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Creating a private wordpress forum?

by MikeMizOne
9 replies
Hello, I'm working an ebook which will feature a private forum where buyers will be able to read useful material and engage with other buyers.

I now face two problems;

A) I need buyers of the ebook to be able to create an account after the purchase. I want this process to be as fluid as possible, they shouldn't have to email me asking for access.

B)I need the forum to be completely private, meaning no one except the buyers will be able to read it. I've googled the issue but can only find outdated informaton.

Any ideas on how I can accomplish this?
#creating #forum #private #wordpress
  • Profile picture of the author MikeMizOne
    Anyone? And if not, where can I find people that are willing to help me?

    (Shameless bump)
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    • Profile picture of the author agmccall
      you first need to google "forum software" and other keywords to help you find these platforms. Then you need to look through the features to see if they offer what you want. If you are not sure if it will do what you want then contact them and ask.

      You need to look farther than the warrior forum.

      al
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      "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison

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  • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
    Banned
    Originally Posted by MikeMizOne View Post

    Any ideas on how I can accomplish this?
    DAP - Digital Access Pass.

    Cheers. - Frank
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Originally Posted by MikeMizOne View Post

    I'm working an ebook which will feature a private forum where buyers will be able to read useful material and engage with other buyers.

    Mike,

    Your questions suggest you don't understand what these tools can do.

    First of all, ebooks don't "feature a private forum." Ebooks can direct the reader to an online forum. But I have never seen an ebook with a forum inside as you're suggesting.


    Originally Posted by MikeMizOne View Post

    I need buyers of the ebook to be able to create an account after the purchase.
    There are several ways to do this. Set up a limited access web site to control who gets in and who doesn't. If you're not charging for admission, then you can offer a password to the site in your ebook, or if that is not secure enough for you, offer it in your "thank you for downloading my ebook" email sent by your autoresponder.


    Originally Posted by MikeMizOne View Post

    I need the forum to be completely private, meaning no one except the buyers will be able to read it.
    There are a ton of membership web site platforms that, IMO, are a better choice than a wordpress plugin.

    Some of the better platforms (Membergate, IMO, is the best) will do everything you want in one application. Membergate will do the digital download of your ebook, it will handle the emailing at every stage of your sign-up process, it has a built-in forum, and a host of other features.

    Steve
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    Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
    SteveBrowneDirect

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    • Profile picture of the author MikeMizOne
      Originally Posted by agmccall View Post

      you first need to google "forum software" and other keywords to help you find these platforms. Then you need to look through the features to see if they offer what you want. If you are not sure if it will do what you want then contact them and ask.

      You need to look farther than the warrior forum.

      al
      I installed BBPress and looked for solutions but I only found outdated information on the subject, hence why I asked here.

      I thought Warrior Forum would be a great place for this question, someone must've done something similar before right?

      Originally Posted by BigFrank View Post

      DAP - Digital Access Pass.

      Cheers. - Frank
      Thanks a lot of Frank, I'll have a look at it.

      Originally Posted by Steve B View Post

      Mike,

      Your questions suggest you don't understand what these tools can do.

      First of all, ebooks don't "feature a private forum." Ebooks can direct the reader to an online forum. But I have never seen an ebook with a forum inside as you're suggesting.




      There are several ways to do this. Set up a limited access web site to control who gets in and who doesn't. If you're not charging for admission, then you can offer a password to the site in your ebook, or if that is not secure enough for you, offer it in your "thank you for downloading my ebook" email sent by your autoresponder.




      There are a ton of membership web site platforms that, IMO, are a better choice than a wordpress plugin.

      Some of the better platforms (Membergate, IMO, is the best) will do everything you want in one application. Membergate will do the digital download of your ebook, it will handle the emailing at every stage of your sign-up process, it has a built-in forum, and a host of other features.

      Steve
      Lol maybe I should've put that in another way, I want to redirect people who buy the ebook to a private forum.

      I was thinking of hosting it on the subdomain of the ebook. The problem I see with handing out a universal password is that it can be used by anyone on the internet, thus making it pretty pointless to have a private forum.

      I'll look into the Membergate platform, might just be the thing for me.
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      • Profile picture of the author webmarketer
        I think your primary concern should be maximizing your sales of the ebook, which translate to the number of buyers who automatically become members--depending upon your setup.

        To my understanding, once you have a big following then you create the forum. If you're starting from scratch, not knowing the sales outcome of your ebook or audience's niche interest, it's better to start out with a simple WP membership site. But, it's just me.

        Here's a link where you can compare WP membership plugins--

        WordPress Membership Plugins Comparison For 2015
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    Are you using any script or system to protect the download of your ebook?

    Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author totalprocessing.net
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeMizOne
      Originally Posted by Mark Singletary View Post

      Are you using any script or system to protect the download of your ebook?

      Mark
      No, I've asked around and most people said it wouldn't be a problem. What kind of scripts could I use to protect it?

      Now that I think of it, I actually want to know if it's possible to protect the download so you just can type in the URL and land on the download page, is it possible?

      Originally Posted by webmarketer View Post

      I think your primary concern should be maximizing your sales of the ebook, which translate to the number of buyers who automatically become members--depending upon your setup.

      To my understanding, once you have a big following then you create the forum. If you're starting from scratch, not knowing the sales outcome of your ebook or audience's niche interest, it's better to start out with a simple WP membership site. But, it's just me.

      Here's a link where you can compare WP membership plugins--

      WordPress Membership Plugins Comparison For 2015
      Yes of course, that's what I want to do. Thing is that my ebook is teaching how to use a certain website and sometimes it's neccesary to use other people for that. There are skype groups for this but I rather have a platform which is more structed and easier to control. That's why I thought a forum would be great, wouldn't be cluttered, unwanted members wouldn't be able to get inside either.

      I will look at your link, thanks!

      Originally Posted by totalprocessing.net View Post

      Personally what I would do is set the ebook sale up with membership included with purchase. Then I would restrict access to the forum with the membership software so only members who bought the ebook/membership package would have access to the forum. This can easily be accomplished with with:

      1- Using WooCommerce then you would need WooCommerce Memberships.
      2- Using WordPress without WooCommerce, then Membership 2 Pro would be the way to go.

      If you want to take a look at these solutions, just click the link in my sig enter those in the search box... Moderators frown if I link to the products on my site...
      Exactly what I want to do, I'll look into your links as well!

      Thanks for all the responses so far!
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    My opinion is that you are trying to bite off more than you can chew. It's okay to be a beginner or to struggle with something for the first time - most of us have been there and done that.

    However, you seem totally lost about the whole process of even selling an ebook and now you want to add a forum too?

    My suggestion would be to forget the forum and add it later as a bonus or upsell/upgrade.

    Learn what you need to learn to publish, market, and profit from your ebook first. That has to be the primary focus.

    Besides, no one, normally, buys an ebook just because there is forum access included - especially from a beginner. If we knew that a big star like a Frank Kern or Dan Kennedy was going to hang out in a forum and answer questions if we bought a book then yes that might be a selling point. But probably not in this case - depending on whether you are a true, known expert in the topic of your ebook.

    I'd suggest you spend some time on this forum, YouTube, or where ever you need to go to get educated about the book publishing process first.

    There is a lot to learn based on your questions. Like I said that's okay but I think you need to take baby steps.

    I'd suggest you buy some ebooks too - find some that cost $1 just to see the process.

    In most cases it works like this even though there are many different scenarios:

    Sales page --> Order form with upsell/downsell/etc. --> Pay --> Redirect to hidden URL or protected script login --> Download ebook.

    So if John types in that URL, in most cases he needs to log in but not always - depends on how it's set up. Some marketers have "naked" URLs but they are hidden and protected from search engines as much as possible. Most marketers use some sort of script to protect the ebook so just any old Joe can't come along and get it for free.

    Like I said, there is a lot to learn.

    Mark
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