JoomlaStory

I first started tinkering with web design and development in 1997 when I had to build a website in an introduction to electrical engineering class I was taking at the University of Texas. I had no clue what I was doing as we created HTML pages in a shell-based text editor.

Later that semester, someone introduced me to free hosting services that gave you a whole 5MB of free web hosting! I couldn't believe how much space they were giving away for free! I used that free account to start really tinkering with web design and HTML.

Fast forward a few years, and I was building websites for friends, churches, and basically anyone that needed a website. Sometimes I charged people for it, but I mostly just did it for free because I had fun doing it. This was back when I was making a living as an engineer, before I realized that web development was a viable profession.

In 2003, I took a job with a small software company, and I immediately assumed the responsibility for building and maintaining the company website. I knew a little bit about the concept of a content management system, but I wasn't familiar with all of the systems out there. My only experience was with PHP Nuke, Post Nuke, and Dot Net Nuke. While researching available systems, I discovered Mambo. I was immediately hooked because it had the cleanest, most user friendly interface.

In 2005, after creating multiple sites with Mambo and getting moderately involved in the Mambo community, I was shocked to find out that the Mambo core team was leaving and forking Mambo to create a new system called Joomla. Since all of the developers were leaving, it seemed like a no-brainer to follow their lead and jump on the Joomla bandwagon. I'm glad I did!

In the spring of 2006, I created a website called JoomlaForm.com, which was basically just a gallery of well designed Joomla-powered websites. It was through my involvement with that site that I met Barrie North from JoomlaShack.com. Barrie asked if I was interested in doing some development work for JoomlaShack, and I jumped at the chance.

I kept my day job as a software developer for 2 more years while moonlighting as a freelancer for JoomlaShack, and in 2008 I set out on my own to form Cory Webb Media. That summer, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to write a book about Joomla that was published by Wrox. The book was published in April of 2009.

Now in 2012, I am still running Cory Webb Media, a web development firm that specializes in developing websites and web applications with Joomla. Because of Joomla and my involvement with this community, my life has forever been changed. I am eternally grateful to all of the people who have made Joomla what it is today.