Meadows Interactive blog

It’s been called everything from “social networking in a box” to “Facebook without the terms of service,” but until earlier this year, BuddyPress was a relatively unknown outside the WordPress MU (multiple user) community. The release of BuddyPress 1.2 last month is starting to change that, making it possible to add a social networking layer to the standard, self-hosted version of WordPress (AKA, the WordPress.org install) for the first time. (Note: BuddyPress can’t be installed on WordPress.com-hosted blogs.) So, if you like Facebook or MySpace, but aren’t a fan of the terms of service or other fallbacks of those...

Like there are many different versions of WordPress, there are also a handful of related side projects WordPress users should be familiar with. All of these projects are open source and GPL licensed, which means there are few restrictions to using them. These projects also use much of the same functionality and integrate well with one another, which is nice for those who are familiar with the WordPress code base and functionality. Some projects are even portable and have the ability to stand on their own if developed correctly. A closer look at the entire WordPress family: WordPress.com vs....

Ning’s recent announcement that it will be doing away with the free portion of its social networking service was one of the hot topics at last weekend’s WordCamp in San Francisco. Ning, for those who haven’t messed with it, is a social networking platform that’s ranked in the top 150 by Alexa and has millions of users who use the service to “explore and express their interests, discover new passions, and meet new people around shared pursuits.” The Ning move, whether you agree with it or not, brought up a good question: What do you do when your favorite...

When I first made the jump from Microsoft Word 97 to Word 2007, it was just that … a giant leap. Going a decade between software updates is as dumb as it sounds, but when you’re used to a solid word processor like Word 97, you tend to stick with what you know. Word 2007 changed all that. XML file formats and a revamped interface drove me crazy for the first couple weeks (months?), but after time (and a few patches that made ’07 files compatible with older versions of Word), I became a fan. Luckily for Word 2007...

I don’t know how the idea came up – it was probably the volatile mix of WordCamp L.A., Disneyland, NFL Opening weekend and Week 2 of the college football season – but on the way back from SoCal this week I started thinking about how WordPress needs a mascot. Yeah, that’s the kind of stuff I think about while waiting for WP presentations or in long lines to meet Goofy and Co. at the Happiest Place on Earth. WordPress needs its Mickey. Its Albert the Gator (University of Florida). Its own Tux the Penguin (Linux). Something cool, yet somewhat...

This how-to not only gives you some answers on what to do when Blogger.com discontinues FTP support, but offers up some solutions for bloggers on a Blogspot subdomain looking to move to their own domain. According to an email I received the other day from Blogger.com product manager Rick Klau, Blogger will be discontinuing FTP support as of March 26, 2010. This is a blow for bloggers who have been using the Blogger platform to publish via FTP on their own domains, rather than subdomains hosted by Blogger.com. Blogger, which has been around since 1999, claims that “only .5%...