“Do More with Joomla” is the catch phrase for the new release of Joomla 3.3 and “Connect and Do More” is the mantra for the new Joomla Resources Directory (JRD). These are more than catchy slogans; they are spot on with real world meaning. Both the latest Joomla 3.3 and the new JRD are due out this month and this is a great time to get really excited about what Joomla can do for you. I am not sure about you but I am ready to start drinking the “link juice” of a new Joomla 3.3 in a title wave party of enthusiasm and inspiration.
Do More with Joomla…
With a release of great new SEO, performance and other powerful features on top of the highly secure and innovative 3.x technology platform, Joomla is proving to be the most modern and powerful CMS’s in the marketplace. While Joomla is so easy to use for simple sites that just about anyone can figure it out, having the power to build complex business applications makes it a first rate contender for so much more in the ecosystem of web solutions. On the front end Joomla has attracted some of the best and most creative designers to it’s camp because it is some much easier than other solutions for developing beautiful design templates. On the back end Joomla has also attracted some of the brightest developers and programmers because it uses modern programming and been the most proactive with security. Joomla was the first open source CMS to deploy 2 factor authentication, you know like what you use to access your bank accounts online. In addition to Joomla 3.3 being touted as one of the most secure open source platforms it has been the first to adopt the many other cutting edge technologies that others are racing to catch up to.
In the 80’s as I was coming of age in the music business, the technology revolution in the professional recording industry made its mark by delivering some incredible hardware and software that allowed folks with fewer skills or little money have access to powerful tools for creating and recording music. In addition with networks like Rapster and Myspace on the distribution side it completely changed the face of the music business as it was known.
I see Joomla as part of the web revolution that is and will continue to have the same impact in business and commerce online. The Joomla ecosystem is a catalyst for bringing global communities together and since Joomla is the most supported multi lingual CMS, supporting 64 languages, it can empower globalization opportunities in virtually any industry. The trend to centralize operations online has been happening for a while but for one recent example look at companies like Staples where they are closing down 225 stores and moving this attention to their online services. There are perhaps endless other examples where smaller companies are able to reach markets around the world where before they were restricted to local areas.
Joomla is such a flexible platform for building businesses and connections with communities via the web that it is no wonder there are so many folks building extensions and highly skilled companies are devoted to supporting it. With so many new businesses flocking to the web and many folks with current businesses needing to upgrade their web sites, Joomla is poised to be a dominate force for change this year and in many years to come. Using Joomla will continue to level the playing field for entrepreneurs to “Do More” with less investment. It will allow small businesses to offer more to their customers and provide them tools to increase their competitive advantage. It allows leaders of organizations and businesses to maximize their team’s expertise getting a better return on their online investments and improve their ability to respond faster to market trends or demands of their customers. On top of all of that it is just plain fun to work with and the people that surround the community keep it that way.
Connect and Do More…
While the revolution in the music business taught me that their innovative tools allowed for some very creative things to happen it did not reduce the need to hone your skills and work with professionals to achieve better results. This is why I was drawn to seeing the Joomla Resources Directory (JRD) fulfill its intended role within the Joomla community. The new JRD will be more than an updated list of “Registered Providers”. These “Registered Providers” all agree to a code of excellence and commitment to contribute to making Joomla more successful as a community and technical solution. It is like a set of standards comparative and modeled after that of being a member of the Better Business Bureau. This new model in the short term will help build partnerships and more success stories for Joomla. However in the long term there are tremendous opportunities if these like-minded businesses organize with collaborative outreach in the marketplace.
If your web site is important to the integrity of your business, face it, to do it right this takes a reasonable investment and outsourcing your web development and design is the most cost effective way to get more from your technology investment. Think for a moment of the business case for working with a good provider. For a small business, hiring a tech savvy employee would typically cost you anywhere between $40K - $70K per year or more and they would have perhaps a percentage of the skills to give you a well-rounded web program that would be both attractive in design and technically sound. Working with a team of professionals you not only gain the flexibility of a scalable resource team but will have fewer limitations in time, skill and agility. You can easily leverage more experience and diversity from a creative team vs an individual. You will get all of that with less overhead to manage and magnified results when you chose the right vendor(s).
As a big fan of Joomla and a guy running a company that is dedicated to supporting Joomla, I believe there are three simple principles that folks should consider when using the new JRD to “Connect and Do More… “
One; If you are a business owner use the JRD to find folks that will match your service needs and compliment your business goals. Look for compatible value driven relationships. Forging partnerships with qualified people that know Joomla better than you will allow you to achieve a greater level of success. Most likely you will save time and money as well.
Two; If you are a “Registered Provider” see whom you can partner with on the JRD so you can support your customers better. Working with folks that have skills and experience different than your own will allow you to do more for your clients regardless of whether you bill them directly or refer them to partners. As a company you can only be as good as your customers so the more success you can create for them the more they will create for you.
Three; Once you get involved with the Joomla Community as a user, developer or business evangelist this is a journey of professional development and an opportunity to bride global relationships. This may mean different things to different people. It may be more friends, broader markets or new ideas to fuel your vision on line. It is nearly impossible not to meet interesting people, be inspiration or get new ideas while interacting with folks in the Joomla community.
More business, More Joomla and More friends… Everybody wins
So as the title of the article implies… you can “Get a six pack of Link Juice with Joomla 3.3 and the new JRD”. If you are new to Joomla make sure you ask your friends “Whom can I get to build my Joomla site” and visit the new Joomla Resources Directory http://resources.joomla.org or download the latest version right from the Joomla site www.joomla.org. if you want to get jazzed about Joomla 3.3 features go to the landing page for the new Joomla 3.3 series http://www.joomla.org/3 (will be updated once the new J3.3 version is released).
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