Integrating BuddyPress, WordPress MU and bbPress
Posted on July 17, 2009 by Chris
Goal: Integrate WPMU 2.8.1 - BuddyPress 1.0.3 - bbPress 1.0.1
Assumptions: You have WPMU and BuddyPress working correctly. You know your way around an admin dashboard. You can configure php files.
Note: If something is “In Quotes” it generally means that there’s a button with that text that you should click.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in BuddyPress Tutorials, Wordpress MU Tutorials, bbPress Tutorials | 39 Comments »
Free BuddyPress Widget - Recently Active Members
Posted on June 30, 2009 by Chris
This free BuddyPress plugin adds a widget to your sidebar. The widget allows the ability to add a list of the most recently active members. The list is formatted to show the member’s avatar and their name (both link to their BuddyPress profile) This can be used in addition to the default members widget provided by BuddyPress or all by itself.
Installation
1. Unzip the file.
2. Upload bp-recently-active-widget.php to wp-content/plugins/
3. Activate the plugin
4. Place the widget into a sidebar via Appearance >> Widgets in your WP dashboard
BuddyPress Widget - Recently Active (1.3 KiB, 324 hits)
Posted in BuddyPress Plugins, Downloads | 3 Comments »
WordPress - It’s Not Just For Blogs
Posted on June 26, 2009 by Chris
The more I work with clients, the more I realize how many different ways there are to implement WordPress. Clients are always coming to me with ideas that I’ve never seen or thought of. Sometimes it takes a little experimenting and a lot of research but so far, I haven’t come across a project that couldn’t be completed with WordPress or WPMU.
Now that WordPress MU is getting more popular, the list of possibilites just keeps growing. Add some BuddyPress to the mix and the hundreds of other plugins offered by the community, and the possibilities will blow your mind.
Today I came across a list of 48 Unique Ways To Use WordPress. The post is over a year old but the list is still quite nice. Maybe it will spark an idea in you that could be the next Twitter.
Posted in Miscellaneous | 3 Comments »
Changes To Earlier Released BuddyPress Themes
Posted on June 8, 2009 by Chris
I’ve been working on a few more themes for BuddyPress. The good news is, more themes. The bad news is, I realized that I screwed up one of the pages in the themes I released earlier this week.
Somehow I managed to remove the options bar & user bar on the settings pages. DUh mE! Good job!!
So, for anyone who is using the Purple & Black members theme or the Black Red & Grey member’s theme, please take the time to download the new themes and replace your old ones.
Posted in BuddyPress Themes | 4 Comments »
BuddyPress Theme - Purple & Black
Posted on June 1, 2009 by Chris
This set of themes was created for use with the first official release of BuddyPress. It comes with a home theme as well as a matching members theme. Themes compatible with BuddyPress 1.0
If you like these free BuddyPress themes, please remember to visit FreeBpThemes.com and vote for them. Voting ends June 15, 2009.
Free BuddyPress Theme - Purple & Black Home Theme (204.3 KiB, 560 hits)
Free BuddyPress Theme - Purple & Black Member Theme (142.2 KiB, 387 hits)
Posted in BuddyPress Themes | 24 Comments »
BuddyPress Theme - Black Red & Grey
Posted on June 1, 2009 by Chris
As part of a competition being held at Free BuddyPress Themes, I’ve released my very first set of templates. They’re entitled Black, Red & Grey. How’s that for creativity? *laughs*
This set of themes was created for use with the first official release of BuddyPress. It comes with a home theme as well as a matching members theme. My favorite feature is the popup login box. Themes are compatible with BuddyPress 1.0
If you like these free BuddyPress themes, please remember to visit FreeBpThemes.com and vote for them. Voting ends June 15, 2009.
Free BuddyPress Theme - Black Red & Grey Home Theme (205.7 KiB, 840 hits)
Free BuddyPress Theme - Black Red & Grey Member Theme (278.2 KiB, 539 hits)
Posted in BuddyPress Themes | 21 Comments »
Where Do I Find My phpinfo?
Posted on June 1, 2009 by Chris
Many times when problems arise with a website, your fellow helpers will suggest that you check your phpinfo. This might sound like a complicated process and may scare you away from trying. But don’t be be afraid! It’s truly one of the easiest uses of PHP that you’ll ever come across.
Use your favorite editing program to create a file. You can even use notepad for this. Notepad, not wordpad! Wordpad will mess up your code and make you cry.
Create a file with the extension php. Anything will work. i.e. myinfo.php myserver.php sum-n.php thisdumbthing.php Anything will work.
In that file, paste the following code.
phpinfo();
Upload the file to your server and then use a browser to view the page. You should see a big, beautiful, long list of codes and info about your server.
The easiest way to locate the information you’re looking for is to use the Find feature on your browser. Simply type in whatever you were told to look for. And don’t forget to report back to the person helping you. Even if you’re able to fix the problem once you’ve located the info, it’s just common courtesy to not leave the helper hanging.
Posted in PHP Tutorials | No Comments »
Increase Your PR and Alexa Rank With Adgitize
Posted on May 30, 2009 by Chris
I’m not one to go out and spend money on advertising. As a matter of fact, the only paid advertising I’ve ever had was through the redemption of a GoogleAds coupon that I received from my hosting company. That was quite awhile back and it was spent on a games site. $50 worth of ads. $20 worth of profit. Whoop-ee-ding.
That $50 coupon taught me a lot about GoogleAds. It actually taught me quite a bit about advertising in general. I watched my Google PR & my Alexa rank rise. Then, 2 months later, when the money ran out, I watched it all plummet.
With no advertising out there, and with my low ranks, my site wasn’t showing up on search engines anymore. I lucked out by finding a domain that seems obvious to people searching for games. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t be making a dime.
Having those high ranks did wonders for my traffic but it was a catch 22. Without traffic there was no rank. Without rank there was no traffic. And it all pointed back to not having ads out there for the world to see.
Three or four weeks ago I came across a company called Adgitize. The company specializes in blog banners. The price of participation in an ad campaign caught my attention. $14 for a full month. I was impressed but at the same time, I was very sceptical. How could something so cheap offer any rewards? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Marketing | 1 Comment »
Why Do My BuddyPress Groups Keep Breaking?
Posted on May 26, 2009 by Chris
A few days ago, someone came to me for help with integrating WordPress MU, BuddyPress & bbPress. After a little work, we finally managed to put our heads together, sort out the issues and get everything working properly.
Logins were working together. Posts were being saved. New groups were being created. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. Until….
He handed control over to the client. Within the hour the site was broken again. BuddyPress groups refused to allow any new posts or groups. We were getting ugly red errors. The sky darkened and the birds gathered their young and went into hiding. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in BuddyPress Tutorials, bbPress Tutorials | No Comments »
Adding Plugins To WordPress Using The Plugin Browser
Posted on May 3, 2009 by Chris
Adding plugins to WordPress installations use to be a hassle. Now, with only a few clicks of your mouse, you can install and activate ten plugins in as many minutes.
First, click “Plugins” in your admin dashboard. Depending on your version of WordPress, you may also need to click “Add New” under the Plugins header.
Look for “Plugin Browser/Installer” and choose that option.
In the search box, enter the name of the plugin that you would like to add. A box will pop up with a list of plugins that you can choose from. After finding the correct one, click the “Install” link to the right of the plugin.
Once the plugin is automatically installed, you can also choose to activate it from the same screen. Remember that plugins won’t work if not yet activated.
Posted in WordPress Plugins, Wordpress Tutorials | No Comments »
