There comes a time when you need to bite the bullet and upgrade your site from the old to the new. Not only are you leaving yourself open to security vulnerabilities as older versions are no longer supported so new security holes found are left open, but future work will also be more complex as extensions are no longer being made for your sites outdated framework.

This can only spell disaster, maybe not in the immediate future (hopefully never), but you’re doing yourself and your sites users a disservice by leaving it outdated and vulnerable. It’s also a perfect time to give the site a facelift, but that’s fuel for another post.

Of course this is easier said than done, particularly if you’ve let your site age quite a bit. Fortunately for the most part, the upgrade process for Joomla is relatively straight forward, the downside though is any third party or custom extensions that your site has will not gracefully be moved over in the upgrade process.

So if you have a basic, content only site, you’re in luck. If not, some planning needs to happen to make the transition as smooth and painless as possible.

There’s no path at this stage (and nothing has been announced) to migrate directly from 1.0.x to 1.6.x, so this article will cover both migrating from 1.0.x to 1.5.x, then from 1.5.x to 1.6.x.

Migrating from 1.0.x to 1.5.x

This step is the easiest of the whole process, and is well documented on the Joomla wiki http://docs.joomla.org/Migrating_from_1.0.x_to_1.5_Stable

It basically involves installing a component on your existing 1.0.x site to create a file that will be used when installing a fresh Joomla 1.5.x site.

Note that we said ‘migrating’ instead of ‘upgrading’, this is because you actually need to download Joomla 1.5.x from the Joomla site and do a completely fresh install on your development machine, rather than edit any existing files.

Nearing the completion of the the installation process of the Joomla 1.5 site there will be a screen that will allow you to kick off a migration process, simply upload the file that was created earlier from your old site and it will import with a good amount of success the following:

• content
• core modules
• custom html modules
• menus
• data from core components

What it will not import though are (among others)

• 3rd party plugins / components / modules
• custom plugins / components / modules
• templates (as these are file based)

If you are making the move all the way to Joomla 1.6.x, then this is all you need to do with the Joomla 1.5.x migration, move on to ‘Migrating from 1.5.x to 1.6.x’

Why? Joomla 1.5.x allowed plugins, modules and components to run in what was called ‘legacy mode’, which meant that it allowed code that was built for Joomla 1.0.x to run in a Joomla 1.5.x site.

This backwards compatibility is non existent in Joomla 1.6.x as the core of the site has been modified too much to efficiently be able to allow for older code to be supported. While initially it may seem like a pain, looking forward this is a good move as it will force extensions to be well written and closely follow the Joomla conventions, making it much easier for developers to make their own extensions or work on existing code.

If you are planning to stay at Joomla 1.5.x for now, then you will now need to start the process of reinstalling all of the components, modules and plugins that you had on your 1.0.x site and switch on the Legace Mode plugin to allow them all to run smoothly.

You will also need to make a few modifications to your template file as the syntax for displaying Joomla elements has changed somewhat. Details on upgrading a template from Joomla 1.0.x to 1.5.x can be found here: http://docs.joomla.org/Tutorial:Upgrading_a_Joomla!_1.0.x_template

Migrating from 1.5.x to 1.6.x

Thankfully a component has been created to help out with this move, at the time of writing though there were a few issues we found which we’ll outline shortly, but first, how to use it.

The component is named jUpgrade and can be found here: http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/migration-a-conversion/joomla-migration/11658

This step doesn’t require you to download and install a fresh Joomla 1.6.x site, this component when run will actually download the latest stable package for you, install the files in a new folder that is creates called jupgrade, and will create all the tables it needs to run in the main database but with j16 as the prefix instead of the default jos prefix. This allows you to run the two sites side by side until your migration is complete.

The installation process is pretty impressive to watch, however as noted earlier, there were a few issues that we found with this upgrade (at the time of writing the latest stable version of Joomla was 1.6.0 and the latest stable version of jUpgrade was 0.5.3, while our experience was with 0.5.1, some bugs are noted to be fixed and will be marked as such)

• Placeholder / separator menu items were not moved over (possibly fixed in v0.5.2)
• Many menu items were pointing to the wrong article (possibly fixed in 0.5.2)
• Multiple menu items were marked as the default (possible fixed in 0.5.2)
• Creating new menu items throws an error if an alias is not explicitly set, however the menu item is still created (this may be a Joomla bug, not the jupgrade)
• Content of custom HTML modules were lost in the move and needed to be manually re-entered
• At first attempt trying to view a category listing (from a newly created menu item) the site throws a 404. The quick manual fix was to move the category to be a child of another category, then move it back. It seemed to work fine after that, but obviously that’s a pretty poor workaround. Hopefully this has been fixed in a later release of jUpgrade.

A few extra notes for 1.6.x first timers:

A new feature for ‘discovery’ is available in the extenuation manager which allows you to simply add your files to the site and have Joomla discover them and present them to you in a list of items that are available for installation rather than have you need to package them and upload them as an installable package.

• There’s been a change in the required XML format for your extensions, which you can see here: http://www.finishjoomla.com/blog/22/joomla-16-vs-joomla-15-templatedetailsxml/
• When installing a module, while the installation will be successful, it won’t show up in your list of modules straight away as you are used to. You need to create a ‘new’ module, the module you installed will show up in the list of modules you can choose for the module you are creating.

Joomla 1.6 is about to be released! How exciting!

Joomla.org have gone through 14 beta releases so far, in their efforts to ensure the end product is robust and as bug free as possible.  It’s this dedication to quality that entices Salsa to continue to use and highly recommend Joomla for not only our own website, but those of most of our customers.

1.6 is planned to be released on November 29th, 2010.

Some of the principle differences of Joomla 1.6 include:

• New Access Control System – Allows site administrators control over who can view and manage content, removing the need to implement 3rd party components to deliver this functionality.
• Unlimited Depth Organizational Model – Gives site administrators and content creators user-defined category levels that allow for the creation of a category tree with as many or as few levels for organizing articles and other content as needed.  Previously, this functionality was also available via various plug-ins, with varying levels of complexity/cost to implement.
• One-Click Extension Updates – Allows users to keep sites secure and controlled by simplifying the process of updating extensions.  Similar to it’s competitors, Joomla will now allow you to easily update extensions with one click via the admin tool, rather than having to upload new files, install, etc.
• Semantic XHTML Layouts – Provides a better baseline for content presentation.  Will help in the delivery of accessible websites, and more consistency around content layout.

A more complete list can be seen here.

Any Joomla site can be upgraded/converted to 1.6, however the effort required to do so will vary considerably depending on:

• Version – The current version of your Joomla site will determine how much work is required to upgrade – some really old versions may require a re-build of some areas.
• Customisations – Although it is rare a Joomla site’s core infrastructure is customised, if it is, then there is more custom work required to implement any customisations.
• Components – The more components that are installed, the more work is required to upgrade the site – each component will likely require individual upgrade, and some may not have a 1.6 version available.

Our general advice is to wait a while before upgrading a site to ensure all required components are supported (the component vendors may take a while to implement 1.6 compatibility), and also to ensure any other production bugs are removed.

If you feel there are highly strategic benefits of upgrading your site immediately, we can provide some assistance and guidance about the best way to do this.

I have this conversation at least once a week with clients.  About 20% of our new customers come to us to have an existing site re-built from a proprietary CMS, into an open source CMS such as Joomla, Drupal or WordPress; or Magento or OSCommerce for eCommerce sites.  They feel locked into their CMS, and their provider.  We’re exclusively an open source house, so I am biased, but strongly believe that there is very little advantage in using a proprietary CMS to build any website.

Effort

The amount of work required to build a site in a proprietary or open source CMS is generally the same.    It could be argued that a proprietary system is intimately understood by the developer, and as such the site can be built faster;  however many development houses have built up just as much knowledge in Open Source systems, and so this isn’t a challenge – as long as you choose an agency that specialises in your chosen open source CMS.

Initial Costs

When building a site using a proprietary system, the client is usually paying to help cover the costs of development of the software development exercise.  This means setup costs are in fact higher, even though the effort required is similar.

Ongoing Costs

Most proprietary CMS systems have licensing costs attached to them to cover the cost of maintaining the software.  Also, for any additional components that need to be added to the site, these typically also attract their own maintenance costs.  We’ve recently re-built a website for the same cost as the annual licensing fees the client was paying – and this was a substantial site (tens of thousands of $).  What’s more, the new site is far better!

Flexibility

Open source code can be edited by anyone; anyone that has the right skills of course.  You can take your site to anyone that is skilled in your particular system, or language, and have them make changes for you.  Alternatively, if you run a proprietary system, edits can usually only be done by the provider.  This of course means less access to appropriate developers, and typically higher prices.  Also many proprietary systems will only implement changes that can be rolled out to their entire customer base, so that they don’t have to maintain too  many different versions of the software; so getting customisations can be difficult.

Intellectual Property (IP) Ownership

Most open systems are covered by the GNU General Public License (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html), which basically means you have the rights to do whatever you please with the code, and any customisations that are applied under contract.  On the contrary, most proprietary systems are owned solely by the developer.

Portability

Mentioned already in flexibility, open source sites are able to be picked up and shifted to just about any other hosting/support provider.  Proprietary systems can often only be run on the developers environment, as they like to maintain ownership of the IP.

It has been reported that Joomla alone, which is the most popular of the open source CMS tools, is responsible for 1.5-2 million websites (out of about 16 million active CMS driven sites).  WordPress is probably responsible for even more!  So these open source tools are also very, very widely used, being used for some of the most high profile sites on the internet.

First thing to mention, is that it’s not often I see a business succeed with little or no money invested to get things started.  However it usually takes someone at least one try to learn this truth – and hopefully this Blog post will help save some time and pain in that learning process.

I always recommend engaging a professional agency (like us) to help execute a web project, as it’s often an important part of getting a new business up and running successfully.  This article is aimed at those that don’t want to spend that sort of money, and instead are looking for a cheap & nasty solution to help get them started.  Salsa doesn’t provide these services, but here is what we’ve learnt over the years.

Sorry I know it sounds cynical.

Once you’ve taken care of the paperwork (register a business name – https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/cav/br-home, and register your domain name – Google “cheap domain names”), you need to get a website built.

If you have $1,000 – $2,000 to spend on a website.

The cheapest way to get this done is to use a pre-existing Content Management System (CMS) such as WordPress, or Joomla, or Magento or OSCommerce for an eCommerce website.  You should then look to download free, or buy a template for the site, instead of paying for a custom design.

Some places to get templates from:

WordPress – http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/

Joomla – http://www.joomlashack.com/

Magento – http://www.silverthemes.com/

www.templatemonster.com is also a source of hundreds of themes, but the quality is inconsistent.

Once this is done, you need to then get someone to build it for you.  www.nachomedia.com.au can help put together a template website at low cost.  Or if you know a freelance developer, have them do it for you – should be around $1,000 for a WordPress/Joomla site, and $2,000 for an Magento/OSCommerce site.

They can probably help you with hosting also.

Credibility is important – so perhaps set up a 1300 number if you can – and have it direct to your mobile phone or land line – makes you look more professional, and doesn’t cost much.

If you have nothing to spend on a website!

Try setting up a Facebook page.  It costs nothing. See this post on how to do that: http://lazarus.salsainternet.com.au/2010/06/howwhy-to-create-a-facebook-page/

Take a look at Twitter also, if you have the time.

You can also redirect your domain name to your facebook page if you want to advertise the domain name, instead of the facebook page in your marketing collateral.

Get people to find you.

Once you’ve setup some sort of online presence as above, people need to find it.  To be honest, this is often the hardest part.

First, you should run a Google Adwords campaign (ads on the right side of a Google search results screen), as this is relatively low cost, and works instantly – you can setup a campaign, and get it running in a couple of hours – gets traffic to your site immediately.  You can check keywords, etc  at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

You can also read about how to setup a campaign here: http://www.salsainternet.com.au/adwords-explained.html

Once you’ve proven the model works online, you can start to work on getting the site to rank well in the free/organic listings in Google (left side of Google search results screen).  There are 3 things that make this work – Structure, Content & Links. More info on how this works here: http://www.salsainternet.com.au/search-engine-optimisation.html

You also want to put your web address on your business card, flyers, email signature, etc to help get the word out.

As mentioned, this approach in my opinion is speculative at best, but costs very little, so maybe it’s worth a shot for those that haven’t tried before.

Good luck!

Use our experience and knowledge to your advantage! (Image: Miika Kumpulainen)

In my 12 or so years in the exciting, yet often wild and rugged terrain of the Creative Management landscape, I have become all too accustomed to the regularity and reality of working with clients who have very specific, highly subjective ideas about how they want their website to look.

Being a former business owner myself, I completely understand the intense relationship one can have with one’s business.  There are undoubtedly certain parallels that can be drawn between owning a business and having a baby – particularly if it is your ‘brain-child’ and the recipient of a large proportion of your life savings, the new and likely unwieldy tenant in your house or the relentless force responsible for keeping your brain ticking away throughout the night.

That said, as a Designer, I do feel an obligation to stand up for and vocalise the virtues of my vocation, just as any other trained, experienced and knowledgeable professional would and should.

Whilst it can be argued that ‘design’ is in itself not a skill that can be officially labelled or accredited (although I personally believe the introduction of an official, widely recognised accreditation program for Designers would be worthwhile) in such a publicly resonant way as say that of a Doctor, Accountant, Solicitor, Chef or even Hairdresser, being a good Designer involves amassing an awareness of, and an ability to do a multitude of things.

We are so much more than technically-apt personnel through which creative solutions are realised, and can and do often wear multiple hats including those of psychologist, philosopher, business advisor, anthropologist, mathematician, problem solver and project manager, amongst many others.

Design is all about finding the right solution that will help an individual or business exceed their clients expectations.  And in doing so, it is fundamentally important that the solution is not just highly functional, but that it delights in delivering to the client or user an innovative experience, or a means of communication, that not only takes them where they want to go but inspires them to want more.

It is this amassing of experience – of searching for, experimenting with and exploring new ways of resolving communication problems, that provides us with the expertise that you – the client – come to us seeking.   It is also what we pride ourselves on offering you.

Next time you come in to Salsa, I’d recommend coming equipped with three things to ensure you get the most value out of our expertise.  Firstly, do develop your own ideas about what sort of interactive design solution you’re looking for.  In doing so though I suggest you ask yourself the following questions:

1.  Does this tie in with my branding?
2.  Will it resonate with my target audience(s) and make clear the objectives of my business?
3.  Will it differentiate me from my competitors? If so, how?
4.  What is the functional basis for my aesthetic decisions? (Ie:  If you think pink should the predominant colour used throughout the site, why?)

The second thing would be to adopt a willingness to be challenged. After all, you are paying us for our expertise, so get the most out of us.  We have worked with clients with requirements and demands similar to yours time and time again, so keep this in the back of your mind.  We also have a thorough understanding of the bigger picture – what design trends might be better to steer clear of and what other creative approaches might be worthwhile investigating.

Thirdly, have fun and remember good design has been proven to place you in a position of significant competitive advantage!  I highly recommend checking out the Design Victoria website for a great (and practical) read on how this does so.  Amongst many other resources and tools, you can also assess how well your business is embracing innovation.

WordPress and Joomla are by far the most popular open source CMS tools available – we’ve built hundreds of sites using these technologies, and so are intimately familiar with their structure, limitations, pro’s & con’s.  Until about 2 years ago, most clients didn’t really care what CMS was used, most didn’t know what a CMS was, but these days people are coming to us with some idea of their options, and often need a little guidance to ensure they make the right choice.

1. Content structure

If the site is just a simple brochure site, with a straight forward menu system (top/side menu), simple content pages, for example, use WordPress.  Similarly, if it’s just a Blog – use WordPress.   This site, for example, is built in WordPress.

If you’re looking to build a larger, more complex site, with a more sophisticated content structure (multiple levels of content), more than 1 menu system, more modular content (in left/right columns for example), and would like more control over what menu appears where, then use Joomla.

2. Community/larger more complex site

If you want to build a community site, including member login functionality that provides users with members only content, or create a feature rich website including user polling, banner advertising, user profiling, etc – then use Joomla.  Likewise if you want a corporate site that is more feature rich, including categorised content for case studies, or whitepaper download capabilities with integration into a 3rd party CRM database, use Joomla.

3. Administrator technical capability

If the website administrators are less savvy, use WordPress, if you can get away with it.  Joomla, while not hard to use, is hard-er to use than WordPress, which is just a bi-product of it being so much more sophisticated.

Wordpress admin - simply about managing content

Joomla admin panel - lots of options and functionality (although most only ever use about 20% of it)

4. Design

The design of a site can also lend itself better to either technology.  Simpler designs, using more traditional content structures (limited number of pages, less modular content, little interaction) are better suited to WordPress.  Either CMS is incredibly flexible in terms of being able to conform to just about any design, so that’s not really a consideration.

5. Future development possibilities

It’s painful to swap over (need to build from scratch – there is no “upgrade”, so make sure you consider the above points for future development also – if your needs are simple now, but they will grow later, you’re better off choosing Joomla right off the bat – it may cost a little more (5-10%), but worth it in my opinion.

6. SEO

You’ll read a LOT about which tool is better for SEO.  In our experience, the technology is only a very small part of the SEO story.  Both CMS’ offer the necessary infrastructure to effectively optimise a site, including (albeit with a free additional module or 2):

• Search engine friendly URL’s
• Ability to control meta data for each page
• CSS styling to support H1, H2, tags, etc
• And many more…

There are a bunch of other factors that weight into how well your site performs in the search engines (content, back-links, internal menu structures, etc) – so don’t let this affect your decision.  You can build the same site in either CMS and achieve the same SEO result.

The takeout – if your needs are simple, use WordPress, which is more geared toward Blog or simple brochure-ware sites.  Otherwise, use Joomla.