I blogged about BuddyPress before. This is a new free set of plugins for WordPress MU that creates a Facebook-like social network. My brother has been into sports cars for quite a few years so I thought it would be an interesting experiment. I installed WordPress MU and the plugins on MySportsCar.org and started to customize.
WordPress MU
So WordPress MU is designed to allow you to manage multiple blogs with each author having control over their own blog. WordPress.com is an example of this in action. It can also be used to control multiple websites and with BuddyPress plugins, now it can create a social networking site.
WordPress MU blog panel
Since WordPress MU already creates a blog for each user, the plugins extend that to creating other social networking functions. Each user can create their own blog but there is a catch. It does so by having them go to the WordPress control panel. Since I think this will intimidate many users, I disabled this function on MySportsCar.org. I am hoping for a front end solution or else I will have to teach users how to use WordPress backend.
Posting Photos
Of course sports car owners are going to want to post photos of their car but right now the only way to do that would be through the blog function. The addition of the ability to post photos is coming and this is one of the main reasons I have not gone any further with the project until that becomes available.
Controlling behavior
The second functionality I would like to see is the ability to ban users easily and also to allow users to block other users who are abusive to them. Those tools especially the second, are another reason I am not going to proceed with the project right now but I am sure these tools are going to be in high demand.
Changing the look
I did “skin” the site somewhat, changing the colors and adding the footer. Before I launch, I would change the logo at a minimum. Changing the look does require editing the cascading style sheets aka CSS. You can learn CSS either from tutorials on the web or from trial and error but you can also hire someone to do it for you. There are many designers online who are very familiar with CSS.
Seeding the community
One of the tricks to starting a community is to have it seeded with people who create content. This attracts others who want to join in. Luckily I have connections to be able to do that so when the time comes, it can get a jump start (pun intended). I can also easily intersperse the community with content that either I create myself or have the community create.
Groups
BuddyPress allows the creation of groups and you can easily imagine groups based on the type of car, detailing, mods etc. I anticipate this to be one of the more powerful attractions to the site. Also anyone with a sports car likes to show it off and meet others with common interests so I think it will be a worthwhile and productive project.
Sandbox site
I am letting readers here sign up for a limited time to play with the software. You can create an account and play with it. I will delete the accounts and content later on before I start to launch the site. But I hope it gives you a feel for what can done in a relatively easy way.
Wildcard DNS
Since WordPress MU creates blogs of the type “myblog.mysportscar.com” for each user, wildcard DNS must be enabled. If you are using shared hosting, this may not be enabled by default. Most hosting companies will turn this on for you if you send them a simple request and tell them why.
I did this with HostGator and within 20 minutes they sent an email saying it was activated. I was impressed because it was 11:30 at night and I was in one of those moods where I wanted to get stuff done. There is nothing worse in my mind than when I am in the right mood to create and I run into a problem which the hosting company takes forever to deal with. It was so nice to find HostGator so responsive.
So hopefully you will get a chance to go play with the software. I would be interested in getting feedback too.
My sports car social networking website
and here are the plugins to create your own website (note that you have to use WordPress MU and not plain WordPress)
BuddyPress, the social networking plugins
