What's a content management system (CMS)?
A content management system is software that keeps track of every piece of content on your Web site, much like your local public library keeps track of books and stores them. Content can be simple text, photos, music, video, documents, or just about anything you can think of. A major advantage of using a CMS is that it requires almost no technical skill or knowledge to manage. Since the CMS manages all your content, you don't have to.
Why Use Joomla?
Joomla has a number of advantages over many of its competitors. In addition to being a full-featured CMS, it is easy to learn, quick to set up, and inexpensive.
Joomla is absolutely free. 100% free to use, regardless of your implementation. This is due, in part, to its non-corporate roots and volunteer-driven support structure. There are few bills the Joomla project needs to pay to keep up and running, and everyone that contributes to its development does so out of a passion for creating something that truly meets the needs of sites both large and small.
Joomla is open source, and that means no surprises will pop up once you have started your site. Every part of the Joomla platform is open for you to inspect and even modify to meet your site's individual needs. Joomla's extensive third-party development community has created thousands of plugins, extensions, templates, and other options to empower you to make the most of your site without having to be an expert in Web development.
You might be wondering why so many people contribute to Joomla only to make it available free to the public. The answer is, simply put, that there are a number of companies out there founded on the principal of providing premium software and services that work with the Joomla environment. These companies and individuals spend their days working with clients to help them turn their ambitious website concepts into reality. By night, they are frequently found contributing to the greater Joomla project in order to make the platform even better.
Who Uses Joomla?
Joomla is useful for a wide range of different site types and styles. In addition to being the largest Web software platform for government organizations around the world, it is utilized heavily for education, media, corporate, e-commerce, and even personal websites and blogs. It is extremely versatile.
One of its primary strengths is its usability. Whether you are a student just getting started in Web design or a retiree wanting to learn how to make a website, Joomla can be an excellent choice for you. You really do not need to know anything about programming or Web development to set up and customize a site, though you can tap into its open codebase to create something entirely original and unique. Want to make a custom module for your site that no other site on the Web has? You can do this with Joomla.