The Joomla Content Management System Features

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Looking for a CMS? Check out what Joomla has to offer!
If you are looking for a content management system to power your website, you should consider Joomla. The list below highlight some of the features of Joomla.

• Articles
• Blogs
• Calendars
• Forums
• FAQs
• Image Library
• Language Internationalization
• Links
• Newsflashes/News
• Page Caching
• Polls and Surveys
• Printable page versions
• Web Indexing
• Site Search and more…

Plus, you have ready-to-use templates to design or modify your website. Layout preview allows you to have an idea about how the actual website will look using the template or any of the other features of Joomla! If you want to earn through website advertisements, there is a Banner Manager feature.

For all this, you just need to have a php pre-processor, MySQL database and a web server (preferably Apache, though Microsoft IIS is also acceptable).

Add-ons and Templates
Joomla! has a thriving community of developers who work towards adding value to the core CMS offering. Thus, Joomla! has several add-ons and templates to choose from. With frequent releases of new add-ons, Joomla! users never run out of options.
Joomla! Add-ons may take the form of commercial software as well as open source software that are aimed to enhance your website’s functionality. They may be the components or integrated solutions provided by third party providers. However there may be certain risks (legal or in terms of security) associated with using such third-party add-ons.
Generally Joomla! add-ons may be grouped in three main categories -
Joomla! Forums Joomla! Galleries Joomla! Blog
Joomla! Forums
Forums are no longer a fancy addition to the overall website. With the business environment dictating more customer interaction, forums have emerged as an important customer service tool. Forum members also look at it as a potential marketing tool for their own website/products/services. Adding forums on your website can make your website more interactive. It can bridge the gap between you and your customers, forum members or website visitors.
Joomla! provides you with multiple options to incorporate a forum, discussion boards or bulletin boards on your website. Joomla!-SMF, Joomla-phpBB, Joomla!-SimpleBoard and Joomla!-vBulletin are some of its components that may be required to integrate a forum to the website.
Joomla! Galleries
“A brand new Harley Davidson jacket up for sale at a 30% discount”.
When was the last time you saw a text ad like this and reached for your credit card? I know you’ve never done that and you never will. Why? Because you can’t see the product. How do you know what the jacket looks like? Now, imagine the same advertisement, replete with pictures on ebay. Would you react differently? That’s why visual appeal is so important for the sale of a product. And it’s not just the visual appeal. If it’s an online music store, you may want to listen to a trial version before downloading an album. Similarly, you may want to see a short ‘how-to-use’ video before buying electronic equipment.
All those needs are addressed by Joomla! Galleries. They cover images, audio-visual files, pdf files and more. Joomla! Galleries offer various extensions which allow you to store, add, edit, delete and manage your online galleries. Each of Joomla! Gallery extensions, which are developed and set afloat by community members, may vary in their functionalities.
Joomla! Blog
Joomla! Blog helps users integrate a blog to their website. With this component, you can organize your blog content as per your preferences. It includes numerous useful features like RSS feeds, filter blog posts on certain criteria, dashboard, image browser, community builder integration, Joomla!Content Mambot Integration, etc.
There is much more you may add to the list of add-ons or components. Calendar, Comments, Guestbook, Hosting Customers, Redirect, ODT Indexer, YaNC (yet another newsletter component), Blocklist, etc.


Joomla! Templates

Joomla! Templates offer more design options for users who want to break the clutter with a unique looking site. There are a number of websites formed by the Joomla! Community or working group members (former or present) -developers, designers, technicians etc. These websites offer a range of readymade XHTML/CSS based web designs. All you need to do is choose one, download it and you have an attractive design for your website. You can also manage the text and graphic content on your site so as to gel with the template. Still not convinced? Check out the live demos to get a better idea about how your site would actually look in a particular template.
Joomla! templates fall into several categories. This includes Agriculture, Animals, Architecture, Business, Restaurant/Café, Hotels, Computers, Education, Books, Fashion, Entertainment, Food and Beverages, Church/ Religious organizations, Law, Media, Online Casino, Science, Sports, Medical, Real Estate, Travel, Politics, Military, Society and Culture, family, personal, etc.

You may get these templates for free or at a nominal cost. But then, it’s worth the money when you know the kind of value it adds to your website.