Best Free and Open Source Social Networking Software

BuddyPress – social networking software package

BuddyPress is an open source social networking software package. It is a powerful plugin that takes a WordPress.org powered site and transforms it into social network platform with features including user profiles, activity streams, and user groups.

BuddyPress lets users sign-up and start creating profiles, posting messages, making connections, creating and interacting in groups, and much more. A social network in a box, BuddyPress lets you easily build a community for your company, school, sports team, or other niche community.

BuddyPress boasts an ever growing array of new features developed by an awesome plugin development community. There are more than 330 BuddyPress plugins available. BuddyPress is built using the same primary technologies as WordPress, and is used by a number of universities around the world.

Features include:

  • User Profiles:
    • Options to add user profile fields and sections.
    • Avatar uploads.
  • Activity Streams – Global, personal, and group activity streams with threaded commenting, direct posting, favoriting and @mentions. All with full RSS feeds and email notification support.
  • Extended Profiles – Fully editable profile fields allow you to define the fields users can fill in to describe themselves.
  • Friend Connections – Let your users make connections so they can track the activity of others, or filter to show only those users they care about the most.
  • Private Messaging – Private messaging will allow your users to talk to each other directly and in private. Not just limited to one-on-one discussions, your users can send messages to multiple recipients.
  • WordPress Theme Compatibility – compatible with nearly all WordPress themes.
  • bbPress Discussion Forums – install bbPress plugin and create full-powered Sitewide and/or Group Forums in your BuddyPress installation.
  • BuddyPress Widgets – provides eight widgets: Members (Newest, Active, Popular tabs), Groups (Newest, Active, Popular tabs), Recently Active Members, Who’s Online and Recent Networkwide Posts (for multisite only), Friends, Sitewide Notices, and Log In/Out.
  • Member Profile Navigation Menu – renderis the members navigational elements.
  • Member Toolbar Navigation Menu.
  • Available in more than 20 languages.

Website: buddypress.org
Support: Documentation
Developer: John Jacoby, Paul Gibbs, Boone Georges, Andy Peatling
License: GNU General Public License v2.0

BuddyPress is written in PHP. Learn PHP with our recommended free books and free tutorials.

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