some initial setup problems we couldn't really get any assistance, and finally debugged it on our own as a conflict of PB with another add-on.
User was refunded their money. We sadly were not able to meet this users expectations and demands.
I hope you find addons and software that make you happy and meet all of your demands and can provide the level of support that you need.
Best of luck to you.
ChadStrat
I hope you find addons and software that make you happy and meet all of your demands and can provide the level of support that you need.
Best of luck to you.
ChadStrat
It was one of the best using it since 2 yrs