Using Joomla to build a Community Website

[Monirul Islam]

Joomla is known as a powerful user friendly content management system (CMS) which is PHP based. This open-source software is favored among many web developers who need to create a special type of website, one that works more like an online magazine, newspaper or information outlet. It is a preferred framework for website owners who need to add, remove or change content on a regular basis. The advantage in using this type of template or framework is you don't really have to be a web coder, in fact, you don't have to be all that tech savvy at all to use Joomla for any application you need.

In fact, this CMS platform is considered a favorite because of its ability to adapt to a user's needs. So when one user needs a website that offers information, products and images, Joomla can be adapted to this need. By the same token, when another website owner needs a Content Management System where information can be manipulated by a variety of users or members, then Joomla can also be customized to perform this option. This customization to a website owner's needs is achieved through the many changeable options on the Joomla dashboard or through the use of Joomla add-ons and extensions.

How Do the Customized Features Work?
Let's say you want to create a community managed website through Joomla. You would first download and install the Joomla template you like to your hosting account. Following the installation, you could customize features, buttons, content categories, etc., as your website required.

Once finished you can assign different user access permissions to the in-house members you already have. Joomla allows you to set these permissions giving distinct users access to different content databases, categories and with distinctive user capabilities. In other words, some users can add content to some categories but not to others, or may add content but can't remove any existing content, etc.
However, if you want to add a feature such as an online membership sign-up, allowing a specific web user to sign up and add content to the Joomla website, then you would want to add a special membership subscription extension. There are actually many different Joomla extensions of this type, some free, while others come at a fixed small cost. The type you choose depends upon your needs and the informed features shown in the extension description.

How To Find the Best Extension?
Once you establish that what you are looking for is a membership signup extension, you can look through the Joomla website for this particular extension or add-on. You just conduct a simple membership signup search under the Joomla extensions category. A large list will appear and most have user's reviews, along with descriptions.

By reading through these you can make a more informed decision and choose the extension that best fits your needs. Once you make a selection just click the "Download" button and then click "Install." Joomla does all the work for you from that point on. Once installed you simply customize the membership options as you have done with all the other Joomla features and web users can start joining and adding content within the perimeters and permission settings you gave in the website Joomla dashboard.

Managing a Joomla Dedicated Server
@JulianaP16 has had experience in setting up dedicated servers for various community management sites. She works for InMotion Hosting, a web hosting company famous for their Joomla dedicated servers based in Los Angeles.

Source: IT Article