Here’s yet another way to build your own social network… for free. It’s been in beta for a while now, but finally, version 1.0 of BuddyPress is available for download.

BuddyPress extends WordPress Multi-User (a.k.a. WordPress MU) with social networking features. It’s basically a suite of WordPress plugins and themes that will allow members of your multi-user blog to socially interact.

A word of warning: I can’t comment on BuddyPress (I haven’t played around with it) but let’s just say WordPress MU is not as ‘plug and play’ as your regular WordPress blog software. On that basis, I’m betting that implementing BuddyPress probably isn’t for the faint of heart, or at least for someone who isn’t comfortable working with WordPress MU.

Still, if you ARE comfortable with WordPress MU, the release of BuddyPress is probably great news indeed. It offers all the features and familiarity of WordPress (not to mention all the third party plugins that make WordPress so wonderful) plus an array of social networking features to enable you to build your own community.

Source: Andy Peatling, “BuddyPress 1.0 Has Arrived,” BuddyPress News, April 30, 2009

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 7th, 2009 at 2:00 am and is filed under Blogging, Kikabink Lab, Social Media, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.