Just wondering where a descent place is to find someone to do a redesign of my Joomla site along with possible forum integration.
Hi there. If I may chime in a few ideas that hopefully prove helpful: First off, nix the idea of "forum integration" unless you have a talented coder on your team or the funds to maintain this. As a veteran of the SMF/Joomla bridge days, let's say I got more than my fair share of gray hairs over bridging a form. . All it takes is for the bridge developer to disappear, or system licensing to change, and you're SOL. Instead, use one of the native Joomla forums. I'd say look at any of the Fireboard offshoots (Kunena being the strongest thus far) as well as Agora Forum and the simple but nice-looking CCBoard. Don't let anyone try to sell you on any "forum features" hype. Any features that a Joomla native forum doesn't have can be added via additional plugins (i.e., UDDEIM for messaging, etc.). By "redesign" do you mean the look of your site only? If so, you may make out far better using one of the theme clubs. Sadly, Joomla free themes really aren't nearly up to the level of WordPress unfortunately . If money is an object (and when isn't it?) you can peruse the various template membership sites, see which one has something you like, and sign up for the cheapest membership. For example, I think TemplatePlazza has a basic one for around $35 or so. Another plus for TP is that most of their themes come with additional extensions that could prove useful. If all else fails, and you want to still go the freelancer route, you could look at Joomlancers (dedicated Joomla freelancers) or GetaFreelancer. Those are two places where I've had luck. Before you do anything, though, get a clear, detailed plan together. This is very important. I've worked with enough freelancers who have told me how much they appreciate having clear instructions (especially since many do not speak English as a first language). Hope this proves useful.
Thank you so much for your reply. I am perfectly happy to nix the concept of forum integration now versus having headaches. As for the site its pretty plain text home page, want to get perhaps a news slide show type add on as well as tweaking a few other things to it. Not sure that just another template will do what I want, but, I will take a look at that site and see what I find. Also appreciate a couple sites to look for freelancers as that was one of my bigger questions/problems. Thanks again.
Glad I could be of service. Just FYI, Joomla professional template sites are MUCH more than just templates. The big ones all have extensions that go along with your membership. Many folks don't know that. One of the best IMHO is Gavick Pro. GREAT sliders and such along with some nice, sleek templates. There are many other "clubs" that also offer extensions along with their themes. Shape 5, Joomla Art, Rocket Theme, Template Plazza, YOOtheme, JoomlaBamboo... almost every one of them offer extensions as part of their packages. Most of them even offer some free (although typically the more feature-packed versions are available to subscribers). Check it all out. You can always hire a pro if you still don't find what you're looking for. You can also hire someone to "tweak" an existing theme or extension, often times saving you time and money (as you then don't need to re-invent the wheel.
Gavick actually has one that I think I'm going to be using as my new site template. It has everything that I need and more that I now want (video on home page). Really appreciate your thoughts and site information as its saved me a ton of time and I'm sure other hassles.