A Renewed Sitecore Spark
In the Beginning...
It has been roughly a year since I conceived the idea for Sitecore Spark. I began design and development in October of 2016, and soft-launched in December 2016. Spark originally had two areas of focus: short articles covering core Sitecore concepts and a blog for sharing my recent learnings. I've had tons of success with the Sitecore Spark blog, which has been due in part to the fantastic Sitecore community seeking and sharing knowledge.
With a great year behind me, I've been hard at work on the next set of features for Sitecore Spark, and they are launching today.
A New Focus For Content
The idea for Sitecore Spark was originally borne from the lack of consistent documentation from Sitecore the company about Sitecore the product.
That's changing. The official Sitecore documentation site is growing faster than ever, and the new-for-2017 Developers documentation portal provides the kind of introductory and technical information that is expected for developers.
Going forward, Sitecore Spark will be focused on three core areas:
- Documentation gaps. Instead of replicating Sitecore documentation, future articles will cover details that Sitecore documentation may miss.
- Practical Sitecore examples. Expect code-heavy implementation examples of Sitecore features so developers can learn by example.
- The basics. Sitecore 9 adds some new complexity to key areas of the product, but Spark's focus will remain on Sitecore fundamentals that apply to all versions of the platform.
Welcoming the Community
Starting today, Sitecore Spark is opening up to the community. More information is coming soon, but in essence: if you'd like to write an article, become a blogger, or contribute a video to Spark, contact me to get started. Spark is a great way to get your content into the larger Sitecore community.
Videos
I'm launching the Spark Video portal in a couple weeks, and it will include short videos that will expand on articles or blog posts for those who prefer to learn via video.
Updated Design
I threw Sitecore Spark together in just under 50 days, and creative design wasn't at the top of my priorities. As of today, a refreshed design is live and further tweaks will be introduced over the next few months. The goal of Spark's design is simple: get out of the way and make content king.
PS - I hope you like gradients and box shadows.
Sitecore Spark as it launched.
The refreshed Sitecore Spark today.
Do you have questions, comments, or corrections for this post? Find me on Twitter: @BrandonMBruno