Now that you have Joomla installed on the server and your web site is up and running, it is time to get fancy! Joomla presents you with a blank canvas that you can then fill with whatever you want. Joomla Extensions allow you to add all the extra bells and whistles to your web site to really make it shine!

Joomla has a built in Extension Manager that will allow you to install an extension with just a few clicks. Once you have found an extension that fits your web site needs, download the extension zip file to your computer. You will then log into the Joomla admin page and click the Extension Manager icon. On this page you can Install, Update, and Manage your extensions.

Under the Upload Package File section, click the Browse button and find the extension zip file on your computer, select the file by clicking it and then click the Open button. You will then click the Upload and Install button in the Extension Manager. In just a few moments, your extension is uploaded and installed, and all necessary adjustments will be automatically made to the web site code and the related database.

You will then open the the related extension admin page to manage the features of the installed extension. It really is that simple! So what extensions should you install? Well, the possibilities really are endless. You can search for extensions through the Joomla home page, or you can google search for specific extensions if you have a specific need.

One of the most popular Joomla extensions is Community Builder. If you are looking to develop a social network site, this is the tool for you! Community Builder has many plugins available including Profile Gallery, Profile Blog, Profile Guestbook, Profile Wall, Facebook Connect, Twitter Connect, Paid Subscriptions Membership Management, Donations Management, Shop, Captcha and many more. You will definitely want to check it out if you have any interest in developing your own social media site.

If you are looking to develop an e-Commerce web site, you will be interested in the popular Joomla extension VirtueMart. This is a complete e-Commerce shopping cart solution for Jooma, used by thousands of store owners. It can be run in Store Mode or Catalog Mode. With its powerful Administration Tool you can handle an unlimited number of Categories, Products, Orders, Discounts, Shopper Groups and Customers.

There are over 7,000 extensions available through the Joomla web site, so head over and look for the ones that solve all of your problems. Your Joomla site will be fantastic once you add the professional, easy to use extensions designed to make your life simple.

When you want to do a lot more than just a simple, template based web site, a great option is to use Joomla! Joomla is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) and application framework. Anyone can develop a robust, feature-rich web site using the Joomla script, even if you have no coding experience.

Joomla is also one of the included features in our Install Popular Scripts tool in the Account Manager. This will allow you to install the Joomla script automatically configured for your hosting account, without having to do any of the coding or database creation.

To install the the Joomla script, please log into the Account Manager, click on the Install Popular Scripts link, then click the Install Packages link next to your desired domain name. You will find Joomla under the CMS section. If you hover over the Package Description link, you can view a description of the Joomla script. You can also click the Joomla's home page link to visit the script developer web site.

When you are ready to install Joomla, simply click the Install link. On the next page, you will want to make sure you read all information about the installation and then click the Continue button.

You will now enter some basic information in regards to your Joomla installation. In the Installation Directory: field, you will enter the directory you want the Joomla script to be installed in. If you want Joomla to be installed to the root of your domain, you will leave the box blank. If you want the script to be installed to a sub-directory, you will simply enter the name of the directory you have already created on the server, and it will then install it to that sub-directory. Please note that the directory you are installing this script to must be empty, so make sure there are no files uploaded to the server in the specified directory.

In the Admin Username: field, you will enter your desired admin username. You will want to make note of the Admin Password: assigned to your installation. Please make sure you write down and keep this username and password combination in a safe, secure place. You will also need to enter a valid email address in the Admin Email: field. This email address will be used for all admin contact features, so please make sure that you have access to this email address.

Once you have all of these fields filled out completely, check the Agreement: box and click the Install button. The Joomla script is now queued for installation and your copy of Joomla will be installed shortly. Once the installation is complete, you will need to login as the Administrator to configure your web site.

On the administration page, you can manage the layout, modules, extensions, settings, and content of your new, professional looking web site. Have fun with it!

We are excited to announce that Secure Shell Access (SSH) is now available for all Linux hosting customers!

Secure Shell is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged using a secure channel between two networked devices. SSH was designed as a replacement for Telnet and other insecure remote shells, which send information, notably passwords, in plaintext, rendering them susceptible to packet analysis. The encryption used by SSH is intended to provide confidentiality and integrity of data over an unsecured network, such as the internet.

Secure Shell access is for advanced users who wish to have command line access to their web hosting accounts to make changes directly on the server. To enable SSH, you need to log into the Account Manager and click on the Secure Shell tool under the Website Settings section. You can then enable, or disable, Shell Access as well as define the Shell Interpreter, then click Update to finish the process.

Please note that once you have enabled SSH, your account access information will be listed in the Secure Shell section in the Account Manager. You must use those settings if you wish to use SSH to access your web hosting accounts.