CMS Critic

It’s a challenging question given how much the category is evolving in the age of AI. But if the acronym is going to mean something moving forward – when AEO and agentic features are transforming expectations – there are a few “tells” we should pay attention to when evaluating platforms. Here’s what still has to be true for a platform to be a DXP. Dan Drapeauis Managing Director at DXP Catalyst Consulting and a CMS Critic contributor.

Listen to the full episode of “The Critic’s Corner” Podcast > In January of this year, Amazon launched Alexa+, Microsoft gave birth to Copilot Checkout, Google pushed UCP, and Anthropic introduced Claude Cowork. The infrastructure needed for machines to act on web pages all arrived in a single month, and it changed everything. The web as we know it has become a machine world, with bots outnumbering humans in the web traffic department.

If you’ve ever been snorkeling or diving in the Caribbean, you know how intoxicating the ocean is. From the Cayman Islands to Virgin Gorda, the sea shimmers like diamonds in the hot equatorial sun, revealing a crystal-clear aquatic wilderness teeming with life. Among the schools of tropical fish and marine flora lies the Acropora Palmata, commonly referred to as “Elkhorn” – a hard coral variety known for its thick, robust branches that resemble an elk's antlers.

If you’ve ever been snorkeling or diving in the Caribbean, you know how intoxicating the ocean is. From the Cayman Islands to Virgin Gorda, the sea shimmers like diamonds in the hot equatorial sun, revealing a crystal-clear aquatic wilderness teeming with life. Among the schools of tropical fish and marine flora lies the Acropora Palmata, commonly referred to as “Elkhorn” – a hard coral variety known for its thick, robust branches that resemble an elk's antlers.

Watch the full episode of the Matt & Matt Show  > The summer is heating up, and the Matts are back with some hot takes from the road in this unofficial 2026 Halftime Report! Sure, the World Cup might be scoring big on most screens, but AEO is proving (again) to be the real goal in our industry game. In this episode of the show, Matt McQueeny kicks things off with insights from Vercel Ship in New York, driving a conversation about the company’s growth track.

I couldn't ignore the flaming cup o’joe or the sardonic parrot perched on the shoulder of Optimizely’s deftly mustached Mr. Mark Eting (more on him later). And the bifurcated horse – sliced perfectly down the center and plumbed into some kind of Rube Goldberg caffeine delivery system – was enough to stop me in my tracks. But the dapper dude driving his “hamster mobile” down a looping pink highway? That's the magnum opus. You read that right: A man. Driving a hamster.

Antonia Fedder is a digital designer, consultant, and speaker working at the intersection ofaccessibility, inclusion, and sustainability. She is also a CMS Critic contributor. AI is either the greatest opportunity for the future of digital accessibility or a fast track to cementing existing exclusions. It all depends on who you ask. I honestly think both are happening at the same time, and the decisions that are being made right now will determine where we end up.

There’s a song on John Mayer’s breakout album, Room for Squares, where he waxes philosophically about his early twenties, probing the existential question: “Am I living it right?” The tune, Why Georgia, is an autobiographical love letter to the artist’s youthful turmoil, wandering at the gates of life as it all begins, feeling unsettled about uncertainty.

As an industry analyst, CMS geek, and all-around digital design nut, I’m fortunate to review and sometimes judge various awards competitions. It’s one of the best parts of my job because I get to look at what people and agencies make – and do it through a number of different lenses. Yes, it often involves a deep dive into architectures, but it also means I get to play with digital experiences. Who doesn’t love exploring an exquisite mobile UI or ogling over a stunning homepage template?

In a world where machines have become the principal audience, content operations are evolving to meet the requirements of agents. As documents leave the CMS, organizations face challenges around maintaining structure and provenance that deliver vital context to machines. Here's why meshing the COGs (Community Owned Governance Standards) is the key to delivering trust and value.