WordPress vs Joomla and Other Questions About TT

Question

Hey guys, I have a couple of questions that I would appreciate some help with.

I have been doing some web design on and off since I was like 15 years old (I'm 27 now) and I've always been self-taught and I originally started with Microsoft Frontpage. I eventually tried Dreamweaver but I didn't really like it (probably because I didn't really know what I was doing) and now I'm looking to increase my web design knowledge and move on to a more up to date platform.

I have been using Artisteer 3.1 for a while and I am considering switching to TT. A few of my friends recommended your program and told me it would be a better option for a beginner like me because you guys have really good support.

That being said, I'm basically looking to buy your product to design and edit Joomla or WordPress templates which brings me to my next question.

The big question.... JOOMLA vs WORDPRESS.... What exactly are the pros and cons of each and which one should I invest my time in learning? Let me describe my goals with learning one of these platforms so maybe you guys could give me some tips.

I plan on designing bilingual sites for small business where I live (Costa Rica) and I would like to design sites where my clients could enter and edit the information so they don't have to constantly call me every time they want to change something.

I have designed a couple of static HTML sites but I would really prefer to learn one of these CMS platforms to make my life easier in the future especially once I get a solid customer base.

So, based on what I have told you guys. Which platform would suit my needs as a designer?

Thanks a lot guys, I look forward to your answers and appreciate the help.

P.S. Are you guys planning on having a Black Friday or Christmas sale for TT? :D

Answer 1

I plan on designing bilingual sites for small business where I live (Costa Rica) and I would like to design sites where my clients could enter and edit the information so they don't have to constantly call me every time they want to change something.

Wordpress will be better for small business sites.

Your clients will be able to manage/add/edit the content, and moreover you can easily find some good language switching plugin for Wordpress.

Answer 2

I plan on designing bilingual sites for small business where I live (Costa Rica) and I would like to design sites where my clients could enter and edit the information so they don't have to constantly call me every time they want to change something.

Wordpress will be better for small business sites.

Your clients will be able to manage/add/edit the content, and moreover you can easily find some good language switching plugin for Wordpress.

Thanks for the tips man. I looked up several videos and most people seem to recommend WP for simple sites like the ones I will be making.

Any hints related to a sale? :D

Answer 3

hi

Just thought I would add my 2 pennies worth! I have been a Joomla! baby for the last 4 years and I'm entirely self-taught with the help of a friend. I would say if you are wanting to do sites that your clients can update I would go with WordPress as from what I can see it is far easier to update and explained to your clients how to do it. I'm in the process of considering to buy TT and I'm also learning WordPress now.

Having said this I would say Joomla! has got its place as well if you are wanting more complicated sites.I would say that there are far more apps/modules/components that are free for WordPress as opposed to paying a small amount for those Joomla! equivalents.

At the moment I'm creating a website for a video club and I have been reluctantly putting off learning WordPress but I'm really going to have to learn it now.

Keith

Answer 4

I too started using J! a while ago - about 6 years, just at the tail end of 1.0 and when 1.5 came out. Used it exclusively. For templates, I used free and commercial ones that I then customized. Bought and used Artisteer when it first came out and still have an active licence. Same for TT; have the Pro version.

However, about 3.5 years ago, I switched to WordPress - when they came out with version 3.0 and have not done another J! site since :) Used Art and TT for themes until Art came out with their "have to export through their servers" for version 4.2. That got me looking for alternatives, as TT was still a bit "rough around the edges" in spots. For the last 4 months I have been using Genesis + Dynamik Website Builder and, IMHO, that is a combination that it hard to beat. I still use TT from time to time but not as often as previously.

As for WP being for "simple sites", I would have to argue that one :) Here are some WP e-commerce sites using Woocommerce:

http://www.nutzheadphones.com/

http://www.bambooskateboards.com/

http://www.truthbelts.com/

Then there's:

http://globalnews.ca/

http://www.rollingstones.com/ ... etc. :)

Answer 5

I've been using Joomla since around 2006. I've been using Wordpress since around the same time. For ease of use I'd recommend Wordpress. Joomla has a bit steeper learning curve than Wordpress. For SEO (especially SEF URLs) I have to say hands down it's Wordpress. Modifying the way the URLs are generated/look in WP is via the Permalinks setting. You can further modify each permalink for each page/post via a free plugin called Permalinks Editor. You can have your contact page of yoursite.com/contact.asp (even though WP is PHP-based).

If you wanted to a more community-driven website then I'd recommend Joomla hands down. While WP has community plugins like BuddyPress, I still find it pales in comparison to what Joomla offers (free or commercial extensions).

Updates... Joomla now seems to have the ability to allow updates from within Joomla (something WP has been natively having for many years). This is as of Joomla 3.2. I'm not sure of the future of how the updates will work in Joomla when they come out with a new version. Thus far, in my experience, Wordpress has updated within itself with no issues... Of course not counting new versions conflicting with plugins that aren't up-to-date.