Earlier this week, Andy Peatling announced that BuddyPress version 1.1 was released publically. This is big news for anyone who uses or is familiar with BuddyPress.
What is BuddyPress?
BuddyPress is essentially a suite of WordPress plugins and themes which extends the multi-user version of WordPress (known as WordPress MU) by bringing social networking features to a new or existing installation.
Each BuddyPress component adds a distinct new social networking related feature to WordPress MU, allowing users to socially interact on your site.
The BuddyPress plugins are bundled with a default theme to get you going out of the box, and BuddyPress plugins can be themed to match your own style, in just the same way as a WordPress blog.
Some of the specific features of BuddyPress include:
- Extended Profiles: Enhanced and customizable user profiles, allowing your website members to post detailed information about themselves
- Private Messaging: BuddyPress private messaging works like internal site email. Members can message people on their friends list as well as forward and reply to received messages.
- Friends: Members of a BuddyPress enabled site can be connected together by one member adding another as a “friend” and then the other member accepting the friend request.
- Activity Streams: Activity streams consolidate all activity across a BuddyPress site. All of your friends activity is also recorded so you can check what others are doing on the site.
- Forums: The forums component allows groups to create and manage their own discussion forum. Group members can post and reply to topics all from within the group’s page.
Version 1.1 of BuddyPress contains a bunch of core improvements along with new features. One of the key new features is better integration with the bbPress forum component, making it easier to set up discussion forums. Other new features include:
- One click internal bbPress forum integration allowing you to set up group forums in less than a minute.
- A global forum directory allowing you to easily browse public facing forum posts regardless of the group they are attached to.
- Completely re-written theme handling. One theme now controls all of your installation. No hidden HTML, everything is in the template ready for you to skin.
- Easily create themes that are upgraded automatically when BuddyPress is updated.
- Total site admin control of all content within an installation. Edit user’s profiles, update avatars, mark users as spammers, manage all groups, delete site activity entries.
- And more..
If you’re starting with a brand new installation, check out the new setting up a new installation help guide.
Setting up BuddyPress and WordPress MU is definitely for those more familiar with web servers, databases, and the like. If you would like to discuss WordPress MU and BuddyPress, contact us anytime.
