Before I got my current job as Coordinator Communications & Digital, I ran my own company for 25 years. The first 15 years I was a writer / editor / journalist / writing coach. 

In 2009 I started working with Joomla, not knowing anything about webdesign. I joined a JUG in 2012, two months later I was co-organizer :) (and stayed co-organizer for about five years).

I loved working with Joomla so much that I started projects, just to be able to create a website for them. That's when I thought: hey, maybe it's time for a career switch. In 2014 I decided to go pro with Joomla and switch to webdesign instead of writing. 

Volunteer work

I already mentioned the JUG. After that I did a number of other things over the years:

  • Writer: I wrote articles about Joomla in a Dutch webdesigner magazine.
  • Speaker at JUGs and JoomlaDays.
  • Member of the Dutch JoomlaDagen team for three years.
  • Member of the team that organized all three editions of Joostock (a Joomlacamp/unconference event).
  • Editor of the Dutch Joomla web agency brochure, a brochure webdesigners can use to convince their potential clients that Joomla is the right choice for them.

In 2020 I've started contributing to the Joomla Community Magazine, first as an author, and since 2022 I'm Team Leader of the wonderful Joomla Community Magazine Team. 

Why I contribute to Joomla

To many people Joomla is just a tool. But if you look a little closer, you'll notice it's much more than that. It's a living system, raised and nourished by a community of volunteers dedicating their time to make it the best CMS ever. Without volunteers, Joomla wouldn't exist. It's not 'just a product'. Everyone who uses Joomla, can do so because someone, somewhere, contributed to it. I want to give back to the community that keeps Joomla alive.

And, probably needless to say: I love being part of that community. 

Contributing to Joomla by volunteering brought me so much: valuable experience, more knowledge and a better understanding of Joomla and its community, and the opportunity to work together with a crowd of lovely people all over the world.

Forum for the Future: where are we now?

October-forum

You may have heard of it, read about it, or maybe even been there: in the beginning of 2020, Joomla’s Forum for the Future took place in Marbella, Spain. You might be wondering what happened there, what happened after, and where we are now.

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Join the Joomla Override Challenge!

Join the Joomla Override Challenge!

A different view for a core Joomla module. An event calendar based on the category blog view. A photo gallery, also based on a category blog. A directory. A product listing. These are just a few examples of the great things you can achieve by overriding Joomla’s core.

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Leadership Interview: Marianela Queme, Marketing and Communications DC

October-Marianela

Marianela Quemé has been Assistant Department Coordinator for Marketing and Communications since early 2020. When the position of Department Coordinator became vacant, she decided to go for it and got elected. Marianela is a systems engineer who enjoys learning new technologies.

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Where to find the best Joomla tutorial videos

Where to find the best Joomla tutorial videos

We all have them: those moments when you wish someone showed you how. How to install or use an extension, how to configure something within Joomla core, how to use the SEO settings, how to make a multilingual website, how to maintain your website and keep it safe, how to create overrides... The ultimate how-to is, of course, a video, so here’s a listing of the best Joomla tutorial videos.

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How to increase Joomla’s market share

How to increase Joomla's market share

Joomla is an amazing piece of software. It’s extremely powerful, super flexible and very reliable. With Joomla, you can create any kind of website. I know that. You probably know that. But the rest of the world? Not so much, which translates in Joomla’s market share dropping. The good news is: I can do something about that, and so can you.

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10 Reasons why Joomla is the ideal CMS for web agencies

Joomla, the ideal CMS for Web Agencies

As a web agency, you may be looking for the CMS that fits your clients’ needs best, so you can create professional, powerful, secure, mobile-friendly and easy-to-maintain websites for them. Look no further: Joomla, time and time awarded as “best free CMS”, has it all. It’s versatile, flexible, easy to use, secure, and suitable for countless types of websites. And on top of all that it’s completely free. We give you ten reasons why you should try it today!

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Leadership Interview: Jaz Parkyn

September-Jaz

Elections happen twice per year in Joomla and the Magazine takes this opportunity to interview the newly elected Board Members to know their program and vision for their role. In this election cycle, Jaz Parkyn has been confirmed at the head of the Programs Department of Joomla, the house of the Certification Team, Volunteers Engagement Team, Education Outreach and Joomla Event Travellers Program.

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Meet a Joomler: David Jardin

August-DavidJardin David Jardin

David Jardin made his first website at the age of 13, for his brother’s football team. He got involved in the German Joomla community a couple of years later. David, who’s a sucker for good food and nerdy conversations, started his own business as a freelance web developer and became more and more active in the community.

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Joomla extensions: where to find them?

August-Extensions

With all its options and all kinds of custom fields available in the core, Joomla is a pretty complete content management system. But sometimes you need functionality that is not among the core features. A webshop, for instance,  enhanced forms, a newsletter, e-learning platform, a gallery or a different template. For these purposes you can use an extension.

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Meet a Joomler: Alison Meeks

Alsion Meeks

If you follow Joomla on one of the social media channels, the name Alison Meeks might have a familiar ring to it: Alison is everywhere!

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