TheNaked TruthExposing the myth ofpublic speaking

Women 0f

McBdChallenges of M

the businessl Ten Steps to Puhlishing a Joomla! Website

Register

;ffiiffiffi.ffiww'k#w-

Tgn,,;tFpsJoodlal WebsiteStorg bg Marilyn Jones

l_l aving a professional looking website is as essential inI I business nowadays as having a business card, emailaddress, and a cell phone. When it comes to creating agreat looking website that is easy to design, build andmaintain, it's hard to beat Joomlal the most popular freeand open source website content management system inthe world. Without writing a single line of code or know-ing anything about html. you can create a state-of the-artwebsite that has all the bells and whistles you mightever need. Best of all Joomla! is free, and it is supportedby a large community of web developers who continueto build Joomla!templates and extensions.There areplenty of resources online, both free and paid, that canguide you through the process of building your websitein Joomla! from designing and building it to securing andbacking it up, allwith the click of a mouse.The question is,where do you begin?

Determine the Goals of your Website

The first step to building your website isto determine the purpose of your website.Define the measurable results you wouldlike to achieve. Write down your short-term,

as well as your long-term goals for your website.You willwant to arrive at a clear understanding of your website'spurpose so that you can determine what it needs to do.as well as what it needs to look like in order to attract andserve your market.

Draft Your Website's Strategic Plan

Once you have a clear idea of your website'spurpose, you'll want to develop a writtenstrategic plan for building it.Your strategicplan needs to profile your ideal users. the

information they are looking for, the keywords they mightuse to find you in a Google search and the available timeand resources you can devote to your website project. Atthis step, you'll also want to identify the functionality you

need to achieve the goals. lf the purpose of your websiteis to sell goods and services, you'll need an online storeextension. lf the purpose of your website is for people toregister and pay for events online, you'll need an eventsextension. A timeline or critical path/checklist will helpyou stay on schedule and focus on your priorities.

Your Domain & Secure a Web Host

Next you'll want to determine the most ap-propriate domain name for your website andregister it with a domain registration com-pany such as www.netfirms.ca or www.host

gator.com. After you have registered the domain name(s),you'll want to secure server space from a website hostingprovider.You can also arrange for this service from thetwo registration companies listed above or a number ofother hosts. Cost to register a domain: $10 to $15 a year.Cost to secure a decent web host: $200 to 9250 a year.

Describe the Look and Feel of Your Website

Now is the time to consider the appropriateJoomla! template you want to use.The lookand feel of a Joomla! website -- elementssuch as font type, size and color, menu co-

lours and styling, etc. - are all controlled by the template.There are four elements of a Joomla ! template you'll wantto consider:

1. graphical design elements,2. colors, typography and style,3. module positions and4. features and functionality.

You'll have three options for securing a Joomlal template.You can use a free or a commercial Joomla!template atwww. rockettheme.com, o r www.yooth eme.com or youcan build a custom one using a program such as www.ar-tisteer.com or, if you're comfortable working in code, you

E

t/mrr^r5the businessl Ten Steps to Puhlishing a Joomla! Website , , *-, =*-

can build a Joomla! template from scratch.The templateyou use for your website is a foundation on which youwill build your site so you need to consider this decisioncarefully. However, you can easily change the template inthe future with often little effort. Do a little sketch of thecontent you want on your home page to help you deter-mine how you want your home page to look.

Website Content and Navigation

Now that you know what you want yourJoomla I website to do, your ideal visitors,the actions you would like them to take andwhat you want the site to look like, you're

ready to map out the sections, categories, content, andmenus. If you plan to optimize your website for searchengines you'll want to use tools such as Google KeywordsSelection software to determine the words and phrasesyour ideal users will use to locate your website, beforeyou start writing the content and preparing the images forthe website.

Decide Upon the Website Features andFunctionality

With a clear understanding of the contentyou want to present and how you want topresent it. you will have a better idea of thetypes of Joomla ! extensions that you might

need to install in order to achieve the website goals. Offthe shelf. Joomla! comes with six components and ten ormore modules that offer the most popular functions of a

typical website. lt does not come with some of the otherpopular features such as a photo gallery, online registra-tion form or events calendar. lf you want additional func-tions beyond the core Joomla! files, you'll need to installadditional software. lf SEO is an important aspect ofyour website. you'll also need to consider SEO activitiesand extensions. With over 4,000 extensions listed on theextensions di rectory at www.joom la.org, you'realmost certain to find that someone has alreadybuilt the extension that you're looking for. Mostof the extensions are free.The commercial ex-

tensions range from $20 to $250 or so. Searchthe extension index to find the types of exten-sions you are looking for,Then make a list ofthe options each offers, compare the features,checkout the demos and read the reviewsfrom other users before purchasingand/or installing additional extensions ffin&*

- .*

on your site. lf you find that there are noexisting extensions that provide the features or func-tionality that your website project requires beyond thecore Joomla! files, you'll might want to explore having a

module custom built.You can find Joomlal developers byconducting a Google search or using a web-based service

Define the

':;:= ==;=

such as www.joomlancers.com or www.ela nce.co m.

lnstall and Configure the Website Files

..t,.,:'" '' .::,.. Once you've completed steps one to six,

:,.;;,:1t;;;;i L,,1:;1,,:,:; you're ready to start the installation process.

:;1:.,;;;;- ,:.:;::::;:,,: lf you haven't secured a vendor to host your'':r:iir':t:::i:::r':j' website files such as www.netfirms.ca or

www.hostgator.com, you'll need to do this first. Someweb hosts have automated tools such as Fantastico forinstalling Joomla ! via the CPanel which is the methodpreferred by many.You can also install Joomla! manu-ally on the server or install software on your computerthat enables you to build the Joomla ! website offline andthen upload the files when the website is completed. lfyou prefer to manually install Joomla ! on your serveror your computer, you'll need to go to the www.joomla.org site to download the latest version. As of this writing,Joomla 1.5.15 is the latest version on offer. Once Joomla!is installed you'll need to configure the site files specificto your needs.Then you'll need to install any additlonalextensions, and the site's template (unless you want touse one of the three templates that come with Joomla!by default). After you install the Joomla ! software pack-

age, additional extensions, and the site's template, you'reready to rough in the sections and categories as outlinedin your site plan.

Populate Your Website with Articles, Images& Other Assets

Now you're finally ready to upload the ar-

ticles and images to the website. Arlicles andother content can be placed in the body areaof the website or in any of your template's

module positions. lf you used dummy text as placehold-ers for the articles, you can simply replace the dummytext with the actual text and insert graphics to illustratethe articles. Configure and populate any additional com

continued on page 22

Joornl #k.#"C)l*

'etffi*-neB

?;s

t

the individual I You Are What You Eat

continued from page 20

Dena Ferretti, Dietitian for Revive Wellness explains somechallenges people face in maintaining a healthy diet,"People are unique. Which is why their nutrition prescrip-tion needs to be personalized. ln order to live with energy,vitality and health, Canadians need to find the rightbalance between nutrition and exercise for their body."?lternatively, if you are an emotional eater, research hasshown that addressing the emotional reasons can be asimportant for health, weight loss success and mainte-nance, as nutrition and exercise combined."

Brad King author of Action Plannerwrites, "No govern-ment would dream of passing laws restricting your rightsto eat whatever you choose. Can you imagine the outcrythat would follow a ban on junk food? What this means isthat if you want to win back your health you are going tohave to monitor your own food and lifestyle choices; youhave to arm yourself with the right information and makedecisions that will repair your body!'4

_:j: i- -

.- r.':'i-

ii]lf,*:;;,.

. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (trans{at)-Trans-fats increase the LDL "lousy" cholesterol a: -decrease the HDL "healthy" cholesterol in your bl: - iat the same time. This is why it is important to lin .

the processed Trans-fats in your diet.

o Food additives that require a scientist to explaln a-:pr0n0unce.

100% whole grain

Whole wheat flour100% f ruit juice

lnformation provided by Bevive Fiealth and Wellness . www.revivewellness.ca

continued from page 11

ponents and extensions and you're done.

Secure and Update Your Wehsite

',.l.,:::,..i..1:,, Back up your site files on a daily or weeklyii:i. ; : basis and check for any updates to Joomla!-:::\:;;*t.....it'

as well as any of the extensions you in-'':i']:la:J:nr' stalled, on a monthly basis. Many developers

use Akeebabackup (formerly JoomlaPack) to backup andrestore their site files.You can find out more about thisfree and open source extension at www.akeebabackup.com. Your web host might also offer a one-click backup ofyour site files.You can find out more about how to secureyour Joomla! website by conducting a Google search"joom la secu rity checkl ist."

Your New Website

Now that you've built a website with greatcontent. you'll want to spend some timepromoting your site. lf you've written key-word rich articles, optimized your images

and other assets for search engines, created anchor linksto your most important articles. and enabled SEF URLs,you're well on your way. Other fast and easy things youcan do to promote your site are 1)create a site map bysubmitting it to Google andYahoo, and 2l install modulesto link your social media accounts likeTwifier, FacebookandYouTube to your website.The high page rank of thesepopular sites linking to your website will increase yourwebsite's visibility while offering your ideal visitors evenmore opportunities to communicate with you.

See more about Joomlal at www.joomla.org. MarilynJones is an Edmonton based corporate and social mediaevangelist with a passion for publishing and communica-tions. See more at mediamag.ca. Z!

Promote

@

1. Eating out. Dining in fast food or "sit-down" restaurants 0n a regu-lar basis can sabotage your best efforts to follow a healthy mealplan. A normal dinner should Iook like 3-4oz meat, 1 1% cups ofpasta/rice, % cup cooked or raw vegetables (eg. Carrots, broccoli,etc.), and 2 cups salad with 1 tbsp dressing. However a typicalrestaurant meal can be 2x to 8x larger than this.

TlP. 0nly order what y0u are hungry for (avoid the temptati0n for thebetter deal for just 2Scents more) or share the main course withyour dinner guest (your wallet and waistline will thank youl)

2. Mindlesseating. Besearch hasshownthatthe largerthe dish, be

it the bowl holding your candies or popcorn, 0r the plate y0u serveyour dinner on, the more an individual will eat. Pair this will sittingin front of the television and by the first commerciai y0u can'trecall finishing the bowl or plate of food you sat down with.

TIP. Dish-up on a smaller plate (or bowl), turn off the television and

enloy the food you are eating. ln today's hectic world, taking a fewm0ments for your health will lead to your overallwellness.

3. Drinking your calories. We have heard this time and time agaln,

but it is worth mentioning especially heading into the summer

months. Alcoholic beverages are n0t water and they do containcalories - a lot in fact. Having just 2-3 drinks in an evening can

equal the same amount of calories in a large burger or 2 3 choco-

late bars! Here is a breakdown of the top offenders.

. 0ne bottle of beer can contribute up t0 200 cal0ries

. 0ne 5oz glass of wine (m0st restaurants serve 7oz) can contributeup to 150 calories iup to 200 at the restaurant)

o 0ne 1.502 of distilled spirits alone can c0ntribute upto 125cal0-ries. paired with a cola, tonic or sprite and your drink takes you

over 250 calories.

TIP: lf it is hot outside. be sure to hydrate with water, not beer. 0rorder sparkling water with lemon, or club soda with a splash ofcranberry iuice instead of that second alcoholic drink.