Blogs posted in 2021
Optimizely Nuget Feed Explorer Updated
The Optimizely Nuget Feed Explorer allows users to explore packages on the Optimizely Nuget Feed and filter out packages that are Optimizely or Community contributed along with other options such as filtering on updated date. However with the release of Optimizely CMS 12 / Commerce 14 it's not simple to find packages that are compatible due the dependency on NET 5.
Good news!
This now has the capability to filter on packages that are NET 5 / CMS 12 compatible:
Optimizely Content Recommendations extension for Optimizely Web now available
An extension available for Optimizely Web Experimentation for Optimizely Content Recommendations is now available. This extension allows users to place automatic content recommendations anywhere on a site where Optimizely Web Experimentation is being used. This means experimentation can be applied to test the most effective placement, look/feel and what content recommendations to show. This can also be used as part of a personalisation campaign to allow targeting of 1:1 recommended content for example based on for example lead funnel stage.
Optimizely Web Experimentation is the the world's most powerful front-end A/B and multi-page experimentation product built for the enterprise. Optimizely Web Content Recommendations are AI-powered recommendations which act upon the unique interests of each visitor in real-time to help deliver 1:1 content personalisation with minimal manual effort.
The extension can be seen in action below in the Optimizely Web Experimentation UI:
It should be noted that there are two versions of the extension available:
Video: Set up Optimizely Foundation Single Page Application reference
This post describes how to set up the Optimizely Foundation Single Page Application reference site. Further information about what Optimizely Foundation Single Page Application reference is can be seen at the bottom of the page. If readers want to dive straight in then hit play below:
Getting the "For this [content type]" content reference in Optimizely Content Cloud
On recent occasions I needed to create some content below the "For this page" or "For this block" folder in Optimizely Content Cloud. I couldn't Google the answer straight away so this post is a note to self on how to get the "For this page" or "For this block" content reference in Optimizely Content Cloud.
.NET 5 preview add-on packages for Optimizely Content and Commerce cloud
In preparation for the GTM release of Optimizely Content and Commerce Cloud running on .NET 5 and as part of my commitment to the community I started upgrading some of the more popular community packages I own (based on downloads), namely "Cookie Visitor Group" and "Cookie Drop Block".
This was a learning exercise to familiarise myself with .NET 5 development in Optimizely. Given Microsoft and Optimizely collaborated on parts of the .NET Upgrade Assistant (Preview) it was also an opportunity to try it out. The outcome is 2 x new packages which are .NET 5 compatible.
The beta packages are available to download here for the purposes of testing:
Video: Adding Optimizely Data Platform to Optimizely Commerce Cloud
This post is a video walk through to show the steps required to add Optimizely Data Platform (ODP) to Optimizely Commerce Cloud.
See the videos below:
Adding Optimizely Data Platform to Optimizely Commerce Cloud
This post describes how to add Optimizely Data Platform (ODP) to Optimizely Commerce Cloud. While written with Optimizely Commerce Cloud in mind, it can be used as a basis for tracking on any commerce solution, not specifically an Optimizely Commerce Cloud solution. The Optimizely Data Platform allows clients to collect and aggregate customer data in real time, segment and analyse it and take action on it using automated AI insights. The Optimizely Data Platform (ODP) was previously known as Zaius. Learn more about the Optimizely Data Platform here.
The following steps are required to add Optimizely Data Platform (ODP) to a site:
CookieDropBlock for Episerver updated with an important bug fix
TLDR; Update CookieDropBlock if you want to keep using it. 
Over five years ago I released a simple tool called CookieDropBlock who's sole purpose was to allow editors to create a block to drop a cookie for an end user. You can read more about it here: https://www.david-tec.com/2015/09/cookie-drop-block-for-episerver/. This has worked largely untouched for all this time.
However there is a bug that will affect anyone who is using it today.