One of the greatest benefits of Joomla is the ability to install a new template for your front end within a few minutes. There are many sites that you can go to find commercial and free templates that may suit your needs. Here is a list of template providers that we think may have what you are looking for:

Rocketthemes- http://rockettheme.com

Joomlart- http://joomlart.com

YooTheme- http://yootheme.com

JoomlaDesigns- http://joomladesigns.co.uk

Best of Joomla- http://bestofjoomla.com

Once you have selected a template, more than likely you will receive a ZIP file that contains all the files for the template. 9 times out of 10 these providers send them to you ready to go all you will need to do is run through the Installation Manager. Make a backup of your website and then let's get started.

Installation Manager Instructions

Login to your Joomla Administrator Panel and visit the Extensions tab at top navigation bar. On the drop down that will come up select-> Install/Uninstall.

Where it says- Upload Package File click on the Browse button and find the ZIP file you just downloaded. Then, click on the Upload File and Install button, next to the Browse button. Your file should upload and you will then get a message stating- ! Install Template Success.

If you receive an error message, normally this is due to not having an XML file in the package. Sometimes you will download a package file and it will need to be unzipped. Especially if you chose a .tar.gz file. This will require that you unzip the package and find the zip file contained within. Rinse and repeat, and if you still don't get the ! Install Template Success message, proceed to consulting with the template provider for support, or attempt a manual installation.

Manual Installation Instructions

This type of installation will require you have a FTP Connection. If you need to get setup with FTP, please read Working with FTP. Once you are connected to your site, visit your root directory, which is in most cases:

public_html, httpdocs, or html

Now, unzip the folder you received from the template provider. If there are any subdirectories that have been zipped, they will need to be unzipped as well, unless they are extensions specific to the extension, which will more than likely be available for the Joomla Installation Manager. Each provider may do this a little differently and depending on what type of file you downloaded. You will be looking for folders such as this-

rt_kinetic_j15 (Example)

When you just find the template name, be sure to check its subdirectories. Normally there will be a set of subdirectories such as:

admin

css

html

js

If this is the case, all you will need to do is copy the parent director "rt_kinetic_j15" into the /templates folder. If this is not the case and you keep finding subdirectories below it that dont contain css files or javascript files, keep searching the package until you do.

Once you have uploaded the files into the /templates folder you should be able to view it in the Joomla Administrator Panel. You can check this by logging into the Joomla Admin Panel, and visit-

Extensions->Template Manager

If you installed the template successfully, it will appear in this list.

Assigning and Configuring Your Template

Now that you have successfully installed your new template you will need to assign the template as the default and you then can begin to configure and add content to your template. So, lets visit:

Extensions->Template Manager

Select the new template you installed from the list and click on the button to the top right that says-

Default

You now should see a little star next to the template you just assigned as the default. If this is all good and dandy, lets proceed to the module and menu manager to start adding content.

Most template providers will have a page on their demo of the template that will show you all of the available module positions you have for your specific template. You will need this map to layout your content and to assign the menu's where they go.

So what does FTP mean anyways?

FTP = File Transfer Protocol. Or in other words, a program that allows you to transfer files back and forth on a server. It also will allow you to create new directories and delete old files you are not using anymore.

If  you have ever wondered how you can upload multiple images to a Joomla! website, this is the way to go. For those of you who have a backup solution installed, such as Akeeba Backup, you will need to use FTP to download a backup copy.

For this tutorial, we are going to use the Open Source FTP Solution- Filezilla. If you do not already have a FTP solution, or would like to get a new one, go here:

http://filezilla-project.org

Normally we would only feature a singular extension on our extension reviews, but Rockettheme, gets the gusto with this review. We love rocketthemes, and suggest that many people use them for their versatility, and cutting edge designs for your entire Joomla site. Not only do they provide cutting edge templates, they even have extensions that are programmed to work with their templates, such as slideshows, tabular content displays, media players, and much more..

So, hopefully by this stage we should have completed Joomla and SEO Part 1, making your URL's more friendly. Now, we start to dive into the more time-consuming process- Analyzing and Optimizing your metadata.

Making your site visible and friendly to search engines, is the best thing that you can do for your site. You can have the most beautiful design and all the flash presentations to meet the most vivid imaginations but, does your site perform and are the visitors returning? In this series, I will give you a few tips and secrets that you can use to make your Joomla site, a little more social!

Managing Media Has Never Been Easier..

In this tutorial, we cover how to upload and delete images from your server, utilizing the Joomla Media Manager. We also address how to upload images and add them to your content items, and even show you how to resize them inside the JCE Editor.

COMMERCIAL EXTENSION

The Joomla! Jobs extension, recently listed in the JED, has been quite a neat little item. It is another commercial extension, but it gives you a lot to work with. Whether you are a job seeker, or an employer, you will find plenty of tools with this extension.

Job seekers are enabled to post resumes, which are stored on the website. This is beneficial for employers seeking new employees. They can browse for a small fee. Job Seekers are also allowed to browse job listings placed by potential employers.

COMMERCIAL EXTENSION

This extension is very similar to the way that Facebook operates. It allows your site users to create a personal profile, walls, and program in various applications, even allows for a  Twitter display!

We think that this extension is incredible. Well worth the site licensing fees! So far I have programmed the Jom Social component into 4 sites and each site has been a successful easy install, and all of the programming options are clean and easy to understand.

OPEN SOURCE EXTENSION

I don't know where to start with this review. This review makes me frizzled just thinking about it. K2 is a major advancement to the way that Joomla! handles articles! Don't get me wrong, the Joomla! core is great. K2 makes it EXCELLENT.

Manage Your Own K2 Content

This video tutorial covers the basic article entry within K2 Content. We illustrate how to copy and paste an article from Microsoft Word, into the JCE Editor page. We also cover publishing and access levels as well.

Prerequisites for this tutorial-

1. Article needs to be written in it's entirety, using microsoft word, or notepad.
2. You must be using K2 Content, for Article Management.
3. You must be using the JCE Advanced Joomla! Editor.