The Joomla! Extensions Directory ™

Background - I have been using Joomla for about 9mos now, and I know my way around, but I am by no means an "expert". I generally try to go with free extensions, but this time I decided to go for a commercial extension for my client's blog. I didn't want to set up the regular site in Joomla, and then set up WordPress for her blog. Pain for me setting up, and pain for her learning two CMSs for one site. Bleh.... So....

This is a wonderful extension. Even though it costs a little bit, it is worth it! Only $20 and for now, you can use it on as many sites as you please! This is great for me, because I will be doing a bunch of mini sites with blogs.

It is VERY easy to use and configure. You can download a PDF that has really good instructions on how to use the blog. Don't let the website fool you! The instructions are in English and are very well written. Helpful for someone who is a beginning in Joomla, but the instructions would not be needed for any higher level Joomla user than beginner.

It has the option of using the selected Joomla template for blog styling and the option to just styling that comes with the extension. The default styling that comes with Philo Blog is really basic, bright and simple. You will want to change it, but the CSS is very easy to customize, so this isn't a big deal. (As a tip, if you are changing the background color for the blog titles, etc., find the style that controls one of the titles, and use the "replace all" function in DreamWeaver, or whatever editor you use. This cuts down styling time by a lot and keeps everything the same color!)

I had emailed the developer(s) with some questions - how many domains can I use this for, is it customizable, etc. - and I got a nice response about 1.5 days later. Remember that the developer(s) are in Denmark. Don't worry, though. They speak nice English and are very friendly. :-)

Remember that, when you are setting up Bloggers, that you must create a Joomla User first, that will take on the identity of that Blogger.

As you can see, I really love this extension and I can't recommend it enough!

As another note, at least some of the accompanying extensions (latest article module, control panel icon plugin, etc.) are free, so that was a huge bonus to me! Not only did I get a nice and functional blog, but I got to fancy up my site for FREE!!!!

Bottom line - wonderful job, worth the money, easy to use, will be easy for clients to use once the site is under their control, and the developer(s) is/are friendly. :-)

Thanks again! It was a pleasure being the first person to post about this extension!

Jennifer

I just tried this plugin and it is working so far! It doesn't really fit in with my theme, unfortunately, but I had to try it out and it is so cool!

Thanks for the neat extension!

Evangeline93