After our usual start, we reviewed the latest from DNN, including a quick rundown on the latest official release (7.0.6) and a brief description of the upcoming 7.1, now in Beta.

Our social media platform membership has grown, albeit slowly, over the month. A couple new members here and there on most of the social media sites. A quick review of the membership lists at each site shows mostly different people at each site, so a presence on each platform is a benefit even if it is a bit of work to keep up. After accounting for a little overlap, we're being followed by a few hundred people. Great news!

Open mic night drew a few good questions and lots of discussion. Here's a quick recap, but the best way to get the scoop, shy of attending the meeting, is to watch/listen to the video. We use GotoMeeting.com, sponsored by Sprocket Websites, and they have a "record" ability.

Q. Did you see the DNN Corp Guide to CMS's? You can download it from dotnetnuke.com. What do you think?

A. Mostly that it's a good print piece to share with clients since it's not technical and covers major points a business owner wants to consider for his/her website. Yes, it plays to DNN strengths. So what? :-) And it doesn't tear down any other CMSs. More on the video.

Q. Do big companies "get" DNN vs custom?

A. Big clients expect the site to work the way their art department or marketing department want it to. That was one view. Another has clients who visit snowcovered (now Dotnetnuke Marketplace) regularly, so they 'get' it. More discussion flows on the video.

Q. Can you do social without DNNSocial?

A. The short answer is yes, although there are some nice features in DNNSocial that a client may want. If the problem is price, there is a nice collection of services as part of the community edition beginning in version 6.2. DNNHero has a few videos on using the social functions. Our own Scott Wilkinson is contributing to DNNHero, so sign up through these links and he gets credit.

Q. What's the best upgrade process? Best Practices?

A. A few good comments about the process, and about the benefit of good third-party modules. Definitely worth a listen.

These are the main questions, but lots of discussion flowed throughout the hour and twenty minutes we were together. Take a look at the clip. Special thanks to some key contributors to the meeting: James Nagy, Scott Wilkinson, Joe Skibbie, Phil Wegrzyn, and Ernie Grubb. If you missed it, join us in August.

Next month we'll do virtual again. Do you have any ideas for a speaker or a topic? Let's get both in the next week or so. We also are looking for a meeting location in September. If you'd like to host, please chime in.