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Introducing Virtual Joomla! User Groups

Sept-VirtualJUG

The Joomla User Groups Team is happy to announce the launching of the Joomla Virtual JUGs directory.

Joomla! User Group Team believes in connecting Joomlers virtually, which will consequently get them more engaged in the Joomla Project and its activities, and open up an opportunity to learn and contribute with others about Joomla and its community. Moreover, this will develop an interest in attending physical events later on. Mentioned below the new Virtual Joomla! User Groups where everyone is welcome to participate by joining these groups:

1. Joomla! User Group Extensions Developers

2. Joomla! User Group Southeastern United States

3. Joomla! User Group Website Design Company Owners

How Virtual JUGs idea came up?

The idea of Joomla! Virtual User Groups came up initially from the Forum for the Future: Re-Engage & Re-Ignite meeting conducted on the 16th of January 2020 in Marbella, Spain where a group of Joomla Volunteers met and determined that our ultimate goal is to spread the excitement of Joomla! What better way to do this than encourage as many people as possible to engage and collaborate with others about Joomla in various settings. This was suggested PRIOR to COVID-19 pandemic, although because of covid the necessity of this concept became even more important since the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the shutdown of all physical events and activities.

What can a Virtual User Group be?

Joomla! Team has allowed virtual user groups centered around areas of common interest to complement and not to replace geographical user groups. Virtual JUGs are based on common interests and are related to Joomla!. For example: developers, designers, templates, extensions, location areas, users’ skillset and education…etc. Be noted that Virtual JUGs have less restrictions but still need approval in order to be added in the Joomla! User Groups directory. These limiting restrictions will allow the Virtual Joomla! User Groups organizers to work without the need for submitting a standalone website, or a specific logo, and they can meet at least once a year. Virtual JUGs Organizers can run multiple JUGs simultaneously but should still maintain quality.

As long as the main topic is ‘Joomla!’, it can be any combination of people that want to collaborate together. These groups can also be considered ‘topic based’ JUGs.  We currently have an active group called Joomla User Extensions Developer Group. This group focuses on the needs of people that are extension developers. It gives them a platform to discuss, meet and work together to make their extensions better for Joomla! It also gives the Joomla! Team a chance to talk with the extension developers, get more volunteers and work together.

Another type of Virtual User Group could be ‘regional based’. The SouthEast USA Joomla! User group incorporates members that are from the South East Area of the USA. Therefore, removing the ‘city/country’ requirement makes the options and ideas more open.

What is required to register a Virtual JUG?

There are some basic rules that those who submit their User Group must comply with to qualify for inclusion in the Registered JUG Directory. By submitting a User Group to the Joomla! User Group Directory, you agree to be bound by these rules and by the Terms of Service. Your continued use of the Joomla! User Group Directory constitutes your agreement to be bound by the rules at the time of listing or update.

The following checklist is still required/recommended for Joomla! Organizers in order to start their Joomla! User Group:

  1. You must meet all Trademark requirements.
  2. You must have 2 lead contacts for the user group.
  3. We recommend that you have some kind of ‘site’, a ‘landing page’ for your group, this could be a website, channel, facebook group, meetup group, this page can always be updated as your group grows.
  4. We recommend that you have at least 3-4 meetings a year to gather your people together, these meetings can be in person, virtual or hybrid it is up to you. Although, the minimum requirement is one meeting per year.
  5. You will need to add the ‘primary language’ your group
  6. We recommend that all meetings that are virtually held to add closed captioning to the recorded meetings, so the content is available to all.

More information about Joomla! User Groups information, rules, and frequently asked questions can be found here:

  1. General information: https://docs.joomla.org/Portal:Joomla_User_Groups
  2. Terms of Service: https://docs.joomla.org/Joomla_User_Group/Terms_of_Service
  3. Rules & FAQ: https://docs.joomla.org/Joomla_User_Group/FAQs_and_Rules_for_Submission

How to become a Virtual Joomla! User Group?

Visit the Joomla! User Group Helpdesk: https://community.joomla.org/helpdesk.html. Create an account then login and fill out the information needed in a new ticket. The Joomla! User Group Team will then go through the ticket and review the information you've given. If there are issues, the JUG Team will reply to the ticket and let you know what needs to be resolved. If it's perfect, then you will be notified by ticket of the group’s approval. The newly registered Joomla! User Group will then be published on the JUGs Directory. All Joomlers can find all Local and Virtual User Groups listings by accessing the following link: https://community.joomla.org/user-groups.html

How to submit Joomla! User Group meetings?

The Joomla! Community Portal event listing is a great place to share your Joomla and Joomla-Related events. User Group meetings, JoomlaDay events, JoomlaCamp events, or a Joomla Roundtable are just a few of the types of events perfect for the community portal.

Joomla! User Group Team recommends all Joomla! Organizers to check the “Tips for Posting Your Event on the Joomla! Community Portal” article added to our Joomla! Community Magazine which explains all the steps needed to add your Joomla! events.

What’s next?

Joomla! User Group Team is always looking for your attendance in the JUGs Organizers meetings which are held every frequently. Please keep an eye open for a scheduled meeting, as everyone is welcomed to attend so we can share ideas, thoughts and how to promote and run your Joomla User Groups! Feel free to contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for any questions or inquiries related to running your Local or Virtual Joomla! User Group.

Note: Join us Saturday, October 8, 11:00 am EDT | 15:00 UTC for a JUG Organizer group meeting, we will cover all of the enhancements and tools we are giving to JUGs to make your groups easier to implement. We look forward to hearing from you to learn from you!

Zoom Registration link: https://bit.ly/2022-fall-jug-mtg

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