Meet Jomaco1
One of the most visible jobs on Team Mambo is leading the Moderators Team. We're lucky to have a very experienced individual in that role. He's also the only Mambo Team Leader who also has an official role at Joomla! This month we introduce you to jomaco1.
A Brief Introduction
Name: Mark Joyce
Handle on Forums: jomaco1
Age: 45
Location: Michigan, USA
Profession: Certified Orthotist; Currently doing full time Web Development
Homepage: www.mambotech.com
The Interview
In what ways do you make a contribution to Mambo?
- I'm a non-coder so I try to help out by answering questions in the forum and helping users to get the most out of Mambo. I also try to provide feedback for the developers so they know what my concerns are as an end-user. As part of the moderation team, I also help to rid the forums of spammers that try to ruin things for the rest of us. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
When did you first hear of Mambo?
- I heard of Mambo in 2002 when I started to research content management systems.
How and when did you get involved in Mambo?
- Although I have used computers since the early 1980s, I was not "online" until 2001 and began doing web development as a hobby in 2002. After my first few projects, it was obvious to me that I needed to either learn a lot more or find a way to be able to do more with the skills I already had. After doing some thorough research and testing of OS CMSs, I decided Mambo was the way to go and from that point on, there was no looking back. Eventually, I was asked to help out as a moderator on the forum and just naturally migrated to the Foundation Forum with the rest of the team.
Are you being paid to work on Mambo?
- No, but they let me use Mambo for free. It actually works out pretty well for me.
How much time do you usually spend on Mambo?
- Nowhere near as much as the development team. As forum admin and moderator, the work comes in spurts. I get email updates for all posts, so I can scan for spam and usually take care of it right away when I see any. Since I work as a full time developer from my home, I am at my computer most of the day and it's not a problem to handle small situations immediately when they pop up. I get involved in some team discussions, but I do that later in the evening and don't usually spend more than an hour or two per day following up on forum posts.
Do you have any specific goals for Mambo?
- Just for it to be as good as it can be. From where I stand, things are looking good in the stretch.
What keeps you motivated to work on Mambo?
- Well the fact that most of my work is CMS based, improvements in Mambo have a direct effect on what I am able to achieve as a developer.
What is Mambo's killer app? Why?
- I think Mambo is most significant in it's menu capabilities and the way it can bring content, components and external items together in a hierarchical, easy to manage system. One of the biggest challenges in managing a web site is organizing pages and keeping the menu system updated. Mambo makes it easy.
What is your favourite add-on?
- That's really hard for me to say. There are several components I use on a regular basis, like Bookmarks, DocMan, GoogleMaps and Community Builder, but the 3rd party product I use the most and absolutely could not live without is the mosmodule mambot. I use it in it's simplest form, but it is capable of so much more and I am really just utilizing the tip of the iceberg.
In addition to Mambo, what other Open Source applications do you use regularly?
- FireFox is the main OS tool I use. There are so many extensions to make development work easier, I couldn't live without it.
What Operating system do you use & why?
- WinXP. I have Linux on a partition, but most of the clients I interact with use Windows based apps so it's the most convenient for me.
What's your Mambo site look like?
Which section of Mambo is underrated and could get more publicity?
- Probably the archive manager. Most people don't know how to use it and could get more out of it if they did.
What do you think is still badly missing in Mambo?
- Customizable Access Control List (ACL) capabilities and multi-level content categorization. There also needs to be some improvement in the way content is accessed using the itemid, but I know this is being discussed by the developers and will be addressed in future versions.
Are there particular opportunities for Mambo in your country?
- Sure. I know it wasn't long ago that someone could brag that they were the "only full time Mambo developer"…but those days are gone forever. Jobs for Mambo developers are popping up all over the place. One niche is in the hosting market. Almost every hosting company these days offers Mambo as one of the many scripts they provide for their clients. Most hosting companies also provide custom development services and they are starting to see an increase in the number of requests from clients using Mambo. In many cases the hosts are contracting with outside companies to provide Mambo services, but more and more, they are hiring their own Mambo "experts" to keep up with the demand and also to keep the revenues "in-house".
Personal Questions
Married, partner or still looking?
 I married my wife, Bonnie in 1987 and we have 4 children between the ages of 5 and 18. (2 boys and 2 girls) Our oldest is in his first year of college at the University of Michigan and our youngest started Kindergarten this year. The picture is with my parents this summer at a family gathering.
If you have a partner or children, how do they cope with your Mambo mania?
- My family has gone through a major period of adjustment with my change from healthcare to web development. We had a few rough years, but they stuck with me and things have started to stabilize. I know they get a kick out of telling their friends what I do and how I get to work with people from so many different countries and interesting projects. For the most part, they think it's all pretty cool, but sometimes I have to show them the back of my head for them to recognize me,
Do you have any pets?
- Only pet pieves…like one armed, cell powered, oblivious drivers.
How would you describe yourself?
- A perfectionist with many great ideas and no funding.
What are you passionate about?
- God, watching my kids play sports, music, making EVERYTHING available online and curing plantar fasciitis with stretching, proper footwear and gait training.
If someone visits your country, which spot is a must-see?
- The thing that kept me from moving away from west Michigan…the Lake Michigan Sunset. The Grand Canyon is pretty cool too.
Which book is on your bedside table?
- "How to Get Kids To Eat Great and Love It."
What's the worst job you ever had?
- When I was in high-school, I worked in the sanitation department for a while at a large bakery. It was pretty bad, but the worst was a job I had in orthotics where the owner cared more about profits than about the patients. I knew things wouldn't work out when he said "I guess you'll just have to lower your standards".
What's your dream job?
- Being in charge of spending Oprah's money. Realistically, I would like to get paid to work full time in the development of an internet network for our local Catholic Faith Community. I've done some projects for our school and area Knights of Columbus organization, but I'd like to pull it all together in a project that shares resources and has branches to serve every facet of the community.
What is your favourite place in the world?
What's your favourite web site at the moment?
Who or what in your life would you say influenced you most?
- Besides my dad, I would have to say my 5th grade teacher, Sister Marion had the greatest effect on me. She helped me to discover and develop my talents and abilities and used a quote that has stuck with me for my entire life: "Right is right, even if no one does it; Wrong is wrong, even if everyone does it."
What is your most embarrassing Mambo moment?
- I think that one is still unfilled. Check with me later.
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