Should I upgrade to Joomla 1.5?

The short answer is - not unless you want to.

The fact is - Joomla 1.5 is NOT an upgrade.

Joomla 1.5 is a new CMS system based on the Joomla concept but developed in a totally different way.

Joomla 1.0 is the old version of the CMS system and was originally called Mambo until the two sets of developers split up through a difference of opinion on ownership.If you are an existing Joomla 1.0 site owner, you need to migrate to Joomla 1.5 rather than upgrade.

The reason being that the construction and architecture of the two Joomla systems are so different that upgrading is impossible.

So why migrate to Joomla 1.5?

Well there are a number of reasons why you should consider it but do not be concerned that your Joomla 1.0 installation is going to suddenly stop working. Joomla 1.0 will continue to be supported by Joomla until at least Spetember 2009.Even after that date there is no good reason to migrate unless you want to.

What reason would I have for migrating?

Well Joomla 1.5 was developed because the original Joomla version 1.0 suffered from a number of problems in the areas of security and operation. The way the Joomla system was constructed meant that when a fault was found it was a lengthy and complicated process to repair.

So by beginning from scratch and building the same concept in a more developer friendly way the new version was able to include a lot of additional benefits to the user.

Joomla 1.5 offers:

• a more secure platform
• faster load times for site visitors
• less drop out time for admin users
• better interaction with 3rd party components (or extensions as they are now called)
• more compliance with web standards

Until April we are offering all our previous and existing clients the opportunity to migrate to Joomla 1.5 for just £485.00 instead of our advertised price of £695.00. Simply quote 'client offer' when ordering.

Most of you will have heard of it by now, but for those that haven’t blogging is a growing phenomenon that has the government more than a little worried. In essence it is the facility for you to voice your ideas and thoughts online.

The reason that the government is worried is because most bloggers use their ‘Blog Space’ to criticise the government and its agenda or as Hazel Blears puts it “fuels a culture of cynicism and pessimism!”

The fact is – a blog can be a very powerful tool in your online marketing campaign.

I use blogging myself to draw attention to issues that are important to me and find it wonderfully therapeutic, while at the same time using it to insert the occasional keyword marketing reference to one of my websites.

In actuality, the more controversial and damning your blog is the more chance you have of being noticed. The more notice you attract, the more traffic you generate. The more traffic you generate, the more effective those little marketing links are that you included.

To all intents and purposes blogs are more effective if they are informative rather than just critical – the great thing about politics is that it gives the average blogger a soap box upon which to propound their views and opinions, which is not necessarily as effective as giving an informed statement.
Blogs are the diatribe of the new millennium.

So how do you create an effective blog? Quite simply like this one.

IF you are reading this then you are reading an informed piece by someone in the industry who has researched the effectiveness of blogs in search engine marketing. That makes this particular blog more effective.

To use blogs effectively as a marketing tool you need to do a lot more than create your blog and just wait for people to come and find it.

Like any website you need to market it and promote it.

So these are my five tips for you would be bloggers:
1. Give your blog a relevant title to your subject – just Maurice’s Blog will not be effective
2. Look for similar popular blogs and leave comments, including handy links back to your own
3. Follow blogs – there is a tradition that if you follow someone else’s blog they will reciprocate and follow yours
4. Promote your blog from your website – use the RSS feed feature to highlight your recent entries
5. Always make it informative and interesting not just an opinion

Bear in mind that apart from being a little time consuming well run blog campaigns can prove very profitable in the world of online marketing.

Let's get this out of the way- How important is design to a website?

Answer - (And designers are going to hate this) Not at all

Ask yourselves this - is the Tesco site pretty? Is the BBC site looking as good as it could?

Is the eBay site stunning in its looks?

No

Of course they aren't. And yet they are amongst the most successful online entities to exist.

Why?

Good designers? -Nope

Good Graphic artists? Nope

Good site planning? - Yep

The spirit of the internet is about the here and now, the offer of immediacy and the acceptance that people who come to the site want it now and more importantly, can get it.

So, really, how important is design?

Well, there are two camps - there is the need to fill users with confidence and let them belive that a well designed site costs a lot of money, so the punter will say 'Yes this is trustworthy' or the site where price is king and really it doesn't matter what it looks like as long as there are safeguards.

Which one do you think will be the most popular? - Yep, price most of the time.

Be absolutely assured I am not saying that design does not have a part to play in a website. Far from it, a site that gives the visitors confidence and is easy on the eye will win over the psychedelic every time.

The most important factor though in every site is functionality.

The ability to find what you are looking for easily and without pain.

Though it has to be said a lot of website design is down to choice. I have known many, many site owners become so pre-occupied with how a site looks that they miss the obvious - what does your site say to potential customers?