advice from some of you professional developers
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Ed
Jun 11, 2012, 12:41:01 AM6/11/12
to Joomla! User Group New England
I have been tinkering with joomla for a couple years, I am not an
expert in PHP, but can almost always find a solution to hack a fix if
I do enough research online for my needs. I have experimented with a
few sites that I have since took down, and I have made some websites
using joomla for some friends for hobbies and businesses.
Some friends have told me to try to at least get some small business
website jobs, but I am not too sure about whether I am good enough. I
am by no means an expert like most of you ( and thank you all for this
group, I have found many answers searching through this group) but I
was wondering if any of you had any time to look at some of the sites
I made to see if you think I am at the stage where I can start doing
small sites. I am pretty confident I can figure out some more complex
sites, but not confident on how long it would take me.
If any of you have any time to check out some of the sites, that would
be awesome.
www.ibelievein3halves.com built on 1.5 never updated it, all but
abandoned but used SOBI like crazy on this site for many different
reasons
www.the3halves.com a news site (politics) if you are a republican,
just ignore content lol. I just stopped CDN for it so a little slower
right now.
www.keepinitkleen.com simple site for a friend, includes a work
schedule for her employees using google calendar in the "registered"
area
www.yourmadj.com website for another friend, I just made last week
need to finish/adjust some copy but site is complete.
Right now I am starting my first ecommerce site too, for another
friend. I am doing all of these for free to learn, and obviously
since it is free, I am a little lazier about some things, but if any
of you have a moment and can check it out, any advice would help.
If this isn't the correct forum for this type of question, I apologize
to the admins already, I have just been a long time fan of this group
and respect your opinions.
expert in PHP, but can almost always find a solution to hack a fix if
I do enough research online for my needs. I have experimented with a
few sites that I have since took down, and I have made some websites
using joomla for some friends for hobbies and businesses.
Some friends have told me to try to at least get some small business
website jobs, but I am not too sure about whether I am good enough. I
am by no means an expert like most of you ( and thank you all for this
group, I have found many answers searching through this group) but I
was wondering if any of you had any time to look at some of the sites
I made to see if you think I am at the stage where I can start doing
small sites. I am pretty confident I can figure out some more complex
sites, but not confident on how long it would take me.
If any of you have any time to check out some of the sites, that would
be awesome.
www.ibelievein3halves.com built on 1.5 never updated it, all but
abandoned but used SOBI like crazy on this site for many different
reasons
www.the3halves.com a news site (politics) if you are a republican,
just ignore content lol. I just stopped CDN for it so a little slower
right now.
www.keepinitkleen.com simple site for a friend, includes a work
schedule for her employees using google calendar in the "registered"
area
www.yourmadj.com website for another friend, I just made last week
need to finish/adjust some copy but site is complete.
Right now I am starting my first ecommerce site too, for another
friend. I am doing all of these for free to learn, and obviously
since it is free, I am a little lazier about some things, but if any
of you have a moment and can check it out, any advice would help.
If this isn't the correct forum for this type of question, I apologize
to the admins already, I have just been a long time fan of this group
and respect your opinions.
Jen Kramer
Jun 11, 2012, 9:18:29 AM6/11/12
to joom...@googlegroups.com
Hi Ed --
The first thing to remember is the definition of "professional" -- you are paid for what you do. And by that definition, it's likely you're a professional already. :-)
If someone values your work enough to pay for doing it, you have the start of a business.
All of the people in this group who derive a living from building Joomla websites started somewhere.
Some started at school (most retraining from some other career they had). Many are self-taught.
Some had life circumstances which forced them to think about how to make money from home and then fell into web design. Others purposefully thought about how to get into the web design business.
Some started doing web design at a job, then took side jobs, and then eventually had enough side work that they quit their day job. Other whacked people (me!) quit their day job first and then figured out how to build websites. (OK, it was the go-go internet bubble time, and I was young and foolish, but it worked out OK in the end.)
It sounds like you love Joomla, you have some experience in the field, you've built a few sites, and you're eager to continue learning. Your ego isn't in the way of asking for help, and you've built up some connections in the field -- you're posting here after all.
Solely on the basis of asking these questions and the way you've framed them, I'd say you're ready to take on some bigger jobs.
When my students needed to work on a project for a class or for their master's thesis, I'd always ask them if they felt a bit scared when we'd agreed on a project for them. If they felt a bit scared, I told them that was perfect -- they were exactly in the right place.
If you're comfortable, you're not stretching your skills. That's fine to do on occasion. We all have bills to pay, and sometimes you just need to crank out a few sites for that reason.
If you're terrified, you've taken a job that's way over your head -- get some help fast!
But if you're just a bit scared, a bit uncomfortable, that's the sweet spot where you're stretching and learning, but you're not out of your depth. You have this user group to help point you in the right direction, plus there's the Joomla forum and many other places to ask questions.
So stretch, grow, and have fun!
Jen
--
Jen Kramer
4Web, Inc.
Creators of Highly Customized Joomla Websites
www.4webinc.com
802-257-2657
j...@4webinc.com
Twitter: jen4web
The first thing to remember is the definition of "professional" -- you are paid for what you do. And by that definition, it's likely you're a professional already. :-)
If someone values your work enough to pay for doing it, you have the start of a business.
All of the people in this group who derive a living from building Joomla websites started somewhere.
Some started at school (most retraining from some other career they had). Many are self-taught.
Some had life circumstances which forced them to think about how to make money from home and then fell into web design. Others purposefully thought about how to get into the web design business.
Some started doing web design at a job, then took side jobs, and then eventually had enough side work that they quit their day job. Other whacked people (me!) quit their day job first and then figured out how to build websites. (OK, it was the go-go internet bubble time, and I was young and foolish, but it worked out OK in the end.)
It sounds like you love Joomla, you have some experience in the field, you've built a few sites, and you're eager to continue learning. Your ego isn't in the way of asking for help, and you've built up some connections in the field -- you're posting here after all.
Solely on the basis of asking these questions and the way you've framed them, I'd say you're ready to take on some bigger jobs.
When my students needed to work on a project for a class or for their master's thesis, I'd always ask them if they felt a bit scared when we'd agreed on a project for them. If they felt a bit scared, I told them that was perfect -- they were exactly in the right place.
If you're comfortable, you're not stretching your skills. That's fine to do on occasion. We all have bills to pay, and sometimes you just need to crank out a few sites for that reason.
If you're terrified, you've taken a job that's way over your head -- get some help fast!
But if you're just a bit scared, a bit uncomfortable, that's the sweet spot where you're stretching and learning, but you're not out of your depth. You have this user group to help point you in the right direction, plus there's the Joomla forum and many other places to ask questions.
So stretch, grow, and have fun!
Jen
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Joomla! User Group New England" group.
To post to this group, send email to joom...@googlegroups.com.
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--
Jen Kramer
4Web, Inc.
Creators of Highly Customized Joomla Websites
www.4webinc.com
802-257-2657
j...@4webinc.com
Twitter: jen4web
Andrea Pluhar
Jun 11, 2012, 9:28:37 AM6/11/12
to joom...@googlegroups.com
Hey Ed- I've seen some sites that look a lot worse than this developed by "professionals"! ;-)
Andrea Pluhar
160 Briar Lane
Wellfleet MA 02667
Creative Services: http://pluharcreative.com
Fine Art: http://www.andreapluhar.com
Don LeBreux
Jun 11, 2012, 9:36:38 AM6/11/12
to joom...@googlegroups.com
I agree with Jen (have you thougth of a 2nd career in Counseling?).
Anyways Ed, you seem, based on your email and the sites you shared like you're on your way.
Like Jen says, being a bit scared is good. This happens every time you make a jump in your skill sets and push yourself a little harder. But my guess is that you've been through this before and you rose to the challenge. More than likely you'll rise again.
Good luck.
Anne Campbell
Jun 11, 2012, 9:56:58 AM6/11/12
to joom...@googlegroups.com
I agree with Jen too, and Ed, I think your sites are very nicely done! It looks like you're using pre-made templates, but there's no problem with that whatsoever.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you find yourself hitting a wall at some point (and you will), there is ALWAYS help out there. I've been designing and building websites since 1995, and nearly every day, I run into one of these scenarios:
-Anne
--
Anne Campbell, in...@annecampbelldesign.com
http://www.annecampbelldesign.com/
http://www.riverbenddoula.com/
One thing to keep in mind is that if you find yourself hitting a wall at some point (and you will), there is ALWAYS help out there. I've been designing and building websites since 1995, and nearly every day, I run into one of these scenarios:
- Oh crud, there's a weird error message I've never seen before. Let me Google it and find a blog post or user forum where somebody had the same problem and found a solution.
- My client wants to know if I can get her website to do her laundry for her. I've never done that before and know nothing about Web-enabled washing machines. Let me look in the JED to see if there's an extension for that, read the reviews, and give it a shot.
- My client needs an SEO expert / content writer / photographer / tax attorney / Reiki practitioner, and that's not in my job description. Let me refer him to a colleague and share the love.
-
There are umpteen image gallery extensions in the JED. How do I know which one is best for this site? I've read the reviews but want to narrow it down further. Let me ask folks on the Google Group what their favorites are.
- (This one is 100% true:) I can't get a gosh-darn core random image module to load! But there's a Joomla User Group meeting coming up, so let me go and get help from one of the best HTML/CSS/Joomla/WordPress people in the business (Barb Ackemann), and a member of the Joomla Production Leadership Team who's been programming since I was in nursery school (Andy Tarr).
-Anne
--
Anne Campbell, in...@annecampbelldesign.com
http://www.annecampbelldesign.com/
http://www.riverbenddoula.com/
Jen Kramer
Jun 11, 2012, 10:04:45 AM6/11/12
to joom...@googlegroups.com
Ha! Teaching IS counseling, but with harder love. I wouldn't have the patience (nor do I have the social skills) to do counseling... I believe in kicking asses when needed. ;-)
Jen
Jen
Andrea Tarr at Tarr Consulting
Jun 11, 2012, 10:21:23 AM6/11/12
to joom...@googlegroups.com
Oh, no, I get stuck sometimes just like everyone else :) and I shout out loud and clear.
One piece of advice that I have for people new to creating websites and programming is to always keep in mind how you will keep it updated and maintained. Not quite perfect, but easy to maintain is usually better than perfect and hard to maintain.
Good luck!
Andy
JP
Jun 11, 2012, 10:31:44 AM6/11/12
to Joomla! User Group New England
Hmmm, maybe I should reconsider that training I just signed up for :)
Jen you may need to put that counseling hat on before we begin.
Jill
Jen you may need to put that counseling hat on before we begin.
Jill
> >> On Mon, Jun 11, 2012 at 12:41 AM, Ed <edsalve...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >>> I have been tinkering with joomla for a couple years, I am not an
> >>> expert in PHP, but can almost always find a solution to hack a fix if
> >>> I do enough research online for my needs. I have experimented with a
> >>> few sites that I have since took down, and I have made some websites
> >>> using joomla for some friends for hobbies and businesses.
>
> >>> Some friends have told me to try to at least get some small business
> >>> website jobs, but I am not too sure about whether I am good enough. I
> >>> am by no means an expert like most of you ( and thank you all for this
> >>> group, I have found many answers searching through this group) but I
> >>> was wondering if any of you had any time to look at some of the sites
> >>> I made to see if you think I am at the stage where I can start doing
> >>> small sites. I am pretty confident I can figure out some more complex
> >>> sites, but not confident on how long it would take me.
>
> >>> If any of you have any time to check out some of the sites, that would
> >>> be awesome.
>
> >>>www.ibelievein3halves.combuilt on 1.5 never updated it, all but
>
> >>> I have been tinkering with joomla for a couple years, I am not an
> >>> expert in PHP, but can almost always find a solution to hack a fix if
> >>> I do enough research online for my needs. I have experimented with a
> >>> few sites that I have since took down, and I have made some websites
> >>> using joomla for some friends for hobbies and businesses.
>
> >>> Some friends have told me to try to at least get some small business
> >>> website jobs, but I am not too sure about whether I am good enough. I
> >>> am by no means an expert like most of you ( and thank you all for this
> >>> group, I have found many answers searching through this group) but I
> >>> was wondering if any of you had any time to look at some of the sites
> >>> I made to see if you think I am at the stage where I can start doing
> >>> small sites. I am pretty confident I can figure out some more complex
> >>> sites, but not confident on how long it would take me.
>
> >>> If any of you have any time to check out some of the sites, that would
> >>> be awesome.
>
> >>> abandoned but used SOBI like crazy on this site for many different
> >>> reasons
> >>>www.the3halves.coma news site (politics) if you are a republican,
> >>> reasons
Ed
Jun 11, 2012, 10:38:15 AM6/11/12
to joom...@googlegroups.com
All of you Rock very hard by the way. Yes I am using pre-made templates so far, I would just need a reliable template builder, once I can afford to spend money on it and then I can teach it to myself so I can build my own, as I do not have a desire to build them from scratch. I was just going to try to get some small businesses, to update their sites, but wasn't feeling confident enough to charge someone for my work. Thank you all so much, and any other advice from all of you would be super appreciated!
Ed
Jun 11, 2012, 10:46:44 AM6/11/12
to joom...@googlegroups.com
really thank you all, I figured I would either not get a response or you'd all rip me apart..lol. Thanks so much I appreciate the support.
Andrea Pluhar
Jun 11, 2012, 11:26:28 AM6/11/12
to joom...@googlegroups.com
Love this! LOL! All 100% on the money, Anne!
Andrea Pluhar
160 Briar Lane
Wellfleet MA 02667
Creative Services: http://pluharcreative.com
Fine Art: http://www.andreapluhar.com
On Jun 11, 2012, at 9:56 AM, Anne Campbell wrote:
Lynn Nichols
Jun 11, 2012, 11:43:57 AM6/11/12
to joom...@googlegroups.com
This is hysterical, and accurately describes my day to day life... sigh...
Lynn
On 6/11/12 9:56 AM, Anne Campbell wrote:
> I agree with Jen too, and Ed, I think your sites are very nicely done!
> It looks like you're using pre-made templates, but there's no problem
> with that whatsoever.
>
> One thing to keep in mind is that if you find yourself hitting a wall at
> some point (and you will), there is ALWAYS help out there. I've been
> designing and building websites since 1995, and nearly every day, I run
> into one of these scenarios:
>
> 1. Oh crud, there's a weird error message I've never seen before. Let
> http://www.annecampbelldesign.com/
> http://www.riverbenddoula.com/
>
Gill, MA � 413-863-7752 � ly...@starstruckdesign.com
http://www.starstruckdesign.com � http://www.shopwesternmass.com
"I didn't know we had a King... I thought we were an autonomous
collective." - Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Lynn
On 6/11/12 9:56 AM, Anne Campbell wrote:
> I agree with Jen too, and Ed, I think your sites are very nicely done!
> It looks like you're using pre-made templates, but there's no problem
> with that whatsoever.
>
> One thing to keep in mind is that if you find yourself hitting a wall at
> some point (and you will), there is ALWAYS help out there. I've been
> designing and building websites since 1995, and nearly every day, I run
> into one of these scenarios:
>
> me Google it and find a blog post or user forum where somebody had
> the same problem and found a solution.
>
> 2. My client wants to know if I can get her website to do her laundry
> the same problem and found a solution.
>
> for her. I've never done that before and know nothing about
> Web-enabled washing machines. Let me look in the JED to see if
> there's an extension for that, read the reviews, and give it a shot.
>
> 3. My client needs an SEO expert / content writer / photographer /
> Web-enabled washing machines. Let me look in the JED to see if
> there's an extension for that, read the reviews, and give it a shot.
>
> tax attorney / Reiki practitioner, and that's not in my job
> description. Let me refer him to a colleague and share the love.
>
> 4. There are umpteen image gallery extensions in the JED. How do I
> description. Let me refer him to a colleague and share the love.
>
> know which one is best for this site? I've read the reviews but
> want to narrow it down further. Let me ask folks on the Google
> Group what their favorites are.
>
> 5. (This one is 100% true:) I can't get a gosh-darn core random image
> want to narrow it down further. Let me ask folks on the Google
> Group what their favorites are.
>
> module to load! But there's a Joomla User Group meeting coming up,
> so let me go and get help from one of the best
> HTML/CSS/Joomla/WordPress people in the business (Barb Ackemann),
> and a member of the Joomla Production Leadership Team who's been
> programming since I was in nursery school (Andy Tarr).
>
> We are really lucky to have an amazing group of Joomla colleagues here
> in New England. In my experience, there's an overarching spirit of
> collaboration, and not competition. So I say go for it, and if you get
> stuck as the rest of us always do (well, except maybe Andy), give a shout!
>
> -Anne
>
> --
> Anne Campbell, in...@annecampbelldesign.com
> <mailto:in...@annecampbelldesign.com>
> so let me go and get help from one of the best
> HTML/CSS/Joomla/WordPress people in the business (Barb Ackemann),
> and a member of the Joomla Production Leadership Team who's been
> programming since I was in nursery school (Andy Tarr).
>
> We are really lucky to have an amazing group of Joomla colleagues here
> in New England. In my experience, there's an overarching spirit of
> collaboration, and not competition. So I say go for it, and if you get
> stuck as the rest of us always do (well, except maybe Andy), give a shout!
>
> -Anne
>
> --
> Anne Campbell, in...@annecampbelldesign.com
> http://www.annecampbelldesign.com/
> http://www.riverbenddoula.com/
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Joomla! User Group New England" group.
> To post to this group, send email to joom...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> joomlaug+u...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/joomlaug?hl=en.
--
Lynn A. Nichols, Starstruck Design
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Joomla! User Group New England" group.
> To post to this group, send email to joom...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> joomlaug+u...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/joomlaug?hl=en.
--
Gill, MA � 413-863-7752 � ly...@starstruckdesign.com
http://www.starstruckdesign.com � http://www.shopwesternmass.com
"I didn't know we had a King... I thought we were an autonomous
collective." - Monty Python and the Holy Grail
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