Joomla or Wordpress - Help Please

47 replies
I'm looking to set up a new site for my offline consulting business and need some advice -

Not sure if I should go with Joomla or Wordpress

I've done sites before with WP but never with Joomla, so I'm tempted to go with Joomla just to familiarize myself with it.

I was curious as to what you guys use, and if you could provide examples of sites/templates that would be great.

Here's what I want the site to do:

Flash intro
Opt in
User log in (would like to set up clients with username/password so that they can log in to site to pay monthly maintenance fee)

Thanks!
#joomla #wordpress
  • Profile picture of the author cheesy
    I use WP for most my sites, it has everything i need so i dot see why you should use joomla.
    But if you havent used Joomla before, it might be a good idea to use Joomla just so you can compare them yourself, might be worth it.
    I prefer WP personally though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin Lam
    I'm all about WordPress.
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  • Profile picture of the author Anthony Robinson
    I've heard that Joomla makes for a "flashier" site - less of a blog type look, more polished, etc. Any truth to this, or is it just a matter of personal preference/opinion?
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  • Profile picture of the author acedalright
    I'm in love with wordpress, so much that it cost me my marriage.

    Well, not quite, but it's a helluva good application.

    Go WP
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  • Profile picture of the author MarkH45
    Joomla can do everything Wordpress does then 10 times more. There is a learning curve associated with Joomla that keeps a lot of people away. Once you learn it though, you will never go back to Wordpress...
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin Lam
    You traitor! J/k, I have a training series on Joomla I need to go through. I might not really ever use Joomla, but I think it's good to keep my mind and options open if I ever want to try it out. At least what you said has given me a little more incentive to learn.

    However, what I love about WordPress are the plugins... does Joomla have comparable plugins useful for SEO? I'm guessing not, but do tell.
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    • Profile picture of the author MarkH45
      Originally Posted by Kevin Lam View Post

      You traitor! J/k, I have a training series on Joomla I need to go through. I might not really ever use Joomla, but I think it's good to keep my mind and options open if I ever want to try it out. At least what you said has given me a little more incentive to learn.

      However, what I love about WordPress are the plugins... does Joomla have comparable plugins useful for SEO? I'm guessing not, but do tell.
      LOL, I know there are some hard core Wordpress fans here. Joomla was the first platform I learned so I'm biased towards it

      This is the Joomla extension directory: Home - Joomla! Extensions Directory

      The 2 plugins I use for SEO are:

      SEO Simple

      SEOSimple - Joomla! Extensions Directory

      Nofollow Plugin:

      meta NoFollow Plugin - Joomla! Extensions Directory
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin Lam
    Blah, hardly enough reason for me to switch then. I might learn it just to know it, but... nah, definitely stick with WordPress. It's like deciding on whether I'd want to ride a bike or a tricycle. They both go, but the bike just has much more fun qualities.
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    • Profile picture of the author MarkH45
      Originally Posted by Kevin Lam View Post

      Blah, hardly enough reason for me to switch then. I might learn it just to know it, but... nah, definitely stick with WordPress. It's like deciding on whether I'd want to ride a bike or a tricycle. They both go, but the bike just has much more fun qualities.
      Joomla is like riding a motorcycle
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      • Profile picture of the author textbox
        WP will get you up and going more quickly as there is a bigger learning curve with Joomla. WP is not just for blogs anymore, there are plenty of professional skins that are built for a typical CMS style site.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kevin Lam
        Originally Posted by MarkH45 View Post

        Joomla is like riding a motorcycle
        Speaking of motorcycles, I found that "The fatality rate per 100,000 registered motorcycle was 64.88 while the number of fatalities per 100,000 registered passenger cars was only 15.72. In other words, motorcycle accidents are four times more likely to be deadly than are passenger car accidents..."

        You telling me you want us to ride THAT death trap? J/k.
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        • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
          I've heard that Joomla is even more vulnerable to hackers than WordPress.

          But, I don't know if that is due more to inherent issues in Joomla itself or due to issues with poorly designed plugins.

          On the other hand, I don't recall the source for that information, so there could be some bias in play. Does anyone have any insight into this? I've stayed away for Joomla for this reason, but if it's not the case, I'd take another look at it.
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          • Profile picture of the author MarkH45
            Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

            I've heard that Joomla is even more vulnerable to hackers than WordPress.

            But, I don't know if that is due more to inherent issues in Joomla itself or due to issues with poorly designed plugins.

            On the other hand, I don't recall the source for that information, so there could be some bias in play. Does anyone have any insight into this? I've stayed away for Joomla for this reason, but if it's not the case, I'd take another look at it.
            I would say Wordpress is just as vulnerable as Joomla. There is a large assortment of plugins available to make your Joomla site more secure:

            Site Security - Joomla! Extensions Directory

            Plus, Joomla is updated on a very regular basis to address security concerns.

            Wordpress having better plugins is debatable since most things that require plugins for Wordpress come standard with Joomla

            Especially the ability to have a fully functional membership site straight out of the box.

            Wordpress has 2 main advantages:
            - I like free wordpress themes better than free Joomla themes
            - the comment feature on Wordpress. Joomla has plugins for this but I would much prefer it being incorporated into the platform.

            I think it's much easier to go from learning Joomla to learning Wordpress than the other way around.

            It all just comes down to personal preference... but I love debating it
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            • Profile picture of the author rosan9
              Originally Posted by MarkH45 View Post

              Wordpress has 2 main advantages:
              - I like free wordpress themes better than free Joomla themes
              - the comment feature on Wordpress. Joomla has plugins for this but I would much prefer it being incorporated into the platform.

              I think it's much easier to go from learning Joomla to learning Wordpress than the other way around.

              It all just comes down to personal preference... but I love debating it
              I agree 100%.

              And just to fuel the debate a little more, I think learning Wordpress from the get go is way easier than learning Joomla.

              Roy
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          • Profile picture of the author ZorroCat
            Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

            I've heard that Joomla is even more vulnerable to hackers than WordPress.

            But, I don't know if that is due more to inherent issues in Joomla itself or due to issues with poorly designed plugins.
            Joomla per se is as vulnerable or invulnerable as Wordpress, Drupal, Typo3, or any other open source software. I'm subscribed to several security-related mailing lists, and they all get basically the same amount of security issues popping up.

            That is not important. What does count, however, is how the projects react to these issues. All of those I mentioned have an excellent reputation of fixing them speedily.

            There are no inherent issues in Joomla I know of. If I may say so, I have been using Joomla for dozens of projects since the beginning of the project in 2005, and before that, Mambo (its predecessor) and know my way around it. Rumours about Joomla being insecure are unsubstantiated. (Is that a word in English?)

            You do mention an important point though. Very popular open source platforms attract loads of 3rd party developers, and this is especially the case with Joomla and Wordpress, since developing extensions for these systems is relatively easy.

            That leads to a wealth of extentions/plugins, but you have to keep in mind that many, many of these are not up to professional standards. So yes, a common way for sites to get hacked is running insecure plugins, old versions etc.

            I guess that's the price that comes with open source. If you use it, you MUST keep up to date on development and at least subscribe to the announcements. If you use more than the core system, you MUST keep yourself updated on extensions as well, and be prepared to take measures if a security issue comes up for one of them.

            As for the OP, Joomla can certainly handle this. Paid membership solutions are available (for a price though). If your aim is to familiarize yourself with Joomla, then by all means go for it - doesn't sound like it would pose a problem. Double-check the need for a flash intro though.

            Joomla and Wordpress are two different beasts with some overlap in some areas. There is no way to say one is better than the other; they are meant to do different things.

            Personally I'm starting to use WP in a big way right now for making lots of minisites that run off one central install, which is something you can't do with Joomla easily, and I feel Joomla would be overkill to use for. Get your requirements clear, and then start checking which system suits you best is what I'm saying.

            Kind regards,
            Zorro
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  • Profile picture of the author jitterbug978
    personally i prefer wordpress with the amount of plugins there are it can do anything.
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  • Profile picture of the author GFox
    I have used them both. I started out with joomla, but of late, wound up building most of my sites in wordpress, I guess because of all of the really neat plugins, as pointed out by others here. For me it's a tossup, since I am quite comfortable with either. I would suggest that you learn joomla, which is not very difficult at all, if only just to give yourself some more flexibility.
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  • Profile picture of the author dollarware
    So, Mark, what would be the best way for a beginner to learn to use Joomla without getting too complicated.

    Thanks for any resources.

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author Ken Strong
    Originally Posted by Anthony Robinson View Post

    I'm looking to set up a new site for my offline consulting business and need some advice -

    Not sure if I should go with Joomla or Wordpress

    I've done sites before with WP but never with Joomla, so I'm tempted to go with Joomla just to familiarize myself with it.
    Is your consulting business on hold while you're debating which platform to use for your website? Just put up a site with Wordpress if that's what you already know, and get your business going. You can familiarize yourself with Joomla anytime, when you have some spare time. You can always change or upgrade the site later.

    Don't waste valuable time with relatively trivial details like this when you could be getting your business going and making money.
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  • Profile picture of the author kennethtang
    IMO, Joomla is way ahead of WP. The question of whether to use Joomla or WP, I guess would depend on your clientele. If they are mostly "corporate types", Joomla would look more professional (or flashier, as you put it).

    But if you're catering to SMB's or mom-and-pop's, Joomla might be overkill. In this case, I'd go for WP.

    In all cases, when it comes to ease-of-use, WP is ahead of Joomla.

    Am I talking in circles? Hmmm...

    Kenneth
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  • Profile picture of the author tdpubs
    I use both systems. Joomla is more robust and complex in terms of what you can do. It does have a learning curve if you are not a PHP based CMS creator. It's great because there are thousands of plugins for all occasions.

    Dennis Francis
    DiD Publishing Inc.
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  • Profile picture of the author rosan9
    Originally Posted by Anthony Robinson View Post

    I'm looking to set up a new site for my offline consulting business and need some advice -

    Not sure if I should go with Joomla or Wordpress

    I've done sites before with WP but never with Joomla, so I'm tempted to go with Joomla just to familiarize myself with it.

    I was curious as to what you guys use, and if you could provide examples of sites/templates that would be great.

    Here's what I want the site to do:

    Flash intro
    Opt in
    User log in (would like to set up clients with username/password so that they can log in to site to pay monthly maintenance fee)

    Thanks!
    Personally, I think trying to learn Joomla (and I feel learning any new thing is a good thing), will be way steeper of learning curve than you imagine. At least it was for me.

    I consider myself moderately skilled when it comes to learning new software and learning Joomla was way tougher than I thought it would be. In fact, I finally just gave up.

    Wordpress continues to evolve and with the membership plugins I doubt that for what you've described that Joomla will be any better of a fit.

    Stay with what you know, until you know better.

    Roy
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  • Profile picture of the author KDStyle
    You need to use WordPress. Joomla is perfect, but for other purposes. In your case - WP is easy and faster to configure and run for the first time.
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  • Profile picture of the author MarkH45
    What I meant to say was if you already know Joomla, learning Wordpress is pretty easy versus already knowing Wordpress than trying to learn Joomla....

    The learning curve will still be there...
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  • Profile picture of the author CarolinaInvestor
    I think it would be helpful if those that are giving their opinion would mention if they have experience with both platforms... I suspect that many of the WP cheerleaders have not successfully used Joomla. With that said, I think you have to look at what you are doing. If you are putting together a blog, then WP is probably your platform. If you are putting together a complex site with different types of content (video, audio, etc) then Joomla is probably better suited.

    WP is hands down the easiest to use. The Joomla guys must have been on something to make it work the way it does because it is in no way intuitive. Why would you not make a web site delivery system page oriented? I am still surprised that nobody here uses DotNetNuke. It is also a great platform and more straight forward to use than Joomla. I think the best way to make the decision is to lay out what you are going to do with the site and choose based on that information. Blog, informational web site, few pages, stuff along that line - Joomla and DNN are just too much.
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    • Profile picture of the author JamesFrancisIM
      Hey guys,

      Well I used both WordPress and Joomla, and can honestly say there's a distinct difference which all boils down to what you're going to use it for.

      I use Joomla for more polished websites and members areas, and wordpress for blogs.

      Also, WordPress is usually better for SEO.

      However, despite the HUGE learning curve at the start of using Joomla, the possibilities for it are endless and in my opinion, are better for interactive websites over that of WordPress, which should be used for blogs only.

      Just my 2 cents from experience

      - James.
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      • Profile picture of the author philm
        Hi

        I have been using Joomla for my latest project which is an ecommerce site and have found it relatively easy to use with Virtuemart which is also very good.

        Now that I want to add more content I am thinking of installing Wordpress in a separate folder - do you guys with experience of both think that this is the best solution for simplicity and also for SEO etc or would you just add content using Joomla?

        I have found Joomla really good and relatively easy. There are lots of great templates available but for a pure content site would suggest that WP is the better option.

        Joomla and Wordpress are both great but I think they provide the solution to slightly different needs really. Pure content = Wordpress, but 'corporate' looking site or ecommerce etc = Joomla

        Then again - I am also looking at building my next ecommerce site with WP to see how it compares!

        So many options!!!

        Cheers
        Phil
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  • Profile picture of the author janvera
    I really prefer Blogger but people say Wordpress is even better than that, so probably go with Wordpress.
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  • Profile picture of the author Floyd Bogart
    I know Willie Crawford is doing a lot of Joomla sites now, so you may get some good resources by dropping him a PM or an email.
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  • Profile picture of the author kentaiwan98
    I like the apps that can post to Wordpress, esp. LiveWriter (by MS, no less!). It allows you to post pages AND posts in WP blogs, and you never have to open your browser.

    Obviously, comments still need to be checked. But AFAIK, Joomla just can't do that at all. It has been rumored for ages that Jooomla would be given that ability but it hasn't yet....

    Correct me , if I am wrong!
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  • Profile picture of the author gskesavan
    If it's a site for your profession then I suggest you go with joomla. Just play around with it, I'm sure it has more great stuff than WP. If you are planning on a niche blog then WP is the best option.

    It's easy to learn joomla. You have great modules to add and publishing and organizing content is a cake walk.
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  • Profile picture of the author TanYaV
    WordPress is my personal fav, but i didn't use Joomla before. I love the ease, the clarity, the lightness. But you very soundly want to learn Joomla, so why not get it and play around with it?
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    regards!

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  • Profile picture of the author laracoates28
    I can help you recommending WordPress I use WP almost all of my blog and website. We can do almost anything you want with WP.
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  • Profile picture of the author Prady N
    Wordpress is the my first choice with so many plugins available it will be easier for you to build site in it & you are familiar with it too ..so why to go with joomla..just my opinion
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  • Profile picture of the author moinuddin
    i think joomla is good in design...but it has learning curve and not easy as WP
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      I do most of my sites with joomla, you can do them flashy or simple.

      It is a matter of what you are most comfortable with. I never got used to WP. I do have a couple of WP sites, but... get annoyed trying to do simple things.

      About security, in the old days where you had to do the updates manually in Joomla, the delay could be costly. Right now, the system tells you when something is outdated and the updates are very easy. If you use Quick Start to install, there is an option for automatic updates, it is not always a good thing, but for simple installs it is ok to use it.
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      • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
        Originally Posted by Anthony Robinson View Post

        I've heard that Joomla makes for a "flashier" site - less of a blog type look, more polished, etc. Any truth to this, or is it just a matter of personal preference/opinion?
        Any real web designer or developer can make a more polished website regardless of the CMS you use.

        Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

        I've heard that Joomla is even more vulnerable to hackers than WordPress.

        But, I don't know if that is due more to inherent issues in Joomla itself or due to issues with poorly designed plugins.

        On the other hand, I don't recall the source for that information, so there could be some bias in play. Does anyone have any insight into this? I've stayed away for Joomla for this reason, but if it's not the case, I'd take another look at it.
        Joomla is usually much more secure. It ultimately comes down to your knowledge. If you're using an outdated 1.0 install then you're going to have some issues of course.

        Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

        I do most of my sites with joomla, you can do them flashy or simple.

        It is a matter of what you are most comfortable with. I never got used to WP. I do have a couple of WP sites, but... get annoyed trying to do simple things.

        About security, in the old days where you had to do the updates manually in Joomla, the delay could be costly. Right now, the system tells you when something is outdated and the updates are very easy. If you use Quick Start to install, there is an option for automatic updates, it is not always a good thing, but for simple installs it is ok to use it.
        Even before 1.6 it was still easy to update, a matter of 15 seconds lol. The issue with most wordpress, joomla and drupal sites or any CMS for that matter is that you have 3rd party plugins that aren't always secure, or can conflict with something else, and keeping up on those updates is much harder.

        People like wordpress because it is easy for them to learn I guess... but in my opinion, you're a little more limited than you are with Joomla or Drupal.

        If you're starting a web design or consulting business, I think it is important to understand the pros and cons of each CMS. If you are a web designer or developer, then you have a tool box. Not every tool should be used on every project. Some projects are better fit for wordpress, some are better for Joomla, or Drupal, and if you're going ecommerce then definitely use magento!
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by moinuddin View Post

      i think joomla is good in design...but it has learning curve and not easy as WP
      You just gave me an idea for my next Visual Guide
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  • Profile picture of the author Scoop
    I have used both and in the end I went with Wordpress for quick and easy setup of multiple sites. There is no difference where looks are concerned - both can be made to look as good and professional as you like.

    However, I would take the advice of Ken at #17 - go with Wordpress now to get your business running and learn Joomla in your spare time. It is too easy to let these issues get in the way of actually building your business.
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  • Profile picture of the author doronshindor
    No doubt a leader in WordPress, I also use this system!
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    If you've never used Joomla and decide to go with Joomla, be prepared to tear your hair out for a good while. I'm a pretty quick study on most things computer related and I couldn't believe the learning curve involved. After I finally perfected it, I quit using it altogether. I put the sites up for sale on Flippa and they sold well and then comes a month of support to the buyer who had no clue what Joomla was or how to use it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Danit98765
    Hi,
    I'm using wordpress and I'm loving it. It's easy to operate and you have there all the functions you need.

    Good Luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
      You guys are posting to a 4 year old thread. Think the OP had his answer a long time ago
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      • Profile picture of the author Scoop
        Originally Posted by DWolfe View Post

        You guys are posting to a 4 year old thread. Think the OP had his answer a long time ago
        Good point, although it takes some people a while to get around to actually selling.
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  • Profile picture of the author OldLodgeSkins
    +1
    At first I thought this was a new Joomla vs WP thread (there's been a few) and then I noticed the date LOL!
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