Customer types: a start page for every kind of site #

Every customer of Exponential runs one installation, but not every installation is used the same way. A newsroom lives by its publishing rhythm, an online store by its orders, an intranet by its permissions. This folder gives each kind of site its own start page (what matters for you and who does it) and its own reading path (the pages to read, in order, during your first weeks).

If you are not sure which one you are, read Which type of customer are you? first. Many sites are two types at once: a magazine with a shop, an intranet in three languages. Read both start pages; the reading paths are written so that they can be followed side by side.

The nine types #

What every type has in common #

Whatever your type, the same features carry the work. They are listed in the repository's README.md ("Main Exponential features"):

• user defined content classes and objects, so your site's content has the fields it needs;
• version control, content approval and scheduled publication;
• a fine grained role based permissions system;
• advanced multi-lingual support and multi-site support;
• a built in search engine, RSS, ATOM, iTunes RSS and OPML feeds;
• the built in e-commerce store, contact forms and a flexible workflow system;
• Exponential Layouts, the visual page builder, and Exponential Intelligence, the writing assistant that writes drafts only.

Every start page in this folder tells you which of these matter most for your type, and links to the help pages that explain them step by step. The day-to-day routines that every owner needs (team roles, onboarding, the content calendar, SEO and accessibility checks) are in Day-to-day ownership, and keeping the site healthy with your provider is in Keeping the site healthy.

How the reading paths are built #

Each reading path has three stages:

1. The first week: the pages that let you and your team work safely: signing in, your roles, editing and publishing, and who to call when something breaks.
2. The first month: the routines of your type: the calendar, approvals, orders, members or translations.
3. The first quarter: growth and upkeep: upgrades with your provider, backups you have tested, and the features customers often miss.

The paths link to existing help pages for editors, administrators and builders instead of repeating them. When a step is a technical task, the path says so and names who usually does it: your administrator, your hosting company or your implementation partner.

Related pages #

• Which type of customer are you?
• Which section fits your organization: the same question from the point of view of an organization that is still choosing
• What you can build: the builders' view
• Getting started
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.