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I have used jomsocial for a loong time now, i cant say that i have been happy with there support or the script.
Supports takes loong time to answer and some times you will not get any answer at all.
The script does not really work as it should, i had problem with it many times, even more then i have with free extensions and it should not be so mutch problem becuse i pay them to get a fully functional script.
This would not have been a problem if it where free like we all now you get what you pay for, but in this case you dont get what you pay for so use free extensions dont waste your money on jomsocial its like trowing them in the trash.

I like this software, I have purchased the Pro version twice, and have pushed it to clients as a great idea.

Unfortunate I now have a large corporate client that believed me, and had me buy and install it. It worked fine till the upgrade last week. Upon upgrading ... the site died, I was fine to have to re-install and start over but the new package does not install on this system (even with all requirements met).

All that would be fine too if the support was Pro, but it's not. Weekends off, and the forums don't always allow you to post.. but they won't answer emails. I have another client that wants it but I'm hesitant, and they still have not fixed forum access or emailed for support after a week.

So basically, it's great if you don't really need it.

I was a follower of the other ACL extension until I tried Jomsocial for some projects. With its easy Facebook Integration, it was the obvious choice to move platforms. Continued development and support is awesome. Other ACL programs are good for marketing based sites, Jomsocial is the obvious choice for community-based (social networking) Joomla sites.

I think some people has a bit problem paying $ 149 for an extension, i had, but i never regret it. Jomsocial is real slick and pretty easy to configure. Support works fine and most of it works directly. Really recommend, if you gonna buy only one extension, buy Jomsocial.

Improvment areas are:
Color schemes for templates
New features should be better communicated with the community

Don't look here, it is easy to install, and easy to run! I had always feared trying to put up an actual community based site like the one I am working on now, because I thought the installation would be an extreme nightmare, let alone the set up, or actually running it. It has a few quirks as any program does, but this made it so easy I actually am enjoying it.

All you have to do is install and choose the color you want, it was that easy. The only things I wish it would do as part of the package is to invite friends from other social networks and have more applications to install.

I was expecting something that was out of the ordinary, and that the support channels were efficient and fast. And I am very pleased to say that I was not disappointed on any point.

The component it self does just what it is supposed to do: Create a community for your website, let your users interact and connect with each other.

Their support forum is very efficient. My first support request was answered within 24 hrs and one of their support staff was on my site to explore the error within the same time. Second request was solved within the same time limit and my 3rd request was also solved within 24 hrs within posting the issue.

And even after all my whining posts on the forums the support staff still remained polite and helpful. This component is highly recommended from me and my users!

Wow!! Awesome component, great team, and a great community of customers. I love Jomsocial been using jomsocial from FEB didnt have the time to write and review although my review is already there on their testimonial and showcase page, I thought I should write one here too...
Applications, Profiles and groups are awesome, though there are plenty of room to improve.

Modifying the core files is easy as the code is not encrypted.

Support especially Mark in forum is helpful so are other jomsocial customers, already forming a great support base.

Applications are so easy to develop and Documentation on Appz development is good but more is always better
Drawbacks:

3 month period between releases. For a commericial product they should release atleast monthly updates and not ask the customers to wait for three months to get new version. Been waiting for 1.2

Thanks
Arulprakash

If you want to have a "real" community you must have JomSocial! This makes your site act much like FaceBook.
I do not agree with the review from jothik. You CAN add other registration fields which you define in the backend.
You CAN get a brand free version if you buy the PRO version.
There are a great deal of plugins to other components which is great. Instead of making their own components they just interact with already great components.
It is correct there is no CAPTHCA at the moment but you can enable Terms & Conditions so user have to check this field.

All in all a very great component that impressed me very deep first time I explored it. But you have to spend some time on it to make it "your best friend" because of all the options you have.

One point everyone would agree that jomsocial is a very very nicely done and a must to have for any website.

But the big cons are its totally new and does not have all the functions and features that everyone can depend on when compared to community builder. Just to name a few

- Does not have image verification system (spammers are happy.)
- Can't add registration fields.
- Lack of needed modules or plug ins.
- Brand Free version, using brand names and Azrul wont remove even when all customers are asking to provide a branding free version.

Its would be at least couple of years before jomsocial to catch up with community builder features and functions. If Azrul does a good job.

This is definitely the addition most sites need to be complete. JomSocial allows user interaction with a very simple GUI. Any user can figure out the interface since it competes with the top players like Facebook, Hi5, etc.

I have been an user since the first release and the support and follow up are great. Their support sites keeps you up to date on latest fixes and releases as well as component enhancements.

SEO works out of the box with this product.

We switched from another community component that shall remain nameless o JomSocial last month and have not looked back.

We run a new sports community and this component has catapulted us into another level. Our users LOVE this and it has that addictive FaceBook feel to it. We integrated MyBlog and JomComment and it flat out just works.

Their support is great and they are constantly looking for ways to improve. I cannot see how this won't be THE best addition to any Joomla site that wants to have a serious community and not something with some "clunky" add-ons.

CANNOT recommend this enough...well done Azrul and team.

Because this is an awesome extension! And it will soak you in for hours connecting with members of your site, and setting up groups and discussions, and uploading pics, and playing with templates and all of the applications!

Clearly well thought out. While they are releasing fixes daily it just shows the level of their dedication, and I wish I could say they were JUST fixing bugs...but many updates tends to include some fantastic new feature.

So don't buy it unless you are ready to see your site grow!

JomSocial along with JomComment and MyBlog are items I've added to several sites now. I'll never go back. In fact, I've found the software to be far more configurable than rivals far more expensive. I also found that the one or two small things I couldn't figure out on my own - they got back to me pretty fast. (As the trainer for a large ISP CS division, I'm picky with that stuff too). I'm really happy with the results and will continue to push it on my own clients, the benefits are fabulous.

This is a brilliant component and will really bring joomla alive. The Azrul team have worked very hard to get this right. The possibilities for 3rd party plugins are there. This will grow in to a valuable asset for your site. The support team have been brilliant in the forum. 30 day money back guarantee too if you are not happy.

My firm purchased this product for a site redux and installed it on a demo server for the clients review. Both the client and myself are very impressed at the added value this component provides to our project. It's price performance ratio can not be beat for a Joomla add on. This system does the best job of any I have seen in bringing your website members or clients together in a meaningful social fashion, making it super fun at the same time.

As a fellow developer I sifted through the code before installing and found it solidly constructed and well commented. One heavy requirement I had from my client was for a bit of iPhone communication. I was easily able to figure out what the JomSocial code was doing and extend the API into the Apple mobile device line with little trouble.

I would recommend the JomSocial component to any serious development firm for use in their own client projects. The developer Azrul has been in the Joomla business for a while and is not going anywhere any time soon. Many other projects start off well and disappear quicker then expected. I do not expect that to be the case here. Also been following the plugins for this component and that list is growing, so they are definitely committed. The crew has been responsive on their forums which is another important factor for our choice.

I hope to see this project prosper well into the future. System architecture rock solid. I like it.

Thanks for producing this!

I've been using some of Azrul's components for awhile now and just recently installed the commercial version of JomSocial and although it's a mere adolescent in terms of Joomla extensions it is starting to prove itself.

I really hate writing reviews for stuff because I feel obligated to give them positive feedback even if it isn't really a great product. This isn't a problem with JomSocial because it is starting to impress me and it's just a baby.

I can't wait to see it more tightly integrated with MyBlog and there are some search issues that could be addressed but otherwise it's a great component to help you build a nice community based site.

Pricing is a bit steep but all-in-all it doesn't feel bad to have spent so much money on it with the possibilities it will offer in the near future.

If you are an author of a Joomla add on please consider developing a plugin for JomSocial it rocks!!!

Thanks to out to Azrul and his crew for producing some great products!

I purchased Joomsocial Pro back when it was first released to see if it would work for a company intranet site I was building. I haven't used it yet because I'm waiting on the right project to come along before committing the license since it's tied to a single server.

While this component has great potential, it still lacks greatly when it comes to plugins and community support compared to Community Builder.

For the Intranet project we were hidred to build, we used CB because JommSocial Pro hadn't been battle tested in a corporate environment and LDAP support is sketchy at best. That didn't worry me as much as not having the Lists feature that CB has. Without lists, there is no way to create the equivalent of a company directory like we have done with CB without adding significant costs to the project.

Right now we see CB as the product of choice for internal company sites with heavy requirements and JSP for light weight social sites.

Upside:

I am confident this outlook (hopeful) will change over the next year and look forward to all products maturing. The cool thing about this space in Joomla is that competition is heating up!

We now have CB, Joomsocial, Joomunity and Jcommunity.. wow..

Let the best product(s) win!

This component is a must have for your community. It is a great piece of work and will greatly increase social interaction in your community.

Though it still has its "incomplete" side, the team is quickly improving this and hopefully more features will be added.

Another + aswell is custom applications can be made by other developers with quite easy.

I was able to make a few applications without much PHP knowledge (though I can program in other languages ;-) )

I would recommend this to everyone who builds his site based on a community!

I bought this extension as soon as it was released. I think that this extension is a true social networking software that actually promotes your site visitors and users to interact with each other. This component is a lot like Facebook and if you are looking to add Facebook style functionality and features to your Joomla website then this is the software to get.
I love the API for adding applications to this software. It allows the component to be expanded in a limitless amount of ways. I think that once this component matures it will be the one to use on all social networking sites.
I also like the front end interface and the component looks great on most any website without much tweaking.
I also really like the way that you can implement your own templates for the component or easily tweak the CSS of the existing ones to better meet the needs of your own website.

Thanks Azrul for a wonderful app that has now filled a void that Joomla has had for a long time.