Despite regular technological innovations, the creation of web pages still has room for improvement. One of the latest developments introduced for ad hoc page creation and collaboration is Bloki. The tool may have numerous benefits but it remains inapplicable for commercial websites and corporate intranet networks.
Hosted by Zapatec, Inc., the tool encompasses the collaborative strengths of wikis and the convenience of content creation in blogs or public diaries. In addition, the name ‘Bloki’ is an integration of the two terms: blog and wiki.
Despite Bloki’s user-friendly features, the tool has its limitations. Some essential features such as links between pages are not incorporated in the tool. The file navigation frame found next to each Bloki page is the only mechanism that can be used to navigate between pages. Also, no page templates exist. There are numerous settings where a consistent look and feel is required. This is where Bloki falls short. Another critique is that it is hosted exclusively by Bloki servers. This setup may be temporary but it also poses a serious problem. Bloki’s usefulness may attract significantly higher traffic and the servers may not be capable of handling the traffic surge.
Fortunately, Zapatec has a number of plans to upgrade and develop the tool. One of the planned additions is the feature to choose the domains where you will publish your websites, the support for Secure Sockets Layer encryption, the application for checking spelling and the application to check real-time traffic statistics. The officials of Zapatec disclosed that this corporate or business version is expected to be put in place this quarter at a starting monthly rate of $10. Enterprises that wish to maintain their own Bloki sites can also look forward to a Bloki appliance for such purpose.
Nevertheless, despite the critiques raised against Bloki, nobody can deny the usefulness of the tool in creating simple and quick web pages. If you prefer to work on simple and inexpensive collaborative expensive with minimal costs, you should consider trying out Bloki.
One of the greatest advantages of Bloki is its user-friendly set-up process. You just need to confirm your email address and log in. In just a few minutes, you already have your personal Bloki site. You can also easily edit any page. You can add and remove images and texts in a very direct and easy manner. You just need to click the Edit link on the top of the page and you will already see a new window with the editable form of the page contents. You will only need to edit the HTML code if you need to modify an existing table. Otherwise, inserting new tables is relatively quick and easy.
Creating Bloki pages from blank slates also does not pose any difficulty. You can just upload HTML from your drive and import to websites that are publicly accessible. You can also easily change the overall look and layout of the site by choosing any of the available site templates.
Though it is primarily designed for public accessibility, Bloki sites also include a feature that allow setting certain pages of the site to private. For corporate users, such privacy setting to designated users only would certainly be appreciated. Despite the lack of fine access control, Bloki can still provide editing privileges. You can also call for contributions through email invitations. Basic file-locking and version-control features are also in place. Bloki also features a version history, though limited to identifying the users who incorporated the changes and does not include what changes have been made. Bloki’s features in modifying the formatting are limited to changing the header, footer and collection of links. So, if you are looking for a platform that you can use to create your web page, Bloki is certainly something you should check out.
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