Purple Hazard

Many of you who use BuddyPress would like to remove the default BuddyPress Sidebar Login Form for reasons such as adding you own login form or freeing up some sidebar space.  I was able to do this by using the plugin code provided in this discussion by Pers.  So remember to visit him and say thanks.

All I did was add the code to a php file and zip it for you guys, so all you have to do is upload it like you would for any other plugin and activate. If there’s any problems, which there shouldn’t be,  just let me know so I can redo the code, or you can do it on your own.

You can see the script in action here. (I’m using the “Login with Ajax plugin as a replacement.)

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I started with a list of free BuddyPress themes for 2010 and when I reached number five I found a post that lists 28 Free BuddyPress Themes Compatible with BuddyPress 1.2 and Above… Which made my attempt a bit redundant.  I suggest taking a look at the post and thanking the poster for setting it up, because BuddyPress theme’s are still few and far between.

If you find any new theme please let me know and I’ll put up a NEW Free BuddyPress 1.2 and Above Compatible theme list.

Ning created alot of buzz and negative comments due to their sudden switch from a free to premium service. I also had a Ning network, but fortunately never paid much attention to it, rather focusing on other network applications. Some of you weren’t as lucky as me and spent hundreds of hours changing and growing your Ning driven network. Those of you unable to pay for the premium service lost all your users, but possibly still stay in contact with them.

Many of you are now looking for a great alternative. Below I have four free and easy to use Ning Alternatives.

1. BuddyPress:

BuddyPress is a free WordPress plugin which is very easy to setup and modify with available themes and plugins. You will need your own self-hosted WordPress blog to activate BuddyPress.

My BuddyPress Sites : http://livingwordpress.com  (Blogging Social Network and Free Hosting.)http://rugbyshout.com (Rugby Social Network)

2. Elgg:

Elgg is a standalone free social networking script. Setup is easy and they have a great community providing free themes and plugins. You will also need your own hosting account to set it up or you can join the premium service.

3. Spruz

Spruz is the service which I find most similar to Ning. You simply fill out a few fields and you have a social network hosted by them. It’s free and easy to setup and provide plenty of options.

See my Spruz test – http://ayoba.spruz.com

4. Yuku

Similar to Spruz and Ning, but not as easy to use or as pretty. The admin interface reminds me of Joomla, which I never found very intuitive. I would recommend trying Spruz first.

My Yuku attempt : http://ayoba.yuku.com/ (To be honest I gave up in the first five minutes. I’m fickle like that.)

If you have any suggestions for the list OR would like to show us your site, please post it in a comment.

Hi there all bloggers, writers and tech-wizz’s. I’ve recently setup a new blogging community and I’m looking to expand with three new sections each with their own blog, but still under the same domain.

 I’m looking for people who will be willing to contribute to a specific section.

Benefits:

1. Get free blog hosting.

2. Free exposure for you and any blog you prefer.

3. 50/50 Revenue Share.

4. Become part of our blogging community.

Sections:

1. Blogging SEO

Contribute 2 posts per week about blogging SEO, with a minimum of 100 words.

2. Themes and Plugins

Contribute a minimum of 5 plugins/themes per week, with a decent description.

3. BuddyPress

Contribute 2 posts per week about BuddyPress, with a minimum of 100 words.

If you’re interested or would just like to know more, please leave a comment and I will e-mail you.

I’ve recently been working with BuddyPress and used it to setup my first rugby community. I’ve been enjoying it so much I got myself a new domain, awesome hosting package, some friends and setup a new blogging social network. I’m using the BuddyPress Default theme with the Widgetized Frontpage “page template”.

As an extra I decided to use WP 3 RC1 and offer free blog hosting.

Please take a look at LivingWordPress.com and tell me what you think. It’s fully functioning and will hopefully be running for many years, so feel free to register and contribute.

If you’re running a Buddypress install you will most likely experience a massive amount of spam registrations. With massive I mean between 10 and 20 per day, which is what I used to get. There’s a big discussion regarding the best way to control spam on your BuddyPress network.

So far I’ve found SI CAPTCHA Anti-Spam , which has been updated to work on the latest BuddyPress install. It basically adds a Captcha form to your registration page, comment form or login form, you decide.

You can find the download link here : http://buddypress.org/community/groups/third-party-components-plugins/forum/topic/si-captcha-anti-spam-updated-for-latest-buddypress/

Or you can install it from your WordPress Dashboard.

If it worked for you let me know.

I’ve always been interested in ways to monetize your blog, but I don’t always spend the time on implementing or fully testing them. Hits have been increasing on all my blogs recently, specifically my new BuddyPress install at www.rugbyshout.com and this increased my “awareness” of monetizing my blogs.

Anyway, enough with the musings. I’ve heard some good and bad things about CMF, but the system is pretty easy to understand and the rates and payment work for the average blogger’s blogs. Most of the publishers seem to have someone advertising on their blog, and that’s a step in the right direction, even if you’re not earning that much, you’re still earning.

I’ve put the ads in my sidebar, so you can see how they look. It’s the standard “widget ads” in the 125×125 format. Payout start at a very low 1$, and you can also use the same account and credits to advertise on other blogs. Pretty simple.

You can visit CMF site HERE. (Yes, it’s a referral link. We’re not out of the recession yet.)

Bugger, here’s the normal link:  http://cmfads.com . (Referral links make me feel quilty.)

I recently setup a BuddyPress install for a Rugby Social Network. Now a question I’ve received from a member and one I’m really interested in myself is which SEO plugin to use. SEO for BuddyPress is specifically designed for BuddyPress, but, being used to All in One SEO and all the options it provide, which one should be used?

Or should I be using a combination? Eg. All in one SEO for post, title and description tags and BP-SEO for group, member, profile etc tags? I still have to test it out and have no idea how much they will interfere with each other.

Any thoughts on this would be great.

Our readership has greatly increased over the last few months, even though I’ve been unable to make posts on a regular basis. What I’ve noticed is that most of the visitors are looking for BuddyPress and WordPress custom designs, not specifically free themes.

What I’m planning is to increase our focus on providing custom BuddyPress and WordPress themes from experienced designers, while still reporting on the latest themes and developments in both area’s.

If you’re and experienced WordPress or BuddyPress designer, please use our contact form or comment box,  if you’re interested in joining the team which will offer custom BuddyPress and WordPress themes at a very affordable rate.

Please supply your working/design experience and supply links to any examples.

Nicely organized, clean and efficient, fully widgetized free BuddyPress theme.

Detox BuddyPress Theme with a fluid three column outfit, all sidebars as well as the footer are fully widgetized, so it’s easy to update the frontpage.

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