I needed to create a basic catalog this week and decided to have a go using the latest version of K2 - the new content creation tool by Joomlaworks. This is officially a pre-release version so there is no documentation or examples. It was a little daunting at first without any instructions, but the process of creating a catalog (or blog, or directory or whatever) is pretty simple.

There are some standard fields such as name, description and image but the beauty of this extension is that you can create your own field types such as price, colors and sizes. K2 calls these "extra fields" and that's probably the best place to start. Then you would create your categories and include the extra field group if appropriate. Once I had my head around this, I had the structure of my catalog ready in only ten minutes! The next step is to enter your catalog data using the Items option.

The harder part to understand is the plethora of display options available. Beginners may need to plow through this by trial and error. However the standard settings will work in a lot of cases.

Once the documentation is complete, even beginners will be able to grasp how to create their own catalogs. However modifying the desired layout will present some challenges. The templating system is handled by separate files and you will need an understanding of HTML & PHP to do this. I know this would be a lot of work for the K2 developers, but it would be fantastic if there was a way to create a desired layout using a drag and drop system in the Joomla Administrator.

K2 - free content creation kit for Joomla

Upgrade now to Joomla 1.5.14

There have been two new versions of Joomla released over the last couple of weeks. It is always a good idea to keep your site current with the latest version so head over to Joomla to get your update. The upgrade process is easy:

1. Backup your site! The easiest way to do this is using JoomlaPack as this backs up both your files and database.
2. Download the relevant upgrade and unzip the files.
3. Upload the new files to your site, overwriting any existing files.
4. Test everything on your site to ensure there are no problems.

Build your Joomla Website this weekend

It doesn't take long to understand how to use Joomla - once you have the right direction. Here's some feedback I received this week:

Your joomla training videos are just marvelous, you explain everything with clarity and patience. You seem to know everything about Joomla and I wonder why I had not discovered you before.

You could have your website online by the end of the weekend once you watch my training course. The full course is an amazingly low $10 and includes a 100% money back guarantee.

Discover what is included in the full training course

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Risk Reversal

Any transaction involves risk. The risk is almost always on the buyer. Will the product or service you're paying for provide the solution to your problem? But if you reverse this risk by providing a guarantee, will you get more business? Consider the example that Jay Abraham uses in his book Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got ...

A father wanted to buy his daughter a pony. At the first farm he visited, a beautiful red pony caught his daughter's eye. When the father asked about purchasing the pony, he learned the owner wanted a cashier's check of $500 plus a transportation fee- take it or leave it. And saddle and bridle were extra. The father said he would think it over.

Down the road, the father saw another ranch and decided to drop in. His daughter took to a black and white paint, and when he asked the owner about purchasing, he learned this rancher was different. He was asking more, $750, but he would bring the pony to father's home along with a month's worth of hay to feed pony and would include a saddle and bridle. The rancher promised to send out his own stableman to teach the little girl how to groom and care for pony. And although the pony was gentle and kind, the rancher would return in 30 days. And if his daughter was happy and still in love with the pony, then he would accept the father's check. Otherwise, he would pick up the horse at his own expense and even clean up his stable. No hard feelings.

Does this approach work? Well, in my experience, yes. It helps that my services are high quality and well priced. But the guarantee is a key factor to sealing the deal. I hardly ever need to provide a refund and the sales that I generate because of the guarantee far outweigh the refunds.

What can you do to reverse the risk for your customers?