The default tag looks like this:

<meta name="generator" content="Joomla! 1.5 - Open Source Content Management" />

There is no way within Joomla to change or remove this tag, so you have to put a little line of PHP in your template.

Edit your template and look for this line:

<jdoc:include type="head" />

Just above that line, paste in the following:

<?php $this->setMetaData('generator','my site'); ?>

The two lines together should look like this:

<?php $this->setMetaData('generator','my site'); ?>
<jdoc:include type="head" />

In the above code, substitute your custom generator tag value in place of the words my site.

Because this hack is in your template, you don’t have to worry about the next upgrade to Joomla overwriting hacked core files.

Thanks to gabha.net for showing the way.

I am simply in awe of the WordPress team. The built in upgrade function is just fantastic.

But do as I say, and not as I do: backup your website and your database BEFORE running the 2.8 upgrade, just in case…

Read more about WordPress 2.8 >>

WordPress.com was a great training ground for her, but now she’s diving into the wooly world of setting up mySQL databases, modifying themes, and all that jazz.

So welcome to self hosting, Modfrugal. After your initial learning curve, you’re really going to like the flexibility and extensibility that self hosting brings.

View her blog at modfrugal.com

I wish I could tell you just how many times we have heard the same story over and over. Talking to someone about the Internet and what we do here at Graphics and Motion, Inc., we hear a common complaint.

“Our company site is so outdated, we don’t show it to anyone anymore,” they say, “it hasn’t been updated in months. We hired a freelancer who set up the site, but now they don’t answer our calls or e-mails anymore. We can’t get our site updated.”

Sometimes, it isn’t a freelancer, but the owner’s nephew or an employee’s mother. Sometimes it is an advertising agency or another Web development company who stopped responding to their client once the site launched.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could update your company website as easily as you check your bank account online or edit a Microsoft Word document on your computer? And without having to rely on an outside vendor who charges a high hourly rate…

The truth is, to make small changes, like a name or title, or to rewrite a paragraph of information or post a new photo, there is no reason you should have to wait on someone else to take care of these minor updates. The solution is known as a content management system (or CMS).

At Graphics and Motion, Inc., we no longer build static HTML websites. For several years, every site we have built has been on top of a content management system that puts the power of site maintenance in the hands of our clients. As part of our design and development process, we assess our client’s needs and recommend one of several content management systems to meet those needs.

Our clients have the ability to log into an administrator section of their site to:

• edit text content as desired
• upload images to add or remove photos or graphics on pages
• upload and link to downloadable files such as PDF documents
• add new pages as their needs expand (or delete pages as necessary)
• add new menu items to the site navigation system

Actually, nearly any edit you might want to make to update your website could be accomplished with an administrator login, your favorite Web browser, and an Internet connection. Training to use a CMS normally takes between one and two hours of your time, so you can get up and running relatively quickly.

If your business website is out of date, we can help. Contact us about converting your site to a Content Management System that would allow you and your staff to manage your website faster, easier and cheaper than ever. Let us show you how updating your website can be a simple joy for a change.

Originally published in the Graphics and Motion, Inc., April 2009 e-mail newsletter.