Your opinion on platforms

[jenganic]

Hi everyone. This is my first post and I'm really glad to have found this forum.

I am not a web developer but it is something that I am very interested in for some time now and for various reasons; mainly because I am quite dissapointed from the results that I paid alot for.

I would like to start focusing on learning a platform such as wordpress or joomla and I would appreciate your thoughts on which one would be the best choice. I basically want to start learning the best there is as far as potential.


Thnx.
J.

[ralph.m]

Hi jenganic. Welcome to the forums.

Yes, learning a CMS is a good idea. But another important question is whether you are going to learn the more fundamental aspects of web design, such as HTML (the basic underlying code of a website) and CSS (the means of styling web pages). With something like WordPress, which has a lot of themes (that is, pre-designed templates) available, you can sort of get away without knowing these, but it's better to know something about them.

There are lots of other CMSes out there that we could recommend, but it would help to know what your goals are, because it's not worth recommended a lot of alternatives to WP if you aren't going to get into coding to some extent.

[jenganic]

Hi Ralph. Thank you for the response.

I agree on learning the basics first to get a general idea and then focusing on a CMS. My needs are alot in terms of possibilities. Specifically, the website(s) in mind will be dynamic, possibility for profile creation w/ photos and videos, upload mp3s, download, payments etc. I know that some (probably alot) coding will be needed and I might get help for.

I know that every CMS has limitations. Which one is best for customization and gives you more possibilities? Thnx again.

J.

[ralph.m]

I know that every CMS has limitations. Which one is best for customization and gives you more possibilities?

There are many options, with all kinds of considerations, such as ease of use and cost. Drupal is probably the big daddy of them all, with a huge range of possibilities, and it's free. But it is also a fair job to learn. If you really want something free, I'd say look into Drupal or MODx—the latter being a much nicer one to work with, but maybe not as fully featured (though fine for most uses). Personally, I go for ExpressionEngine, which is great to use and has a lot of options, but has a price tag on it, too, which puts some people off. However, the price is trivial, IMHO—especially if you are working for clients.

[jenganic]

Thnx Ralph. Although a free CMS is always more attractive , I wouldn't mind paying for something that is a lot better than the free ones. I will have a look on both Drupal and ExpressionEngine. Appreciate it all the help.

[jenganic]

Does any of the two(Drupal, ExpressionEngine) have any limitations regarding signup (not by the administrator), profiles creation, uploading, downloading or payments?

[ralph.m]

Does any of the two(Drupal, ExpressionEngine) have any limitations regarding signup (not by the administrator), profiles creation, uploading, downloading or payments?

You'd probably need to specify what you mean by limitations. I'm not familiar with Drupal, but with EE, I'm sure you can do those things—to a greater or lesser extent, depending on any add-ons etc. you may have.

[jenganic]

Ralph thank you for all the help. I will try to be more specific soon.

I will appreciate it if any members that use Drupal or WordPress chip in on the conversation and give their opinions also. That will help me choose a CMS to start learning since I can't come to a conclusion by visiting only their forums or websites. I could use some neutral opinions on the matter.

Thnx again.
J.

[bbrain]

have a same problem

[jenganic]

Hi bbrain. As I have mentioned before, I am not a web designer or developer and I wanted to get started on learning a cms. After a bit of research I began (with help) learning wordpress. I think it is the way to go if you need something quite easy to learn.

I am in the process of learning it and I strongly recommend it.

[smith warnes]

hello Everyone.I'm a web developer.If you are considering of Using a CMS i will recommend Joomla.Its the most powerful CMS with great features and templates for free.The Templates are so good that they can even beat premium templates of many other platforms.Apart from using a CMS you should first plan your website requirements & a rough sketch on paper so that u are clear about the kind of layout that u require.Study about Basics of HTML & then choose the CMS which best fits your needs.To know more about the unique features of Joomla you can visit <snip> Hope it Helps.

[stevetamer]

hello Everyone.I'm a web developer.If you are considering of Using a CMS i will recommend Joomla.Its the most powerful CMS with great features and templates for free.The Templates are so good that they can even beat premium templates of many other platforms.Apart from using a CMS you should first plan your website requirements & a rough sketch on paper so that u are clear about the kind of layout that u require.Study about Basics of HTML & then choose the CMS which best fits your needs.To know more about the unique features of Joomla you can visit <snip> Hope it Helps.

Yep Im totally agree with you, there are many good extensions for do everything you want,

[TechnoBear]

As the OP decided a month ago to go with WordPress, there doesn't seem to be much point in continuing to suggest other platforms.

Thread closed.