The document provides an overview of Joomla and its community from the perspective of a Joomla expert, Nick A. It begins by introducing Nick and his company Joomlapolis, which provides community building tools and paid subscription solutions. The majority of the document then covers various aspects of Joomla, including what it is, how it works, common uses, and resources for learning more. It emphasizes that Joomla is an open source content management system (CMS) driven by volunteers and supported by both free and paid third-party extensions.

1. The ABC of Joomla Community
@ J oomlaDay Greece 2011

2. My Profile …
Nick A.
 ‘nant’ on forums  Popular social networking
 Athens, Greece extension (FREE)
 MS EE, MS CS  CBSubs paid subscriptions
membership solution
 Telecom / CIO
 Advanced / Professional
 “Good engineers don’t
add-ons and support
need tools, bad ones also
have no use for them”  Templates / Hosting
© Joomlapolis - 2011 2

3. Shameless self-promotion …
 Great Community Building
tools and support services
 Awesome Paid Subscriptions
Membership management
solution – CBSubs
 Templates
www.joomlapolis.com
Special promotion
for this event
20% discount on
everything!
© Joomlapolis - 2011 3

4. More
Shameless self-promotion …
 More about Community Builder and CBSubs during
tomorrow’s presentation:
© Joomlapolis - 2011 4

5. Planned Agenda
 What is Joomla?
 CMS, PHP/MySQL, Open-source, GPL, framework, extendable,
FREE, commercial ecosystem, Mambo fork,
 OSM, volunteers, supporters, contributors
 Versions, roadmap, etc.
 Exploring Joomla.org
 Documentation
 Help links in backend
 JED (how to search)
 Forums
 Recommendations - resources
© Joomlapolis - 2011 5

6. What is Joomla?
 Joomla is an award-winning content management system
(CMS), which enables you to build Web sites and powerful
online applications. Many aspects, including its ease-of-use
and extensibility, have made Joomla the most popular Web
site software available. Best of all, Joomla is an open source
solution that is freely available to everyone.
 A content management system (CMS) is software that keeps
track of every piece of content on your Web site. A major
advantage of using a CMS is that it requires almost no
technical skill or knowledge to manage.
© Joomlapolis - 2011 6

7. More
CMS concept
Joomla Administration Joomla Website
Joomla
PHP HTML
MYSQL CSS
APACHE JAVASCRIPT
LINUX JOOMLA
© Joomlapolis - 2011 7

8. More
Technology terms
 HTML – HyperText Markup Language, is the predominant
markup language for the web.
 CSS - Cascading Style Sheets is a style sheet language used
to describe the presentation semantics (the look and
formatting) of a document written in a markup language.
 Javascript – dynamic scripting language for the web
 PHP – general purpose scripting language for the web
 MYSQL – popular open-source DBMS (purchased by Oracle)
 APACHE – popular open-source web server
© Joomlapolis - 2011 8

9. More
Choosing a good host matters!
Software Recommended Minimum More info.
PHP Ver. 5.2+ Ver. 5+ www.php.net
MySQL Ver. 4.1.x+ Ver. 4+ www.mysql.com
Apache Ver. 2.x+ Ver. 1.3 www.apache.org
Microsoft IIS Version 7 Version 6 www.iis.net
GD library, iconcube, php memory >48M, good support!
© Joomlapolis - 2011 9

10. More
What can Joomla do?
 Joomla is used all over the world to power Web sites of all
shapes and sizes. For example:
 Corporate Web sites or portals
 Corporate intranets and extranets
 Online magazines, newspapers, and publications
 E-commerce and online reservations
 Government applications
 Small business Web sites
 Non-profit and organizational Web sites
 Community-based portals
 School and church Web sites
 Personal or family homepages
© Joomlapolis - 2011 10

11. More
Who uses Joomla?
 Here are just a few examples of sites that use Joomla:
 United Nations
 MTV Networks Quizilla
 L.A. Weekly
 IHOP
 Harvard University
 Citibank
 Outdoor Photographer
© Joomlapolis - 2011 11

12. More
How can Joomla help me build a site?
 Joomla is designed to be easy to install and set up even if
you’re not an advanced user. Many Web hosting services offer
a single-click install, getting your new site up and running in
just a few minutes.
Quick start-up but it does have a learning curve and you must invest time to learn!
© Joomlapolis - 2011 12

13. More
What if Joomla is not enough?
 If you need specialized functionality, Joomla is highly extensible
and thousands of extensions (most for free under the GPL license)
are available online in the Joomla Extensions Directory - JED. Here
are just some examples:
 Community / Membership management (Community Builder)
 Document management
 Image and multimedia galleries
 E-commerce and shopping cart engines
 Forums and chat software
 Calendars
 Blogging software
 Directory services
 Email newsletters
 Subscription services (CBSubs)
© Joomlapolis - 2011 13

14. More
How to extend Joomla?
 You can also code your own Joomla related extensions, but
you need to know and have development skills:
 PHP language
 MYSQL / SQL Database
 HTML
 CCS
 Javascript
 Joomla API / framework
© Joomlapolis - 2011 14

15. More
Joomla Layers
extension layer modules components templates
application layer applications
framework layer libraries framework plugins
The Joomla CMS is actually just an application of the Joomla framework
© Joomlapolis - 2011 15

16. More
Type of Joomla extensions
 Joomla has 4 extension possibilities:
 Templates (skin, theme, presentation layer, etc.)
 Components (database, backend administration, extended
functionality, etc.)
 Modules (frontend block)
 Plugins (aka bot, on-the fly scripts)
© Joomlapolis - 2011 16

17. More
Component, module, plugin
 Components are mini-applications that integrate within the
framework of CMS. They have there own functionality,
database structures and presentational aspects.
Example: Community Builder, K2, etc.
 Modules are presentational elements. They take information
that already exist s and present them in visual packages.
Example: Latest photo module, etc.
 Plugins are small portions of code that work behind the
scenes to assist how something behaves.
Example: Email cloaking plugin
© Joomlapolis - 2011 17

18. More
Joomla is Open-source
 Open-source literally means that access to source code is
provided, but legally it means much more …
1. Free Redistribution 6. No Discrimination Against
Fields of Endeavor
2. Source Code 7. Distribution of License
3. Derived Works 8. License Must Not Be Specific
to a Product
4. Integrity of The Author's 9. License Must Not Restrict
Source Code Other Software
5. No Discrimination Against 10. License Must Be Technology-
Neutral
Persons or Groups
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Source_Definition
© Joomlapolis - 2011 18

19. More
Joomla is GPL v2
 General Public License version 2
 Open-source
 Distribution
 Freedom to change, fork, use, etc.
 Copyright notices must be kept
 GPL “virus”  3PD confrontation … business strategy switch
Free as in
“Freedom” != Free as in
“Beer”
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
© Joomlapolis - 2011 19

20. More
Where did Joomla come from?
 Joomla is a “fork” from the Mambo CMS (also open-source,
GPL)
 August 17th, 2005 Andrew Eddie - letter to community
 http://opensourcematters.org
 Swahili “jumla” means “all together”
 Strong legal background
© Joomlapolis - 2011 20

21. More
Joomla is Free, but …
 Joomla is Free as in Freedom (GPL) and as in beer (no fee to
download), but:
 There are costs involved to use Joomla to make a website
(hosting, domain registration, …)
 Good extensions cost money to develop, maintain, support,
etc. Free extensions cost more!
 It’s (Joomla) popularity has created a multi-million dollar
“ecosystem” of designers, developers, extension providers,
supporters, trainers, etc working with and making money using
Joomla.
See my magazine article: http://magazine.joomla.org/issues/Issue-May-
2011/item/451-Push-me-pull-you
© Joomlapolis - 2011 21

22. More
Business models used by 3PD
 Extensions listed on the JED and elsewhere are free (as in
beer) or commercial (you have to pay to access).
 Business models used to support:
 Donations
 Paid support subscription services
 Free download – pay for documentation, support,
maintenance, extra add-ons, credit removal, etc.
 Developed by professional web-design firm for internal use
This is important to know because you will most likely need extra Joomla
extensions and you need to understand what business model is used to
support them.
© Joomlapolis - 2011 22

23. Who is Joomla?
 Joomla is legally represented in terms of license, and
copyright by the non-profit organization “opensourcematters”
 Joomla is financially supported by donations, merchandise
sales, financial contributors, etc.
 Joomla is primarily driven by volunteers (forums, JED, code
contributors, testers, documenters, etc.)
 Leadership team:
 Production Leadership Team (PLT)
 Community Leadership Team (CLT)
 Community Oversight Committee (CoC)
© Joomlapolis - 2011 23

24. What does Joomla look like (1.5)?
© Joomlapolis - 2011 24

25. More
Joomla 1.5 frontend
© Joomlapolis - 2011 25

26. More
What does Joomla 1.6 look like?
© Joomlapolis - 2011 26

27. More
Joomla 1.6 frontend
© Joomlapolis - 2011 27

28. Joomla roadmap: 1.5 vs. 1.6 vs. 1.7
 Joomla 1.5,23
 Stable, mature, supported by almost all third party extensions
 Joomla 1.6.3
 Not backward compatible
 Many changes - ACL
 Not proven yet – many extensions have not taken advantage or
ACL or new API
 Short life cycle (end of life July 2011)
 Joomla 1.7 (back to content .. Web 2.o)
 August 2011 – hopefully better backwards compatibility
http://blog.joomlaworks.gr/why-were-not-porting-k2-to-joomla-16-the-life
© Joomlapolis - 2011 28

29. Exploring Joomla.org sites
 First impression …
© Joomlapolis - 2011 29

30. More
The forums
 http://forum.joomla.org
 Selecting a username
 Appropriate avatar – picture matters
 Read, search, read again
 Check FAQ, sticky posts before you post!
 When you must post make sure your title is as descriptive as
possible and the content has as much details as possible!
 Be nice, polite, appreciative.
 Make it easy for people to help you – very few will respond if
your post is not clear.
 Don’t BUMP!
© Joomlapolis - 2011 30

31. More
How to get responses
 10 Golden Rules
1. Don’t be rude
2. Try to be as precise and as short as possible
3. Do your homework before asking (Google, search newgroups,
read tutorials,…)
4. Try to ask one question at the time
5. Proof-read your question after writing it
6. Don’t expect others to do your work
7. Avoid private email if other channels exists
8. Remind yourself that people help you voluntarily
9. Read and follow up on suggestions
10. If you get a solution let others know
© Joomlapolis - 2011 31

32. More
How to ask questions to get answers
 Make subject title as descriptive as possible while still fairly
short. Using “Help me” or “URGENT” does not describe the
problem and will have the opposite effect. CAPITAL LETTERS
are considered as SHOUTING.
 In the messaging body of your post be as descriptive as
possible. If you have gotten an error message, include it as
you see it exactly! Provide all environment aspects and exact
steps to replicate. Most people will not ask for more details if
something info is missing – so make it easy for people to help
you!
 Include screenshots when applicable as a picture is worth a
thousand words!
© Joomlapolis - 2011 32

33. Exploring the JED
 Close to 8000 extensions!
© Joomlapolis - 2011 33

34. More
Exploring the JED
 Many categories – sometime extensions have extensions!
© Joomlapolis - 2011 34

35. More
Typical JED listing
© Joomlapolis - 2011 35

36. Joomla Online Help
© Joomlapolis - 2011 36

37. Joomla Translations
 http://community.joomla.org/translations.html
Extensions have there own localization methods. E.g., CB has CB language
plugins.
© Joomlapolis - 2011 37

38. My personal recommended list
 Community Builder – www.joomlapolis.com
 K2 (CCK) – www.joomlaworks.gr
 JCE (wysiwyg editor) - www.joomlacontenteditor.net
 Akeebackup - www.akeebabackup.com
 Joomfish (multi-lingual) - www.joomfish.net
 Kunena (Forum) - www.kunena.org
 UddeIM (messaging) – www.joomlapolis.com
 Sobi (directory) - www.sigsiu.net
 DOCman - www.joomlatools.eu
 AcyMailing (newsletter) – www.acyba.com
© Joomlapolis - 2011 38

39. Template Providers
 Joomlashack - www.joomlashack.com
 Rockettheme – www.rockettheme.com
 Joomlart - www.joomlart.com
 Youtheme - www.yootheme.com
Just google for Joomla templates!
© Joomlapolis - 2011 39

40. Professional help and training
 Joomla training – www.joomlatraining.com
 Joomla University - www.joomlashack.com/university
 Open source training - www.ostraining.com/joomla-training
 Joomla videos on YouTube
 Joomlancers - www.joomlancers.com
Just google for Joomla training!
© Joomlapolis - 2011 40

41. Resource Links
 http://joomla.org  http://joomlapolis.com
 http://forum.joomla.org  THE OFFICIAL JOOMLA
 http://joomlacode.org/gf/pr {book}
oject/jmarcom_assets/  Barry North books
 http://docs.joomla.org/
 http://developer.joomla.org
/strategy.html
 http://community.joomla.or
g/translations.html
© Joomlapolis - 2011 41

42. Joomla Alphabet
 Joomla (Jumla– all  Extension
together)  GPL
 CMS  Open-source
 PHP  Free as in Freedom
 CSS  Free as in Beer
 HTML  Mambo
 SQL  Fork
 MYSQL  GPL virus
 Component  OSM
 Plugin  PLT
 Template  CLT
 Module
© Joomlapolis - 2011 42

43. Ευχαριςτώ!
 Επόμενη παρουςίαςη:
Κυριακή 5-6 μμ – ΔΑΝΑΟΣ 1
Community Buidler και Λύςεισ που προςφέρει
© Joomlapolis - 2011 43