How Joomla Helped me Build a Website for Writers, Readers and Publishers by Robert Fairhead
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I gave this webinar presentation for the Joomlashack Conference in October 2019. It is an updated version of the talk I gave at JoomlaDay Australia in Brisbane in August 2019 on how How Joomla helped me realise my 16-year dream to build the Tall And True website for writers, readers and publishers.
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How Joomla Helped me Build a Website for Writers, Readers and Publishers by Robert Fairhead
- 1. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au How Joomla Helped me Build a Website for Writers, Readers and Publishers Robert Fairhead, @tallandtrue Principal Copywriter, Rocher Communications Editor and Contributor, TallAndTrue.com
- 2. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au Once upon a time ... • Born in England in 1962, emigrated to Australia in 1964, raised in Perth, moved to Sydney in 1980s, and travelled and lived overseas until mid-1990s • Trained as an electrician, retrained as computer programmer in twin-floppy PC days, stint in sales and marketing, software consulting and website building, focus now copywriting and dog training • Hobbies include reading and writing, walking my dog, and watching the Aussie rules footy team, the Sydney Swans, with my teenage son • Elevator pitch: I’m a middle-aged dad and dog-owner.
- 3. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au A young boy loved to read and write ... ● First “published” writing an Enid Blyton Secret Seven/Famous Five-style adventure story, Sand Island in 1972 — I was 10 years old ● I wrote and illustrated the story, my aunt typed the manuscript, and my father helped bind and cover the book ● Treasured first and only edition still exists.
- 4. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au The boy grew up and travelled ... ● Headed overseas in 1987, lived in England, and travelled throughout UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa ● England and travels inspired my writing ● Wrote travel pieces, short stories, long form fiction, even submitted a radio play to the BBC ● Some encouraging feedback: “This is excellent — well drawn characters, convincing dialogue and fast moving plot. Passed forward for our next round of judging.” — Ian St. James Awards (1992)
- 5. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au And wrote without success ... “I was pleased to receive your short story ‘Mistaken Identity’, which I have read with interest. Sadly I do not feel that this piece is right for publication in our magazine. I am sorry to disappoint you about this but wish you every success with it elsewhere.” — Bella Magazine (1992) ● None of my writing made it past second round of judging, nor was published in magazines or played on BBC ● Thankfully, these were days of gentle rejections:
- 6. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au He returned home to Sydney ... ● In 1998, set up IBM Lotus Notes/Domino consultancy ● Admin, development, licence and product sales.
- 7. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au Yet still dreamed of writing ... In January 2001, a bright idea 💡 ● A website for writers, readers and publishers: ○ Writers — share and showcase their work ○ Readers — read and comment on a wide range of writing ○ Publishers — unearth new talent for publication. ● Tall And True (fiction/non-fiction)
- 8. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au He tried building his dream with Lotus Notes/Domino ...
- 9. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au But it proved too hard ...
- 10. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au Then his life and priorities changed ...
- 11. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au And he returned to 9-5 consulting ...
- 12. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au But he kept dabbling with websites ...
- 13. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au One day, someone mentioned Joomla ... www.easternsuburbsdogtraining.org.au
- 14. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au It proved a steep, but successful learning curve ...
- 15. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au But the WordPress-side tempted him ... www.robertfairhead.com
- 16. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au And his dream remained a dream ...
- 17. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au Until, he found Joomlart’s JA Magz II template 💡 ... www.joomlart.com/demo/#magz-ii
- 18. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au Added a bunch of extensions and hacks ... ● Joomla and Joomlart JA Magz II template (T3 Framework) ● Extensions: ○ Akeeba Backup and Admin Tools (www.akeebabackup.com) ○ Articles Anywhere by Regular Labs (www.regularlabs.com) ○ Disqus Comments by Joomla Works (www.joomlaworks.net) ○ JCE Editor Pro (www.joomlacontenteditor.net) ○ JCH Optimize Pro (www.jch-optimize.net) ○ JotCache (www.jotcomponents.net) ○ RSForm! Pro (www.rsjoomla.com) ○ sh404SEF (www.weeblr.com) ● Custom CSS and code hacks (eg. search and pagination)
- 19. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au And finally launched Tall And True in 2017 ... ● Launched at Sydney JUG meeting ● No longer only a dream ● With JA Magz II, Tall And True not “just” a writers’ website ● An online magazine, blog and forum for writers, readers and publishers.
- 20. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au Tall And True is now two years old ...
- 21. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au Many lessons learned along the way ... 1. “Have you ever used a content management system? Check out Joomla. It's SUPER easy to use … after the initial WHAT THE!? shock.” — email from developer who recommended Joomla for the dog club website in 2008 2. “Nothing is ever as easy as it looks.” — me at the Sydney JUG meeting when I launched Tall And True in 2017 3. “A website is nothing without content.” — me at JoomlaDay Australia, Brisbane 2019
- 22. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au And he still loves writing …
- 23. Share and showcase your writing: tallandtrue.com Your copywriting partner: rocher.com.au The End … for now! Robert Fairhead — contact details: ● Twitter: @tallandtrue ● Facebook: @robertfairheadtallandtrue ● Email: robertf@tallandtrue.com.au ● Blog: robertfairhead.com ● Rocher Communications: rocher.com.au ● Remember I mentioned dog training? Robert’s ResponsibleDogTraining.com.au
Editor's Notes
- G’day everyone. I’m Robert Fairhead from Sydney, Australia. I’m the editor and a contributing writer at Tall And True. I’m also the principal copywriter at Rocher Communications. And I’m here today to tell the story of how Joomla helped me build a website for writers, readers and publishers. Before we start, please note this is NOT a techie presentation. I discuss technology, but my talk today is more of a case study on how Joomla helped me build my dream website. And hopefully, it will give you some ideas on how Joomla can help you build your dream, too. [next slide]
- But first, some background. And, as this is a story about a writers’ website, let’s start it in the traditional way: Once upon a time … I was born in England in 1962, … As with geographical locations, my career has moved around, too. I trained as an electrician, then retrained as a computer programmer back in the twin-floppy PC days, I’ve had a stint in sales and marketing, moved back into software consulting and website building, and now my focus is copywriting and dog training (more on that later). My hobbies include ... If I met you on an elevator, my personal pitch would be … [next slide]
- I mentioned reading and writing among my hobbies, both of which I’ve loved since I was a young boy. My first “published” writing was an Enid Blyton ... I wrote and illustrated the story, my aunt, the only one in our family with a typewriter, typed the manuscript, and my father helped me bind and cover the book in plastic. The treasured first and only edition of Sand Island still exists in my bookcase. I grew up moved across Australia and … [next slide]
- I grew up, moved across Australia and headed overseas in 1987, … My life in England and my travels inspired my writing. I wrote … I had some encouraging feedback, such as from the Ian St. James [short-story] Awards in 1992 … This is excellent … But, … [next slide]
- But, none of my writing made it past the second round of judging in competitions. Nor was it published in magazines or played on the BBC. Thankfully, these were the days of gentle rejections, such as this one from Bella Magazine, also in 1992: I was pleased … In 1996, I returned … [next slide]
- In 1996, I returned home to Sydney, put my backpack away, and put my writing on the backburner. In 1998, I set up a consultancy based around IBM Lotus Notes and Domino. My partners and I provided admin and development services, and offered licence and product sales. I enjoyed the work, yet … [next slide]
- Yet I still dreamed of writing. And in January 2001, (bing) I had a bright idea: I’d build a website for writers, readers and publishers, a place where ... Writers could … Readers could … Publishers could unearth new talent for publication (maybe even me!) I’d call it, Tall And True, shorthand for tall and true tales, because the website would showcase fiction and non-fiction writing. I was excited by the concept and I got busy with my coloured pencils, mapping out the design. [next slide]
- At first, I tried building Tall And True using the technologies I knew through my consultancy work, Lotus Notes and Domino. As some of you may know, Domino offered a web server. However, … [next slide]
- However, despite my skills with coloured pencils and mapping entity diagrams, the task proved too difficult. In fairness, the technology may have been able to deliver the website, but building it with Notes and Domino was beyond my technical capabilities. And then, … [next slide]
- And then, my life and priorities changed dramatically, with the birth of my son in 2002. I happily settled in fatherhood and … [next slide]
- I happily settled in fatherhood and back into 9-5 Notes/Domino consulting, so I could be home in the evenings and on weekends to look after my growing son. But … [next slide]
- But, I kept dabbling on the side with websites, and in 2007, I built a static HTML website for my local dog club, where I’m a long-term volunteer instructor. (Remember I mentioned dog training? More on that later.) It was a basic brochureware-site, but I was pretty happy with it until 2008, when I had to update the Training Dates for the new year. And it was hard to post Club News, Training Tips, and Newsletters. In fact, it was impossible to do anything dynamic with the website. Then one day, … [next slide]
- Then one day, someone from the dog club mentioned Joomla. He was a developer and said Joomla would make it easy for me to keep the club’s website up to date. I bought a book, searched heaps of forums, and joined the Sydney Joomla User Group. With a lot of research and help, I launched the first version of the club’s website using Joomla in 2009. Since then, there have been two further releases and the website has become a major communication tool for the dog club. Joomla proved a steep, … [next slide]
- Joomla proved a steep, but successful learning curve, as I recounted at JoomlaDay Sydney in 2009. Now, you would think that I’d use the experience and knowledge I’d gained from building the dog club’s website in Joomla for my Tall And True website. But, … [next slide]
- But, I got side-tracked building my blog and WordPress was much simpler to use for this purpose. And because I became familiar with WordPress, I was tempted to use it for Tall And True. However, … [next slide]
- However, I found WordPress, too, had a “steep learning curve”. And presented its own problems, with a bewildering offering of themes and plugins. And so my dream website remained a dream! Until, … [next slide]
- Until, (bing) I stumbled on Joomlart’s magazine template, JA Magz II, and it got me thinking about Tall And True in a different way. I installed the template and … [next slide]
- I installed the template and added a bunch of extensions and hacks. As Viktor Vogel recommended in his “Fast and Secure Joomla” presentation yesterday, I used as few extensions as possible in the website. They included … As a side note, I’d just like to say, I pay annual subscriptions for the template and for all of the extensions. You can use free versions of most of them, but you won’t get pro features and full support, and it doesn’t reward the developer, which I feel is important. I also made some custom CSS tweaks and code hacks, for example in the search and pagination functionality for the website. Some of these are template overrides, and others are documented hacks! Finally, … [next slide]
- Finally, 16 years after my “bright idea”, I launched Tall And True in August 2017, fittingly at the monthly Sydney Joomla User Group meeting. My dream was no longer just a dream. And thanks to the JA Magz II template, Tall And True is not just a writers’ website It is an online magazine, blog and forum for writers, readers and publishers. Also fittingly, for this middle-aged dad and dog owner, the launch “edition” of the website had a front page story about my son and our adopted dog. Tall And True recently celebrated … [next slide]
- Tall And True recently celebrated its 2nd birthday. The drawn-out dream to build and … [next slide]
- The drawn-out dream to build and launch the website taught me many lessons along the way, technical and non-technical. The top three are perhaps best summed up in these quotes: Have you ever … With due respect to him, Joomla 1.5 was NOT super easy to use. It was difficult enough wrapping my head around templates, extensions, components, modules, and plug-ins, let alone having to master CSS-tweaks. And as for the admin backend, I couldn’t get anyone at my dog club to contribute content to the website because they couldn’t find their way around it. Joomla has come a long way since 1.5, and George Wilson’s presentation on “New Improved Joomla 4 for Content Creators” yesterday showed the promise of a much cleaner and simpler admin backend. But I suspect I’ll still be doing CSS-tweaks. “Nothing is ever …” I was youngish and naive in 2001. I had a dream, but I didn’t have the wherewithal to make it a reality. Again, as George mentioned yesterday, the likes of Wix, Squarespace and Weebly make it so much easier to create your dream website without being a techie. And WordPress is positioning itself in this space with Gutenberg, much to the chagrin of page builder developers like Elegant Themes. (By the way, I use their Divi builder on my WordPress websites.) While Joomla has a number of quality page builder extensions from third-party developers, I think, like WordPress, it’s going to have to natively provide this functionality at some stage. A website is … I was on the verge of launching Tall And True, when I realised I didn’t have enough content for a “magazine” website. Luckily for me, as you’ve seen, I’ve been writing for a long time — short stories, travel journals, book reviews etc. And I was able to repurpose that content for Tall And True. And since then, I’ve added two years of blog posts. Some of the early content is a little cringe-worthy, but I’m not trying to win a Pulitzer Prize on Tall And True. The objective is allow writers share and showcase their writing and get feedback from readers and publishers. In my opinion, the last point on website content is the most important lesson for all website builders. I am the editor and main contributor at Tall And True. And one of my goals must be to attract more writers, readers, publishers and eventually, editors, to the website. To survive, Tall And True needs more content. Fortunately, I still love … [next slide]
- Fortunately, I still love to write, so I’m more than happy to contribute blog posts and other writing. My hope is, that after this presentation you will visit Tall And True and enjoy browsing the writing. And while doing so, remember, as Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Which is why I invite YOU to share and showcase your untold story on Tall And True. If you would like to … [next slide]
- If you would like to contact me or have any questions, my details are up on the screen … And remember I mentioned dog training? Well, I set up another sideline business earlier this year, Robert’s Responsible Dog Training. Feel free to visit the website for tips and blog posts about dog training. Please note, these websites are WordPress-based. Sorry, but I can assure you my local dog club’s and the Tall And True website are both Joomla. The slides from my presentation will be available shortly from Slideshare. Finally, I’d like to thank everyone for logging into this presentation. Without audience interaction, it has been shorter and sweeter than I’d envisuaged, but I hope you all got something from it. And, a BIG thanks to Steve and Joomlashack for hosting this conference and for the opportunity to be part of it, and to give back to the Joomla community. And as this has been a story about a writers’ website, let’s end it in the traditional way for all concerned, They all lived happily ever after. Thank you. If we have time, I’m happy to answer chat questions or to do a live demonstration of Tall And True. It’s your call, Steve. [end]