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Joomla is an award-winning content management system (CMS), which enables you to build Web sites and powerful online applications.
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Adventure
I was fortunate early on to get connected to a talented group of people that were driving the Joomla! project forward with passion. I didn't have much to offer the community at the time but I started to build Joomla! websites with their help. I got hooked on the whole Joomla! experience and started writing about it. That's how my Joomla! business started. Today, I build Joomla! websites for companies. I also train people how to work with Joomla!. Here's some advice to help you in your Joomla! adventure:
Approach Joomla! with an open mind and a clean slate. During the time I’ve been training people to work with Joomla! I’ve noticed a pattern. Many of those who come with a background from other website building systems are hampered by their bias and knowledge from those systems. They have the hardest time understanding Joomla. Joomla! is not hard, it is one of the easiest systems to work with and has an intelligent workflow.
Drop your baggage from the other system before getting on the Joomla! train. Learn the basic terminology and concepts first. Joomla's is not the same as other systems. If you come from a different web building background you need to unlearn the old lingo and workflow in order to understand the Joomla! workflow. Assuming Joomla! does things the same way as other systems is a major cause of frustration when learning Joomla!.
It's rare that one person can do it all when it comes to Joomla. You can't be really effective or make a good living at this trying to do it all on your own. Websites are not all about looking good and having cool widgets. Effective websites have good strategies behind them. A website is a tactic of a strategy and the items in a website should all be working toward the success of the strategy.
There are plenty of specially areas when it comes to a website; accessibility, analytics, auto-responders, backup strategies, blog commenting systems, content creation, customizing templates, e-commerce, input forms, search engine optimization, site performance, social media integration, to name a few. Find the people who compliment your specialty and work together with them. Those that work in teams provide better value for clients. Your companions are as important as your individual Joomla! tools and talent.
Joomla! is not all about being free. The only thing that is free is your freedom to use Joomla! without expensive licensing fees. Clients should be putting the money they save from licensing into the strategy, design, development, and content creation of their site. If a client is always trying to beat down their Joomla! suppliers they really don't appreciate your skills and abilities.
Keeping up with Joomla!, and open source innovation, is a constant learning curve. You are in the same league as doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, and accountants, etc. when it comes to staying current with skills and knowledge. Things advance so quickly in the technology world that 6 months seems like a generation.
Do not undervalue your services. Plenty of good companies in other industries have gone out of business by solely competing on price for their products and services. If you undervalue what your worth is you will only get those clients that do not appreciate what you do. There is no joy in working hard with little reward. If a client needed something like medical surgery for their body it’s not likely their only concern would be to get the cheapest surgeon they could find. That’s because of the value they place on that service. Be good at what you do and charge properly for your services. If you don't value your worth, neither will your client.
The Joomla! adventure can be greatly rewarding and satisfying. I hope you have as much fun with Joomla! as I do.
Joe Sonne is the owner of Joe Sonne Marketing. joejoomla.com is the web divsion of the company. Joe's background is in advertising and communication technologies.
I too have been designing websites with Joomla for several years. The CMS gets better every year.
It definitely took me a long time to figure out the template system, extensions, and the php core files. I am happy that the new Joomla 1.6 makes the templating system a little easier to use.
I am looking forward to designing more website with Joomla!
Hi Linda, isn't it true that it takes a lot of knowledge to be good at this? You are a specialist when it comes to what you do in the Joomlasphere. Doctors who are specialists in what they do earn more money than general practitioners. Never forget that. When someone needs something done in Joomla! they are coming to YOU, not just some person who knows how to do static HTML websites. Joomla! is a high end product in content management systems. That makes you a high end specialist.
Hi Joe,
This artice is so FREAKLY TRUE!
Your advice is very useful and it is worth to keep in mind and repeat ourself when we are in jam... you know, we really have fun especially when the web biz is turns to hard. I do not how strong are the 'competitors' in USA or Canada but in the post socialist counties people learnt how to find the cheapest solutions to manage things (eg. the website of one local business office) even if they know it is not the best efficent solution. When the big economy recession reached these countries in a few years ago the people started to remember the old 'good' attitude and they are seeking the most frugal solution to manage their sites.
But this is my only personal experience. I hope you can understand what I mean.
Besides I wonder how do you can manage your strategy and keep going foward. I wish I knew your advices 3 years ago Joe... they are so true!
Thanks and regards,
Some people want to turn Joomla! into a commodity, and that's usually the customer. It's understandable that one wants good value for their hard earned money. In the beginning when you are learning Joomla! you may do some things for a lot less than it's really worth. Don't get stuck there. Having a reputation for being cheap is a sure fire path to burnout. If you are bogged down in the really cheap jobs you'll always miss out on the good ones. You simply won't have the time to do them.
A good friend's mother told me that when I was getting into the World of freelancing. That's probably one of the greatest pieces of advice I've ever received in my life.
Gold, absolute gold! Thanks for confirming everything I've been thinking! Our new year's resolution for our business was to put more value on what we do. As soon as we put this into action and refused to work for peanuts, our business shot thru the roof!! I should show some of my 'clients' this article; but I'll just bookmark this page and keep it as a personal friendly reminder!!
Hi James, that is a great testimony. Doesn't everyone want to succeed and enjoy what they are doing? I hope people are encouraged by the confirmation you just gave on this issue. I think it's fear that makes people thing that their business will dry up if they raise prices. Living in fear is a lousy way to live. I believe that if you can't be in the top percentile of what you do for a living - then perhaps you should find something else to do that is more rewarding.
Thank you for an inspiring an old man (69). I've forgotten all the HTML I ever knew. But maybe it's not to late to start again with Joomla. Certainly have been impressed with the exposition and encouragement displayed by the members of the Joomla community!!
99 is old Walter, not 69, and don't let anybody argue with you otherwise. If you are comfortable with your computer, then getting into Joomla! is something that you can do without a whole lot of HTML experience. That will all come back to you as you get into it again.
I say 'go for it'. Joomla! is not restricted to any demographic group. Like I said, it takes all kinds of different specializations to put an effective website together. Heck, if you just enjoyed just updating content for websites you could be busy.
The Joomla! forums were where I learned most of what I needed to get going with Joomla. Hang out there, interact, and use a cool avatar. You'll fit right in! :-)
Thanks, again, Joe!! Right now, we're living for out 'in the sticks', with no Internet connection. So I must access the Joomla resources and study when I can get to a local library (Sewanee, TN). In the near future, we will be 'downsizing' to a smaller dwelling, hopefully in Monteagle, TN, where my wife owns a small cafe, Lorena's. It is for her small business that I'm trying to develop 'lorenasonline.com'.
Appreciate so much your kind and encouraging words. Your great optimism reminds me of a gentleman popular on the radio back in the 50's, Earl Nightingale; very inspirational.
I will try to 'do you proud'.
By the way...is there a link to add an avatar?
I believe the images are picked up from Gravatar. Get a gravatar.com account and upload an image. It should show up here.
"Dropping your baggage" rang true for me. I have had limited web site experience from a few years back (all right, 10 or 15) with FrontPage (yep, that's right) and some hand coding. When I first started learning Joomla about three months ago, I couldn't quite put it in the same room as my old web experience. But then it came to me that Joomla was like a job I had at a daily newspaper. Sitting at the city desk and putting a paper together every night, now that workflow helped me understand Joomla. Thanks for the great article.
HI! Joe... I am a new website designer, trying my hands on websites from last 3 months and started learning Joomla!
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Great article... just awesome….Thanks…
Great Article. For someone that has literally just begun using Joomla, I found this and the comments very inspiring, Particularly the comments about not undervaluing my services.
Thanks
Richard
