Why Learn Joomla?

Whether you're new to site development or a seasoned pro, Joomla provides one of the most powerful content management tools available today.

So Simple. So Powerful.
So Darn Smart.

Joomla is open source content management software (or "CMS" for short).

Joomla's rocket-powered rise to prominence in the CMS world started in 2006, after its core team emerged from another popular open source CMS program called "Mambo." Joomla has since earned a reputation as one of the most powerful CMS programs around.

A Day to Learn. A Lifetime to Master.

Driven by a deceptively friendly interface, Joomla's UI is a key factor, differentiating it from the rest of its CMS counterparts. Why does usability matter? Simple: its UI attracts and keeps new users - by the thousands.

So why do developers and programmers care?

Naturally, a well-designed piece of software, combined with the low barrier to entry (ehem - it's free) of "open source," plus an exponential convergence to this market means one thing: it's "open season" for developers, seeking to fulfill the demands of the marketplace. Behold, an instant and steep demand curve.

Supply-side Economics Meets Open Source Software.

Strange how things work out, ain't it? The rising tide of market demand means programmers have a wide-open market to pick and choose extensions (known as "components or modules") to develop and perfect, then tack on to the core CMS software to enable you - the user - at a very low cost, to further customize your site's functionality to make it do exactly as you wish.

Need a calendar? You've got dozens of extensions to choose from. Want a clock? No problem. Seeking better statistics? Integrated chat? A forum? Form-fill or an extension to quickly transform a static site into a full-blown interactive social or business networking community? Guess what - Joomla's got it.

Now, all you need is a place to learn about it. That's where JoomlaChicago comes in. Hey, you can and should go to the forums at Joomla.org or read the myriad books on Joomla installation. We can show you all that. But we can go one step better - JoomlaChicago brings folks all together, face-to-face to learn and share their knowledge.

"We Do It the Old-Fashioned Way: We Learn It."

Watch all the online videos you want; read every forum post and article, but in the end, you'll find that good old-fashioned face-to-face contact is oftentimes the best way to stay on top of Joomla and its fast-track progress.

Joomla's development is now hitting its stride, growing exponentially in size and speed. Perhaps it is already at critical mass - we simply don't know. As it continues to deliver an ever-growing list of functions - JoomlaChicago will be here to help you stay ahead of the curve, participating in an important knowledgebase for the CMS community.

Today, you may not need an html editor and a team of expensive consultants to create your website, but you do need Joomla; and there's no shortcut to gain the insights of how to best use it.

Joomla Means, "All Together Now."

A Swahili word, "Joomla" perfectly describes the essence of what a content management system (or "CMS") provides: an efficient means of enabling a team of many to come together as one to deliver an organized, unified message.

At JoomlaChicago, our purpose is simple: to empower you to reach your goals. By becoming an active participant in JoomlaChicago, you can unleash the power of one of the fastest-growing, most popular open source programs on earth.

You'll join a vast, growing network of developers, writers, designers, students, enthusiasts and expert programmers who have come "all together now" just like you, to empower themselves to succeed.

Choose How You Like to Learn.

As a Member, our growing library of resources will be at your fingertips, so you can view text, video and audio files and more. Better yet, attend our monthly meetings, in Chicago's Loop, or think about starting one of your very own satellite groups. We'll show you how! Yes, sometimes, good old fashioned face-to-face contact is the best way to learn Joomla and build valuable contacts to help you achieve your goals.

Take Your Time. Look Around.

We invite you to browse around our site to get a feel for what Joomla is, who we are, and how this open source CMS can help you reach your goals. Then, think about taking the next step by subscribing, or becoming a Full Member of JoomlaChicago today.a reputation as one of the most powerful, easiest to learn CMS programs around.