I have some experience with buddypress having used it for OneWebDay a couple of years running. <a href="http://onewebday.org">http://onewebday.org</a>. I am a member of a succcesful one operated by our local WordPress Meetup <a href="http://wpnyc.org">http://wpnyc.org</a><div>
<br></div><div>I think that if it is used as the central platform for a multi group project it can work well. The email integration is pretty good, enabling easily configurable notification of relevant items. </div><div>
<br>
</div><div>But I agree with Klaus's 'cart before the horse' point below, and I think it's doubly true when alternative, and less complex, platforms already exist. I think we are all familiar with failed attempts to move vibrant listservs over to web based forums. However there are web forums that thrive of their own accord.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Where I think we can succeed with the buddypress is by not approaching it as a general purpose tool but using it for specific purposes, say, for instance, co-ordinating 20th anniversary activity. The e-coursework plugin could well be another.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Another truth, imparted by Boone Gorges one of the authors of the program, at a recent NYC event: it is a good idea to run it initially in as stripped down fashion as possible, and then slowly add features as they become necessary and users become more familiar/accomplished.</div>
<div><br></div><div>j<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 5:40 AM, Klaus Birkenbihl <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:Klaus.Birkenbihl@isoc.de">Klaus.Birkenbihl@isoc.de</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
Elena,<br>
<br>
great job! (Finished after 2 in the night ...)<br>
I wish you and us good luck with it.<br>
<br>
To have good tools is essential if you have collaborations.<br>
But frankly I'm afraid we don't have the collaborations yet.<br>
And this was not because a lack of tools. :(<br>
<br>
Enthusiasm will always overcome the lack of tools (or find<br>
people to provide them). On the other hand tools can never<br>
substitute a lack of enthusiasm.<br>
<br>
Nevertheless as an aged optimist I registered :)<br>
<br>
Cheers, Klaus<br>
<br>
<br>
Elena Zvarici wrote on <a href="tel:2012-01-24%2001" value="+12012012401">2012-01-24 01</a>:16:<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5">> Dear @all I would like to thank to those who have joined our proposal<br>
> for a chapter collboration platform at <a href="http://www.anuntul.eu/wordpress" target="_blank">http://www.anuntul.eu/wordpress</a><br>
> and for taking the time to study it.<br>
><br>
> It is more or less clear that this is a demo solution, not ready yet<br>
> but it could do the job if we put our minds to it colaboratively :)<br>
><br>
> If interested I can make you administrators so you can take your time<br>
> to study the back-end when you have the time.<br>
><br>
> There are several nice features to this installation:<br>
><br>
> - a Wiki editor with html editing capabilities (Buddypress Docs),<br>
> which allows for collaborative document editing and revision history.<br>
><br>
> - an eLearning solution within each group which can be used as a<br>
> virtual classroom.<br>
> I am testing out the Buddypress Scholarpress plugin for our chapter's<br>
> purposes, which allows the creation of eCourses within dedicated<br>
> Budypress groups. Private messaging can also be activated within each<br>
> group to allow / disallow for student communication.<br>
> Maybe Scholarpress can be used by chapters for their eLearning<br>
> purposes towards their local membership - this is what we plan.<br>
> Buddypress and Scholarpress can be fully translated into all<br>
> languages, several translations are already available.<br>
><br>
> - The integrated forum is in fact a collection of forums split into<br>
> discussion groups - topics (a bit confusing, I know). You can see the<br>
> different groups I've created to simulate a little bit the kind of<br>
> discussion we could have among chapters. In this situation we can<br>
> imagine a general group to include all registered members and specific<br>
> groups dedicated to discussions on specific topics. Group creation can<br>
> be made available to all user roles OR restricted to a user category<br>
> (chapter delegates .. )<br>
><br>
> - Each group can be made public (free to join) private (request for<br>
> membership necessary) or hidden (only possible to join on invite from<br>
> an existing member). It functions a little bit like Facebook groups.<br>
><br>
> - Within each group the user can set his / her group digest settings:<br>
> daily, weekly, monthly.<br>
> - Each group can contain a document storage space for PDFs, docs etc<br>
><br>
> - Each user profile can be made public or private - only friends will<br>
> see the user's activity stream and other generated content. check this<br>
> within your profile<br>
><br>
> - Members can become "friends" or follow each other's activity. Based<br>
> on the user's privacy settings, users can specifiy if they want to be<br>
> contacted only by friends or by everyone.<br>
><br>
> - The advantage of Buddypress compared to a classical forum is the<br>
> activity stream resembling a little bit a private Facebook with<br>
> possiblity of embedding multimedia, videos and slideshare docs like<br>
> you see in the sitewide activity stream. This can generate lively<br>
> discussions on specific topics. Each activity stream has its own rss<br>
> feed making it possible to check it from anywhere within your browser<br>
> provided the forum is public. A bit of testing is necessary to fine<br>
> tune the privacy settings and to decide what is public and what is<br>
> private.<br>
><br>
> Of course like with any Wordpress installation, users have the<br>
> possibility to publish posts, collected into the blog page. But I<br>
> guess the groups and the forums would be the preferred alternatives<br>
> for communication. We will definitely see more messages passing as you<br>
> just need to hit "Enter" so short messages will abund instead of long<br>
> emails. Daily / Weekly Group digest settings will be welcome in this<br>
> case.<br>
><br>
> - There is a known bug with Embedly (<a href="http://embed.ly/" target="_blank">http://embed.ly/</a>) which breaks<br>
> any frontend html editor in Buddypress (used by Wiki but also the<br>
> Scholarpress lectures) I will have to find another embedding plugin.<br>
><br>
> Well this is pretty much it, the solution has to be fine tuned,<br>
> privacy levels specified, and a webspace decided for it (it can stay<br>
> here or Isoc can host it?) but it is doing lots of things "out of the<br>
> box" for an opensource solution.<br>
><br>
> Most importantly - do you see yourselves using it instead or as a<br>
> complement to the classic mailing list ?<br>
><br>
> @Ted, I hope this covers your question about why we "chose" this<br>
> solution over others: it functions prety much out of the box quickly,<br>
> the other solutions were bulkier like Alfresco (java app, 4 gig of<br>
> memory needed, a real server) and need "real" developer hours rather<br>
> then tweaking a few things to make it work.<br>
><br>
> Best,<br>
><br>
> Elena Zvarici<br>
> Communication manager<br>
> Internet Society Romania<br>
> <a href="tel:%2B40726128728" value="+40726128728">+40726128728</a><br>
</div></div>> <http://http:www.isoc.ro><http://http:www.isoc.ro><a href="http://www.isoc.ro" target="_blank">http://www.isoc.ro</a><br>
> /Consider the environment: don't print this email unless necessary. /<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
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