What a ride! After a year of planning (and re-planning), JoomlaDay Chicago 2020 is a week away on October 17th.  This year's event is an online summit (you know already know why so I won't go over it) which is good and bad.  The obvious bad part is that we will not be able to have our Sip'n Social event to just hang out with each other.  Last year'...

Recently, I had the opportunity to help a colleague teach teens Joomla! It was a great experience, being able to share with newbies what Joomla can do.  Below is the write-up that appeared in the July 2020 edition of the Joomla Community Magazine.

So what do you do when the state of New Jersey is on quarantine, and 15 teens want to learn web? You teach them Joomla!

 You may recall that back in July we shared the news that the Joomla World Conference was not moving forward.  JoomlaShack, a leading provider of free and commercial Joomla templates, extensions and Joomla training, stepped in and created the JoomlaShack Conference.  This 3-day conference will include presentations from around the world.  The conference...

Joomla! is one of the most widely-used content management systems (CMS) on the web. It runs nearly 2 million active websites, accounting for over 3 percent of the entire web. Its popularity makes it a good choice for building a website because it's kept up-to-date and secure, with plenty of add-on features available. Let's look at how you can add lead generation to your Jo...

Back in August we announced that we would be hosting Joomla! Pizza, Bugs & Fun or PBF.  A worldwide event to bring the Joomla! community together to work on the next release, Joomla! 4.  PBF is here!  This Saturday at 9 am the fun begins.   What is Joomla!  Joomla! is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) that is used to publish w...

​Every second Wednesday is the Joomla User Group Chicago North (JUGCN) meeting.  This Wednesday, Sept 11th we will be giving an overview of EasyBlog, a blogging extension from StackIdeas.   To be clear, blogging can be done in Joomla! by creating articles.  With the latest enhancements to categories, tags and custom fields you can do all of your blogging wit...

Following a server level compromise of the Joomla! Extensions Directory (JED), we would like to provide our community a postmortem summary of the events leading to this issue, the response from the Joomla project team members, and a plan of action moving forward to prevent a similar type of issue in the future. In summary, this was a preventable compromise, and after analy...

Today marks the 13th birthday of Joomla!  I personally have been using it for 10 years.  Wow!  Just saying that (or writing it) just seems unreal, like I just started yesterday.  I found Joomla on accident looking for a simple to use, but flexible, system for a non-profit that I was donating my time to.  They want to create a stronger web presence ...

At the 2017 JoomlaDay Chicago event during the welcome address, I shared with the attendees a bit about the interns we’ve had the pleasure of working with. I also mentioned that I would like to do more, perhaps at the community college level. I wanted to help others understand the power of a CMS, especially one like Joomla.   

Well, since then an amazing opportunity fell into my lap, the chance to be an adjunct faculty member at DePaul University in the Chicago Loop. The subject is Content Management Systems.  While all the students will walk away with a strong sense of how much I love working with Joomla, they will also walk away (hopefully) with knowledge of how to evaluate and select the right tool for the right job - in this case the right CMS for the content that will be presented. 

This year we are witnessing a steady growth in the number of extensions, and the JED has surpassed the 8K mark. Find extensions for your Joomla site in the Joomla Extensions Directory, the official directory for Joomla components, modules and plugins.

Joomla 3.8.3 is now available. This is a bug fix release for the 3.x series of Joomla which includes over 60 bug fixes and improvements.

Wednesday, November 8th is the Extensions We're Thankful For meeting at Joomla User Group Chicago North or JUGCN.  This is one of my favorite meetings.  It's a chance for everyone to chime in on the extensions that have made their site development easier.  There are of course some that are included year after year such as AkeebaBackup and RSForms, but it is also a chance to discover new extensions.  With nearly 8,000 (7,948 the last time I looked at extensions.joomla.org) there is bound to be an undiscovered gem of a favorite.  

Check out the 2016 Favorite Extensions, share yours and join us Wednesday, November 8th at 11 am online or in-person (we provide lunch and great conversation) to go over this year's 2017 Joomla Extensions We're Thankful For.

It was a GREAT day at this year's JoomlaDay Chicago.  The temps were over 90 degrees, a rarity in Chicago, especially in September.  This year the event was at a new home, DePaul University O'Hare Campus.  The staff was very nice and worked with us to create the event.  A quick recap of the event can be found in the October issue of Joomla Magazine.  There presentations and photos are available on joomladaychicago.com. I'm already looking forward to the next one which will be in 2019.

Check out the JoomlaDay Chicago 2017 Recap

September 6th is Read a Book Day. 

One well-known thing about me is my love of reading.  I read anything I can get my hands on.  I get that from my parents who are voracious readers themselves.  Reading is a great way to keep on top of trends or changes in the industry as well as escaping for a couple of hours.  I’m currently in the middle of reading two books, Joomla 3 Explained and Beach Lawyer.  You may recognize the first title.  A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a contest to win the book with the winner being pulled from those who registered for JoomlaDay Chicago.  The contest came from my reading the book and finding it helpful as it reminded me of the power that core Joomla!, without a lot a of extensions or plugins, can be. It is also great prep for the certification exam.

It's getting close to JoomlaDay Chicago and I'm excited. We're at a new location and we're offering the Joomla Certification Exam. In talking with members of Joomla User Group Chicago North (JUGCN) and the JoomlaDay Chicago committee, we were trying to find resources to help those looking to take the test. I started reading this book, Joomla 3 Explained, by Steve Burge and OSTraining.

I like it a lot, both for its structure and content.

I've been using Joomla for about a decade and I still learned a lot. It's because I enjoyed this book so much that I thought it would be a good idea to give away a copy to a fellow Joomler in time to read BEFORE JoomlaDay. So, anyone who is registered by September 1st (including those who registered some time ago - thank you) are eligible to win. You will have your choice of digital or paperback.

Go to JoomlaDayChicago.com to register today

At least twice a week I'm posed the question "Why use Joomla!?"  Ok, really that's the follow up question to "Do you develop WordPress sites?"  While the correct answer is that I use the technology most appropriate to the task, it is true that more times than not, I use Joomla!.

Supplychain4me.com is a website that connects those who are interested in supply chain careers with insightful educational programs. It also informs visitors about the different types of careers that make up supply chain professionals. This was a fun project to work on, not only because it brought work with a great client, but it presented an opportunity to expand the exte...

​This infographic has some interesting information about the web design and development industry. A couple of things that jumped out at me where the fact that females is still low at 12% and favorite CMS, Joomla!, is one of the most popular platforms. What jumps out at you?

A long time favorite extension builder, NoNumber, has changed its name. If you are unfamiliar with NoNumber, now Regular Labs, now is a great time to get to know them.

I use many of the extensions such as Modals and Sliders when creating Joomla! sites. They have both free and paid versions.

For those already familiar, it may take a minute to get used to the new name. Take a look at the blog post link and read all about it.

Having trouble finding a template to meet your needs? Just prefer creating your own design? This hands-on training class will give you the basics to get you started building your own Joomla! Template.   This class is led by instructor Alonzo Turner of Subtext Productions, a Chicago-based company specializing in custom design and programming for Joomla! CMS System. ​Ti...

On Wednesday, April 13th at Joomla User Group Chicago North (JUGCN) welcomed guest speaker, Jeff Seevers. He drove in from Ohio to speak to the group regarding Mautic, the only open source marketing automation solution. The response from the group was tremendous. We talked about using Mautic to help reach your marketing goals. The group was actively engaged discussion diff...

I will start by saying that this blog is going to be a bit different. You might have already guessed that by the title.  The other day I watched a TED Talk by Girls Who Code Founder & CEO Reshma Saujani. If you are unfamiliar with TED Talk, it is a non-profit organization that spreads worthy ideas. While I find something to take away from many of the talks, this o...

If you've been following the Joomla! roadmap you may have seen that the next major release, Joomla 3.5, is coming soon.  The January session of Joomla! User Group Chicago North (JUGCN) will take a look at what is planned.  It will also be an opportunity to discuss any questions using Joomla.   Have questions about JUGCN or Joomla?  We meet the second We...

Today, I'm excited to have Avery Cohen from Mertrist Partners at this month's Joomla User Group Chicago North (JUGCN)meeting.  Each year Avery comes and shares his insights on the upcoming year's SEO trends.  I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say, his topic is The Evolution of Search: Find Your Tribe.   The JUGCN group meets at Durty Ne...

So by now hopefully have heard that JoomlaDay Chicago 2015 is coming September 19th to the Donald E. Stephens Center.  This is a great event to connect with open source technology enthusiasts, both in the area and beyond.  The event includes many sessions on Joomla! (obviously) but also information that is helpful no matter the technology.  2015 marks the 4th time this event has been held in Chicago and I can tell you it is truly a labor of love to put this event together.  

The team behind this event has been working hard to bring to you some of the top speakers around.  Last year's event included David Hurley (WebSpark and joomla.org), Michael Babker (Joomla.org), Steven Pignataro ('corePHP'), and many more.  This year's event is shaping up to be just as spectacular.

The saying is New Year, New You.  What about New Year, New Joomla! Site?  Dec 31st not only marked the end of 2014 but also marked the end of support for Joomla! 2.5. For those keeping up with updates, there was a reminder in the administrator panel so you would not forget. While unpleasant flashbacks of the experience migrating from 1.5 to 2.5 gripped some. Others were in denial and disbelieve that a migration is needed.  I, however, looked at it with cautious optimism.  While my experience from 1.5 to 2.5 was far from a piece of cake, I’d been following the development and thought perhaps things would be different for the migration to 3.x and you know what?  I was right.  

This year, I had the privilege of working with the volunteers for the JoomlaDay Chicago event held August 9th at the Microsoft Technology Center in the AON Center building in downtown Chicago.  It was also my first time attending.  Going into the event I didn’t know what to expect and I have to admit I was a little awestruck.  I have been using Joomla for many years and a lot of the speakers and guests were names I’ve seen over and over on whitepapers, articles, extensions, etc.  To see them in-person was a little surreal.  

If you want to know why Joomla! is a favorite Content Management System (CMS) attend JoomlaDay Chicago hosted at the Microsoft Technology Center, located in the Aon Building at the north end of Grant Park in downtown Chicago.  JoomlaDay Chicago is Saturday, August 9th, a full day of Joomla! discussion, panels and presentations from top Joomla experts and community leaders.  

It is a great why to get acquainted with what Joomla! can do and meet a great bunch of people, local and beyond.  This event is brought together by a group of passionate volunteers and brings together all levels from newbies to experts.  

Fun Fact Friday - Joomla! is the only non-corporate backed community driven CMS

Yup, it’s true!  Joomla! is the only non-corporate backed community driven content management system (CMS).  This and other fun facts about the popular CMS were shared at this month’s JoomlaChicago North User Group meeting held at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine, IL on Wednesday, July 9th.  This group of Joomla! enthusiasts, newbies, users, and experts meets on the second Wednesday of each month to share and connect with all things in and around Joomla!  The topics vary by month and are listed on the JoomlaChicago website.  Sign-up is available to join the nearly 600 subscribers who receive meeting information not only for the JoomlaChicago North group but the sister group in the Loop as well in the email newsletter.  If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them, as I have recently undertaken the privilege of coordinating the monthly meetings for the JoomlaChicago North User Group, with lunch generously sponsored by Aluent Group.