(A Personal and Business Decision)
(PART I) (Why I Recommend Joomla for my Client’s Main Sites and My Own
I’ve been reading quite a bit about blogging and client site creation lately. In the midst of this I’ve seen quite a few sites promoting Word Press to replace static html or Frontpage or even Dreamweaver sites. They promote it for a multitude of reasons and I can see for the first time site owner, a WordPress site makes a lot of sense.
So as I evaluated this information and content, which by no means is shallow or ill advised. I had to think about why was it that every client I have, I’m recommending they go with Joomla not WordPress, including my own Church and if my friends in Austin agree to use my services, I’ll recommend Joomla to them as well.
The first reason I’m recommending Joomla is. . .
1. It’s a great Content Management System.
Joomla easily manages user logins and registrations along with the ability to give my end users the control to upload and edit information on their own sites without me having to continuously be the bottleneck to providing up to the minute information to their clients.
2. The overall look and feel of Joomla can be easily changed
using many multitudes of professionally and privately created themes. These themes provide a wholesale modification to the site’s look and feel that can be had in minutes. In addition the headers and information can then be further customized to give the user just the right feeling about their site and online presence.
3. Joomla has a multitude of easy to use plugins, components and modules
that are generally a breeze to install, maintain and publish. They let me do things such as Photo Galleries, Public Calendar’s, Mini-Calendars, Easy to Create Forms, Shopping Carts and a whole lot more that I haven’t explored yet. The installations are a snap, read the directions match the Component or Module to the proper installation routine and choose the uncompressed zip file. Joomla takes care of uploading and installing the component / module all based on the routines contained in the installation routine. That is very very nice.
4. Joomla has a quick and default application settings that lend it to a Small Business, Corporate or Organization’s structure
and inner workings. These configurations are easily modifiable from changing whether the “Blog” option is available to modifying Content and Category options, to providing a multitude of links and information from the main site. The inline photos are great and online streaming works without a hitch from what I’ve seen personally. In addition to this the front-page can easily be set to provide “Teasers” or short subsets of information so users, readers and consumers can quickly digest what they need and continue on if they need to. The site also has an easy to Navigate Backend that provides full access to the online menus both on the top side and bottom of the website. This flexibility allows a seamless look and modification that just isn’t as easy to perform under WP.
5. Joomla’s Community is Vibrant and Full of many Brick and Mortar as well as Online Companies.
This feeling of community that had dug in and provided a growing and dynamic portfolio that is both useful to new online businesses and to the small business entrepreneur that makes me stick with Joomla for such a recommendation. In addition to this plugins such as Community Builder leave the promise of a multi-tiered Web 2.0 community to a soon fruition with customized Profiles, Online Questionnaires and Community Building.
I’ve go to say I really do love Word Press and I’ll be continuing this article soon with those reasons I choose Word Press to blog with. So please feel free to comment or leave your feedback, I don’t mind at all. And since I’ve only used Joomla for just a little less than a year and Word Press for 2 years, I’m likely to have missed some things so feel free to point them out. But don’t forget to read on for Part II
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