[simple-man]

Hi,

Is it a good idea to add forums to buddypress community (social network site)?
I understand that BP has activity/gropus etc.

Q1: What benefits or advantages do I have if I also add forums to buddypress?

Q2: What is the best forum plugin that I should add?

Thank you very much.

[DennisBarkerCV]

simple-man,
I prefer to run the bbPress forum plugin as it integrates well with Buddypress.Using a forum plugin is a way to get your site members and visitors to engage in the discussion and encourage them to return to the site regularly.

It really depends on the specific community,some prefer to comment on a blog or podcast,others prefer forums.All you can do is set up one forum and invite people to take part and then make a judgement about whether the level of interaction justifies a forum per group or just a forum for certain groups.

[simple-man]

Thank you @dennisbarkercv

I need help to understand the following:

1. Does admin add/create groups from the backend or can members create groups from their profile?
2. Does admin add forums or can members add forums as well?
3. Can forums be ONLY added to groups or one can add forum without a group too?
4. Can forums be automatically added to all groups?

Please advise.

[DennisBarkerCV]

Adding a forum to a group when BuddyPress and bbPress are installed is part of the group creation process,so you – or anyone with Admin level capabilities – would make the choice either when the group is set up or later as part of a review process.

bbPress works without buddypress so it is possible to add forums without installing BuddyPress.You would have to evaluate the features of each plugin that are essential or optional and then make a judgement about the combination.

The easiest way to evaluate the features is to set up a test site and play with different combinations.

[simple-man]

Thank you @dennisbarkercv

I just set up the forums for groups and I am playing with the setup.
Regards.