Smooth Musings

Hosted by Smooth Fusion

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Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

A podcast about everything enterprise web development, design, marketing, and technology: all episodes are packed with insightful conversations, expert interviews, and thought-provoking discussions that aim to educate and help listeners generate ideas, formulate strategies, and ultimately help their companies grow a sustainable digital presence. This podcast is mainly created to help marketers grasp the complexity of web development and design while providing practical tips on how the right mix of marketing and technology can help organizations create better customer Website: smoothfusion.com

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12 recent

October 20, 202618 min

Is AI replacing your business's competitive advantage? | Scott Brinker

As AI makes it easier to build software, create content, and automate marketing, what happens to the competitive advantages that make businesses stand out?In Episode 1 of Smooth Musings, Todd sits down with Scott Brinker, creator of Chiefmartec and a leading voice in marketing technology, to discuss his article, "The Death of Moats in Marketing and Martech Is Greatly Exaggerated."They explore why AI isn't eliminating competitive advantage, why trust, relationships, company culture, and customer experience matter more than ever, and how businesses can use AI to create opportunities beyond simply becoming more efficient. Topics discussed: - How AI is changing competitive advantage in marketing and martech- Why trust, relationships, and customer experience are difficult to replicate- How to identify what makes your business different- Martech's Law and the growing gap between technological and organizational change- Why AI-driven efficiency should create opportunities for innovation, not just cost reduction Read Scott Brinker's article: https://newsletter.chiefmartec.com/p/the-death-of-moats-in-marketing-and-martech-is-greatly-exaggerated Explore more from Scott Brinker: https://chiefmartec.com/Smooth Musings is a podcast from Smooth Fusion, featuring conversations about marketing, technology, innovation, and the ideas shaping the future of business.Subscribe for more conversations with industry leaders.

April 25, 202527 min

Reimagining Site Search: Evolution and AI Innovation with Nick Wassenberg and Matt Reindel from Cludo

In this episode of Smooth Musings, Todd Knowlton hosts Nick Wassenberg and Matt Reindel from Cludo to discuss the evolution of site search technology, the advantages of using Cludo's platform, and the future of search in the context of AI and user expectations. The conversation covers the importance of analytics, the integration of chatbots, and how businesses can leverage search technology to drive outcomes. The episode concludes with insights on preparing for the future of search and the role of human interaction in enhancing user experience. Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Cludo and Smooth Fusion03:00 The Evolution of Site Search Technology05:49 Advantages of Cludo Over Basic Search Solutions08:59 Future Trends in Search and AI Integration11:49 Connecting Search with Business Outcomes14:50 The Role of Chatbots in Modern Search18:08 The Future of AI Agents in Search20:47 Optimizing Content for Search and AI24:07 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up Smooth Fusion website: https://www.smoothfusion.com/ Cludo website: https://www.cludo.com/

April 14, 202544 min

A Live Demo of Sitefinity! Let's Talk About All the CMS Features and See them in Action!

In this episode of Smooth Musings, Todd Knowlton and Dylan Echols provide a comprehensive overview of Sitefinity in a demo-style format. They discuss the backend navigation, page management, dynamic content, and the user-friendly editing experience. The conversation also covers advanced features like personalization, A/B testing, and workflow management, highlighting how Sitefinity empowers users to manage their websites effectively without heavy reliance on developers. Takeaways Sitefinity offers a user-friendly backend for managing websites. The dashboard provides quick access to the latest published content. Content editors can easily create and manage pages without developer assistance. Dynamic content allows for efficient content management across multiple blogs or sections. Forms can be created using a simple drag-and-drop builder. Tags and classifications enhance content organization and retrieval. Sitefinity supports multiple sites from a single instance, reducing redundancy. Workflows can be set up for content approval processes. Personalization features allow for tailored user experiences. A/B testing helps optimize content and layout for better engagement. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Sitefinity Overview 01:05 Navigating the Sitefinity Backend 05:53 Managing Pages and Content 12:03 Page Editing Experience 17:07 Dynamic Content Management 22:04 Forms and Content Blocks 24:42 Tags and Classification 27:21 Design and Templates 31:22 Administration and User Roles 35:09 Workflow Management 36:46 Marketing Features and Personalization

March 25, 202525 min

Everything You Need to Know about Sitefinity Versions and Lifecycle Policies

In this episode of Smooth Musings, Todd Knowlton and Jonathan Read from Progress discuss Sitefinity versions, their current version, and the importance of understanding its lifecycle phases. They delve into the features of the latest version, the significance of long-term support, and the transition from legacy technologies to modern frameworks like ASP.NET Core and Next.js. The conversation also covers migration strategies and tools available for users to adapt to the latest advancements in Sitefinity.

July 30, 202423 min

Introducing the Proven Alliance: Four Leading Sitefinity Partners have Joined Forces!

Introducing...the Proven Alliance, a collaboration of top Sitefinity Partners who offer world-class Sitefinity expertise, deep platform knowledge, and a proven track record of success. In this podcast episode, we will introduce these four Sitefinity Partners, the Proven Alliance, and how we work together and leverage our collective expertise to support organizations with new Sitefinity projects, redesigns, consulting, and training. Leading digital experience experts Flywheel Strategic , Smooth Fusion , truematter , and The Training Boss have come together to offer deep, targeted Sitefinity expertise to help organizations create powerful, modernized, and easy-to-use digital products. With skills and knowledge covering every aspect of the digital product experience, Proven Alliance is uniquely positioned to meet all your Sitefinity needs.

May 20, 202445 min

The Evolution of ASP.NET and Sitefinity's Adoption of ASP.NET Core with Sam Basu

In this episode of Smooth Musings, Todd Knowlton interviews Sam Basu from Progress Software about the migration from ASP.NET to ASP.NET Core. They discuss the evolution of web development, how a CMS like Sitefinity fits into that evolution, and the benefits of migrating to ASP.NET .NET Core. They also discuss the options and resources available for migrating existing Sitefinity sites to the new platform. 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:18 The Transition from Classic ASP to ASP .NET 07:06 The Evolution of Web Development 11:59 The Advantages of ASP .NET Core 33:33 Migration to ASP .NET Core

April 24, 2024Episode 626 min

Launching Your New Website! (and What to Expect After Launch)

Join the Smooth Fusion team in this podcast episode, the third and final part of the series of episodes covering the entire website process, from planning to launch. This episode discusses everything involved in launching a new website and what ongoing maintenance looks like after launch. We go into pre-launch preparations, like wrapping up development and performing quality assurance, and even dig into the NetOps and deployment preparations for your environments. Launching a new website can be stressful, but our efficient site deployment process makes the process as painless as possible for our clients. We also address ongoing maintenance and support of your enterprise site, which is extremely important if you consider your website a long-term asset for your company. Listen to learn about our launch process and hear our views on ongoing site maintenance. You will also get some great tips and insights to help improve the process of launching an enterprise website.

March 27, 2024Episode 523 min

Sitefinity Insight, GA4, or both?

In this episode, Todd and Jake discuss the differences between Sitefinity Insight and Google Analytics. They highlight the complaints and challenges marketers face with Google Analytics 4 (GA4), like its difficult navigation and UI. While Google Analytics definitely has its place in the marketers toolset, a tool like Sitefinity Insight is optimal for specifically measuring content effectiveness and tracking the customer journey — specifically how content impacts conversions. In this episode, Todd and Jake will dicusss the key benefits of a tool like Sitefinity Insight and share how easy it is to set-up and use. Both of these tools are important to help marketers, but one of these tools does a better job at easily making data actionable and personalizing the website experience for your customers.

February 28, 2024Episode 429 min

Let Website Development & Implementation Begin!

In this episode, the Smooth Fusion team discusses the implementation phase of an enterprise web rebuild. They cover topics such as getting organized for implementation, handling changes and requests, preparing for development, building content pages, approaching quality assurance (QA), SEO and marketing integration, and the final days leading to launch. The team emphasizes the importance of communication, thorough testing, and involving stakeholders throughout the process. They also highlight the experience and expertise of the Smooth Fusion team in guiding clients through successful web rebuild projects. This is a continuation of a series of episodes we are doing that covers the entire process of building an enterprise-level website. In Episode 1 titled, First Critical Phase of an Enterprise Website Rebuild, we discussed everything that happens before starting development on your website project.

January 31, 2024Episode 322 min

Hosting an Enterprise Website

In episode 3 of the Smooth Musings podcast, Todd Knowlton has a discussion with Gary Evans, our Director of IT and Innovation, about the things to consider when hosting a Sitefinity website on Azure, a cloud computing software from Microsoft. Smooth Fusion was one of the first to host Sitefinity on Azure. Gary has a lot of knowledge when it comes to maximizing website and database performance, and shares a lot of best practices to help companies get the most out of their hosting solution. Along with the important considerations for hosting Sitefinity in Azure, you will also learn the advantages of cloud hosting, scaling in the cloud, security measures, data centers, and what hosting options Smooth Fusion offers our clients.