[gazouteast]

Hi all

I’m rapidly going nowhere with BuddyPress – don’t get that wrong – it’s working as it should out of the box, this is more about what i actually want the site to do and the experience I want users to have.

When I installed BP, I didn’t expect it to complete take over the site, I expected it to be a plugin – after all that’s what it claims to be, but it feels now more like WPMU is the plugin and BuddyPress is the core site script.

The situation I wanted was a generic “flannel panel” landing page (bit like here at BP.com, or at wp.org) then from that the visitors can dive off to static info pages, or leap through to a directory of latest blog posts and comments, or an index of blogs and topics (think WPMU site-wide categories and stuff here). Instead, it’s more like they’re landing into facebook or MySpace and that with BuddyPress the core function of the site is not blogging and all that goes with blogging, but rather it’s to make the site a gossip shop and playground. There’s already enough sites out there where people can waste time doing that, but I want to build business enablement sites.

I guess my frustration here comes from the fact that the theme system, whilst powerful, simply takes over the entire site, and there’s not enough themes in the public domain yet. In fact, it’s not really that either, it’s more that it feels like the software has been built to copycat facebook etc. without a thought to what it can usefully be used for – i.e. not enough admin site-function controls on the back end.

If that’s not making sense, then think about it this way, what exactly is the point of BuddyPress other than to show off the skills of the programmers and the fans supporting it?

My current project needs community features, but those are definitely third-tier priority to the main blog providing, and to the ecommerce functions to be built into them. The main reason I launched into BP early in the project was due to being advised to put it in as the first plugin and get WPMU and BP playing together nicely before spending time developing the WPMU side of the site.

How can I “demote” BP into being just a sideline subservient set of functions that are accessed from a link in the WPMU blogs, with their own “community” landing page a couple of levels down from the main site functionalities,rather than being the front end and dominant feature of the site?

I’m completely lost and way off-course on what I was trying to achieve with the site.

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions on this predicament.

Gaz

[gazouteast]

Maybe a better summary question would be – how can I make BP a sub-site of the main site?

Think about eBay and the eBay forums – the forums are nearly as heavily trafficked as the shopping pages, but they closetted away off on a sub site – that’s where I want BuddyPress to be.

Hope that’s a clearer picture?

Gaz

[David Lewis]

I think you need to do some site architecture and wireframes first and then from there, do some custom theming. BuddyPress only appears to “take over” because the main navigation links to all of the BuddyPress directories. But you can make the main navigation whatever you want it to be… and you can make as many other navigation bars as you want as well… via custom theme work. Note than when you’re on a blog page, you’re not in a buddypress area… but the “main site” area.

[Jeff Sayre]

Gaz-

Read this thread and see if it gives you an idea on how you can accomplish what you’re after:

https://buddypress.org/forums/topic/can-i-run-non-bp-theme-on-tld-and-bp-theme-on-subdomain-all-on-same-wpmu-install#post-26695

[gazouteast]

@David – I kinda figured that might be one way to look at it, and hesitant due to not being the fastest in the world at theme writing or css churning. (I’m also not a big fan of too much white space on a web page either – but that’s due to wearing jam jar bottoms for spectacles – LOL). Still I do wish BP was “in a container” below the WPMU theme and ingherited from WPMU css/theme instead of having to go the other way about … it IS the junior member of the family you know? <wink>

@Jeff – title of that looks intriguing – will go have a read now – many thanks

Gaz

[Jeff Sayre]

By the way, just in case you are not aware, there are a few high-profile business-based sites that are using BuddyPress–at least some of BP’s components. For instance, http://pro.gigaom.com/ has integrated BP, although it does not have all the components enabled.

The main reason I switched to BP (this is a continuation of a post I made on another thread) is because of the potential I saw in it as a platform to build robust, serious, social-based business platforms.

[gazouteast]

Cheers Jeff – that tip-off has really done the biz and rescued the project from the dilemma of which script (BP or WPMU) had seniority on the site – it works a charm – I like that.

That’s why it took me a wee while to get back to you – I got carried away diving into the setup of some basic groups and stuff – LOL – addictive when it works, innit?

Yup – seen a lot of talk here about Gigaom, … still haven’t the faintest clue about who they are though – must look into that when I get a minute.

Right, sleeves are rolled up, and even though it’s after 1:00am here, I’m about to dive in with renewed vigour.

<wink>

Gaz

[Jeff Sayre]

Gaz-

I’m glad you’re back on track. We aim to please and sometimes we actually manage to do just that!