Joomla in Faces. Dr.Viviana Menzel (co-organiser of JoomlaDay Germany)

PhD.Viviana Menzel has been working with Joomla since version 1.0. She has been active in the community since 2014, collaborating with various teams such as CMS Maintainers, Joomla Accessibility, and Events. She has also been a mentor for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) since 2019. Viviana occasionally writes blog posts and articles for Joomla Magazine. Through her agency, Dr. Menzel IT, she primarily creates and maintains Joomla websites, and she most enjoys developing templates and overrides for the platform.

I believe in open-source as a social contract. Joomla has given me tools, clients, and knowledge, contributing is my way of giving back. I also enjoy the intellectual challenge and the friendships that come from working with people around the world who share the same values.

It’s intense but rewarding. As a co-organizer, you’re juggling logistics, speakers, sponsors, and community expectations. As a speaker, you’re focused on delivering value and connecting with the audience. Doing both gives you a 360° view of what makes an event meaningful, and how much behind-the-scenes work goes into it.

Start small, stay consistent, and build trust. You don’t need a huge budget or venue, just a space where people feel welcome. Document everything, delegate early, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. The Joomla community is incredibly supportive if you reach out.

There’s progress, but it’s uneven. Awareness has grown, especially in public sector projects and among developers who work with NGOs. However, many sites still treat accessibility as an afterthought. Joomla has made strides with accessible templates and admin interfaces, but education and enforcement remain key.

Partly visibility, partly perception. Joomla isn’t seen as “trendy” compared to newer frameworks or platforms. Also, many Joomla contributors are deeply technical but not always focused on self- promotion. We need to bridge that gap, by writing more, pitching better, and showing how Joomla solves real-world problems.

Joomla is very flexible, it allows you to create whatever website you want. I really appreciate custom fields and overrides. They make Joomla even more powerful. Granular access control, multilingual support out of the box, and a strong separation of content and presentation are also key elements in Joomla.

Streamlining the onboarding process for new contributors and users. Better documentation, and clearer pathways for extension developers. And we need to actively work on increasing Joomla’s visibility beyond our own bubble.