So you’ve decided to join the Joomla Community, and maybe even dedicate some of your talent, skills to Joomla. Great! But now what? Where is everyone? Where do all these cool people meet? How to find a team that suits you, and how to join them? We’ve got you covered! Read all about the steps you can take to get settled in, and know: every step of the way, there’s someone who can help you.

Step 1: let us know who you are

Our main tool for discussion and conversation is Mattermost (see Step 2). To be able to use it, you need an account on the Joomla Identity Portal. You’ll find that here: https://identity.joomla.org 

Fill in everything and your registration is done. After registration, head over to your profile and give your consent so you can log in to Mattermost using your Joomla Identity Account.

Step 2: join Mattermost

Mattermost is a collaborative chat tool. It looks like other chat tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack and Glip, but it’s completely open source (and that, of course, is what we really like about it). To join, head over to https://joom.la/chat 

Here you can log in with your Joomla Identity account. 

After you’ve logged in, you’ll be added to the Town Square channel automatically. Mattermost is pretty self explanatory. If you want to dive really deep into it, read Philip Walton’s splendid article about it: https://magazine.joomla.org/all-issues/november-2022/getting-the-most-out-of-mattermost 

For now: it would be great if you take a minute to complete your profile: fill in your (full) name and add a picture.

Step 3: join the New to Joomla channel

Now it’s time to find the New to Joomla channel. I’ve been on Mattermost for ages, so I don’t really remember if it should be in the sidebar at all times - maybe it is. But in case it’s not: the sidebar (on desktop) has a search option called Find channel.

Click it and a popup will open. 

Type “new” in the search box and a link to the New to Joomla channel will appear. Once you click the link, you’re in. If you feel like it, say hi to everyone who’s in there.

Step 4: join the New to Joomla Session

Every month on the 15th, at 3pm UTC, there is a New to Joomla Session you can join. These sessions take place on Google Meet (invitation + meeting link is posted in the New to Joomla Session). Sigrid Gramlinger (Production Department Coordinator) hosts the session. It starts with a short presentation on how to find your way in the community, with an overview of all the channels, platforms, websites and tools we use. Then everyone introduces themselves and you can ask everything you want to know about volunteering for Joomla. 

Are you wondering if this is your thing? At the moment of writing, we've had our first New to Joomla Session. We asked some of the attendees to tell us what happened there and what they thought of it:

Today I joined the "New to Joomla" session. As I'm not not new to Joomla, it was nevertheless great to see the Joomla organisational structure well explained by Sigrid. Also we discussed how we can use Mattermost in our advantage for staying connected to other Joomlers and Joomla in whole.

Rick

Right after an amazing "JoomlaDay USA 2024", Sigrid was kind enough to launch the first of a series of interesting meetings, by familiarizing participants to the governance and organizational structure of Open Source Matters, as well as to explore the Joomla community(ies). There are really so many things happenig behind the scenes, it is truly remarkable. Thank you so much Sigrid for the oportunity to meet other fellow Joomla lovers around the globe and especialy for your kind hospitality.

Ioannis

I'm delighted to discover this 'place' where I will be able to meet and touch base with fellow Joomlers!

Valery

Step 5: do the work and make friends

Once you’ve attended the New to Joomla Session, things should be a lot clearer. Maybe you already know where your specific skills and talents could be useful, maybe you’re not sure yet. 

Either way, this is the time to join other Mattermost channels and check out the vibes: how do they work, what’s the buzz, how can you help? Don’t hesitate to ask questions. A very good one (at least one that I’d like to hear more often) is: “Hi, I’m new, could someone tell me what you do in this team and how you work?” That way you avoid assumptions, misunderstandings and misinterpretations. Asking questions can be pretty addictive, because this is a community of truly nice people who actually answer and share information and knowledge. And once you’ve had answers that make you feel comfortable and heard, you’ll want more 🙂

Joining a Mattermost channel is not directly the same as joining a team. You can join a channel first and become an official team member later - or not; you can contribute without being a member of an official team. If you would join a team, however, that would give you voting rights. We have elections for Team Leaders, Department Coordinators and Board Officers on a regular basis. 

Step 6: help others and stay curious

So you’ve plunged in and feel completely surrounded by the warm bath aka the Joomla Community. Good job and welcome, it’s great to have you here! Now it’s time to start spreading Joomla friendliness. Encourage people to join and help them on their Joomla journey. Answer their questions and make them feel welcome. Don’t forget to stay curious, keep an open mind and ask questions yourself. That’s what got you on your way and what will keep the Joomla spirit alive. 

Help grow our community and spread the Joomla love!