5 Blog Ideas for Joomla Marketers When There's Nothing to Write About

Video on building a blog with Joomla

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bqG2iXiQOc


The thought of blogging can sometimes just make us cringe. What do I write about? Where do I begin? Why do I have to do this again? Why can't my brain focus today? Is it time to eat my lunch yet?

You may even end up wasting time just staring at the blank document wondering, how does everyone else do this all the time? How are they always coming up with fresh ideas to blog about?

Read more: 5 Blog Ideas for Joomla Marketers When There's Nothing to Write About

Import HTML Sites into Joomla with HTML2Articles

html2articles logoOne of our OSTraining members had a very old HTML site.

They wanted to import that old site into Joomla and were wondering how to do it.

HTML2Articles is a very good solution for this. It will take your old HTML files and import them as Joomla articles.

Here's how HTML2Articles works:

Read more: Import HTML Sites into Joomla with HTML2Articles

A Beginner Guide to Joomla CCK's

joomla-cckThe acronym "CCK" comes from Drupal and stands for "Content Construction Kit".

A CCK allows you to expand the information you add to your site, beyond simply a title and body field.

In this presentation, Jon Neubauer introduces you to all of the popular Joomla CCK solutions. Jon looks at K2, ZOO and Seblod.

If your website has complex content requirements, you'll want to watch Jon's talk:

Read more: A Beginner Guide to Joomla CCK's

Joomla Website Security by Tony Perez

joomla-security-perezSucuri is one of the biggest names in website security, keeping many thousands of Joomla and WordPress sites safe.

Tony Perez is the co-founder and CEO of Sucuri. He gave this talk on Joomla security at Joomla Day Atlanta.

Tony starts by explaining that between 85% and 90% of hosting companies are infected at some point. Tony talks about all the different ways that a website and server can be compromised.

Read more: Joomla Website Security by Tony Perez

On the Grid: Tips for Grid Layouts

Grid Layouts Rock!

Nothing trumps a reliable, easy-to-use UI. No amount of killer graphics, clever landing pages, or HTML5 showboating can equal a site that displays information clearly and concisely. Grid-based layouts are a perfect tool to do that. They can present a huge amount of content at a glance, and are easy to update. But, keeping them interesting can be a challenge. Here are some tips to bring the "wow" factor.

Keep it cohesive

One of the dangers of this layout is that it can feel cluttered. You have to give it a seamless look. Grid layouts can't feel arbitrary. Your readers' attention gets scattered if the layout looks like it's thrown together. If you are using a lot of images (and it's not a news-based site), pick ones that are similar in color scheme or composition, like Canvas Magazine does with its neutral photos. Viktoria Klein uses images that are linked by color, pattern or content to add variety while still keeping the aesthetic flow.

Read more: On the Grid: Tips for Grid Layouts

5 Tips To Create Engaging Facebook Posts for Joomla Marketers

Contrary to popular belief, us marketers know better than anyone that marketing isn't all glitz and glam. Some days are better than others, some days are easier than others and then you have those days where nothing goes your way.

It's happened to all of us. You think you've created the most amazing piece of content yet and for some reason it just doesn't seem to be resonating with anyone. How can this be? Why don't they like me?

Read more: 5 Tips To Create Engaging Facebook Posts for Joomla Marketers

OSPositions - Always Show Joomla Module Positions

OSPositionsOSPositions is a simple Joomla plugin that keeps adding tp=1 in your URL so you can view your template's module positions on all pages.

Now you can navigate through your site and see where your module positions are.

This is a dream come true for people building sites that use many modules.

Here's how to use OSPositions ...

Read more: OSPositions - Always Show Joomla Module Positions

OSUrl - Find the Real URL of a Joomla Page

OSURL

Joomla, along with all dynamic websites, has at least two version of each URL.

There is the Search-Engine Friendly (SEF) version which contain keywords that are useful and easy to remember. There are also the "original" version of the URL that is longer and harder to remember.

However, sometimes developers and site-builder do need to know the original URL. We've just released a module called OSurl that will help you to do just that. 

OSURL will display the original Joomla URL for any page you visit.

Read more: OSUrl - Find the Real URL of a Joomla Page

Techie - A Refined and Trendy Responsive Template

Our new Trendy & Responsive Joomla Template

Using the top trends for this summer 2014 for inspiration, Techie has a simplistic and minimalist view without loosing the full complexity your site may need. Its the template you have been waiting your next app, component, software or any other technology. It makes for a great event and corporate site too.

Read more: Techie - A Refined and Trendy Responsive Template

Joomla in the Enterprise with Sears

joomla and searsCory Webb used to run a Joomla design shop, but since last year he's been working for Sears.

His role at Sears is to manage an internal Joomla website for over 1000 Sears associates.

In this video, Cory talks about the server architecture, workflows and user authentication methods used to power this Joomla site.

Some of the tools he talks about include Jenkins CI server, GitHub, JomSocial, Easyblog, and AcyMailing. Cory discusses how a lot of these tools can be used in non-enterprise websites.

Read more: Joomla in the Enterprise with Sears