Almost immediately after the end of my current employment contract I will be developing a website for a new client. The site will be a general CMS so I will be able to talk about the progress of the site. I will not divulge exact details of the client nor the site, but I will discuss the site’s development. The reason for this is because I will be using Joomla as the core software for the site, and I will be adding extensions which will develop the site into what my client wants it to be.
The biggest challenge I face with Joomla websites is selecting the ‘perfect’ extension that will meet the clients’ requirements. Components, modules, plugins, etc. are made by third-party developers and sometimes you think the extension is something that it’s not; other times you think it’s not something that it actually is…if that even makes sense. This phase is extremely time consuming. It gets easier with time because after a couple of developments you already know which ones you would go for; but ever so often you will meet a client who wants a new feature that requires you to experiment with a new extension that you have never used before.
The interesting thing about this project is that I had to choose between WordPress and Joomla (after analyzing the website’s structure). I won’t lie…if I had to choose between theming Joomla or WordPress, I’d choose Joomla. With the release of Joomla 1.6 (I have been using the 1.5 version for most of the past year) the theme framework has changed slightly…but still fun nonetheless.
Anyway, I thought I’d just give you guys a heads up on what to expect to read here in the near future. I will expect errors, and I’ll also post up solutions to them or alternative directions. The main aim is to develop a great site using non-commercial extensions of course, but in the event that we have to choose something commercial then so be it.
Starting date of that project is July 5. I will register the domain name before that and will point the domain to the hosting nameservers so we won’t be delayed by propagation. So that’s how I start a web project for a client…register the domain name, pay for their hosting, link them up, setup admin email address (also a good way to test email ahead of time), and then we’re off into web design and development. 
Feel free to share your personal methods.
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WYSIWYG! I'm a simple person trying to live the simplest life possible - it seems to be the most difficult thing to achieve! I'm an internet enthusiast and I've been a webmaster since early 2007. I like: blogging, developing sites using open source software, social media, computer games, '80s music, comedy & horror, animals, crunching on M&Ms peanut and Smarties!
