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    Content Management System software is a category of website design software that approaches the job of web design completely differently than traditional web design applications such as Dreamweaver and Microsoft FrontPage. Traditional web design software is installed on the developer's computer, and if someone hires a developer to build a website, the customer has no way of changing content. CMS programs such as Joomla, Drupal, PHP Nuke and Mambo intall right on the website, and content can be changed by anyone with the appropriate username and password. Virtually all such software is free, as open-source software.
    Three things happen when the software to make changes on the website resides on the website itself. First, the end-user can make changes without going through the developer, and is much more likely to keep the site current. Second, the site can be changed from anywhere at any time that the need arises. For instance, a school official can post a notice on a school website that school has been canceled, without having to go to the school offices, or log on remotely to the school offices, to make those changes. Third, the user can get help from anywhere in the world to work on the site. A law firm in New York could hire a consultant in LosAngeles, Chicago or Singapore to do work that is in the expertise of that particular consultant. 

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  • freecallsfromwebsite  ( 1 items )
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  • Private Pages  ( 1 items )
    This is simply a use of the Joomla software that is already installed on any Joomla website. The firm may want to have pages that can be seen by Registered users, or that can only be seen by Special users, who have been approved for access by the website administrator. For instance, the office may want to post notices of meetings or other office functions, but not allow public access to the page. That is simple to do in Joomla. When the page is set up, the developer can simply se the Access Level to Special. The same thing can be done at any time, by opening up the article and changing the Access Level to Special.
    Another use for such special access would be for posting committee minutes. Any especially sensitive firm business or confidential client information should not be contained on such pages, since no security will deter an experienced hacker.
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  • Toolkit  ( 1 items )

    Joomla comes with excellent features, but some extensions are considered indispensable by power users. Many of them are on the Joomla Editor's Pick list.

    This Section will attempt to list the extensions that would be considered indispensable for a law office website. Other extensions, such as VirtueMart, an eCommerce extension, may be indispensable to other kinds of websites, but are not listed as they are not likely to be crucial to a law office website.

    Note: Most of the items listed in the Toolkit are free. Many providers of commercial templates and extensions waive their charges for non-profit organizations.

    Get Organized

    You will be surprised how much you enjoy working with Joomla, and you may want to set up another website. You will also see that your Desktop gets messy with extensions and templates. I strongly suggest setting up a folder on your Desktop, named JOOMLATOOLS or something, with separate folders for each extension and each template. It will make things much easier, especially when you set up or redesign a website for your church or other organization.

     

  • Photoshop  ( 1 items )
    An image program is not a must-have, but you may find out that you need to edit some graphics, work on a logo or other images on your website.
    There are three leading programs to choose from, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Fireworks and GIMP. If you haven't heard of either Fireworks or GIMP, you're not alone. Fireworks was a Macromedia product, and since Macromedia was acquired by Adobe, Fireworks is part of Adobe. GIMP is a free, open-source program which is surprisingly powerful, and has almost all of the features of Photoshop.
    You should download GIMP , and see if you like it. There are books available on using GIMP , as well as online tutorials ; find one that you like, and see what you can do.
    My personal preference is Adobe Fireworks , which is actually quite intuitive, even for those with no training in graphics. I find it really fun to use. It is designed to coordinate well with other Adobe design programs, including Dreamweaver. Patti Schulze wrote a tremendous book on Fireworks , laying out Fireworks essentials, and including a training CD.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Macromedia Fireworks 8: Training from the Source

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  • Forms  ( 1 items )
        Many websetes can function without a forms module, but many law firm websites have made great use of forms. For instance, a firm that handles personal injury plaintiff cases may want to have an intake form for potential clients, to move the intake process along, and potentially screen out certain cases. Setting up a form of that kind would probably take 30 to 45 minutes with any of the form extensions.
        There are at present at least 20 free forms extensions for Joomla that work quite well. perForms is a simple forms extension that works quite well, and is updated regularly. Forme Forms is another highly-regarded forms product.

        The links below will take you to a download and a demo link for perForms.

    DownloadDemo
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Contact Details

Contact: H. Edwin Detlie

303 East Second Street
Ottumwa, IA 52501-3001
Tel: 641.682.8119
Fax: 641.682.8110

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