Forums & Wordpress

ChrisJamesG · 05-12-2009, 03:47 AM

Mornin,

Just wondering if anyone has experience with forums?

I have a wordpress blog and I want to attach a forum to it; does anyone know of good wp plugins?

I've obviously found some but, well, I want the best :-)

Cheers,
Chris

deskmonkey · 05-12-2009, 07:17 AM

Heya, Chris. What kind of forum are you planning on using and what level of integration are you looking to do? If you're looking for a simple forum that's actually built into Wordpress, then the SimplePress forum plugin for Wordpress may be just what you need. It has many of the basic functionality of most forum software, and since it's built into Wordpress, you have complete integration.

For a separate forum software that also has an almost complete integration with Wordpress, have a look at BBpress, which is by the same creators of Wordpress. It's the same forum used in the WP support forums, in case you're wondering.

If you're planning to use a forum software that's not listed above, then integration may be more problematic. Theme integration should be fairly simple, given some knowledge of HTML/CSS, but database integration is going to require significant PHP/MySQL wizardry.

bgmacaw · 05-12-2009, 07:25 AM

I'd recommend just setting up a separate forum folder and install vBulletin, phpBB or Simple Machines Forum there. That way you'll have full forum features and not some compromise.

Audrey Harvey · 05-12-2009, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

I'd recommend just setting up a separate forum folder and install vBulletin, phpBB or Simple Machines Forum there. That way you'll have full forum features and not some compromise.

That's what I did, I used fantastico to install wordpress on mydomain.com, then used it to install simple machines forum on mydomain.com/forum - easy to customise SMF with headers etc to match my blog. Looks great!

deskmonkey · 05-12-2009, 07:33 AM

Well, if you're looking for a full, standalone forum software, then I'll recommend MyBB -- it's very similar to vBulletin, but for the price of free. I've also heard some very good reviews of Advanced Electron Forum (AEF), though I've never tried it myself (I've used MyBB).

If you've yet to decide on a forum software, then I also suggest checking out the forums category at OpenSourceCMS.com for demos of some of the top free forum software around.

05-12-2009, 03:47 AM	#1
ChrisJamesG HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Derby, UK Posts: 249 Thanks: 62 Thanked 34 Times in 28 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Forums & Wordpress Mornin, Just wondering if anyone has experience with forums? I have a wordpress blog and I want to attach a forum to it; does anyone know of good wp plugins? I've obviously found some but, well, I want the best :-) Cheers, Chris
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05-12-2009, 07:17 AM	#2
deskmonkey Active Warrior Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 47 Thanks: 1 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	Re: Forums & Wordpress Heya, Chris. What kind of forum are you planning on using and what level of integration are you looking to do? If you're looking for a simple forum that's actually built into Wordpress, then the SimplePress forum plugin for Wordpress may be just what you need. It has many of the basic functionality of most forum software, and since it's built into Wordpress, you have complete integration. For a separate forum software that also has an almost complete integration with Wordpress, have a look at BBpress, which is by the same creators of Wordpress. It's the same forum used in the WP support forums, in case you're wondering. If you're planning to use a forum software that's not listed above, then integration may be more problematic. Theme integration should be fairly simple, given some knowledge of HTML/CSS, but database integration is going to require significant PHP/MySQL wizardry.

05-12-2009, 07:25 AM	#3
bgmacaw Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Atlanta GA Metro Area, USA. Posts: 3,643 Blog Entries: 5 Thanks: 311 Thanked 925 Times in 644 Posts Social Networking	Re: Forums & Wordpress I'd recommend just setting up a separate forum folder and install vBulletin, phpBB or Simple Machines Forum there. That way you'll have full forum features and not some compromise.
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05-12-2009, 07:33 AM	#5
deskmonkey Active Warrior Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 47 Thanks: 1 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	Re: Forums & Wordpress Well, if you're looking for a full, standalone forum software, then I'll recommend MyBB -- it's very similar to vBulletin, but for the price of free. I've also heard some very good reviews of Advanced Electron Forum (AEF), though I've never tried it myself (I've used MyBB). If you've yet to decide on a forum software, then I also suggest checking out the forums category at OpenSourceCMS.com for demos of some of the top free forum software around.