As you may have noticed we’ve had a very busy summer here at Wix instituting a number of big features such as: comments, the matrix gallery, eCommerce, upload/download documents and many more. However there are still significant updates ahead that we’re planning and we’d like to share with you.

Based on feedback you’ve supplied via the Wix forum and support calls we’ve spent a lot of time thinking of updates that will considerably improve your sites.

So what’s coming up?

Server Side Performance

Performance is the biggest issue for a rapidly growing internet company and Wix is no exception to the rule. This is our top priority. We’ve made many improvements during the last 6 months and are tackling it on all fronts: during the last couple of months we’ve added global CDN, tripled our servers and are now using 24 top dell servers for Wix backend infrastructure with more being added on a weekly basis. During the next couple of months we will be doing the following:

• Reducing the size of the viewer.swf – this is the Wix flash program that loads the Wix website, today it is 450K, we are now working on reducing the size to 280K.
• Better compression of PNG
• A major upgrade to our hosting software, which will reduce the amount of calls needed to load your sites
• Remove wix.monitor and static.wix.com

Once we’ve achieved these goals, we will be adding the following:

HTML Component

Adding HTML has been tricky due to security, flash, Java script, browser and OS version compatibility issues, we’ve been working on it on and off for the better part of the last 6 months. So far we’ve completed 3 rounds of pioneers “beta” testing which helped iron out the bugs and tweak the offering. I’d like to thank our fantastic Wix pioneers group for all their great input. Follow the Wix pioneers forum here.

On that note, we’re still experiencing a key problem with Flash technology being incompatible with HTML and non English keyboards at the same time (the infamous opaque/transparent mode bug by Adobe for you ‘techies’).

Password Private pages/sites

Allowing Wix members to define private websites and private pages.
We’re going to be implementing this towards the end of Q1 2010.

SEO for pages

Wix is the only flash platform that is fully compatible with Google and the other main search engines.

To prove our point and ‘put our money where our mouth is’ – Wix.com is built using the Wix editor just like your sites are. We have some new ideas on how to make your website rank even higher. These features are expected to roll out early 2010.

Changing premium documents & cancellations of premium accounts.

We are adding a premium control panel which will allow you to manage your premium documents without contacting support. This feature is well over due and we apologize to those inconvenienced. Naturally, you’ll still be able to contact our support team for special requests.

Flash Side Performance

Our Flash team’s top priority is elevating the quality of your Wix site. Sleeker graphics, faster performance & better all around quality. As a result your website will look and feel even more professional.

Better performance to the editor and to your sites. Faster editing, and improved loading speeds.

Visual loading of Wix documents.

Yes, the notorious blue bar! We’re working on a solution to give you the ability to choose how it will look. In addition premium members will be able to create their own customized loader.
We are also working on having the HTML background look better while the site is loading (Eliminating the current “jumps” in certain browsers).

Menu, Buttons & Languages.

More options for the menu and better graphics with a lot of new ways to customize them.

Improved selection in the Editor

New ways for selecting objects in the editor: editing objects behind objects, easier grouping and ungrouping and a better ability to manage galleries and mini pages.

Editor Liquidity

The editor is optimized for Hi Resolution. We are now making it liquid – meaning, it will work better on all resolutions, especially on Laptops.

Picture Galleries

We’re revisiting all our galleries to give them a better look and smoother movement. In addition we will be adding lots of new and exciting galleries which we’re sure you’ll love.

Mini page and Slideshow Transitions

We are fixing several bugs and improving overall performance. In addition we are working on the ability to add your own graphics to the transition – a great improvement for branded sites.

Shopping Cart

The shopping cart will be upgraded soon, more currencies, more options for your products (size, colors, etc), visual indication of when an item is added to the cart and more…We won’t be adding all features at once, but improvements will start being introduced soon.

For those of you who’ve been asking about inventory management, that will take much longer. Inventory management is complex, so we’ll probably be adding a 3rd party product in the future, which will take a while to choose and integrate into Wix.

Help Shape the Future of Wix

We get tons of great suggestions daily and we’ll gladly take more. To make it as simple as possible for you, we’ve launched a dedicated wishlist page for you to jump in and share your ideas and suggestions. Some of our best ideas are inspired by member feedback.

Thank you for your cooperation, assistance and perhaps most importantly, your participation!

Gig,  Avishai & Nadav

Wix Founders

Fresh from the Studio: Featuring Mira German’s Original Photography

Our studio is a name to reckon when it comes to finding new photographers and giving them platform to show their talent to the world.  Their latest find is too good not to share with everybody!

Meet Mira German, a bank clerk during the day and a relentless, passionate photographer in her spare time. Mira’s website is currently under construction but you can get a peek to some of her work here and many of her photos will be available to download from the Editor starting today.

Mira German’s Photography:

Hi Mira and welcome. We’re truly happy to have you here. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

- MG – Sure. I was born and raised in the former USSR, where I worked as professional photographer. I dabbed into almost any sort of photography you can imagine: actors and models, landscapes, artwork, doing gigs for publishing homes, I was truly out there, working as a busy bee up until 1989.

What happened in 1989?

- MG – Well, I decided to make Aliyah (immigrate) to Israel and that kind of turned the tables for me. I remember a conversation I had with a family relative, Lev Borodulin, a celebrated Russian photographer who had immigrated to Israel in the 70’s. I asked him how could I best go about establishing myself as a photographer in Israel, and I’ll never forget his reply: “go work at a bank” (laughing).

And you did.

- MG – Yes, I did. But I never stopped taking photos. I still pretty much live my life behind a lense. I have a friend from a local photography club, Shuki Sela, with whom I make adventure photo expeditions in Israel and overseas. Many of the photos I contributed to Wix are outputs of our joint travels. We spend most of our trips arguing and bickering about light and and angle but end up being happy with our outcomes.

What do you like taking pictures of most?

- MG – Fog is a real obsession with me. Which is funny, since Israel isn’t exactly a natural habitat for fog lovers. I have to travel to get my fog. I’ll never forget my first: I shot some incredible fog photos in upstate New York in 2005 and I haven’t been the same woman since. Fog simply fascinates me.

What are you up to today?

- MG – I’ve been recently in touch with Rechovot’s – my hometown – city hall and we’re putting together a photography workshop for underprivileged kids. My general world view is that a camera is a far more engaging and convincing tool of self-expression than a gun.

What do you dream of at night?

- MG – I dream of opening a photography academy here in Israel. We have photography schools here they don’t really provide budding artists with a platform and an opportunity to display their work. My vision is for an academy where talented photographers who aren’t supported by massive PR can still present their work and get the exposure they crave.

Thanks for being with us today. We wish you the best of luck and hope to see more of your work soon.

- MG – Thank you for uploading my photos to Wix. It makes me proud to know they’re out there, I can’t think of a better way to share with and reach out to people.

Memphis, Tennessee – This Thursday, October 8th, AIGA will host their biennial Design Conference in Memphis, TN.  The conference is titled “Make|Think”, a theme that includes writing, idea-making and content-making, as well as strategy and, of course, craft and traditional design.

Wix.com is proud to sponsor the official Wi-Fi connection for this event.  If you, or someone you know, will be attending the AIGA “Make|Think” conference this week, let us know!  Send an email to Designers@Wix.com.

AIGA Make|Think Design Conference landing page

Follow us at the conference here for blog posts and on Twitter @WixDesigners.

Last week, Wix.com hosted our first learning workshop in New York City. In conjunction with Meetup.com, Wix organized over 20 designers, photographers and marketing professionals for a lesson on resumes and portfolio design.

Wix.com will be hosting many workshops in the near future on topics that include:
• Web design
• Graphic design
• Marketing strategy
• Business strategy
• New technology
• And more!

http://www.meetup.com/digitalcreatives

The next Wix.com/ Digital Creatives Meetup event will be Oct 28th, 2009

For more information, visit: http://www.meetup.com/digitalcreatives

Inspired by the Siberian hamsters we just got for the studio, these are just some of the pet site’s made with Wix of late.

Please show us your pet & pet related sites in the comments below!!

And feel free to watch our hamsters:

Austin, Texas – The HOW Design Conference came to a close today.  Attendees reconvened for the last workshops and the closing keynote: Mark Randall, “Design Ignites Change”.  We now look toward the future with the lessons learned this week; motivated, energized and full of new ideas.

As designers, we must find the order in chaos.  We must visually express abstract ideas in a clear and compelling fashion.  We must produce cutting edge work without losing sight of our intended audience.  We must take risks, push the limits, and test our personal boundaries.  We must keep the ideas we love, learn from the experience of others, and stay mindful of parts to repair.  At the end of the day, one final product is displayed to the world.  Make it the best it can be.

Wix.com has been proud to attend the HOW Design Conference this year.  In the weeks to come, we will be showcasing the many talented attendees on our HOW Conference Wix Collective.  Stay tuned!

Day 3 is coming to an end at the HOW Design Conference in Austin, Texas.  Attendees have their last chance to view some incredible exhibits including the Type Directors Club, a showcase of award winning typographic design.  Up-and-coming designers exhibit personal work at the HOW Conference Portfolio Review.  The evening will wrap up with a ballroom costume party to Keep Austin Weird!

A highlight of the day was Cameron Moll’s “Good vs. Great Design” seminar which offered tips on how to effectively communicate messages while designing.

Vital information should be simple to read and easy to find.  Use contrast to guide the eye.  Test your work by “blurring” your site.  Regardless of content, the center of attention should be clear.  Take a look:

In Western culture, the eye naturally moves from top left to bottom right, an important point to keep in mind.  By mastering contrast in design, you can guide the reader’s attention around your page and insure key ideas are noted and remembered.

Want to follow Wix.com at HOW in real time?  Check us out on Twitter @WixDesigners.

It’s Day 2 of the HOW Design Conference in Austin, Texas.  The afternoon temperature has dropped to a “cool” 101 degrees.  The energy is still alive and well.  Today, the classroom sessions began, featuring hour-long seminars on topics such as creativity, business, technology, and of course, design.

It’s a lot of information to digest and to avoid overload, we split our days between topics.  Today we attended seminars on business, marketing, and freelance careers.  Tomorrow we will explore creative trends and design theory.

A key takeaway today was learning ways to increase productivity by streamlining work flow.  Clearly, experience increases performance rate, yet new technologies level the playing field by providing tools and techniques that yield professional results. Refer to the old adage “time is money” and you’ll see why it pays to invest in services that can give you a competitive edge.

Wix.com is proud to offer solutions that make building a website faster and more efficient.

And now out for some Austin, Texas blues!

Austin, Texas – Graphic designers from around the country have gathered to attend the HOW Design Conference; a jamboree of educational workshops, keynote speakers, and design-minded sponsors.  The HOW conference is an annual summit organized by HOW Magazine, a leading trade publication for the design community.

As Day 1 comes to an end, there’s an energy in the eyes of each attendee…   an energy that calls to mind Freshman week of University.  Some have barely unpacked their bags before stuffing pockets full of business cards and hitting the conference floor.  Exhibitors are putting the finishing touches on their display tables and prepping their swag.  “Is this your first HOW conference?” one attendee asks another.  “Yes, it is, and it’s the most excited I’ve been about design in years!”

It’s sure to be a great week.

This year, Wix is attending HOW as both a student of design and service to share.  We will be reporting on the trade secrets learned in the workshops.  Furthermore, we will be hosting a fantastic initiative for all HOW attendees- The HOW Conference Wix Collective.  It will be a place on Wix where all attendees can share their conference experience.  Check it out:

http://www.wix.com/designer/HOWDesign

Last week Wix hosted a Banner Design Competition.  Wix Designers from around the world were asked to create banners promoting our free web design service.  Well, after hundreds of submissions…

We have a winner!!

Congratulations to theDEEPER Design Studio.
Here is the 1st Place Grand Prize Design:

For more info on theDEEPER Design Studio visit:

http://thedeeper.com/designstudio/
or the Wix Designers Directory

To everyone who participated:  Thanks for all your hard work!  Some were creative, some clever, some were cute and some were… well, see for yourself here!

Want to get more involved with Wix Design?  Email us at designers@wix.com