For the past two weeks, we’ve been tallying off the steps it takes for an average, not-super-technical business owner to perform basic tasks on a web site that uses WordPress versus one that uses Joomla. Both systems have their enthusiastic supporters, and both can power fantastic, useful web sites for small businesses and non-profits alike. What we’re testing in our Quickdraws is whether one is significantly easier than another when it comes to the day-to-day functions of running a site in-house, after the developer has put the site together.
Today, we’ll be reviewing the steps to update add-ons to the site. Neither WordPress nor Joomla come with absolutely everything you need for a customized site. From contact forms to image slideshows to social media sharing tools, developers all over the world are building extras — think of them as “apps” for your site — that you download, install, and use to extend the usefulness of your basic site. Just as WordPress and Joomla themselves have occasional software updates, so do these add-ons. In WordPress, they’re called Plugins or Widgets, and in Joomla, they’re called Extensions (futher categorized into Modules and Plugins). As developers of these add-ons release new updates, it falls to the day-to-day site manager to make sure they get installed. Here is the breakdown of steps in each content management system:
