<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>The Honest Reviews &#187; Tools</title>
	<atom:link href="/reviews/tools/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://thehonestreviews.com</link>
	<description>The Reviews You Can Trust</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:48:47 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>SocialEngine &#8211; Build Your Own Social Network</title>
		<link>http://thehonestreviews.com/tools/socialengine/</link>
		<comments>http://thehonestreviews.com/tools/socialengine/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Oct 2012 00:32:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nancy Coyle</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thehonestreviews.com/?p=1213</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Social networks are very popular these days and will continue to grow in the future. Facebook is currently the #2 in the world in terms in traffic and Twitter is #8 in the world. People just love social networks and it&#8217;s the future of the internet. Even Google is trying to get a piece of [...]</p><p>The post <a href="/tools/socialengine/">SocialEngine &#8211; Build Your Own Social Network</a> appeared first on <a href="/">The Honest Reviews</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Social networks are very popular these days and will continue to grow in the future. Facebook is currently the #2 in the world in terms in traffic and Twitter is #8 in the world. People just love social networks and it&#8217;s the future of the internet. Even Google is trying to get a piece of that traffic with Google+. The problem is it&#8217;s hard to get into this game unless you have a group of programmers and thousands of dollars to build you your very own Social Network. That was true until SocialEngine, a software which allowed regular users to create their own social network without any programming or designing skills.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter" src="/images/socialenginereview.jpg" alt="" width="418" height="115" /></p>
<p>SocialEngine is a PHP-based social networking platform which provides features similar to a social network allowing users to create and host their very own network similar to Facebook. SocialEngine was launched in 2007 so they have a lot of experience in the social networking field. It&#8217;s a company you can trust when it comes to building your social network.</p>
<p><strong>SocialEngine Features</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Easily build your own community without programming or design skills</li>
<li>Easy user interface (drag and drop)</li>
<li>100% ownership and control of our social network</li>
<li>No links that will link back to SocialEngine</li>
<li>Unencrypted source code</li>
<li>Flexibility to implement your dream social network</li>
<li>Customized it to your liking</li>
<li>Third-Party plugins and themes</li>
<li>One time fee. No monthly fees</li>
<li>Expert Support</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Build The Next Hot Social Network</strong></p>
<p>Do you have an idea that could be the next Facebook or twitter? Make it come alive with SocialEngine. You can make your ideas come true with SocialEngine. Even without programming or designing skills, you will be able to create and design your own social network. SocialEngine makes it extremely easy with their drag and drop user interface.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s be real though, there is a very slim chance that you will reach the status of Facebook or twitter, but you can still make a lot of money with your social network if you can come up with an idea that a small group of people will be interested in.</p>
<p><strong>This is YOUR Social Network</strong></p>
<p>Unlike other similar tools, SocialEngine lets you host it on your own hosting account meaning you are in 100% control of your network and content. There is no branding or linking back to SocialEngine meaning there is no way anyone would be able to tell that you are using SocialEngine to create your social network.</p>
<p><strong>Unencrypted Source Code and Plug-ins</strong></p>
<p><img class="alignleft" src="/images/socialengineplugins.png" alt="" width="153" height="154" />I love that the source code isn&#8217;t encrypted because you are able to completely change the way SocialEngine works if you wanted to. With a bit of programming skills you can do a lot of amazing things to SocialEngine. It&#8217;s 100% open source. No programming skills? It&#8217;s no problem as there are tons of plugins such as photo albums, blogs, events, groups, forums, chat, video sharing, music sharing, classifieds, polls, mobile and more to help you customize your Social Network.</p>
<p>The only negative thing I can say about the plug-ins is that the SocialEngine&#8217;s official plug-ins are not free. These plug-ins will cost $30-$40 per plugin. On a positive note, the community plugins which are developed by the SocialEngine community are 100% free.</p>
<p><strong>Cost Of SocialEngine</strong></p>
<p>The cost of SocialEngine is $299, but it&#8217;s just a basic social networking script at this price. You will need plugins which will cost $30-$40 per plugin to make it a social network you can be proud of. Adding all the plug-ins to the SocialEngine core will cost you exactly $669. It&#8217;s expensive with all the plug-ins, but it&#8217;s a lot cheaper than hiring a group of programmers and designers.</p>
<p><strong>Is SocialEngine Worth The Asking Price?</strong></p>
<p><img class="alignleft" src="/images/socialenginepricing.jpg" alt="" width="80" height="115" />Although the price of $669 for the SocialEngine core and all of the plugins is expensive and unappealing, it&#8217;s one of the best social network software out there allowing users to create their very own social network. If you promote your website correctly, you can easily make that money back plus a lot more. SocialEngine has been out for a long time so there is very little bugs and the support is great. You are paying for the quality of SocialEngine, the reliability, and the support.</p>
<p>There are a lot of cheaper scripts or even free software that will let you build your own social network, but it doesn&#8217;t come close to the quality, features and how reliable SocialEngine is.</p>
<p>If you have the money, I would recommend SocialEngine to build your next social network website, but if you are struggling for money then there are a couple of free ones out there that is similar to SocialEngine but with less features, less reliable and the quality isn&#8217;t at the level of SocialEngine.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="/tools/socialengine/">SocialEngine &#8211; Build Your Own Social Network</a> appeared first on <a href="/">The Honest Reviews</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://thehonestreviews.com/tools/socialengine/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>BigCommerce Review &#8211; Create Your Professional Online Store</title>
		<link>http://thehonestreviews.com/tools/bigcommerce-review/</link>
		<comments>http://thehonestreviews.com/tools/bigcommerce-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Sep 2012 02:17:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tony Tee</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thehonestreviews.com/?p=493</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>BigCommerce is the only tool you will ever need when creating a beautiful and professional online store. If your online store isn&#8217;t designed by a professional, then you can forget about sales. It&#8217;s hard to trust a store that can&#8217;t even properly design their website correctly. This is where BigCommerce comes in and solves all of your [...]</p><p>The post <a href="/tools/bigcommerce-review/">BigCommerce Review &#8211; Create Your Professional Online Store</a> appeared first on <a href="/">The Honest Reviews</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>BigCommerce is the only tool you will ever need when creating a beautiful and professional online store. If your online store isn&#8217;t designed by a professional, then you can forget about sales. It&#8217;s hard to trust a store that can&#8217;t even properly design their website correctly. This is where BigCommerce comes in and solves all of your problems.</p>
<p>BigCommerce is a very reliable <strong>shopping cart</strong> for your online business, but it&#8217;s more than just a shopping cart. It&#8217;s fully loaded with everything you need to make your online business a success. Here are some features that you may enjoy:</p>
<p><strong>BigCommerce Features</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>You will get everything you need to create an online store.</li>
<li>Create and Design your store in minutes with BigCommerce</li>
<li>Easily add and configure your products</li>
<li>Manage your store</li>
<li>Rank high in search engine with SEO features already built in</li>
<li>Marketing promotions for your products</li>
<li>Product Reviews and social share buttons</li>
<li>The most secure hosted eCommerce platform</li>
<li>Track your visitors and conversion rates with Analytics</li>
<li>Able to integrate 100+ applications into your store</li>
<li>24/7 support to help you when you need it</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>BigCommerce Pricing</strong></p>
<p>This is the monthly price of BigCommerce. You can save 10% if you go with the annual plans. I would recommend going with the Silver plan if you have less than 500 products. It&#8217;s the best value for your money.</p>
<div align="center">
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" width="623" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFF00" width="103" height="20"></td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFF00" width="103" height="20"><strong>Bronze</strong></td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFF00" width="103" height="20"><strong>Silver</strong></td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFF00" width="104" height="20"><strong>Gold</strong></td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFF00" width="104" height="20"><strong>Platinum</strong></td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFF00" width="104" height="20"><strong>Diamond</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFF00" width="103" height="20"><strong>Cost</strong></td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="103" height="20">$24.95/month</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="103" height="20">$39.95/month</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="104" height="20">$79.95/month</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="104" height="20">$149.95/month</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="104" height="20">$299.95/month</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFF00" width="103" height="20"><strong>Products</strong></td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="103" height="20">100</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="103" height="20">500</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="104" height="20">1,000</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="104" height="20">Unlimited</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="104" height="20">Unlimited</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFF00" width="103" height="20"><strong>Staff<br />
Logins</strong></td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="103" height="20">3</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="103" height="20">10</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="104" height="20">20</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="104" height="20">50</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" width="104" height="20">100</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Payment Gateways</strong></p>
<p>BigCommerce will support the usual popular and unpopular gateways including Paypal, Authorize.net, Google, 2checkout and lots more. I would be here all day If i listed them all.</p>
<p><strong>Get Everything You Need To Create Your Online Store</strong></p>
<p>You will get everything you need to create your store including a website, domain name, shopping cart, product catalog, payment gateway, marketing tools, reporting,etc&#8230; You don&#8217;t need to research what you need or might need. Everything is given to you.</p>
<p><strong>Create &amp; Designing Your Store With BigCommerce</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" title="Bigcommerce storefront" alt="Bigcommerce storefront" src="/images/BigCommerceStorefront.jpg" width="425" height="266" /></p>
<p>BigCommerce will provide you with many themes in which you are able to work with and customized if you wish. You can add your logo, change the colors and customize anything you wish. Once you&#8217;re done with designing your store, you will be able to add products (or bulk products) with pictures, product information, shipping information and more.</p>
<p>You can also create as many options for your products as you want such as the size, shape or color with it&#8217;s own price, weight, image, SKU and stock level. You can even add custom fields in which customers can fill it in themselves.</p>
<p>You can sell anything with BigCommerce. It&#8217;s not just products. You are able to sell products, events, services and downloads.</p>
<p><strong>Coupons &amp; Promotions Codes</strong></p>
<p>If you want to give out coupon or promo codes which lets customers get free shipping on orders over $100 or $5 off orders over $100 then it&#8217;s no problem with BigCommerce. You can also create coupon codes and limited time offers.  You can create any type of promo code, discounts or coupon code that you can think of with BigCommerce.</p>
<p><strong>Managing Orders &amp; Returns</strong></p>
<p>BigCommerce lets you see which orders are shipped, awaiting payment or has already been filled. You can then process them individually or in bulk by printing invoices and packaging slips straight from the admin panel.</p>
<p>BigCommerce&#8217;s return system is very flexible with automated returns letting customers pick between a replacement, store credit, or refund.</p>
<p><strong>Traffic From Search Engines</strong></p>
<p><img class="alignleft" title="bigcommerce seo" alt="bigcommerce seo" src="/images/bigcommerceseo.png" width="150" height="150" />If you think that you can get free traffic automatically once you put up a store, then you are wrong. It&#8217;s not that easy.</p>
<p>Without any traffic, your online store will not make any money. This is where BigCommerce comes in handle with their SEO edited themes. By default, their themes are SEO optimized meaning the page titles, meta descriptions, keywords, custom page URLs, and ALT text are already optimized.</p>
<p>BigCommerce are gurus in the SEO field so use all the tools that they are providing you to rank your store #1 in search engines.</p>
<p><strong>Make Your Shoppers Happy</strong></p>
<p>If your shoppers are happy, then it will make you more sales and BigCommerce knows this so they added features such as product reviews, quick checkouts, social share buttons, and mobile commerce.</p>
<p><strong>BigCommerce Security &#8211; Protecting Yourself From Hackers</strong></p>
<p><img class="alignleft" title="bigcommerce hacker safe" alt="bigcommerce hacker safe" src="/images/bigcommercesafe.jpg" width="120" height="120" />No one wants to enter their credit card information if your website doesn&#8217;t look safe. This is why BigCommerce will protect your website with <em><strong>bank level type of security</strong></em>. Your store will be hosted on BIgCommerce&#8217;s SAS 70 type II certified servers. It&#8217;s also level 1 PCI compliance. BigCommerce will let your customers know they can safely enter their credit card information.</p>
<p><strong>Track What Works What Doesn&#8217;t Work With Analytics</strong></p>
<p>Track what your users are doing on your website with BigCommerce&#8217;s powerful analytics. You track unique visitors, orders, conversion rate, revenue and order geographical locations. You can also see which products are selling the best and which customers are spending the most money.</p>
<p><strong>Apps Intregrations</strong></p>
<p>I just love BigCommerce&#8217;s app store! You can integrate 100+ applications into your website. It&#8217;s as easy as picking out an app and clicking install. There are tons of applications for Facebook, Google, Mailchimp and many more.</p>
<p><strong>24/7 Support </strong></p>
<p>No matter what problems you may have BigCommerce will help you with script problems, layout problems to even helping with promote your website. The support is 24/7 so whenever you have a problem, you should ask.</p>
<p><strong>BigCommerce 15 Day, Risk Free Trial</strong></p>
<p>If you aren&#8217;t sure about BigCommerce yet, then give it a try for 15 days. There is no risk involved so there is no excuse for not trying it out. It can definitely make your business successful.</p>
<p>The post <a href="/tools/bigcommerce-review/">BigCommerce Review &#8211; Create Your Professional Online Store</a> appeared first on <a href="/">The Honest Reviews</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://thehonestreviews.com/tools/bigcommerce-review/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
