Every month, each of the major Joomla template clubs release a new template.

In this post, I take another look at the premium business Joomla templates released. This time for the month of November 2011. The post is a bit delayed, as we are already in December, but the templates are worth looking at nonetheless.

There are templates from Yootheme, RocketTheme, JoomlArt, Joomla Shack and Shape5 on display this month. Enjoy!

He sat there, staring at the recently downloaded package of Joomla. The client brief for a new web site. Freshly printed and laying on his desk. Contract signed.

Still, he dreaded the process ahead of him. He just wanted to get started building the site. But before that, he needed to do the dirty work. Install Joomla, configure it. Install a plethora of extensions, configure them. Install the basic template he always uses as a starting point for new sites. Configure it.

As his gaze drifted out the window and over the calm waters below, he wondered what it would be like to be out there. Fishing, perhaps... A seagull screamed and yanked him out of his daydreaming.

Then he decided: No more... He decided to build something else this time. Not that particular site the client had asked for. But a starting point. A fresh start for every site he would later build.

As he fired up his FTP client, he had a satisfied smile on his lips. Taking a sip of his coffee, he wondered why he never thought of this before. There was no looking back. He just had to get this done, and he was free.

Today I'm going to talk a bit about professional support plans for Joomla. Are they something for you?

Making websites with Joomla is great fun. It's rewarding to make something yourself, right? I know it is for me!

It's great to watch a website grow from an idea into something that people enjoy every day. Something that fulfills your goals, and, if that's your goal: Something that makes you some cash.

Sometimes you need help - and now!

All this is good. However, sometimes there are too few hours in a day to solve everything. Sometimes you just need to solve something fast, and not spend hours and hours searching online to find the exact solution. Making websites with Joomla can get quite complex after a while. As a small business or organization you might not have all the skills needed yourself to solve a sudden problem.

That's when you need help from the support department, right?

Spring is here, at least in my part of the world. When living in a country with 5-6 months of winter and snow, you really appreciate the spring arriving! This winter has been a long one, and we've had snow since October! Fortunately, the snow is now mostly gone (where I live) and we're starting to see nature waking up again.

As always, when the snow disappears, it reveals the sins of the months past. It's time for a spring cleaning. Leaves, dust, things left in the snow during the winter and more will be swept away. Trees will be trimmed and houses cleaned. The city will again look its best. There's no doubt we need a spring cleaning in our houses and cities.

But how about your Joomla site? The spring is an excellent time to look at your site and determine if there's a need for a thorough cleaning there as well. My guess is it's long overdue ;)

In this post, I suggest some things you can do to clean up your Joomla site.

This is the second post in a series on easing the use of Joomla for your clients.

Throughout the series, I will go through some of the issues people have with using Joomla - and suggest ways to relieve the pain.

This part is about using images in Joomla. I'll look at some of the ways images can be added to Joomla in an easier way than in the default installation.

Working with Joomla on a regular basis, you will inevitably develop some habits. And, most likely, some of these habits are good, others are bad.

But there are some habits common for successful Joomla users.

Read on for seven good habits for working successfully with Joomla. This list of habits will improve your experience with Joomla, and save you from hours of cleaning up after a mishap.

As a Joomla integrator, I think my mission is to make it easier for the end-user to operate Joomla. It should be a joy to work with Joomla, not a pain. The user needs to feel in control of the content of his or her website. Not the other way around.

This applies even more if the site is a complex one. A more complex site in terms of functionality should not be proportionally hard to maintain.

Sadly, this is not always the case. Many users find it hard to use Joomla. The reasons can be many, but the result is the same: They avoid using it on a daily basis, and the site goes stale and uninteresting. Or they try, don't understand how it works, and mess things up.

So, as a Joomla integrator, I need to find the correct tools and add-ons to Joomla. And give the client the proper training for using them. The tools you choose to use for a Joomla site will impact the experience of your end-user / client.

This is the first post in a series on how to ease the use of Joomla for your clients. Throughout the series, I will go through some of the issues people have with using Joomla - and suggest ways to relieve the pains.