BuddyPress.org

I use BlueHost. Your friend was talking about the WPMU + BP installation via SimpleScripts (kind of like Fantastico de Luxe, but much more responsive to upgrades).

SimpleScripts calls it “BuddyPress”, but it is really BP + WPMU.

I used SimpleScripts to do my initial BP + WPMU installation. I had a complete site failure yesterday when I upgraded to the most recent BP version. I also had some bugs creating user blogs with the original installation.

I think SimpleScripts automatically configures WPMU to create user blogs as subdomains. For this to work, your hosting provider MUST support “wildcarding”. When opened a support ticket with BlueHost to do this, they quickly replied: “No our system does not support wildcarding.”

If you were creating your own blogs as subdomains, this would not be a problem because you could use the DNS tool (e.g. cPanel > Simple DNS Zone Editor) to support define each one when you create it. But, it seems likely you’re using WPMU to support multiple users. In that case, it would be nearly impossible to define a new subdomain each time your users created a new blog. The wildcard gets you out of that predicament by immediately supporting any subdomain when they create the blog.

If you install WPMU + BP manually, you don’t need a hosting provider that supports wildcarding. During the configuration, just select the option to create user blogs as *subdirectories* instead of subdomains.

I did the manual installation for the first time today. I don’t think I’ll need the SimpleScripts approach again.

Hope this helps.

@MrMaz I’ve got some good news for you. While I still can’t get the avatars to work via the thumbnail chooser, I have gotten avatars to work on a single wordpress install when choosing to “Customize” the link’s avatar. In my case it can crop the image and upload the thumbnail and fullsize pic to /wp-content/uploads/link-avatars/

In case this helps anyone else… I had to use the “Full URL path” in wordpress’ Settings > Miscellaneous to get BuddyPress user avatars to upload (in case someone wants to use a different avatar than their Gravatar)

Full URL path example: http://www.mysite.com/wp-content/uploads

uploaded to the development version:

https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddypress-group-forum-extras/download/

requires a theme edit (details on the forum extras admin page after activating the subplugin)

Without an application platform like Facebook / MySpace, (i.e. full opensocial container support), BuddyPress sites will always have a severe handicap. iPhone isn’t popular just because it’s a good phone – iPhone is popular because of the app support. WordPress gives us a platform with some terrific plugins, but WordPress plugins aren’t social by nature. OpenSocial apps are. And that makes all the difference.

I had this same problem with BlueHost… the plugin here….

https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/mail-from/

…completely fixed the issue of no emails being sent once BP was installed.

Thanks ruthlessbookie!

https://codex.wordpress.org/Roles_and_Capabilities

ok, got this fixed….had to remove wordpress and install wordpress mu, registration issue resolved. hope this helps others

And use the new blog defaults plugin to set this themes as the default.

https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wpmu-new-blog-defaults/

I guess there are no experienced BP plugin authors because BP hasn’t been around for a long time.

It’s important to get this topic out there and the frequently used plugins fixed quickly. Otherwise people will have strange feelings every time an update for BuddyPress comes out. That hurts BuddyPress.

(I don’t understand though: is there really no way to take care of “white screens” from the other side – from WordPress side? Like a try…catch fatal error thing which would deactivate the plugin causing the error?)

I strongly agree with this. Conceptual “groups” and “forum” are two separate things.

“Sub-forums are not groups” and vice-versa … it is confusing for users and, yes, the “joining” issue puts people off.

It is kind of strange that when a user goes to post in Forums (tab) > they are then jumped to Groups (tab).

I’d rather keep Forum stuff in the forum, and Group stuff in groups.

I am not a great fan of activity streams … it seems like noise over data to me … I think the priority should be allowing communities of bloggers to be well integrated with a place they can share and discuss relative issues in order to strengthen, develop and order those communities. Something that has not existed before in WordPress.

WordPress has always been more about empowering individualism and one way broadcast rather than cross discussion.

This is a big conceptual shift … one better managed by discussion forums right now.

Perhaps, speaking conceptually … what it really needed was WordPress as a plugin for phpBB … with BP then added on top connecting the parts … rather than building a discussion forum on top of WordPress?

Having said that, I prefer the cleanliness of WP which is why I had such high hopes and invested my interest …

Less is more.

This might assist. It’s related to double posts in the activity stream when using the feedwordpress plugin. I haven’t implemented it yet:

http://teleogistic.net/2009/12/streamlining-group-blogs/#comment-7023

*read down 2 comments to see Boone’s reply

Chris – your latest update says compatible with standard wordpress but I have WordPress 2.9.2 and BP 1.2.3 and can’t find your plugin settings screen in my dashboard after activating. Can you tell me where to look?

I can speak to the ones I’ve written here.

Update friendly: BP Group Management, Enhanced BuddyPress Widgets (as long as you’re using the most recent version), Invite Anyone.

Not necessarily update friendly: Group Forum Subscription, which I haven’t updated for BP 1.2 so is use-at-your-own risk at the moment (I recommend https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddypress-group-activity-stream-subscription/ instead).

Check out this function:

https://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/maybe_unserialize

Hi Andy

Thanks for your reply.

I think the problem is the email isn’t being sent out to the new members with the link for them to activate their account.

I’ve checked everywhere including spam folder to see if the message has been received at all but I just can’t find it.

New members are being given the roll of “members”.

Could you possibly tell me where within WordPress I would set up outbound email configuration?

I’m going to turn off all the plugins (except BuddyPress) to see if there’s a plugin conflict that’s causing this problem.

Do you have any suggestions?

Many thanks!

I have almost 100!!! (yes 100) buddypress instalations and all work fine with activation.

Try to use this plugin if you have problems with sendmail on your host: “Cimy Swift SMTP” dont forget to put the plugin on mu-plugins and not on “plugins”.

Check also if you can send emails from a mail client with the email you setup on wordpress.