If you r looking for building a website with all features,u may call it portals..then best way is to use a CMS(content management system). Joomla is one of the best open source CMS available.So,u got a script free and its all features for free. It is one of the most widely used CMS,so support is quite good.
If u do not know any programming language,then also u can make a great looking website using free themes available on net.
I ve made a website using Joomla . www.nitkcampustalk.co.nr
First do a google n wikipedia on Joomla.
If you want to give a try .. go to www.freejoomlas.com
Anyway you ll need trap17,if you want a website without paying much.. So do not forget trap17.com
I am ready to share anything i know about building a site .
So experts and beginners are invited to drop their experience and queries here.




STOP WORRYING; START LIVING

This post has been edited by satyaparija: Aug 24 2007, 08:30 PM

I think www.freejoomlas.com is a rip-off.

They have ads and horrible forums on your site. If you're looking for a free joomla use trap17 or some ad free layered panel site.

You ve got a point.
But I ve been using their service since 3 months.They ve not put any banner or ads on my site.Basically,it is is totally free and you can start right away.Server is doing fine for me till now.May be in future,they ll put banner.
But my point is if u want /test a Joomla site straight away without any cost and commitment ,they are best.You ll become well experienced with Joomla administration panel.and your site ll be up overnight. NOT BAD.
Anyway,you ve limited freedom in choosing templates.So,I m here at trap17.

tbh i dont like joomla, just because i dont like its content or its layout on its website (yes im literally that picky). If its layout sucks, no point in looking at it right? well thats exactly what i think about joomla, or at least when i last loked at it.

Every CMS has its own advantage and disadvantages.But Joomla gives you a lot of flexibillity especially you plan to make a portal site with a lot of features.
There are a lot of templates out there to make its look out of the box.And also do not forget about the add-ons avilable for Joomla.It is best for portal site to say the least.
But if your site is to serve something specific like blog ,forum then Joomla may not be the best.

If you do not like Joomla, do not forget to post the CMS you use.It ll be helpful for a lot of people.

I would insist that one should use XOOPS. This is not because I am a XOOPS user. But it is because I have tried all available CMS opitions and XOOPS is best of all.

It's really easy and flexible. There are also so many modules available to use with xoops. Even PHPBB is also available as a module. ANy Ways I think That XOOPS Rocks!

If you are talking about one of those sites that hosts your PHP script and doesn't give you much access, I recommend you use an actual web host instead. A few years ago, I ran a clan with my cousin, and we decided to use a service called Invision Free (they hosted modified copies of 1.3 Final). Although this was fine for a clan, who had leaders that knew nothing about forum software at the time, it is not fine for someone who really wants to customize their board. Invision Free did not give out FTP access and blocked many areas that allowed the board to have a lot of customizations. The only thing they allowed was one CSS stylesheet. There was no FTP access, so it was impossible to add features to the board other than a CSS, HTML, or Javascript customization (and even these were limiting). After that experience, I would not recommend you use one of those sites that host a script for you and give nothing else (it sounds like this freejoomlas does that). They really limit the way you customize your site.

Also, I went to this freejoomla site, and it did not look very professional. I always compare a web host's website to their service. If they don't care about working on their website, they don't care about working on their servers to keep your website online.

This post has been edited by tigercat: Aug 26 2007, 05:44 PM

Hey..I know their home page is not that professional....But they have been giving best since 5 months and it loads pretty fast.
My point is just that if you want to take the feel the power of Joomla.Of course, if you can get a web account and know how to install Joomla...then forget it. they are the best I ve come across..

hey satyapriya i completely agree with u , i am a mechanical engineer by profession , but since i landed up in sofware i got exposed to CMS, joomla is by far the best CMS i have come across, i too was planning to open a forum for my coll , but site like orkut it hard to grap people to your forum, i gave up , but i would like to learn how to bridge joomla with phpbb, i dont understand anything about php , or sql , tats why i thought of using joomla, if u are interested we can work on , why jus NIT , WHO NOT THE whole campus of india?
think abt it . .

tak care .

This post has been edited by mabhishekjhawar: Aug 29 2007, 05:33 PM