Why Did We Create CMS Expo?

Written by John Coonen

Friday, 13 March 2009 18:00

After being a pre-bubble web fanatic from 1993-2000, it was relaxing to take a break from the wacky world of website development and re-focus for five years on another passion I have in the non-profit realm.

So, after the tour of duty, in 2005, upon "re-entry" into the tech-design scene, I was happy to discover the world of Open Source technologies had emerged.

Wow.

I thought my experience with Dreamweaver, Flash, Cold Fusion and Oracle would help me pick up how to use Mambo or Drupal. After all, everyone was touting how "simple" these content management solutions were to launch (insert nervous laugh here).

Having a rather in-depth knowledge of what it took to create, launch, market and maintain some rather hefty online initiatives, I thought I would be well-prepared to get right back up to speed. As it turns out, God gives us the ability to fool ourselves into blissful ignorance sometimes, so as not to freak out when the truth smacks us upside the head. During my five year tour of duty in the non-profit world, twenty years of technology advancement passed me by. The truth smacked me hard.

So, into the deep end I went. While earning an income building websites in Dreamweaver, I struggled on and off for nearly a year, trying to get my head around how to "go CMS," and enable my web clients to drive their own sites without me. They didn't want to pay hefty fees to make minor changes, and frankly, I didn't feel right charging them (I rarely did, which compounded my anxiety); nor did I enjoy that side of the work. I couldn't wait to get these sites off my back, managing all the nitty gritty of admin and minor copy changes. After a few months, and dozens of new websites under my belt, I was starting to burn out again. While profitable, it was laborious work, and it was the type of work which seemed to have no end.

After weak attempts to build several sites using Mambo/Joomla, I took off a couple weeks to truly learn it. The documentation was (at the time) sketchy and out-of-date. Online tutorials were oftentimes linkbait and the same video re-branded (a real scam), and there were no conferences or user groups around to speak of. I was frustrated as ever, and two weeks of focus didn't bring me any closer to being capable of delivering more powerful, customer-driven CMS-driven websites.

The only comments I could find on Google were from other frustrated folks like me, asking whether a user group or learning conference was going on nearby. You'd think I'd have the lightbulb moment by now, but no. It took me another six months, and God had to turn up the dimmer switch to the "blinding light" setting for me to actually get it.

But I finally saw the light.

I started up a user group in Chicago. We grew to over 100 in no time. The user group enabled us all to share information freely, and it helped me learn Joomla in no time. I was building sites on my own, and even better - I had a network of friends and colleagues to help me out. Wow!

Our group cooked up the idea of a bigger all-day learning conference. That sounded great, but there was a great deal of work involved (and a lot of risk too). Lightbulb moment #2: The idea of a conference was daunting. This is when I informed the love of my life, Linda, that I was considering starting up another venture. I learned from past experience that it actually is NOT better to ask forgiveness than permission in circumstances like this.

Our local user group was on-board. Linda (my wife) was on-board with the concept of an expo too. In the spring of 2007, we held our first Expo, and it was a huge success. Over 300 people attended, and people came not only from our Chicagoland roots, but from around the world. Many had the same story to tell as I did - a killer learning curve and nowhere to get the information in a sensible, consultantspeak-free zone.

Just like them, I needed to learn real, practical answers. I did not need a gathering of consultants there to simply bring up more questions, in their own language, designed to prove their worth.

So, that's how we created CMS Expo - a rather unplanned and accidental success, based on our own experience and desire to learn and share. That's what we promise to continue offering at CMS Expo - practical, take-it-home-and-use-it information. Everyone is at a different place on the path of knowledge, so, after two successful learning conferences, we've quadrupled the number of Sessions and Learning Tracks to engage all members of the content management team.

My wife and I hope you get as much out of CMS Expo as we have - and more. It's truly your place to come, learn, share and prosper. We found our home here with the CMS Expo (and the newly formed CMS Association) - helping Designers, Developers, Administrators and Businesspeople to better understand and use the power of some excellent CMS solutions out there.

We're so happy to help others better understand the power that various content management software solutions puts in their hands. Our path here wasn't by design - it was rather accidental. That said, our promise is to continue delivering the best of the best in the CMS world. Hopefully, you'll keep coming back, and together we can all connect to the growing CMS Community!

Sincerely,

Linda & John Coonen
Co-Hosts, CMS Expo
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