Content in Joomla! is organized in a structure of sections, categories and articles.

You start by creating one or more sections for the site. Login to the back end, and choose 'content' 'section manager.' Click on the 'new' icon on the right hand side. Enter a title, you do not need to enter an alias. Access level determines if categories and articles in this section will be available for all visitors, registered users, or only users with Author or above status. (See user management for more information about types of users). You do not need to enter anything in the Description text editing box at the bottom of the page. Click the 'save' icon.

Not surprisingly, the next step is to create one or more sections. Each category can have multiple sections. Choose 'content' 'category manager'

Hints and Tricks:

'Components' 'Mass Content' provides a way to create multiple sections, categories and articles at one time. For a large site, this can be a lifesaver. You do not need to link items to a menu at this point, unless you want to.

Technically, you can create an article and not assign it to a section or a category. When you create the article, choose 'uncategorized' for the section and category options. You can change this later if you decide to assign the article to a section and category. There are advantages to assigning articles to sections and categories - you can later choose to display a list of all the articles in a section or category, and that will only work if they are assigned.

 (This page is still being added to)