The Joomla Admin Manual: A Step by Step Guide to a Successful Website [Paperback]

Barrie North (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2007

This book is about Joomla (1.0.12), the popular open source content management system. It's a step by step guide to creating a successful web site. As well as a general overview of the CMS, the book explains the trickier concepts of setting up a Joomla site. Lastly the manual examines more general topics like how SEO can be maximized with Joomla and how to create specific types of site. The book is aimed at those that are using Joomla to create a web site, either for themselves or web designers doing so for their clients. It's easy to read and low on technical jargon. It doesn't assume you know PHP, CSS or any other technical acronyms. The author, Barrie North has a rich background in education (a former teacher) and is a partner of joomlashack.com, a provider of professional templates and custom Joomla services. He also runs one of the most popular blogs about Joomla, compassdesigns.net. His combination of Joomla expertise and engaging writing has produced a book accessible to everyone.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Compass Design; First Edition edition (May 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615146759
• ISBN-13: 978-0615146751
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,707,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Must-have, great content, with typical "self-published" flaws, September 3, 2007

By 

Marjorie Roswell (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Joomla Admin Manual: A Step by Step Guide to a Successful Website (Paperback)

This book is the work of an experienced and skilled Joomla! template developer.

Particularly useful: The discussion of the flexible use of sections and categories finally made Joomla! website creation fall into place for me. It seems straightforward, but Sections and Categories don't necessarily match the site's menu structure. The Section/Category coverage is brief in the book, but more in-depth and helpful than most other books on Joomla!, which usually just urge you to get it right, without really explaining how. (The Mambo "Visual Blueprint" book also has an excellent treatment of this, which can be directly applicable to Joomla!)

Also particularly useful: "The Least You Need to Know" sections that provide a good overview of key ideas, and Chapter Summaries that are brief but helpful.

The book covers some of the most valuable Joomla! extensions (many of which don't yet work with Joomla! 1.5).

You will need to purchase the "Joomlashack School Shack Pack" in order to make the best use of the book, but it's probably worth it, at a cost of $97. Hiring a developer would cost a lot more than that. (It would be nicer, of course, if the template came with the book.)

I give this four stars instead of five is because of frequent typos throughout the book. The book is obviously self-published; I look forward to the more professionally typeset (and hopefully, proofed) upcoming book on Joomla! 1.5.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars These reviews are bogus, October 10, 2007

By 

Burton Kent "lifehacker" (Naperville, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Joomla Admin Manual: A Step by Step Guide to a Successful Website (Paperback)

Notice how many two line "reviews" were posted on August 28th and 29th, 2007. That's ridiculous.

There are better and more up-to-date guides available free on the web. Don't bother with this.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb guide for the complete novice, June 26, 2007

By 

Russell Walker (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Joomla Admin Manual: A Step by Step Guide to a Successful Website (Paperback)

Although there are a few (very minor) grammatical errors, the content of this book is fantastic. It is an indispensable guide to administering a Joomla website, and requires no previous knowledge. The reader is taken logically through the theory behind what content management systems do, and how to put the theory into practice.

There is a comprehensive section about Search Engine Optimization which gives very good advice on improving your rankings in Google, and it even gives you detailed instructions on how to create your own Joomla template (no previous knowledge of HTML or CSS required). There is a chapter on creating a website for a school, and an example of creating an e-commerce site. The book is well illustrated throughout with clear real-life examples. It covers just about everything you need to know - highly recommended!