Tassos Marinos Tassos Marinos Joomla Extensions

About

My name is Tassos Marinos. I was born and raised on the beautiful island of Kos in Greece, where I still live and work. I don't like to brag, so I'll keep this short and to the point—I believe in letting my work speak for itself.

I’ve been involved with Joomla since its early Mambo days, and for the past 10 years, I've dedicated my career to developing Joomla extensions. This isn't just a job for me—it's my passion, which I truly enjoy. I'm proud to say that two of my products are among the top 10 most popular Joomla extensions, a testament to my dedication and effort in creating tools that meet users' needs.

Aside from writing code, I also hit the gym and drink cold-pressed juices. If I had to give myself a job title, I'd probably call myself a minimalist Web Developer, someone who believes that less is more.

Thanks for taking the time to learn a bit about me.

My Joomla Story

My journey with Joomla began in 2013 when my primary job was building websites using the Joomla CMS. One of my clients had an e-commerce website and used MailChimp to manage his email marketing campaigns. He reached out to me because he was dissatisfied with the low number of newsletter subscribers and the stagnant growth of his email list. He asked me the classic question: "Can we do something to increase our email subscribers and grow the list?"

This challenge sparked my first Joomla extension idea. Given that his website allowed visitors to create free accounts and the site saw a healthy number of new registrations each day, I thought, "Why not automatically add these new users to the MailChimp list during the registration process? This would surely boost the subscriber count."

I presented the idea to my client, and he was on board. At the time, I was primarily a beginner web developer and webmaster, mainly focused on uploading Joomla CMS to servers, installing it, and relying heavily on extensions developed by others. However, I was determined to find a plugin that could automatically add newly registered users to a MailChimp list after confirming their account. I searched the Joomla Extensions Directory (JED) extensively but found no suitable plugin—none. In Greece, we say, "μηδέν."

Disheartened by my fruitless search, I decided to take matters into my own hands. With Joomla's comprehensive documentation guidance, I started exploring how to develop my own Joomla extension. Within ten days, my first Joomla plugin, MailChimp Auto-Subscribe was ready. I installed it on my client’s website, and the email list began to grow from day one. The response was so exciting that I started installing it on every Joomla website I could access, often without asking for permission—I just wanted to see those email lists grow.

I didn't take long to realize I had a solution that could benefit many others. So, I thought, "Why not share it with the public? Why not publish it on JED like other developers do?" I was now a Joomla developer!

In 2014, I published my first Joomla extension on JED, officially marking the start of my journey in the Joomla world. Since then, I've developed several Joomla extensions, with two of them—EngageBox and Convert Forms—now among the top 10 most popular extensions in the Joomla market. This journey has been an incredible learning experience, and it all started with a simple client request that turned into something far more significant.

My Values

My values serve as my compass, grounding me in who I am and guiding me in my aspirations. They influence every aspect of my life—from my professional approach to my relationships with others.

  • I believe in openness, honesty, and authenticity.
  • I am passionate about my work and pour my heart into every project.
  • I pursue excellence in everything I do, never settling for less.
  • I am results-driven, always focusing on creating value and achieving goals.
  • I embrace change and face the unknown with courage and curiosity.

These values shape my career and define how I interact with colleagues, clients, and the broader community. They remind me that progress often requires adaptability and that challenges are growth opportunities.