We both are still deeply ingrained in using 1.5, so to learn 1.6 on top of our day jobs was pretty challenging to learn to say the least! After giving ourselves a crash course on some testing sites, visiting joomla.org's documentation we got the hang of it and where able to successfully teach it. Learning by doing right???

I'd like to thank all those Joomla newbies and returning attendees for joining our session. It was great to see some of you from prior years back again. And I'm sure Kendall would agree we had some superb Q/A sessions. And lets face it, us Joomla folks always have more fun than those...cough cough... DRUPAL people right... Ya Joomla rocks harder, I SAID IT!

So some of my favorite memories of CMS Expo 2011 (not in any special order)

1. Having the privileged to come speak at such a high quility and nutruing event. This by far is better than any expo or learning conference I've ever gone too. Even though its not a 100% Joomla expo, there isn't one that could come close to the diversity of the Joomla sessions offered, hands down.
2. Joomla vs. Drupal Smackdown. Man if you missed this you better come back next year for part two. I think the onlookers got more heated than the project heads from both camps. Kyle Ledbetter and the boys from CorePHP didn't back down and had their share of zings. Thumbs up to you fellow JoomlaVangalists.
3. I got to drop Rocket Theme's Gantry Framework mini demo into my kickstart template session. Those of you know me as a RT / Gantry fanboy, so it was cool to show of the raw power of Gantry. I heard plenty of oohs and ahhss.
4. Having Tom Canavan cause me to loose sleep after his Security session. Tom I love ya brother but the moment I walk out I have a three page task list to review back at the office. BTW, nice birth certificate reference, ha ha!
5. Checking out Johnathan's session on CSS3 and the unveiling of Automated CSS3 Generator Plugin. OMG rounded corners in ALL browsers without spending hours doing css and image slicing. A MUST HAVE EXTENSION!!! Go buy it now!
6. Microsoft giving out "Make web not war" Joomla t-shirts. yes...I took a few. ;)
7. Sitting through Avery Cohen's Google analytic presentation. I tell you folks this dude is hilarious. By far one of the most entertaining/lively speakers I've seen. Not only did he school me in new Google secrets, he kept the crowd laughing and interacting constantly. I heard so many good comments from other attendees. Hats off to you Avery, you rocked the crowd! BTW this talented SEO king is a member of our Joomla Chicago group.
8. Kendall, is now known as the VGA cable master. So from now on its Kendall "VGA" Cabe, ir KCVGA for short.
9. The food. Hotel Orrington's breakfasts and lunches where amazing. Their staff was so friendly. I've never seen a harder working bunch. These guys take pride in their work and the amazing service shows!!!!
10. Meeting other Joomla evangelists.
11. I'm sure I'm missing some so I'll append later.

I would also like to personally thank Linda and John Coonen for their tireless work and devotion to the Joomla Chicago user group and for lost sleep for running CMS EXPO. The Expo event gets bigger and better as each year passes. All those who attend do nothing but rave that this is THE BEST Joomla / CMS event they attend. I'm very thankful to know you guys and be involved with people who are so passionate about teaching Joomla to the masses.

Raise the fist of the Joomla child! m/

Active members of Joomla Chicago will not be surprised that the house was packed when Avery Cohen and Ken Novak of web Internet marketing strategy, implementation, and web analytics firm Metrist Partners gave a seminar this morning sponsored by the Evanston Chamber of Commerce. What many come as a surprise is the high pitch of interest in web development, online business, content management systems (CMS) and epublishing business in Evanston.

Avery and Ken were peppered with questions from members of the audience, including advertising/creative promotion provider Linda Frothingham from Frothingham Communications, writer/editor Jim Morris from Tagline Jim, and film/video producer John McCarthy from InterImage, about how to improve Return on Investment (ROI) using web analytics. Business people like attorney David Kahn and Henry Funkenbusch of Sign One zeroed in on issues like how to use Google Analytics and do search engine optimization (SEO).

Evanston is filled with innovative tech firms that are keen to expand their web presence - firms such as biotech company Precision Biomarker and high resolution sensor and test system provider Psylotech, as well as the "Technology Incubator" (Technology Innovation Center) that houses them and about thirty other tech firms. Some, like advanced IBM partner Taishan Works, are Internet experts and yet still found plenty to learn in the Metrist presentation.

Other participants included landscaper Nature's Perspective, NWU affiliate The Family Institute, patent specialist Cardinal Law Group, financial planning firm JAS Financial Services, and portfolio manager Blue Sky Investment Partners Inc.. Key your eye on them for upcoming web enhancements.

Jonathan Perman and Brooke Saucier of the Evanston Chamber of Commerce, together with Chuck Happ of the Technology Innovation Center and Laura Folkl of the Downtown Evanston marketing/promotion association, were on hand to foster follow-on opportunities within the group and with the rest of the Evanston business community.

With all this interest in web business and content management (CMS) for the web, is it any wonder that the CMS Association has has selected Evanston as the site for the 2010 CMS Expo?

Stay tuned for more developments in the Evanston web community! Thanks, Avery and Ken!

Joe Scarry is head project manager for Chicago firm Arc Technology Group -- the web design, development and content management company whose open solutions drive business success.