Flexible Simple Elegant Customizable Powerful

Cutting Edge Content Management Joomla! is one of the most powerful Open Source Content Management Systems on the planet. It is used all over the world for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications. Joomla! is easy to install, simple to manage, and reliable.

Joomla! is revolutionary! It is a powerful, elegant software solution for putting your hobby, business or organisation's products and content on the web. It is suited to both enterprise scale environments such as intranets and big business or it can be a simple single page user or hobbyist website. The options are endless.

Q: Joomla! is Open Source. What does this mean?

A: Joomla! is licensed for use for free. You are free to use it, modify it and explore its potential without having to pay a licence  fee..

Q: How does it work?

A: Joomla! is installed on a web server. You, the user, access the administration side of the program through a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. Once you're in "admin" mode, you can  type in your words and add your photos to create your pages.

Q: Could I do this Joomla! thing myself?

A: Yes you can. There are a couple of ways to get started. You can  download the latest version of Joomla! at JoomlaForge. Before you do  this, you might like to read a bit more about Joomla! at  www.joomla.org. And, once you've got it installed, you can get help at the forums and help website.

Q: What level of expertise will I need to do this?

A: If you know how to use a word processor, then you're well on your way. There may be some situations where you need expert advice beyond what you can do yourself, depending on what you want Joomla! to do.  You are in total control and can publish what and when you want enjoying the click-and-publish world of Joomla!

Q: So what can I do with Joomla!?

A: This is pretty much up to you. There are many examples of Joomla!  sites that are mind boggling. The official Michael Jackson website is  one. It's used as an intranet by the guys at Sesame Street. And  Joomla! power is soon to be used by National Lampoon. Some people use  Joomla! just for fun, to publish a family website. By integrating,  freely available, additional tools you can easily expand the  features, functionality and capability of Joomla! The potential uses  of Joomla! are only limited by your imagination.

Q: How do I make Joomla! look different?

A: Joomla! uses a powerful templating engine which allows you to  change from the standard templates to your own personalised template. You can either create your own template, download one of 500 freely available templates or commission a bespoke template from numerous commercial designers. Once your template has been created, click, click, click and the template is displaying your content with your branded or new look.

Q: What about my content. What happens if I install a template? Does my content disappear and I'll have to type it all in again?

A: Short answer. No. Think of the template as a "skin" or a "theme".  When you select your new look template your content is automatically displayed into that template. You can even select different templates for different parts of your website.

Q: Don't I need to know Dreamweaver or Microsoft Frontpage? Don't I need to buy something like that?

A: No! All you need is a browser. Advanced users wanting to do some templating and bespoke work, will need a good text editing program and an image editing program.

Q: Are there any "killer" features I should know about?

A: Where do we start with this question? Joomla! has so many features it's difficult to touch on them all. However, here are some  of our favourites, so we'll list them in point format:

• Publishing from any computer with a web browser, you can be a travel writer and visit an Internet cafe to upload your new pictures and stories.
• You can use Joomla! to collaborate with other writers, contributors. Say you've got a club and want to allow different  people to publish on the website. They too can do it from any  computer with a web browser.
• Joomla! allows you to publish unlimited pages. Based on your  template you could end up with thousands of pages. Not a problem, all  searchable and archive-friendly too.
• The system supports banner advertisements, so you can use it to promote yours or affiliate's products and services
• You can run forums on Joomla! with the addition of some  Joomla! add-ons. Other add-ons include photo galleries, property  management systems, football team systems.