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Jun
08
2009
What's Happening With Joomla?
Written by Steve Burge   
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pressureListen.. people be askin me all the time,
"Yo Mos, what's gettin ready to happen with Hip-Hop?"
(Where do you think Hip-Hop is goin?)
I tell em, "You know what's gonna happen with Hip-Hop?
Whatever's happening with us"
If we smoked out, Hip-Hop is gonna be smoked out
If we doin alright, Hip-Hop is gonna be doin alright
People talk about Hip-Hop like it's some giant livin in the hillside
comin down to visit the townspeople."

Lyrics from Fear Not of Man by Mos Def

What's Happening With Joomla?

Replace "Hip-Hop" with Joomla and you get what I'm asking. It's all well and good to look at the big picture ( number of downloads, Google Trends, uptake by big companies etc. ) but the smaller picture is also vital. Back in January 2008, we asked how you think your company will do if a recession comes. 18 months later its certainly here. What's happening with Joomla is what's happening with us.

In general, I couldn't be happier to be in web development at the moment. Here in Georgia its literally the only industry I can see that's growing. Architects, lawyers, accountants, shop keepers, you name - they're struggling.

Open Source is a beacon of light in this area. In general, I see webdesigners doing well and many are so busy they've stopped taking on new clients. We're doing OK, but have taken care to diversify into as many income streams as possible (SEO Club, Adsense, advertising, client work, training etc).

On the other hand, a lot of people selling products are having a harder time. From talking to a lot of companies it seems that the average drop over the last 18 months has been around 20%. However, none of those have decided their prospects are better elsewhere. In contrast, almost every day I hear from a friend or a student from our training classes who is looking to the web for work.

The View From Your Recession

Over to you. How and you and your company riding out this recession? Feel free to post anonymously if you wish.

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Comments  

 
#1 Sean Cook 2009-06-07 22:07
We are doing okay. I do a lot of sub contract work that I don't advertise in my portfolio, so I am doing fine, and my partners are doing the same. You have to say networked in downturns so you can keep working. I am also taking the time to migrate to 1.5 since I have some time on my hands. Normal work outside the web is REALLY hard to find, so I am thankful for the internet!
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#2 Rick Blalock 2009-06-08 09:26
We more than doubled our gross income from last year, same quarter...and we're looking to triple that the coming quarter. Things are booming in the web industry!
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#3 Phil-Taylor.com 2009-06-08 11:27
What recession? I'm as manic busy as always, the key is not to have all your eggs in one basket :-)
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#4 Steve Burge 2009-06-09 07:06
That's great to hear guys and very similar to what I'm hearing on the ground.

It is a good time to be in web design :-)
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#5 Bonnie Landau 2009-06-09 22:54
We're also busier than ever. The work is coming in with little or no effort. I've noticed that small one-person businesses who have never had a website all of a sudden are realizing they don't look legit without one. 1/3 of our business right now are first-time sites for companies (can you believe it?!). Praise the day I learned how to build websites. I would be sad if I was still a print-only designer right now.
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#6 Yoav.L 2009-06-10 09:10
we are doing web development and SEO using joomla and the feeling is that now is the time for the little guys!

????? ?????
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#7 Rita Lewis 2009-06-10 12:13
Wish my story was the same but in the Washington, D.C. area freelance work is difficult to find because businesses are underbidding or not paying their bills. There is a lot of contract work and Joomla is just now becoming a household word amongst Government contractors. There is a direct competition with Drupal, though so being competent at multiple Open Source platforms is vital.

So what is the secret of picking up these small businesses who want web sites? What I'm seeing is a lack of realistic budgets.
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#8 Steve Burge 2009-06-10 14:58
Hi Rita

#1 is networking. There's a Joomla User Group just getting started in DC: joomladc.org/

The Joomla Resources Directory is coming on joomla.org in just a few days. That might prove a good source of work.

Also check the Professional Services forum:
forum.joomla.org/viewforum.php?f=177
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#9 Steve T. 2009-06-15 12:12
Open Source web development is making me more money this year than ever before. Between the day job, and my own company, income is only limited by my imagination and the hours in a day.

I started on this path years ago, though, and founded my company in 2006. It might seem easy to "get in the game", but it takes a lot of work to build a respectable portfolio and clients. Fortunately, this is one area where if you have the drive and desire to excel, there's money to made.

NOTE: I don't believe higher education has properly carved out a niche in Computer Science to cover the art of Internet business and web development in the 21st century.

It seems the only way to learn is to either jump in and devote 6 months to a year of your time on O.S. web development and. That's not to say that, for example, java-coders with a CS degree aren't valuable, but you can actually get a decent job nowadays, with better job security for a fraction of the educational costs of a more traditional career path.

Graduating high school seniors today might as well get a degree in Business Management while self-teaching php, mysql, apache and rudimentary linux server management. Then, they can pick a few CMS's (like Joomla, Drupal and Worpdress), learn them inside out and go get a job webmastering, developing or just start their own business. I can see this window of opportunity lasting for a couple more years until colleges get wind of it, and create certification and degree programs that will eventually force these high schoolers to go back to school and get a "proper" education (add sarcasm here).
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#10 JoomlaBlogger 2009-06-29 10:23
Funny angle - but true!
And if you're wondering what happens to Joomla in the following years, check out my post about the new release cycle for Joomla (www.joomlablogger.net/blog/joomla-evangelism/joomla-roadmap-explained/).
I love the speedier approach, and the fact that 1.5 will stay on for at least 3 years.
It's no doubt in my mind that Joomla was, is and will be a great choice for CMS!
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