Community Magazine

Download
Launch

Joomla! World Conference 2026
2 minutes reading time (351 words)

Celebrating Joomla! User Groups: Two Decades of Connection and Learning

613 Hits
Celebrating Joomla! User Groups: Two Decades of Connection and Learning

What’s going on with our Joomla User Groups? A whole lot of community, creativity, and collaboration!

Joomla User Groups (JUGs) are more than just meetups - they’re gatherings where people who share a passion for Joomla come together to exchange ideas, learn new skills, and celebrate one of the world’s most flexible CMS platforms. Every meeting is an opportunity to connect with others who understand the joy (and sometimes the challenge!) of building with Joomla.

I still remember my very first JUG meeting back in 2005, in New York City. That was nearly 20 years ago! I met Mitch Pirtle - one of Joomla’s founders - along with Gary Mort and several others who became lifelong friends and trusted colleagues. Over the years, I’ve attended JUG meetings all over, each time walking away with fresh ideas, new skills, and deeper connections. Thank you to Joomla, and thank you to the JUG community for keeping the spirit alive.

This August, let’s make it a month of celebration! If everyone attended just one JUG meeting - whether in person or online - you’d discover the magic for yourself: the networking, the collaboration, and the learning that happens when Joomla people get together.

Find a JUG near you:
🔗 Joomla User Groups Directory

Join a Virtual JUG:

Upcoming JUG Sessions,  Celebrate 20 Years of Joomla! :

  • A Day of Coding – SOLD OUT – August 13: Details

  • Joomla Australia User Group – August 12: Join Here

  • New to the Joomla Community – August 15: Visit the New to Joomla channel in Mattermost

  • Code Along Joomla JUG – Skipping August, back in September! Info

  • Website Design Company Owners Using Joomla! – August 17: Details

Wherever you are in your Joomla journey - beginner or seasoned pro - there’s a JUG waiting to welcome you. Come for the learning, stay for the friendships, and join us in celebrating everything Joomla!

Some articles published on the Joomla Community Magazine represent the personal opinion or experience of the Author on the specific topic and might not be aligned to the official position of the Joomla Project

2
  Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Pinterest
Tags:
User Groups Community Joomla 20 years
The August Issue
Back to the Future: 20 Years of Joomla!

About the author

Laura Gordon

Laura Gordon

Laura Gordon

RytechSites
Owner, Developer, Freelance

Certified Joomla Administrator, Nov 2017

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
School of Arts and Sciences
Web Developer

Laura Gordon currently works full time at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Arts and Sciences as a web developer. She along with her team manage over 120 Joomla! websites.

Laura began using Joomla! in 2005 building her first website for a nursery school. As the owner of her own freelance company Laura has trained hundreds of users over the users, and has built many Joomla websites from Public Libraries to Pizza places. She runs the Joomla User Group of NJ since 2013.  Visit JoomlaUsersNJ.com for more details.  She was an instructor with JoomlaTraining.com from 2009 - 2011 where she gave in person classes in NYC.

In 2017 she was invited to attend the Joomla World Conference in Italy, and became officially certified as a Joomla Administrator.

She lives in East Brunswick, NJ with her husband Ira, and 2 boys, who are now 20 and 17. As a fun note, her husband owns, ThrillCoastertours.com, he takes kids to amusement parks during the summer time...

She always looks forward to giving back to the Joomla Community that has given her the opportunity to meet some amazing people and work with a great product, that keeps giving back!

  • 2009 - Chaired - Joomla Day NYC
  • 2011 - Chaired -Joomla Day NYC
  • 2012 - Chaired - Joomla Day NYC
  • 2009 - 2019 - Chaired JoomlaCamp NYC Annually
  • 2011 - Presented at Joomla Day New England
  • 2013 - Presented Joomla World Conference - Boston
  • 2017 - VET Participant at Joomla World Conference - Italy
  • 2019 - Presented Joomla Day Florida
  • 2020 - Participated in Forum for the Future with Joomla - Spain

Laura is a member of the Joomla volunteer and engagement team with Joomla and the Educational & Outreach Working Group.

To learn more about the Training Initiatives Laura is working on, visit: teens4opensource.com

 

Comments

Already Registered? Login Here
No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment

By accepting you will be accessing a service provided by a third-party external to https://magazine.joomla.org/