When you start working with Joomla!, your experience is instantly molded by your previous experiences in web development and content management.  For example, someone who has really only used email and Google will find themselves with a lot more to understand than someone who has worked with various CMS systems before testing Joomla!.  I'm sure this sounds completely logical, but its the basis for what I think most people's biggest challenge is with Joomla!.

Meet Colby

Let me paint a better picture before I start to describe it.  Let's say a new user to Joomla! has some basic experience with desktop publishing (Microsoft Word for example), uses the internet regularly, feels comfortable enough to shop online, but does not have any experience with web development.  In honor of my kitty, we will name this person Colby.

Colby's Challenge

Colby is part of an organization, Kitty Friends, and they wish to start a website that allows them to bring together local kitty owners.  Colby talks with someone who knows more about this, and they mention using a CMS like Joomla! to help them, saying its not too hard to setup and easy to update.  Colby is excited that there is free software that can easily setup a website with little work, which is perfect for the organization.  Colby follows up on Joomla!, even downloading it, perhaps getting it onto the server, maybe gets it installed, and then is lost.  Colby works hard to understand, but does not, and abandons Joomla! for some other simple one click type website.

Manage Expectations

As demonstrated by the above portrait, the biggest challenge is managing expectations, and then dealing with dissapointments.  This has been my biggest challenge, because sometimes expect that something seems so easy, and then I get to working on it only to struggle through.  It happens with Joomla!, especially when I'm working on a site with unique requirements.  My challenges at first were to understand what a CMS was, as Joomla! was my first (and still my primary) CMS, then it became how to create templates, and then extensions, and now how to mold together a professional platform for my clients.  However, working through those struggles is what gives me the most satisfaction about my job.

I love working with Joomla! because it provides so much functionality, and there is so much more left for me to explore (especially since new extensions and versions are in constant development).

Help is available

If you are just starting to work with Joomla!, remember to keep your expectations high, because Joomla! can fulfill them if you are able to work through the learning curve and grasp the concepts.  If you get stuck, look to the community to provide you with help or find someone who can teach you.  Those expectations should be high, if we are to keep powering the best open source CMS (Joomla! has won the award before), just keep powering through and it will provide you with the system you need.

This post was inspired by the JoomlaBlogger, http://www.joomlablogger.net/challengecontest.  Its a great idea for us to stop and think about some of the challenges that face us with Joomla!, and perhaps to help others learn from our struggles.

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