1. Just because you build it does not mean they'll come. Consider an email marketing campaign to promote the Community to your members. We recommend sending at least 3 emails to your entire membership - the "Here's What's Coming" email about 2 weeks ahead of launch, the "Join Us Online Now" at launch and the "Check Out What's Going On" email about 2 weeks after launch to report on Community activity.
2. All new websites will have errors and bugs. Don't be suprised when things don't work perfectly and need some additional technical TLC. Expect you'll need technical support for at least 6 weeks as participation grows.
3. Designate someone who can respond to member requests for help. This volunteer or staff member doesn't need to be technical -- he/she simply needs to understand how the website works and be able to collect and organize complaints/bug reports. Make sure you have an email address like This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it where members can send questions like "I can't login" or "I need to edit my forum post -- there's a grave spelling error that makes me look stupid!" If someone can't login, rather than seek out help, chances are they'll disregard the Community altogether. 
4. You will need to cultivate initial participation. No one wants to be the first one on the dance floor. Invite a handful of tech-savvy members to post questions on the forum or volunteer as "conversation specialists" for at least the first 2 months. The more organized you are here, the better off you'll be.

Joomla templates consist of your XHTML and Joomla position tags. Some template code looks like this:

<div id="content_area">
  <div class="interior-title"><?php mosLoadModules ( 'titleimage', -1); ?></div>
  <div class="info-box"><?php mosMainBody(); ?></div>
  <div id="right"><?php mosLoadModules ( 'right'); ?></div>
</div>

1. A domain name (www.flyingpigs.com) or subdomain (demo.flyingpigs.com) Joomla needs a domain or subdomain defined on set-up.
2. A website host that supports Joomla, CPanel and Fantastico script installer. Fantastico is a browser-based tool that enables a "push button" install of Joomla. You can have your first Joomla site up and running within minutes of purchasing a new hosting package with Fantastico. I recommend the hosting company Bluehost.com though there are many other hosts out there that are just as good if not better or cheaper. Do your research!
3. FTP client like "FTP Voyager." Chances are, at some point, you'll want to upload to or download files from your host.

• 180,000 Web developers registered on the forums (as of March 2008) where non-technical and hard core developers alike share code, fixes and help eachother. It's disturbingly Utopian.
• Push button installation using a host that offers "Cpanel and Fantastico"
• Maintenance tools with big, clear buttons that make changing content really unintimidating for non-technical, sometimes utterly Web-phobic administrators (my clients run the gamut from very savvy to very resistant) 
• 2880+ Components, Modules and Plugins that make your site do ... way more than you ever need.
• Joomlancers.com - amazing resource for Joomla programmers ready to pounce on your project or pieces of projects. Looks like 50+ projects per day get posted there. It's hoppin.