If you know Joomla, you might be at a loss for how to do something simple in WordPress. If WordPress is your CMS of choice, then you might feel lost in Joomla. Here's a quick translation guide.
Both systems are similar
Joomla and WordPress are both Content Management Systems (CMS) which generate dynamic websites. They are both free and many people like both products, so there's a lot of support out there.
The systems are different
A default Joomla installation is a website. Extra work must happen to get the site to act like a blog. It's also fairly easy to get to the low-level code and make changes. WordPress, on the other hand, has a blog for a default installation and extra setup must be done to make the site act like a website. The low-level code is more insulated, so it is harder to get to.
The look, feel, and design of the site
Both systems have the content on the site completely separate from the design of the site. That's a feature of CMS's. Joomla calls the design Templates and WordPress calls the designs Themes.
Installing and using a new template in Joomla
1. Download a Joomla template zip file.
2. Select Extension Manager under the Extensions menu.
3. Make sure the Install tab is selected.
4. Choose the file and click on the "Upload & Install Link."
5. After you get the "Installing template was successful" message, click on Template Manager under the Extensions tab.
6. Click on the star next to your new theme to change it to the default template.
7. View your site.
Installing and using a new theme in WordPress
1. Download a zip file of a WordPress theme.
2. Go to the dashboard.
3. Click on Appearance on the left-hand side.
4.Click on the Themes link.
5. Click on the "Install Themes" tab on the top of the main area of the screen.
6. Click on "Upload" underneath the Install Themes tab.
7. Click on the Choose File button and find the file.
8. Click the "Install Now" button.
9. When the "Theme installed successfully," appears, click on Activate.
10. View your site
Configure the URLs the site uses
The default Content Management System creates ugly URLs loaded with question marks, special characters, and numbers. Humans and search engines alike prefer URLs with mostly text.
WordPress uses Permalinks.
1. Select Permalinks under the Settings menu on the bottom of the left-hand side of the dashboard.
2. Select the format you want your URLs to look like.
Set SEO Friendly for Joomla
1. Select Global Configuration under the Site menu.
2. On the Site tab, in the SEO Settings section, change Search Engine Friendly URLs to Yes.
Joomla 1.6 will let you pick the name of a specific page
1. Select "Redirection" under the Components menu.
2. Click New to create a new link.
Organize the site's content
The content on the site is organized into categories. Joomla and WordPress both call these categories, categories.
Joomla's Category Manager
Under the Content menu, select the Category Manager. As of Joomla 1.6, categories can be nested. In Joomla 1.5, to have nested categories you must use the K2 extension.
WordPress' Categories
Under Posts on the left-hand side of the dashboard, select Categories. Categories can be nested.
Modules and widgets
The little boxes on the sides, tops, and bottoms of the website with the snippets of code in them are called modules in Joomla and Widgets in WordPress. In Joomla, modules are located in module positions. In WordPress, widgets are located in widget areas.

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