Uhhh Joomla Is A Royal Pain.. Please Help?

[Jeffreymorreson]

Ok, I just installed Joomla and I planned on making a membership site with this but I am completely lost.. this is the most complicated user interface I have ever seen.. I have no idea where to start or what to do.

I installed AEC but it won't let me edit any payment options or anything it just says successfully installed and when I search Google for help on Joomla it just gives me links to people trying to sell crap on Joomla membership sites.

Can someone for the love of god please tell me how to configure this thing and use it? This thing is completely confusing.. I have Legacy 1.0 enabled because I was told I needed it to run AEC properly.

If it helps, I'm running Joomla 1.5.6 and I plan on making a membership website with it.

If Not Joomla.. can someone please recommend a membership script that's easy to run and still looks good and lets you customize the page easily without knowledge of HTML.

[BlueSquares]

Use Wordpress. There's tons of plugins that automatically integrate.
I believe MagChick is selling a WSO right now for $47.

There's also:
Your Members Wordpress Membership plugin - Wordpress Specialists ($50 + $15 for a IP protector)

Then theres:
Caribou which I've tried and works great ($199 one-time fee after first 100 registered members).

Originally Posted by Jeffreymorreson

Ok, I just installed Joomla and I planned on making a membership site with this but I am completely lost.. this is the most complicated user interface I have ever seen.. I have no idea where to start or what to do.

I installed AEC but it won't let me edit any payment options or anything it just says successfully installed and when I search Google for help on Joomla it just gives me links to people trying to sell crap on Joomla membership sites.

Can someone for the love of god please tell me how to configure this thing and use it? This thing is completely confusing.. I have Legacy 1.0 enabled because I was told I needed it to run AEC properly.

If it helps, I'm running Joomla 1.5.6 and I plan on making a membership website with it.

If Not Joomla.. can someone please recommend a membership script that's easy to run and still looks good and lets you customize the page easily without knowledge of HTML.

[Jeffreymorreson]

Wordpress doesn't offer as much customizable options as I would like it to though.

I have seen some of the sites made by Joomla and they're amazing.. but I will be damned to know how they figured Joomla out because I highly doubt anyone figures this program out on their own.

Can anyone recommend another CMS that's easy to use and customize?

[Sean Donahoe]

Actually there is an easier approach for you. I have made many websites in Joomla and although you can do this in Wordpress you have a lot more flexibility for income streams using Joomla.

Now, you say you are using Joomla 1.5.6, here are my recommendations to get you on the fast track:

1. Go get the Joomla 1.5.7 patch and install it via FTP over your Joomla 1.5.6 installation or install the new base. (I would recommend this if you have tried to use AEC in 1.5 as it tries to hack core files)

2. Install sh404sef for SEO optimization and a ton of other useful stuff

3. AEC is a great component but JoomlaSuite Member is far better for Joomla 1.5 and I use that in combo with JoomlaSuite User, Defender and JoomlaSuite Analytics (they do a bundle deal for $99)

4. Setup your payment methods, restrictions (its actually a lot more intuitive and using common sense is required as their documentation is not that great)

5. JoomlaSuite User allows you to collect a lot more info than the base "Registration" form so you can capture more demographics for you users

Alternate Approach - AMember

This is a thrid party perl script that integrates into Joomla and it works pretty well. I have used it on a couple of projects before using JoomlaSuite Member and it performed very well. Its a bit more expensive but you can turn many apps into paid membership sites with purchasing new plugins.

If you really want to go the AEC route I would recommend using Joomla 1.0.15 as there are too many bugs using it with Joomla 1.5X even in Legacy mode. AEC is a great component and does work very well for most people. The main issue is the hacks to core files.

Another word of advice for using AEC if you are using Community Builder 1.2 (the latest version available to subscribers) you will have to use the DEV version of AEC not the "Stable" version.

Hope that helps some....

[Jeffreymorreson]

Thanks for the reply.

Do I have to use Community Site Builder if I plan on making a membership site? I was just told to get Joomla because it was easy and like hell it is.

[BlueSquares]

Great stuff, Chikira. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Chikira

Actually there is an easier approach for you. I have made many websites in Joomla and although you can do this in Wordpress you have a lot more flexibility for income streams using Joomla.

Now, you say you are using Joomla 1.5.6, here are my recommendations to get you on the fast track:

1. Go get the Joomla 1.5.7 patch and install it via FTP over your Joomla 1.5.6 installation or install the new base. (I would recommend this if you have tried to use AEC in 1.5 as it tries to hack core files)

2. Install sh404sef for SEO optimization and a ton of other useful stuff

3. AEC is a great component but JoomlaSuite Member is far better for Joomla 1.5 and I use that in combo with JoomlaSuite User, Defender and JoomlaSuite Analytics (they do a bundle deal for $99)

4. Setup your payment methods, restrictions (its actually a lot more intuitive and using common sense is required as their documentation is not that great)

5. JoomlaSuite User allows you to collect a lot more info than the base "Registration" form so you can capture more demographics for you users

Alternate Approach - AMember

This is a thrid party perl script that integrates into Joomla and it works pretty well. I have used it on a couple of projects before using JoomlaSuite Member and it performed very well. Its a bit more expensive but you can turn many apps into paid membership sites with purchasing new plugins.

If you really want to go the AEC route I would recommend using Joomla 1.0.15 as there are too many bugs using it with Joomla 1.5X even in Legacy mode. AEC is a great component and does work very well for most people. The main issue is the hacks to core files.

Another word of advice for using AEC if you are using Community Builder 1.2 (the latest version available to subscribers) you will have to use the DEV version of AEC not the "Stable" version.

Hope that helps some....

[Sean Donahoe]

No you do not have to use Community Builder at all, many people choose to as it gives profiles and plugs in with a lot of other "Community" components such as Forums, Group Apps, Comment Systems etc.

Joomla does have a bit of a learning curve if you have never used it, but once you have got to grips with it you will find it very easy and quick to build new websites. I use Joomla for over 80% of my projects and my clients projects.

There are a couple of good instructional ebooks and video tutorial sites out there. I even saw a WSO recently for making Joomla Membership sites. I am not sure of the approach they took but it may well be worth checking out.

The hardest thing most people seem to have with Joomla is the seperation of Modules, Content and Components. Joomla is so flexible it can get confusing if you put in too much at once.

Joomla is the ideal membership platform and you really will gain some great benefits using this system once you get past the hurdles of learning the UI. Also, the Joomla community is pretty good when it comes to advice and I am sure there are people that have had you exact issues and figured them out.

[WrightAgain]

Hi Jeffreymorreson,

I found Drupal to be a nice CMS, you can install it in a password protected directory and password protect your download areas.

Having said that, I prefer a forum for a membership site. You can password protect different areas depending on the membership level of your members and you capture all emails when they join, especially if you use the "must pre approve feature."

I prefer the Message board, guestbook, polls, and more. - Website Toolbox forum as you don't have to worry about problems on your own hosting account. Also they have a 7 day free trial if you want to "play around" with it to see if it fits your needs. It's not an auto bill. If you don't pay after 7 days it just goes away.

Tamara Wright

[Art Turner]

Go to this site:

How To Setup A Membership Site Using Joomla | HowIDid

and register to watch Deep's video.

Questions? Go to the forums for AEC and Community Builder.

Don't let everyone talk you out of Joomla. It's a great CMS and works well for this.

Art

[Chris Lockwood]

Have you tried reading the Joomla user manual and their extensive forum?

[Jeffreymorreson]

Yeah.. no one on the forum responds and I tried to view the Video on How I Did, and now my browser is saying "Your video can not play this content" and tells me to download Windows Media Player.. I'm pretty sure I have WMP

So I downloaded the latest one and I had to re-start my machine.. Internet Explorer now will not work (Not that I use it any way) and it still says it can't play the video..

Something is going to get broken.. I can just feel it.

*Edit*

Haha.. the one Browser I can't stand.. Chrome is the only one that will play the video for some reason.

[Chris Lockwood]

But did you read the user manual and read the forum (not just ask for help, but actually read what is already there)? They have a low tolerance there for people who ask questions that could have been answered by reading the material already available.

[MaxineKelly]

Well seems to me that you have just used Wordpress and jump to Joomla. Now you are trying to grab everything with in few hours and I think thats the reason.

If you want to use Joomla than go step by step. Like select category and made according to your contain and extra. If you will go step by step than believe me this one is most well managed CMS I ever seen

[Jeffreymorreson]

Well now it gives me a 404 error when ever anyone clicks "register"

and when ever a link is clicked on the website then it just shows a plain white background with text.. I've seen some amazing websites built with this thing but how in the hell can I have so many problems with it...?

And yes.. I did just jump from WP to Joomla

[sprawl5]

I hired someone to build a Joomla membership/forum site for me, and he did a great job.

Then I wrecked Joomla, and had to have it re-installed.

After doing so, I became so bogged down in getting the forum aspect to run properly, and so discouraged by my clumsiness with Joomla's interface, that I eventually threw up my hands, shelled out a hundred bucks, and leased vBulletin.

Very, very easy to configure.

Of course, I'm still working out some (rather, many) kinks, but I got the thing up and running in minutes; got the interface figured out in an afternoon; and have a forum running. Compare this to the three weeks of frustration I spent thrashing about with Joomla.

Is vBulletin as extensible as Joomla?

Surely not.

Is Joomla an excellent, exceedingly rich long-term platform?

Doubtless.

Still, I bailed on it, and I feel rather better for having done so.

Cents: two, from me.

[Lloyd Lopes]

Jeffery - 1.5 and AEC together is not a great idea. Although they work together , the minute you try and add on other things they conflict.

1.0 is proven , reliable and stable and you shouldn't have these problems. I use AEC + JACL + community builder on many sites that I have built, as well as my own sites , and they work well and generally don't give hassles.

In my sig , I have a complete Joomla setup that I deploy for you ( with everything installed for a membership site ) - so you can just use it without hassle.

However , learning about how the components work through trial and error is a great way to learn - so only go through my route if you;re feeling lazy :-)