Connected Communities: Meeting the Joomla! Community
On Wednesday I went to Chicago for the first time. It was nice. Great, in fact. But even after seeing the great Sears Tower and beautiful Lakeshore Avenue, I was most excited about the events that happened just north of the city.
Earlier in the week I posted about CMS Expo and the Joomla users that were going to be there. I didn’t know it at the time, but I ended up getting to meet some of the guys who have influenced me the most to move into my current career path.
Kyle Ledbetter, Gary Gisclair, Cory Webb, TJ Baker and James Hafner, to name a few. These guys are awesome, talented and are working hard to make a great difference in the Joomla! Developer’s Community. That’s why this Connected Communities edition is about them.
PixelPraise -
Website: http://pixelpraise.com/
Twitter: @pixelpraise
I’ve talked a lot about Kyle and Gary before, especially since I’ve been working for them off and on for about 2 years. These guys have got it going on, and in big ways. Their company has just had it’s third birthday, and they’ve celebrated it by releasing some awesome new software to the community. If you do any kind of Joomla! web development, you need to look at their ProjectFork, AdminPraise and extension bundles.
Cory Webb
Website: http://corywebbmedia.com/
Twitter: @corywebb
Cory Webb is one of those guys that just knows everything. Kyle rightly called him a genius, especially since he’s written an awesome Joomla! training book and builds some of the best Joomla sites out there. His role in the community is undeniably one of the most valuable.
Joomlashack
Website: http://joomlashack.com/
Twitter: @joomlashack
Even though these guys are in direct competition with my favorite club, PixelPraise, I still can’t hope but think they’re doing some pretty neat stuff. They build some decent templates, for one, but also take part in some great discussions on Twitter and other community sites. Barrie North is always involved with his books and training sessions, while TJ Baker is busy trying to take JShack to another level. Sure, they may need a new designer (send me your resume and I’ll forward it to them), but their involvement in the Joomla! community is not something to argue about. Good guys with great minds, and I look forward to seeing what they do next.
Next Year?
So, this year I missed out. I didn’t get a chance to hear any sessions, and I could only stay for a couple hours after before needing to drive back home. Next year, though, I plan on showing up (and not just as a visitor).
I have yet to meet Mitch Pirtle, too, so maybe I’ll get my chance then.