The document discusses using WordPress, BuddyPress, and bbPress together to create user communities and encourage interaction on a website. It outlines the problem of a lack of user-to-user interaction and sense of community, and proposes using forums, social networking features, and profiles to solve this. The advantages are listed as encouraging more interactions beyond just posts, creating niche communities, and increasing engagement metrics. Installation of the software components and fully integrating them is described as both easy and hard parts.

1. The *Press Solution Growing user communities and interaction WordCamp Toronto 2009 By: Terry Smith

2. Me, Myself and I Terry Smith Programmer for b5media Wordpress experience Same code base, helped a lot

3. The Problem Lack of user to user interaction User persistence and “home” Before After

4. The Solution Forums – Encourage user to user interactions and discussions Social Network – Create a home for them on your site

5. Software Stack Wordpress MU – Run multiple blogs on the same install buddyPress – Social networking features bbPress - Forums

6. Advantages Encourage other interactions (not just poster to users) Create a niche Increase time on site and activity Increase page views

7. Disadvantages Pre-1.0 software changes rapidly Communities aren’t as active Not extremely well documented (ala Wordpress)

8. Easy Part Installation: Wordpress MU (http://mu.wordpress.org) buddyPress (social) (http://buddypress.org) bbPress (forums) (http://bbpress.org)

9. “ Real”, full integration , three steps: Hard Part

10. BuddyPress Replaces author pages Replaces forum profiles Theme is hard (completely localized)

11. bbPress Install in a sub-directory Only serves one domain (Channels coming!) “ BuddyBar” tough to bring over Theme isn’t too difficult Hint: Bring Wordpress into the loop

12. Wordpress Link author pages to BuddyPress Link commenters to their profiles too Promote friendships

13. Other Resources Software forums (bbPress and BuddyPress) Wordpress and BuddyPress Codex http://bavatuesdays.com/integrating-wpmu-buddypress-and-bbpress/ Crazies like me!

14. Help is coming Plug-in sets Tutorials Documented walk-through

15. Thanks Andy Peatling Sam Bauers Everyone at b5media

16. Fin Questions welcome