Why Use Joomla! For Web Design
In April 2005, I viewed a demo of Mambo, and I immediately saw the potential of using a Content Management System (CMS) for my client sites. I could see the trend was veering away from static sites to more dynamic sites, so a CMS made a lot of sense to me.
When Joomla was released in September 2005, I didn't immediately jump on the bandwagon, but by January 2006, I could see Joomla was leaving Mambo in the dust, so I made the switchover, which was pretty simple since Joomla 1.0 and Mambo were pretty much identical in look and feel, as well as functionality.
When Joomla released 1.5 in early 2008, it was an entirely different CMS—new look, new functionality and much more user-friendly.
Just around the corner, we will be seeing Joomla's next iteration—Joomla 1.6—which promises to be the most exciting release for Joomla to date.
So why use Joomla for web design?
- Maintenance. You can easily do your own updates. If you know how to use a word processor, you will have no trouble learning Joomla.
- Scalability. There are thousands of extensions that can be plugged into Joomla. I remember meeting a woman in 2001 who had spent $25K on a database site that you could easily do in Joomla today at a fraction of the cost. Complex websites no longer need to be cost-prohibitive.
- Redesigns. Since all of your content is stored in a database, redesigning your site is as easy as designing a new template and installing/configuring it. When I redesigned glasspoole.com last December, it took me six hours.
With the good, there is also bad.
Since Joomla is very popular, it has been under attack by hackers. But as long as you keep your upgrades current and change your passwords often—do NOT use admin / admin for your login credentials—you should be fine.
Also be sure to host your Joomla site with a hosting company that supports Joomla. I have gone through many hosting companies over the years, and the one I like most is 2MHost.com. Do your research. A reliable host is instrumental.
For more information, read Why Use Joomla! For Web Design.
If you're interested in learning more about Joomla, call or text Joanne at 715.553.1514 for a free 30-minute phone consultation.
