Joomla! is an open source solution available freely to everyone.
It has been released under the GNU General Public License.
Joomla! Content Management System (CMS) can be used for many different purposes including personal websites, business websites, intranets, extranets, ecommerce, reservation systems, government applicatons, community portals and much more.
Before using Joomla! you will need to register a domain name and hosting. Digital Pacific have everything you need to get your new Joomla site up and running including:
More and more of us are looking at building our own websites at the moment. You might, for example, like the idea of setting up your own blog, family site or even a fully functional e-commerce website to promote your products or services. But, often we don't get past the planning stage. Many of us cannot afford the costs of hiring an experienced web designer, we don't like the static nature of templated options and we don't have the technical expertise to do the design and build for ourselves. So, why aren't you looking at Joomla? This could well be the best option for you.
Joomla is a content management system (CMS) that is a popular choice with both web design professionals and amateurs alike. This system allows the design and build of effective and sophisticated websites in very little time at all with no need for specific technical expertise or qualifications. So, let's take a look at five reasons why you should consider Joomla as your best solution here:
The Joomla solution is an Open Source system. This means that there are no costs associated with using the software to set up your site -- no matter what you use it for. Hiring someone to build even a simple site for you could run into thousands of dollars.
The fact that this software is Open Source means that anybody can work on the core technology behind the system with a view to making improvements and adding features. This gives Joomla users access to technology that grows all of the time. Open Source software rarely stands still or goes out of date for this very reason.
If you've ever looked at templated options available to help you build your website then you may have decided not to use them simply because they...look like templates! Often these kinds of web design solutions are clunky to look at. Joomla templates and their features, however, can help you build a sophisticated, individual and professional looking website. This system is, for example, used by parts of The United Nations, Citibank and Harvard University. Equally, it is used by individuals looking to create a site of their own that stands out from the crowd.
The whole point of using a content management system to build a website is that it will manage content. Unlike many other CMS software systems, however, Joomla allows the website owner to manage their own content and to make changes as and when they wish -- without having to pay a web designer to do it for them. You don't need any specific technical experience to use this system.
In its basic form Joomla offers the kind of features and benefits that you simply won't get from a lot of commercial content management systems. But, in addition, you can also choose from a wide range of 'extensions' to the system that you can use as necessary. There are currently over 4400 to choose from on the Joomla site. So, you could, for example, use an extension to set up a reservations system, translation functions, photo galleries, RSS syndicates, news tickers, affiliate systems and e-commerce functions.
You can, of course, get expert help from a web designer to help you set up your website with Joomla if you prefer. But, do think hard about whether this might actually be more fun to try yourself. Remember, you need no technical expertise and will find the system easy to use and manage. And, once your Joomla site is up and running it will keep you in complete control!