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Joomla is an open-source content management system (CMS) to publish your web content for free. A global community of volunteers and developers has made Joomla a widely used website software by ensuring the user-friendliness, multilingualism, extendability, responsiveness, accessibility, search engine optimization, and more.
The framework on which Joomla is built is a model-view-controller web application, which can be used single-handedly without the support of the CM, allowing you to create powerful online apps. Joomla has powered millions of websites of all sizes and shapes across the globe. However, its prominent use is in:
- Corporate portals, intranets, extranets, and websites.
- Websites of small businesses.
- Virtual newspapers, publications, and magazines.
- Organizational, Governmental, and Non-Profit websites.
- Online and e-Commerce reservations.
- Family or personal homepages.
- Websites or portals for community, church, and schools.
Any person under the GPL license can use Joomla for free. There are two ways of downloading Joomla. First, download Joomla’s latest version available on Joomla Downloads Portal and install the software. Secondly, you can use Joomla without installing it. Here, you can create your free website immediately on “launch.joomla.org.”
With the basics about Joomla now clear, we will learn how to create a blog in Joomla and also about the platform’s latest features and benefits.
Steps To Create Blog In Joomla Software
Step 1: Create the categories:
You must create categories to arrange and sort your blog content. To create categories, go to your Joomla administrator and select “Content” and then “Categories.” After that, click on “New” and make the desired “Blog” category.
Once you’ve created categories, you can simultaneously develop subcategories if you expect to attract massive traffic.
Step 2: Create the menu link:
To help your visitors see your blog, you should create a menu link. To create a menu link, go to the “Menus” option and then to “Main Menu.” If you prefer another menu, you are free to choose. From the main menu, select “New” and enter “Blog” in the “Menu Title” area. Now, click on the “Select” tab, which is blue, to get “Menu Item Type” and choose the “Category Blog” option. The last step is to select “Blog” under the field “Choose a Category.”
Step 3: Write the articles:
At this step, you can start writing articles. To write, go to “Content” > “Articles.”You can write articles that are under the category “Blog” or one of the subcategories. Here, if you visit the front portion of your website and click the “Blog” link, you will see many of your new posts live on your blog.
Step 4: Insert a comments extension:
A good blog has a comments section attached to it. However, Joomla does not offer a native comments feature. So, you will have to find and install a comments extension. For example, the Comment extension works great with Joomla software. To control spam, what you can do is allow your registered users to post any comments they want and hold on to all the comments from unregistered users for modifications.
Step 5: Add links to your social accounts:
It is always beneficial to add your social media features to your blog. Adding links to your social accounts means the icons that help in linking your social media accounts. You can use the Joomlashack extension called Easy Social Icons. Start by downloading and installing the Easy Social Icons and then go to “Extensions” > “Modules” > JS Easy Social Icons. Now, enter the URLs for your social media accounts.
In the “Assignments” tab, set your module as “Published” and go to the front side of your website to see your blog. You will now see your social icons beside your blog posts.
Step 6: Add icons that can be shared socially:
In this step, you add links to your blog posts that can be shared socially. For this, you can use Joomlashack’s Shack Article Sharing extension. Download and install the mentioned extension and go to “Extensions” > “Plugins” > “Content” – “Shack Article Sharing Pro. Add your plugin and inside the plugin, click on the “General Options” tab. Then, under the “Categories for Social Buttons” tab, choose the “Blog” category. If you visit your blog post, you will find links for sharing your posts on social media.
Step 7: Get organized with your blogging:
At this step, your blog is entirely ready. All you have to do is get your blog organized and sorted. You can use the Shack Editorial Calendar because this tool offers a robust calendar where you can plan, create, and edit your content easily. In addition, the tool has an easy-to-read calendar view. To schedule content, you have to drag and drop your article on your desired day.
Core Features of Joomla Software
1.) Excellent Design Features:
Joomla’s unique design features include template override, template assignments, Layouts, bootstraps to deliver perfect responsive designs, template frameworks, and tools to create your templates.
2.) Easy to Edit and Publish Content:
Here, you will find tools like WYSIWYG editor, publishing tools, article management, content versioning, media manager, and more.
3.) Impeccable Core Functionalities:
Joomla’s core functionalities are banners, redirect, syndication, tags, contacts, custom fields, messaging, etc.
4.) Offers Global and Professional Support:
The platform’s support system includes extended documentation, professional service providers, and an integrated help system.
5.) CMS Management Made Easy:
CMS management is made easy with Joomla via its easy core updates, user registration, installation from the web, and easy extension updates.
Benefits of Joomla Software
1. Joomla is flexible, easily extendable, and customizable.
2. Unique search engine optimization.
3. Open-source software and free.
4. High security with an excellent track record.
6. According to your needs, Joomla organically grows as well.
7. Joomla develops powerful PHP apps.
The Final Thoughts
Counted amongst the world’s most popular software packages, Joomla is supported by an extensive ecosystem. It has approximately 2 million active websites and more than 9% of all known business websites. Thus, Joomla is an excellent place for businesses to create applications and websites. With Joomla, the possibilities are endless.
