This week I look at the top new extensions in the Joomla! Extension directory for March 2014. There are some great highlights this month so make sure you check out the podcast episode and of course the new video of the top 10 new extensions for March.
With currently over 7770 extensions out there, I'll be looking at a few highlighted and useful plugins, modules and extensions that you may have missed.
This month's 10 extensions include:
- Easy Radio
- Vik Appointments
- JA Google Charts
- JD Knowledgebase
- Twentronix Shortcuts
- T-Download Store
- Unite Responsive Tile Gallery
- Brilliant Instajoom
- JA Promo Bar
- ParallaxScroll
Joomla News
Latest Google Hangouts
We had two awesome Google Hangouts recently. The first being a GPL and LGPL debate and chat and the other being a marketing session catch up with Jessica Dunbar to talk about all things Joomla and Marketing.
GPL VS LGPL and Marketing Chat
Marketing Joomla with Jessica Dunbar
Joomla 3.2.3 & 2.5.19 Released
This release from Joomla fixes a SQL injection vulnerability and also two XSS vulnerabilities.
This update is really important and you should make sure that your websites are update to the latest versions.
JoomlaDay Boston 2014 - #JD14BOS To find our more about JoomlaDay Boston, check out the official website, or check out the Storify feed that we created for the event.
Beginner Tip from Richard Pearce
This week Richard joins me on the podcast to talk about modules for Joomla. Richard talks about what they are
Richard has also written up the notes in regards to passwords on his blog over at BuildAJoomlaWebsite.com
10 New Joomla Extension Review - March 2014
1. EasyRadio
EasyRadioAn awesome little module that allows you to add a audio stream to your website. Perfect for radio stations or podcast websites like Joomla Beat that may be doing 24 hour live streams.
http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/multimedia/streaming-a-broadcasting/audio-broadcasting/26652
2. Vik Appointments
Vik AppointmentsThe perfect extension to help sell your time. If you're a consulting based business or one that is orientated around selling your time, then this extension can help facilitate that sale of your time and help users book it out.
3. JA Google Charts
JA Google ChartsBeing able to present data in a graphical way is a great way to communicate data effectively. Data that is presented in spreadsheets can sometimes be hard to put into perspective and understand. Having the data instead presenting in charts is perfect and JA Google Charts does just that. Being able to pull in data from Google spreadsheets means that it can easily and dynamically collect and display information.
http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/living/education-a-culture/graphs-and-charts/26360
4. JD Knowledgebase
JD KnowledgebaseA very important website type, a knowledge base helps you present all that you know in a easy to find and search database area. Allowing your customers and clients to also search all of that information can also help reduce support tickets and costs. JD Knowledge base is a fantastic extension that ticks all the boxes in that regards and allows you to easily put together a knowledge base system for you, staff and customers to access and search against.
http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/directory-a-documentation/faq/26656
5. Twentronix Shortcuts
Twentronix ShortcutsNow this is a highlight for this month. Having played around with this now and understanding what it can do has been an amazing experience. Being able to create quick little shortcuts to different areas of your admin or keyboard shortcuts to perform functions has been a huge time saver for myself and other admins on our Joomla websites. Creating shortcuts to clear the cache, do global check-ins and so much more is so beneficial.
This one is a must!
http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/administration/admin-navigation/26605
6. T-Download Store
T Download StoreThis is another extension that I think we will be moving towards. T-Downloads lets you quickly and easily setup a extension shop, online software store and so much more. It is configured with lots of different layout screens all enabled with Bootstrap for easy customisation.
The easy and simplicity of the installation and setup makes it a great choice for people that are starting out with simple online stores.
http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/e-commerce/paid-downloads/26640
7. Unite Responsive Tile Gallery
Unite Revolution Tile GalleryA beautiful way to present photos and images on a website. This extension will arrange mixed dimension images in a beautiful tiled layout. It allows for easy customisation and presentation of all sorts of photos and images.
Provides a unique way of presenting your images.
http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/photos-a-images/galleries/photo-gallery/26601
8. Brilliant InstaJoom
Brilliant InstaJoomIf you love Instagram or you us it for work, then this one is a must. Brilliant InstaJoom makes it easy to quickly add images from your Instagram account or images from a particular hashtag on to your website. A little bit of configuration is needed in regards to obtaining a client ID from Instagram but the rest of the setup is done via the module.
http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/social-web/social-media/photo-channels/instagram/26385
9. JA Promobar
JA PromobarThis is a neat way to promote something on your website without getting in the way of your users. Before I was using a modal popup on my own website that would take over the screen and really annoy people visiting the website. This promo bar is a lot less intrusive and offensive I might add for the end user.
http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/news-display/notes/26359
10. ParallaxScroll
ParallaxScrollI love parallax effects on websites. I think it gives websites that extra dimension and visual element and this module really helps add in that extra effect. If your template doesn't support parallax effects, this module can help you easily add in those effects with minimal fuss. Being a module also gives you the dynamic and flexibility of how a module functions and works.
http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/photos-a-images/images/image-modules/26338
This month I also did a video version of the review, you can read the post or watch the YouTube video of the review online.
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