Joomla throws a lifeline to a lost creative soul

Recently, I was asked to defend Joomla, the content-management system which enables you to build websites and powerful web applications. Defend it? Does that imply there is something wrong with it? The question forced me to think about why I remain loyal to this incredible CMS. I was going to spend hours, maybe days, researching and comparing Joomla to Drupal and to WordPress, but in the end I decided it was best not to criticise other systems, when it’s so much easier to just brag about the one you love and cherish.

This article is split into three parts so you can skip the parts that don’t matter to you:
1) For designers like me
2) For clients who are confused and found this article and
3) For developers who build the tools we use.

1) For Designers like me
As a designer, I tend to lean towards fantastical visual dreams of things I could never technically achieve on my own without serious financial resources, or a room full of coding geeks who worship the ground I walk on. Unfortunately, neither will ever be a reality.

But salvation was received when a bunch of the most gifted coders alive today all got together and created the Core… and named it Joomla, throwing a lifeline to my despairing, lost creative soul. When Mormons come knocking on my door asking about God, I listen politely, then ask them if they’ve heard of Joomla.

What is the Core? The Core of Joomla is hundreds of thousands of lines of Php code that are worth the equivalent in monetary terms. The core is a system which allows you to “plug in” various other mini systems, some for free and others available at a meagre cost to build the site you envision.

For the most part, designers will definitely have to be prepared to lock the bar fridge and spend a few weeks figuring things out. My first time was daunting, but I persevered, and was ushered into a new and wonderful world of opportunity like a wide-eyed foal with an expression of utmost awe.

With unsteady legs and a lot of determination, I am now walking amongst my fellow Joomla designers with a vision that is very achievable.

In the past when a client approached me looking for a website, I would tentatively enquire if there were any “functional” aspects I might need to “look into”, which translated as “Please dear GOD let it be a simple HTML site, or even better, a fun, pretty flash site”. Alas, when clients required their staff to login and upload their reports, my only line of defence was “Well, of COURSE I can! Let me work out a quote for you!” and then hit the Yellow Pages, praying that someone, somewhere, could do it for me and give me a good price.

No more! The Coding Gods have been kind to us (either that, or they got tired of being harassed by clueless designers like me) and Joomla was their solution for removing such irritating thorns from their Godlike sides.

To cut a long story short. Designers, start here: www.joomla.org

Your life will never be the same. You can offer clients stuff you never even contemplated before, and instead of wondering whether you should enrol for a course in hi-level programming, you can confidently tell clients that you can deliver on whatever it is they require.

2) For clients who need to brief a designer
If you have ever had a website before, and someone charged you a few thousand bob for the equivalent of a Microsoft FrontPage website, then vanished when you asked them if they could create a login for your staff to upload reports… well, you can thank your lucky stars that Joomla came along.

It’s really quite simple. Any designer with a bit of perseverance can get to grips with a complex system like Joomla. So if the designer you hired is offering a Joomla site, then go with them if you need something more than a simple blogging platform. Not because it’s a better system than any of the others (I really wouldn’t know) but because I know for a fact that you’ll find someone who knows Joomla well, who won’t cost a fortune, and will be able to deliver quickly and easily.

But understand this:
1) Joomla is free; but you need to have at least a basic understanding of websites in order to use it. You could do it yourself, but why bother when there are really affordable experts out there.
2) If someone designs a Joomla site for you, you need to demand training on how to update the site yourself. If you want to change a phone number, for example, it shouldn’t cost you a fortune and with a Joomla site, you are able to log in and change it instantly at no extra cost.
3) Speak to the people you asked to quote on your website. Do a little bit of homework, find out whether they buy templates from developers or create them from scratch. If they don’t start twitching at the question, you’ve probably got yourself a winner. If they’re honest designers they’ll tell you everything – like how a certain part of the site is going to be passed on to another company or individual who knows how to “code that”, and how they will bill you separately.
4) Remember that regardless of what “system” you’re quoted for, it isn’t a case of “push button – make happen”. Everything from moving a logo from the left to the right or wanting a different layout on your home page all takes up valuable time. Get a precise idea on paper in your head before you approach anyone for a quote. Otherwise you’ll end up starving a freelancer, or being exploited by a company who will bill you for every change.

Finally, I can’t tell you if Drupal or Word Press are better or worse than Joomla. But I can tell you it mostly depends on the character of the person who is putting your website together. And that information is not something you can Google.

3) For Developers.
Thank you for what you have created. You’ve spawned an entire industry for the rest of us.