• A multi-lingual, multi-user, multi-blog publishing system.
• Written in PHP and backed by a MySQL database.
• Supports community-wide spam filters, in which many b2evolution sites aggregate and “tag” spammer IPs into a central blacklist for the benefit of the larger community.
• Fully skinnable interface.
• Supports localization with a dozen language packs.
• Fully exposed API for developers to add new functionality, and a vast library of existing plug ins.

From SMBs navigating the Web 2.0 business environment, a blog is a necessity. A blog can be equal parts marketing channel and customer service mechanism, and is a major component of a business’ online presence. When considered from a business needs perspective, the cookie cutter approach of Wordpress and other consumer blog services is a serious drawback. B2evolution is a solid alternative, giving website administrators a plug in blog framework that works out of the box, and sports a fully exposed API for complete, customized integration with existing sites.

B2evolution is built on PHP and MySQL, and the installation script only takes minutes to run. B2evolution maintains security by running in a standalone database, and the necessarily configuration is fast and easy. Following the initial set up, you’re taken to the dashboard control panel which is the heart of the application.

The standard installation of B2evolution includes template files for examples of two different blog formats, as well as a link blog template and a photo blog template. This gives administrators a quick look at the multi-blog capabilities of B2evolution. The four blog styles are presented as individual blogs, with tabbed access to each. The global menu also includes a notification panel for updates to the B2evolution code.

Drilling into the blog management panel gives access to individual post creation and editing tools. Publication status is viewable from this page, and published posts can be removed without deletion using the Deprecate feature. Posted comments can also be edited from here, making administration fast and efficient.

B2evolution comes with a built in stats package which is a very nice addition and surprisingly robust. Graphs are generated on the fly, and track hits by rss and atom feeds, as well as bots and browser based traffic. Tabbed drill downs allow visibility into referrers, xml data, session info, and other useful information.

Two levels of control settings, global and individual, make blog management and customization extremely simple. Such things as regional settings, e-mail validation, anti-spam technology, and session timeout can be set globally.