Social networks don’t have to be massive
sites catering to millions. Phil Thame shows you how to set up a network for
your hobby or for friends and family.
WordPress.com is a well-known blogging site
similar to Blogger. Slightly less well known is that the software that drives
it is free and open source and released on WordPress.org for free download, so
anyone with a web server can run their own WordPress site. The beauty of
running your own is that it’s almost infinitely customisable, with thousands of
themes and plug-ins so that a WordPress-based site doesn’t have to look
remotely like traditional blog.
One of the most amazing plug-ins to my mind
is BuddyPress, which turns a WordPress site into a fully interactive one with
sign-up pages for your users, password reminders, profile pages and a forum –
ideal for any kind of hobby or special interest group.
Installing the software
I am definitely not a web server wizard; if
you are, you can skip this bit, but if you aren’t, here’s how to get the system
set up. You need a Linux web server. You can apparently install WordPress on
Windows Server, but it’s not really intended for that and you have to know what
you’re doing, so choose a web host that offers Linux servers. Then, before you
enter into a contract, make sure the hosting service
provides a simple web-based setup and software installation system. My hosting
company uses the very popular cPanel system (www.cpanel.net) for site admin and Fantastico (fantasticoscripts.com) to
install web software. Most smaller providers seem to use the same combination,
but some larger ones have their own systems. Keep the login details safe or
you’ll lock yourself out of own website! Login by going to www.yoursitename/cpanel.
cPanel is where you set
up the admin username and password and email addresses based on the site URL.
You can also run a File Manager to browser, open and edit the files that make
your site work – advanced users only! Ignoring that for now, scroll down to the
software section and choose Fantastico DeLuxe, then install WordPress from the
sidebar. You’ll need another username and password for WordPress – keep these
safe too. Log in to the WordPress Dashboard by going to www.yoursitename/wp-admin.
Installing
Buddy Press is just like any other plug-in: simple
The defaut WordPress setup has a single
static page and a single blog post, both showing welcome messages. By all
means, play around and create more if it’s your first time on WordPress, but
don’t do anything serious; BuddyPress will create a heap of new pages. The last
time I looked, the default theme was still 2011, with 2010 installed as an
option. You can play with others if you want, but BuddyPress requires a
particular layout and certain features to work properly, so don’t get too
attached to any theme at this stage.
BuddyPress
In the WordPress Dashboard, go to
‘Plugins’, then ‘Install new’. Run a search for BuddyPress, and install it. You
might also want the BuddyPress toolbar, which adds a dedicated toolbar to the
WordPress Dashboard, but without it BuddyPress works fine from the normal
Setting sidebar. If you want a more Facebool-like setup, then there’s also
BuddyPress Media Component.
Themes
To change the theme, go to ‘Appearance’,
‘Themes’, then ‘Install Themes’. BuddyPress requires certain features in a
theme to work properly, so search for BuddyPress in the themes page and choose
a compatible one. If none appeal, then it’s possible to modify a non-BuddyPress
compatible theme using the Buddy Press template pack. I modified WordPress’s
2010 theme using the default settings and point and click; apparently some
themes need serious script-editing skills. If you want to try, load your chosen
theme, then go back to Plugins and install the template pack, activate it and
follow the instructions.
Other Plug-ins
There are literally thousands, but these
are the ones I used:
Askimet – default WordPress system to
prevent blogspam. Activate and follow the instructions
BP-Registration-Options – allows the admin
(me) to vet all user registrations
Member Access – control which pages non-members
can see. Buddy Press Privacy Component or BuddyPress Private Community would do
as well, but I’m familiar with Member Access
Registration-Login – puts registration and
login tabs on the toolbar, but you need to edit php code via cPanel’s file manager.
Registration Form Widget is simpler
SI CAPTCHA – sets up ‘Captchas’ on your
registration and comments pages
Simply Show IDs – puts page ID numbers on
the ‘All Pages’ screen, making linking easier.
All
pages, displays er… all the pages
A
typical member’s page
BuddyPress setup
I don’t need to go into details here.
Activate the BuddyPress plug-in and the settings pages appear. Follow the
instructions; they’re accessible from the Dashboard sidebar (or the toolbar if
you installed it).
An important section for my site is the
‘Profile Fields’ settings. This allows me to define how users’ profiles are set
up
Site setup
WordPress shows its blogging roots by
defaulting to a blog page as the front page. That might suit you, but I wanted
a page explaining what my site was about, so I created one and published it. To
set it as the front page go to ‘Settings’, ‘Reading’ and choose ‘Static Page’
then browser and select your new page.
I want the front page and a couple of
others open to the public but members’ profiles only available to other
members. Go to ‘Settings’, then ‘Member Access’ and choose your options. I set
it so that by default only members can see pages and posts, then overrode the
settings in certain pages. Non-members trying to access hidden pages are
returned to the front page. If you do this, don’t forget to override the
settings for the registration page created by BuddyPress or no one will be able
to register!
Menus
Menus are to some extent dependent on your
choice of theme, but by default new pages are assigned and ‘order’ of 0 (zero)
and all such ‘top’ level pages appear on the menu bar. If you assign a higher
number and specify a ‘parent’, they should appear below the parent in a
drop-down menu. You can fine tune which page appears where by going to
‘Appearance’, ‘Menus’ and creating your own menu, though in this case I left
the 2010 them and BuddyPress to sort it out for me.
Widgets & Jetpack
There are plenty of widgets you can add to
WordPress pages, and if you install the WordPress ‘Jetpack’ you get even more.
Once again, themes vary, but most have several ‘Widget Areas’ where you can
place them. Just go to ‘Appearance’, ‘Widget’ and drag and drop them. The text
widget I useful if you can handle some basic HTML, it lets you define your own
widget, or more commonly gives you somewhere to post ‘widget code’ from other
sites. I’ve found it useful for adding Facebook buttons and the like on other
sites.
What’s the site?
Ah, well it’s only for people fortunate
enough to live in Llangollen, and they can get the URL from next month’s Llangollen
News…
