I want to make a review website

[heartdesign]

Hi all, I need a little help understanding how to make a review site.

I'm trying to make a review site for a friend, and so they need to be able to update it easily.

How can i go about doing this? I'm not the best at installing php scripts.

I was thinking maybe making it like a blog?

Any ideas what the best way of doing this would be?

Any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

[Vasili]

Re: I want to make a review website

From your comments on your seeming inability/reluctance to install a chosen script to perform specific functions, and your malaise in "designing" a site, I would suggest you opt for an all-in-one-package of sorts, and look into one of the User-friendly CMS foundations, especially Joomla.

Joomla is easy to "customize" straight away, so you need not be an expert at anything other than paying strict (non-interprative) attention to the instructions that are included and are amplified in the Support Forums (which have every answer to just about every possible question regarding Joomla).

Incouded is a wonderful means to constantly updatre with new articles and other Content that you will need to do to both serve a dynamic optimization metric but also a renewing visitor base. Also included is the ability for visitors to post "comments/reviews" of their own (similar to reply posting in forums); to participate and vote in Polls; to sign up for your RSS news and headline feeds; to have a true blogroll, where you can post commentary; add a forum, to offer visitors a unique means to participate in your Community with a voice of their own, etc.

There are more elements automatically included in each Joomla installation, and hundreds of free "add-on's" to make you go gaga in trying what not to include!
The key here is the foundation itself: with so much to offer out-of-the-box, it still remains one of the most User-friendly website builders/foundations, and would be perfect to allow you to add dynamic updates to Content and substance without having to manaully configure everything. More importantly, the auto-publish feature allows everything you do to instantly be presented in a pre-optimized format, again, not having to manually struggle cleaning up your site.

But, only you know best. I suggest only this solution -- others might be more clever by suggesting another avenue.

Think Joomla too rigid? Check out the many different types of site others have made using Joomla in their "Portfolio" section...

[heartdesign]

Re: I want to make a review website

Hi, thanks for the reply, I've been looking at a few other threads in the forum about Joomla! and you seem to be very knowledgable on it.

I decided to go with joomla but need a litle more help understanding please.

My friend created a new vodahost account, i then istalled Joomla via Fantastico de luxe.

Now what do i do?

I always use blue voda to build my sites and so dont know how i will intergrate joomla and bluevoda? how do i go ablout building my site now? if somebody could please explain to me in real lahmen terms it woruld be very very much appreciated.

Thank you

[Vasili]

Re: I want to make a review website

You can't "integrate" Joomla with Blue Voda ... they are completely separate 'foundations' to build a website on: Blue Voda is a tool which allows you to create, layout, and publish a page, whereas Joomla is a script that is self-contained (runs by itself) that allows you to plug in add-on's for different functions or modes (like special shipping mini-scripts, Polls and Voting options, etc.), change the look and feel (the backgrounds, borders, headers, page layout, etc.).

Joomla has a lot of things already included, like a forum, a blog (so you can "publish" articles in an organized archive --- good for SEO values), "Reviews" by visitors, etc. and because it is somewhat pre-configured you don't have to deal with all the complicated set-up and coding. Because it is a script, however, you will need to become a bit familiar with the tiniest bit of coding to move things around and change colors and things, but this is simple to pick up: either study the User Manual (available online or download from Joomla site) or intelligently follow the threads in the Joomla Support Forum to see how others have been helped before you. You might also get an idea of how to "project" down the road how you want to do things after discovering some of the things others have dealt with or struggled with also, thus avoiding some hangups.

Because Joomla is a script, you have the opportunity to either use the default template that comes with your installation, or you can opt to "skin" it with another template that is more to your liking: some are free, and others are not --- depends on what your end-vision is and your budget (or tolerance level, as some opt to merely plug everything in including a Premium template and avoid all the coding and manual configuring). For an example of some Premium Templates for Joomla, check out the CMS Templates here. All come with complete instructions as a ".txt" file within the Zipped folder, and they should be followed precisely for best results.

Your Joomla installation (because it is a script installed on your server in your account) is accessible via the online Admin panel which you should already know how to access. It is here you will be doing most of your work, and since it is accessible from any computer, you are not locked into the same situation as with Blue Voda. You merely upload files to the panel, and make changes and updates there.

I suggest you really dive into the Joomla Community: bone up on the topics in the Support Forum, and try to form an understandable "overall" logic that will help keep you on track as you refine your Joomla installation. Although I provide professional services to help out with installations, customizations, and upgrades to Joomla projects, there are a lot of others to choose from also, as you will discover --- but there are distinctive differences that make it somewhat difficult to discern who might be best suited.

You will be fine.....just take advantage of the opportunity to learn from all those who have gone before you (the Joomla Forums) and give yourself a break by setting aside enough time to get through the learning curve.

Change Your Perspective, Not Your Expectations!