Hi folks,
This thread is for questions related to the Envato Sites beta, which we just announced. We’ll be providing batches of answers every few days, so please try to read those before jumping in with a new question.
Thanks!
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Seems something great is coming.
But the blog post does’t cover the complete details. even on the website landing page, it doesn’t cover what really it is.
I signed up, just because its created by envato 
without knowing what the stuff is.
It would be great if you could avoid the ambiguity in the landing page and provide as many info as you can with screenshots and videos to keep up the interest.
I’ve still have no idea what it is.
Will you develop a custom CMS?
or is it just a hosting option?
or Is it working with WordPress?
Can an author with no development expertise can join?
How will it work with the existing templates & themes?
What’s your actual idea? Care to explain? (In Simple English)
~Surjith
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Hehe same questions I had
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Same question here? How authors will be paid? Based on what?
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Great idea, great opportunity. Need more info as said by above authors.
Correct me if I’m wrong. From what I understand it will be some kind of hosted layerswp (though different builder)?
While waiting for an official reply, hopefully this gets you though:
- This isn’t WordPress, or anything to do with WordPress (the term “themes” might be confusing here).
- Custom built hosted CMS (Rails) developed by Envato
- “Sites” themes will be brand new, built from scratch by Authors, using a brand new templating system developed by Envato. A Sites Theme will be much easier to create than a WordPress theme (hence mentioning “all skill levels”)
- While it makes sense that some “Sites” themes might resemble some existing WordPress themes (e.g. from the same author) generally the “Sites” themes will be different to existing themes, or a much simplified version of an existing item.
- Customers will be able to choose from a list of “Sites Themes”. They will get a temporary name like mycompany123.envatosites.com and they will be able to make changes to their website. Also possible to link existing domain to an Envato Site.
- Think … existing popular online site builder websites… kinda like that. But way better because Envato is making it
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Thanks Man That clears some of my questions, I would like to learn what kind of income this will bring for authors, will author earn per subscription? Simply how this will work Envato <-> Author
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What does this mean for plugin developers on CodeCanyon? Will Envato Sites support plugins? This will be so huge!
I’m also curious to find out how this service will affect themeforest sales.
I’m interested on some plugins too. I hope this will be well documented before released
It seems very interesting. I’m looking forward to hear new details about it.
when it will be going to release ?
Wow, dtbaker did a pretty great job answering those questions based on a quick phone call a few days ago
Here’s a first round of answers to the main questions:
Will you develop a custom CMS or is it WordPress?
It’s a custom CMS and hosting platform. After looking at what was available to us, we decided this was the best way to meet our requirements. At this stage, it’s a React web-app backed by a JSON API served by a Ruby on Rails backend. Theme authoring doesn’t require Ruby.
Will Envato Sites support plugins?
Add-ons and extensions will likely be an essential part of an open, community-backed product like this, but it’s not a key focus for us yet.
Can an author with no development expertise can join?
You will need to know HTML & CSS for sure. You’ll need to be familiar with responsive design techniques and have a great eye for design as well. You won’t need experience with programming languages like PHP or Ruby. We’ll provide more information about the theme platform as we progress through the beta, as it could change over the next few months.
How will it work with the existing templates & themes?
Themes need to be built specifically to work with the Envato Sites platform. Themes can be designed from scratch, or authors can port over one of their existing themes. Most of our initial themes will be Envato Sites versions of existing ThemeForest themes, but we’d love to see a huge range of Sites-first themes.
How will authors be paid?
We haven’t made any final decisions yet, but sharing the subscription revenue in some way makes a lot of sense. The buyer is getting ongoing value from the theme and the platform, requiring ongoing investment from both the author and Envato. We’ll continue to consult with authors and find the best balance for everyone.
When will it be released?
It’s too early to predict this. The first few invites have gone out and we’ll gradually invite more people until we think we’re ready for a full launch.
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So basically envato are now in competition with the very people who actually buy from them?
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No, there is no competition whatsoever. Read this. Quoted from the official blog post.
Envato Sites, ThemeForest and WordPress
Our experimentation with Envato Sites does not change our commitment to WordPress and other web platforms. ThemeForest is the #1 marketplace for themes, with a full roadmap to expand and better support these communities through new features and other growth experiments.
There’s still strong demand for the power and flexibility of running your own CMS, but it’s not the right choice for everyone. Co-ordinating web hosting configurations, databases, domain name servers, content management systems, themes, plugins and software updates can be pretty daunting and time consuming.
Today, ThemeForest can sell you a great theme, but some customers aren’t looking for a theme – they’re looking for a complete website. These customers have very different expectations, and we haven’t been able to serve them well in the past. If we want to reach these kinds of customers and connect them to our author community, we need to experiment with different approaches.
How is that not competing with freelancers?
Do you even know how many of the people who buy from envato authors are actually freelancers who are “Co-ordinating web hosting configurations, databases, domain name servers, content management systems, themes, plugins and software updates” for clients? I sure know a lot who do this for a living.
You may not me competing with your authors but I think you are out of touch if you believe this is not competing with the many freelancers and small businesses who purchase from envato.
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Well @AFX
don’t think too much about it,
even though i appreciate envato doing this… there are hundreds if not thousands of providers like these but still people go for self-hosted, fully customizable approach more than hosted approach.
it has many limitations like changing the core…
its exciting to read but wix weebly squarespace doing it but still people buying wordpress themes only
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My questions are :
- Website generated with this new service will be hosted on Envato servers ? It will be a similar service with Squarespace, Wix, Weebly ? ( if considered advertising moderator please edit. ) Or after it is generated, the client can download it as an simple HTML presentation website and upload site on their ftp/server ?
- What programming languages will be made templates for this new service ? Just HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT ?
- Authors will be able to use libraries like jQuery, Bootstrap, Angular, or others in their themes for Envato Sites ?
- You can tell an approximate price for an Envato Sites theme ?
- Do you think this will affect sales ThemeForest & Codecanyon ? Personally I do not think will affect them. What does Envato about it ?
6.What is the difference between this Envato new service and hundreds similar service on market?
@jyostna I totally agree with you.
I think It’s Static Generators. I am digging few days for understanding. Website is this.
They are going to make us design for static generator