[theTechnaddict]

We’re evaluating for a social network site, but confess to having fallen for BuddyPress.

Status updates on the move is a must, however.

It need not be the full iOS app that is hovering in the wings, and besides it needs to be Android and everything else as well.

I know that WordPress blog posts can be created by email – can buddypress status updates also?

Better if it can be updated by SMS (a more ubiquitous client)?

StatusNet (and kin) has excellent client support – could it be used as a middleware to BP?

Or could Twitter be used?

Buddy Press Mobile theme plugin seems to be dead – is there a replacement?

We have no real development skills/time but do have lego-building skills and patience

Wordpress / BuddyPress latest stable versions (unless otherwise directed).

Lastly please accept apologies if this has already been discussed – entering any terms in the search bar at the top seems to land me back on the blog page.

[@ChrisClayton]

Firstly, As Modemlooper (the author of BP mobile) stated here
https://buddypress.org/community/groups/creating-extending/forum/topic/using-bp-content-api-to-create-an-iphone-app/

“BuddyPress has no API for external communication. It was created before the mobile scene took off and now apps have become the norm. You could load web pages in a native app that were optimized but it wouldn’t be 100% like a native app. You could also create your own json API.”

Secondly, since when has StatusNet supported SMS’? SMS’ are very difficult to do and will need to be done on a site-by-site basis by yourself… it really is impossible to do properly as an opensource thing as you will need to have mobile address’ in all sorts of weird countries and some way to distinguish between sites.

eg. i sms 0445493509485 with what i’m doing, but where does it go? I cant see how sms would work in an opensource project. Even twitter has trouble supporting every carrier…

RE “StatusNet (and kin) has excellent client support – could it be used as a middleware to BP? Or could Twitter be used?”

Nothings around for statusnet, is their license even compatible with wordpress’ gpl? but you could use twitter via https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddystream/

[theTechnaddict]

re sms – here’s how gnu-social talks about it (gnu-social being a fork? of SocialNet)

http://social.gnu.org/doc/sms

[theTechnaddict]

re: Jason API – As a non-developer this is a little beyond me, but I do understand it enough to know it says no…

Shame – I do like the idea of a federated social web – there’s an article somewhere that points out the parallels between AOL and Facebook.

[theTechnaddict]

Re statusNet license – don’t think it is an issue – any more than using twitter to update your expenses (see Xpenser) is an issue.

[theTechnaddict]

re: buddystream – brilliant, that should enable members of a BuddyPress use a phone to update stuff.

Many thanks Chris for your fulsome and prompt answer to my questions.

[@ChrisClayton]

@theTenchoaddict license: Twitter and Open source are two different pies… But, while i havent read through it word by word, Wikipedia states that statusnet (agpl 3.0) IS compatible with (gpl 3.0) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affero_General_Public_License#Compatibility_with_the_GPL

Anyways, it was more me thinking out loud.

Another option (my favorite option too) if you want a mobile version is to use Media Query’s to make your site responsive.

Light Reading: http://coding.smashingmagazine.com/2011/01/12/guidelines-for-responsive-web-design/

[abysshorror]

@modemlooper really glad to read that

[theTechnaddict]

@modemlooper – Me too – happy to read that BP mobile is alive and well!

[theTechnaddict]

@Chris Clayton – thanks for pointing out future possibilities… It’s opened up lots of reading on responsive css…

http://speckyboy.com/2011/11/17/15-responsive-css-frameworks-worth-considering/

Agh, so much!!!

[theTechnaddict]

There are a number of SMS plugins to wordpress – once I’ve moved off the local environment onto the server I’ll start to play with some… though I guess most of these go through SMS gateways, so this can be an expensive option which has implications for users of free sites.

[theTechnaddict]

I think this may be my favourite approach (though not excluding mobile friendly themes):

https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ostatus-for-wordpress/

I seem to have plenty of options to chose from, but I am not ready to test them yet – once I do I’ll write up a little of the experience…

[@ChrisClayton]

@theTechnaddict, I tried to play with ostatus last year but then it broke and wasn’t updated in over 12 months so i abandoned it… hope your experience is better