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BuddyPress

Stable release	1.1.2 / 2009-10-26; 38 days ago
Operating system	Cross-platform
Platform	PHP, MySQL
Type	Blog publishing system, Social Networking System, Social Networking, Social Network Scripts
License	GNU General Public License version 2
Website	http://buddypress.org/

BuddyPress is a bundled collection of plugins and themes for creating a social network service around an installation of the popular open source blog engine WordPress MU.^[1]

Although not as elaborate as Facebook, Bebo or MySpace, BuddyPress is designed for small-scale networks around niche ideas/interests. It inherits and extends upon the integral functional elements of the WordPress engine including themes, plugins and widgets.

BuddyPress is an open source project, developed by a collective led by Automattic employee Andy Peatling. Like WordPress, BuddyPress is written in the PHP scripting language.

BuddyPress is intended to provide anyone with a working social network "out of the box", just as WordPress when installed facilitates an immediate blogging environment. In its standard configuration BuddyPress provides a simple range of features to facilitate a basic social network, which can be made more robust via a growing array of open source and commercial plugins.

[edit] Features

BuddyPress has a range of features that will allow the creation of a social network application.

The basic installed system offers:

• User Profiles
  • Options to add user profile fields and sections
  • Avatar uploads
• User Wire (user status updates)
• Group Creation
  • Group discussion forums
  • Group logo and Wire
• Friend system
  • Messaging
• Bespoke themes
• Activity streams
• Blogs per user (via the WordPress engine)

Group discussion forums are provided by the integration of the popular GPL forum software bbPress. With versions older than 1.1, the user will require understanding of cookies and domains to create a single sign-on setup. With 1.1 versions and above, bbPress is seamlessly integrated within BuddyPress allowing for single sign-on and one click forum integration.

"Messaging" section of the BuddyPress User Interface. RC1

From the BuddyPress website:

BuddyPress will extend WordPress MU and bring social networking features to a new or existing installation. BuddyPress is a suite of WordPress plugins and themes, each adding a distinct new feature. BuddyPress contains all the features you’d expect from WordPress but aims to let members socially interact.

[edit] Releases

A full release history can be found here.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• BuddyPress Open Source Social Network Engine
• BuddyPress Plugins
• WordPress MU
• bbPress Forum Software