forum frustration
Aaaack! I have been pulling out my hair trying to get some sort of forum up and running on Sevilla Tapas. First I thought I’d try P2 for WordPress, which seemed easy enough. And was easy enough to install. But it also seems awkward for people to register and when Nog registered the other day he ended up being able to access the dashboard (!). I’ve also tried bbpress, which is supposed to be “simple, fast and elegant”, but I cannot get it to install properly. I keep getting stuck on numbers 4 & 5 on their instruction page that says “visit the intended URL of the bbPress site, you will be greeted with the bbPress installer” – but sadly this never happens. Then someone told me to install a plugin that does the WP integration for bbpress … no joy there either. Then I had Simple Scripts (on my BlueHost) automatically install bbpress, and that seemed to be working okay, but I couldn’t get into the CSS to change things. And okay, I know I’m not the geekiest of people, but I like to think I know my way around CSS a bit and am usually able to install these things quite easily.
There is also Buddy Press, but I’m not sure that’s really what I’m looking for.
Anyhow, my Twitter friend Andy says he will help me with this a bit later on today … wish me luck. I’ve been getting some interesting feedback and queries by email from visitors to Sevilla Tapas and I think that there would be more interaction if there were a forum option available. I’m actually quite looking forward to that.
Have you considered setting up a free social network on ning.com ? Although it can’t be embedded you can link to it in a prominent way. Check it out and see what I mean.
P.S. Love your header. Happy holidays
So I went to register on ning.com and check it out, and it turns out I’ve already got an account there. Hmmm… not sure though. I think I’d like my forum to only belong there. Must think.
In the throws of trying to figure out Andy’s instructions. My fault, not his. I have just pleaded for him to go to my FTP and have a look around to see what I’m doing wrong. Awaiting further news…
As you are no doubt well aware, you will get no help from the Havens with this problem. If it was me in your shoes the computer would have been flying through the window over the balcony and down into the street below by now, indubitably showering the people in the cafe across the street with bits and chips and shards! Good luck and I hope you get it figured out.
Oh, and my deepest sympathy in your plight! Look at it this way, you have something different to focus on for now. . . (ducking and running)
Distraction therapy?
The thing is, I usually love losing myself in this sort of project, but this time I just couldn’t get it to work and it was really driving me bonkers. All sorted now though!
Andy was very patient this afternoon, and after MANY emails back and forth he ended up getting the bbpress forum set up and working. I still have to change some of the CSS, which is different on this sort of thing (as opposed to a blog), so that’ll keep me busy over the holidays, learning a new skill.
I’ll be posting a link to it here once it “goes live”.
Computers can be very weird. I want to write my own forum, but that’s not looking likely to happen this decade.
CSS is weird stuff, sometimes. Fairly simple most of the time, but occasionally off-the-wall weird.
TRiG.
In fact, the whole bbpress thing went for a burton … I couldn’t get it to work at all. And I also realised that it was limited in terms of what I want.
So yesterday I set up a phpBB forum and with a bit of work – and a lot of learning on the spot – it’s almost ready to go. I recommend it. Will let you know when it goes live, which I hope will be on the first of January.