We’ve just released three new plugins that we think you’ll like and which, for many of us, might be a useful alternative to BuddyPress.
You see, we love BuddyPress, it’s really cool, but at the same time it basically *takes over* your WPMU site and not all of us want that, do we?
Also, BuddyPress doesn’t do some things that we’d like it to do – for example there are no wiki features.
Well, if you’re in the same boat as us then I hope we’ve got your problem solved, let me introduce to ya:
I can’t tell you how cool I personally find these to be, and naturally, I’ll let you be the judge of them in the end but let’s, for example, check out communities:
Anyone can create a community via the ‘Communities’ tab, then they can contribute to that communities message board, wiki or news areas or visit that communities dashboard.
Or, howabout messaging!
(Completely compatible with 2.6 and 2.7 too!)
Under the above tab users will have the opportunity to read their messages, send new messages, review sent messages, export their messages or turn on and off notification (by email) of messages.
And, for friends, I reckon I only need to show you this and tell you that there’s an unreal mosaicing widget included too:
And, needless to say, these are first releases which I’m sure we’ll be able to enhance in the future, so let us know how you like them and how you’d like to see them improved.
To get a wiki up and running you used to need to install Mediawiki and toil away for days configuring it... not any more! This plugin gives you *all* the functionality you want from a wiki, in WordPress!!!
Find out more
Would you like to add Facebook comments, registration, 'Like' buttons and autoposting to your WP site? Well, The Ultimate Facebook plugin has got that all covered!
Find out more
Take, set and manage appointments and client bookings without having to leave WordPress. Appointments+ makes it easy.
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Now there's no need to pay for a third party service to sign up, manage and send beautiful email newsletters to your subscriber base - this plugin has got the lot.
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Out of all the WordPress ecommerce plugins available, MarketPress has got to be the winner - easy to configure, powerful functionality, multiple gateways and more. A simply brilliant plugin!
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No javascript required, no third part chat engine, just fully featured chat right in your own database on your own WP sites - couldn't be easier.
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Fully integrated with the SEOMoz API, complete with automatic links, sitemaps and SEO optimization of your WordPress setup - this is the only plugin you need to help you rank your site number 1 on Google - nothing else compares.
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If you're thinking about starting a paid, or just private, membership site then this is truly the plugin you've been looking for. Easy to use, massively configurable and ready to go out of the box!
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Simply insert google maps into posts, sidebars and pages - show directions, streetview, provide image overlays and do it all from a simple button and comprehensive widget.
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Hard to understand what are all about with a demo… is there a demo anywhere?
Interesting timing! I just installed BuddyPress on a new WPMU site, and it looks like I’d rather try regular WPMU without BuddyPress (especially because of the limits of which Themes I can use.
So, now do I have to delete everything and reinstall with a new database? Any way to uninstall buddypress? Or can I just de-activate it? (not likely, huh – it really does take over WPMU).
Thanks for the article!
Are these GPL too?
I’d like to see what your wiki plugin does. A simple wiki within a WordPress environment is useful. Is your’s a derivative of this: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-wiki/ ?
I wouldn’t say that BuddyPress takes over WPMU. My blog (linked to above) is on a BuddyPress install and it’s not taken over that. You don’t have to use the BuddyPress home theme and the member’s space can be linked to elsewhere on the site if you want it to be. You don’t even have to install all the BuddyPress plugins if you don’t want to.
Hi Guys,
You can have a play with it in our Edublogs Campus sandpit:
http://universityofblogs.com
We’ll be rolling out a 2.7 working WPMU demo soon too.
@Matt, we’re still considering our licensing options, see my response to Toni.
@Joss naw, it’s not a derivative and I do know a lot of people who are less than keen about BP as a result of the level it impacts on their existing WPMU setups.
I can not create any communities using the communities plugin. After saving it takes me to 404 page.
Solved. For those of you who are having the same problem this plugin is not strait forward plugin. Unzip it and read the install.txt file.
All 3 plugins look great. Now just going to install them and give it a try on my localhost and if it all goes good then will add them on my site and will provide you a live demo for all those who are looking for it