Archiwum miesiąca: marzec 2020

Web Tools

8 Best WordPress Forum Plugins to Build a Thriving Online Community

Post pobrano z: 8 Best WordPress Forum Plugins to Build a Thriving Online Community

These days, social media can play a significant role in community building. But there is also another way that existed way before Facebook or other platforms.

Yes, I’m talking about forums.

The easiest way to build a forum around your WordPress website is to use a plugin. But there’s a problem. There are too many potential candidates that can be a good solution for you.

The purpose of this post is to show you the solutions you should consider. So let’s get started!

What to Look for in a WordPress Forum Plugin?

Take a strategic approach when choosing a plugin for your WordPress website. Instead of picking any plugin you can find, make sure to pay attention to at least these seven factors.

1. Price

Both free and paid plugins exist. Both types have their advantages and disadvantages.

While a free plugin doesn’t cost you anything, it may lack the support options that the paid version offers.

2. The usage

Do you intend to use the plugin only as a forum, or in some other ways, too?

For instance, certain plugins work better as a Question and Answer (Q&A) site. Then again, some solutions are more flexible, and you can use them in many ways.

3. Support

I’ve already touched on this area in point number 1, but let me elaborate further.

So when you are picking a forum for your website, make sure it also offers proper support options.

For instance, if technical issues come up, do you know where to find help, and how? Find out all the support options in advance so that you get help if you need i.

4. Extensibility

I know it sounds a bit confusing, but it’s true: forum plugins can have their own plugins. These plugins extend the functionality of the forum by adding new useful features to it.

While most of the forum solutions can be extended, some are not. So make sure to learn in advance whether your forum supports add-ons or not.

5. Integration

How well does the forum plugin support the custom branding of your website? Also, is it possible to integrate the forum into other systems?

6. Development

Plugin development is an ongoing process. But is your product updated and developed frequently?

For instance, if the plugin was updated a year ago, should you consider using another solution instead.

7. Basic Functionality

What features you value depends on your needs. But as a general guideline, I would make sure that:

  • The forum is easy to set up and maintain.
  • The user interface, both for the user and the admin, is simple to use.
  • The end-user can format the posts easily.
  • You can secure your site from spam and bots.
  • You can optimize the SEO of your forums.
  • The solution contains all the essential features. These include creating new threads, replying to comments, or editing your posts.
  • The forum is optimized for mobile devices.

The Top 8 WordPress Forum Plugins for 2020

Now that you know what to look for in a forum, let’s go through the top-8 WordPress plugins.

1. bbPress

bbPress is probably the most popular forum plugin for WordPress. It’s an open-source solution, and it comes from the same folks who develop WordPress.

The guiding principles behind bbPress are simplicity, web standards, flexibility, and speed. The forum integrates well with WordPress, and you can also extend it via plugins.

The plugin supports 11 languages. It’s easy to set up and simple to use.

Pros

  • Light-weight forum solution.
  • Fast setup.
  • The solution integrates well with WordPress.
  • The forum can be translated into many languages.
  • Flexible layout options.
  • Active community forums.
  • Free to download.

Cons

  • Adding new forum categories is a bit inconvenient at first.
  • Plugins are developed by many people, which means that the support options may vary, depending on the developer.

Price

2. wpForo Forums

wpForo Forums is another fully-featured forum plugin for WordPress. While the core version is free, you can also extend your forum with premium add-ons.

The solution is light-weight and easy-to-use. You can quickly manage your current forum structure through the forum’s admin panel.

The forum has four layout options: Extended, Simplified, Q&A, and Threaded. Each layout option provides features that make your forums unique.

wpForo Forums also integrates well with systems like BuddyPress or Ultimate Members.

Pros

  • Free to download and use.
  • The plugin comes with five premium add-ons.
  • You can drag and drop the forums and categories into any order you wish.
  • SEO-friendly forum solution.
  • The forum can be easily translated into other languages.

Cons

  • The forum configuration may not be intuitive at first. So be prepared to visit wpForo’s support forum frequently.
  • If you deactivate the plugin, you’ll have to submit a feedback form to the developer first.

Price

3. DW Question & Answer Pro

DW Question & Answer is a light-weight WordPress forum plugin by DesignerWall. It helps you to build a site like StackOverflow, where the visitors can vote for each other’s answers.

The plugin provides a clean interface for the forum visitors. From the administrator’s perspective, the setup and maintenance tasks are also easy to do.

The plugin contains Default, Flat, and HelpDesk themes. Each of these options adds their nuance to the forum layout.

The forum integrates with the Akismet spam solution. The plugin also supports two different types of captchas, FunCaptcha and Google captcha.

Finally, the plugin includes six different add-ons. For instance, you can use the DW Q&A Markdown for editing forum posts without HTML language. Or with DW Q&A Leaderboard, you can list great forum contributors. You can also provide competitions for the community.

Pros

  • Clean user interface.
  • Quick to setup and configure.
  • Various captcha options.

Cons

  • Custom styling should be easier.
  • It has limited options as a discussion forum.

Price

4. CM Answers Pro

CM Answers is another elegant solution if you want to build a Q&A site, like Yahoo Answers or Quora.

The solution lets users vote for their favorite answers. Administrators can customize forum layout or localize the community to their preferred language.

You can also replace the default WordPress comment system with a Q&A discussion forum. With this feature, you can turn your website into a real community.

You can also integrate the plugin with Facebook, LinkedIn, or BuddyPress.

Pros

  • You can turn WordPress comments as part of a discussion board.
  • Users can vote for their favorite answers.
  • Users can add many attachments to questions or answers.
  • Ultimate Edition has the payment and micropayment support.

Cons

  • The user guide section (in the admin panel) looks messy.
  • You’ll find a link to the ticket system on the plugin’s home page after digging around a bit. Yet, the support options should be more easily available.

Price

  • Premium versions: Pro: $39. Pro Anonymous: $59. Ultimate: $99. There is also a free version

5. Discussion Board Pro

Discussion Board plugin comes in two flavors: free and paid.

During the installation, the plugin creates three pages:

  • A login-in page.
  • A page for posting new topics.
  • A page for viewing existing topics.

These pages act as the backbone of your forum. And once the forum is live, users can register their user account through your website’s front-end.

The forum includes features like user management, which defines who can see it and who can post to it. You can also reduce the spam by blocking specific email addresses or domains.

The forum is mobile-responsive and works with any theme.

Pros

  • It integrates well with your website.
  • The plugin is easy to set up and configure.
  • A simple solution that adds a forum to your website without extra hassles.
  • It can be used in many ways, such as a community forum, a Q&A site, or as a job board.

Cons

  • It would be nice to see a comparison table between the free and the premium versions. That would make the selection between the free and the paid version easier.

Price

  • Versions: Basic: $49 per year (one site). Pro: $89 per year (unlimited sites). The free version is also available.

6. BuddyPress

Would you like to run a social network hub on top of your WordPress website? If so, you should consider using BuddyPress.

With BuddyPress, you can build a website with social network features. These features include things like user profiles, activity streams, or internal messaging. You can also create user groups to build mini-communities.

Contributors to WordPress also build BuddyPress. It integrates well with WordPress, Akismet, and even with bbPress.

Pros

  • Active development community.
  • It has plenty of plugins that extend the core plugin functionality.
  • It is continuously developed and maintained.

Cons

  • You need to do more configuration than with some other forum plugins.

Price

  • Free to download and use.

7. Simple:Press

Simple:Press has a long history behind it. It’s over 12 years old, and it now spans over 70 modules.

The free version includes features like great support for SEO or a spam protection tool. The premium version gives you private messaging and a TinyMCE editor for post formatting.

The forum is mobile responsive, so you can use it with your desktop, mobile phone or tablet.

Pros

  • Plenty of features already in the free version.
  • The forum developer creates all the add-ons, not a third-party. This factor makes it easier to get support for any questions.

Cons

  • Premium version prices can be too much for some people.

Price

  • Premium versions: Silver Bundle: $99 per year (one site). Gold Bundle: $149 per year (one site). Platinum Bundle: $199 per year (one site). The free version is also available.

8. Asgaros Forums

Asgaros Forums is a light-weight and forum-rich forum solution coming from Germany.

The forum is easy to set up. It creates a page titled Forum on your WordPress during the installation. The page includes a shortcode, and you can also place the shortcode on another page if you wish.

The forum is SEO-friendly, and it supports uploads, polls, and activity feeds. Forum users can also earn reputation points based on their activity on the forums.

Pros

  • Free (developer accepts optional donations).
  • Loads fast.
  • Easy to set up.

Cons

  • No plugins are available.
  • Can’t migrate from other forum systems (at least without coding).

Price

  • Free to download and use.

What WordPress Forum Plugin Is the Best for You?

So there you have it: 8 WordPress forum plugins, which each promise to be the perfect fit for you. But the hot question is: which one should you pick for your WordPress website?

Remember the seven factors I talked about in the beginning about what to look for in a forum? When I think about all the plugins against these factors, there are two forums that you should consider: Simple:Press and wpForo.

Simple:Press

  • Price: There are both free versions and paid versions available.
  • Usage: The plugin can only be used as a community forum. But if you invest into other premium Simple:Press components, you can create various types of websites.These include helpdesk sites, membership sites or donation sites.
  • Support: The free version gives you community support. The premium versions provide access to standard or premium support. You also get all the add-ons and support from one vendor, instead of from many.
  • Extensibility: Premium versions include over 70 add-ons. These include anonymous posting, polls and surveys, or profanity filter.
  • Integrations: Integrates with WordPress dashboard, logins, and registrations. The premium version adds integration to BuddyPress or WooCommerce.
  • Development: New features are continuously developed. Also, the old code is kept up-to-date.
  • Technical Features: The forum solution is easy to use, and it is mobile responsive. It has proper SEO functionality and has security features to protect you from forum spam.

Try the free version first. If you like what you see, then upgrade to the premium one. This way, you’ll learn if the solution is a good fit for you. You can also access the Simple:Press demo site to learn more about the solution.

wpForo

  • Price: Free to download. This is great if you want to have a forum solution, but are on a budget.
  • Usage: The main usage of the plugin is to use it as a forum. However, you can also use it as a Q&A/support site.
  • Support: You get the support through wpForo’s support forums.
  • Extensibility: You can extend the solution with 10 premium plugins. The prices range between $11 and $125. The premium plugins include ad manager or polls.
  • Integrations: wpForo integrates with BuddyPress and with Ultimate
    Members plugins.
  • Development: The forum is actively developed and old code is kept up-to-date.
  • Technical Features: The forum is mobile responsive, and it supports various forum layouts. It also provides great SEO support, and has tools for user management.

Like Simple:Press, give a forum a test drive first. You can also visit the vendor’s website to see how the forum looks in action.

I hope you enjoyed our blog post on the best WordPress forum plugins. Next, you may want to check out our comprehensive article on the best list building plugins for WordPress.

The post 8 Best WordPress Forum Plugins to Build a Thriving Online Community appeared first on WebresourcesDepot.

Web Tools

8 Best WordPress Forum Plugins to Build a Thriving Online Community

Post pobrano z: 8 Best WordPress Forum Plugins to Build a Thriving Online Community

These days, social media can play a significant role in community building. But there is also another way that existed way before Facebook or other platforms.

Yes, I’m talking about forums.

The easiest way to build a forum around your WordPress website is to use a plugin. But there’s a problem. There are too many potential candidates that can be a good solution for you.

The purpose of this post is to show you the solutions you should consider. So let’s get started!

What to Look for in a WordPress Forum Plugin?

Take a strategic approach when choosing a plugin for your WordPress website. Instead of picking any plugin you can find, make sure to pay attention to at least these seven factors.

1. Price

Both free and paid plugins exist. Both types have their advantages and disadvantages.

While a free plugin doesn’t cost you anything, it may lack the support options that the paid version offers.

2. The usage

Do you intend to use the plugin only as a forum, or in some other ways, too?

For instance, certain plugins work better as a Question and Answer (Q&A) site. Then again, some solutions are more flexible, and you can use them in many ways.

3. Support

I’ve already touched on this area in point number 1, but let me elaborate further.

So when you are picking a forum for your website, make sure it also offers proper support options.

For instance, if technical issues come up, do you know where to find help, and how? Find out all the support options in advance so that you get help if you need i.

4. Extensibility

I know it sounds a bit confusing, but it’s true: forum plugins can have their own plugins. These plugins extend the functionality of the forum by adding new useful features to it.

While most of the forum solutions can be extended, some are not. So make sure to learn in advance whether your forum supports add-ons or not.

5. Integration

How well does the forum plugin support the custom branding of your website? Also, is it possible to integrate the forum into other systems?

6. Development

Plugin development is an ongoing process. But is your product updated and developed frequently?

For instance, if the plugin was updated a year ago, should you consider using another solution instead.

7. Basic Functionality

What features you value depends on your needs. But as a general guideline, I would make sure that:

  • The forum is easy to set up and maintain.
  • The user interface, both for the user and the admin, is simple to use.
  • The end-user can format the posts easily.
  • You can secure your site from spam and bots.
  • You can optimize the SEO of your forums.
  • The solution contains all the essential features. These include creating new threads, replying to comments, or editing your posts.
  • The forum is optimized for mobile devices.

The Top 8 WordPress Forum Plugins for 2020

Now that you know what to look for in a forum, let’s go through the top-8 WordPress plugins.

1. bbPress

bbPress is probably the most popular forum plugin for WordPress. It’s an open-source solution, and it comes from the same folks who develop WordPress.

The guiding principles behind bbPress are simplicity, web standards, flexibility, and speed. The forum integrates well with WordPress, and you can also extend it via plugins.

The plugin supports 11 languages. It’s easy to set up and simple to use.

Pros

  • Light-weight forum solution.
  • Fast setup.
  • The solution integrates well with WordPress.
  • The forum can be translated into many languages.
  • Flexible layout options.
  • Active community forums.
  • Free to download.

Cons

  • Adding new forum categories is a bit inconvenient at first.
  • Plugins are developed by many people, which means that the support options may vary, depending on the developer.

Price

2. wpForo Forums

wpForo Forums is another fully-featured forum plugin for WordPress. While the core version is free, you can also extend your forum with premium add-ons.

The solution is light-weight and easy-to-use. You can quickly manage your current forum structure through the forum’s admin panel.

The forum has four layout options: Extended, Simplified, Q&A, and Threaded. Each layout option provides features that make your forums unique.

wpForo Forums also integrates well with systems like BuddyPress or Ultimate Members.

Pros

  • Free to download and use.
  • The plugin comes with five premium add-ons.
  • You can drag and drop the forums and categories into any order you wish.
  • SEO-friendly forum solution.
  • The forum can be easily translated into other languages.

Cons

  • The forum configuration may not be intuitive at first. So be prepared to visit wpForo’s support forum frequently.
  • If you deactivate the plugin, you’ll have to submit a feedback form to the developer first.

Price

3. DW Question & Answer Pro

DW Question & Answer is a light-weight WordPress forum plugin by DesignerWall. It helps you to build a site like StackOverflow, where the visitors can vote for each other’s answers.

The plugin provides a clean interface for the forum visitors. From the administrator’s perspective, the setup and maintenance tasks are also easy to do.

The plugin contains Default, Flat, and HelpDesk themes. Each of these options adds their nuance to the forum layout.

The forum integrates with the Akismet spam solution. The plugin also supports two different types of captchas, FunCaptcha and Google captcha.

Finally, the plugin includes six different add-ons. For instance, you can use the DW Q&A Markdown for editing forum posts without HTML language. Or with DW Q&A Leaderboard, you can list great forum contributors. You can also provide competitions for the community.

Pros

  • Clean user interface.
  • Quick to setup and configure.
  • Various captcha options.

Cons

  • Custom styling should be easier.
  • It has limited options as a discussion forum.

Price

4. CM Answers Pro

CM Answers is another elegant solution if you want to build a Q&A site, like Yahoo Answers or Quora.

The solution lets users vote for their favorite answers. Administrators can customize forum layout or localize the community to their preferred language.

You can also replace the default WordPress comment system with a Q&A discussion forum. With this feature, you can turn your website into a real community.

You can also integrate the plugin with Facebook, LinkedIn, or BuddyPress.

Pros

  • You can turn WordPress comments as part of a discussion board.
  • Users can vote for their favorite answers.
  • Users can add many attachments to questions or answers.
  • Ultimate Edition has the payment and micropayment support.

Cons

  • The user guide section (in the admin panel) looks messy.
  • You’ll find a link to the ticket system on the plugin’s home page after digging around a bit. Yet, the support options should be more easily available.

Price

  • Premium versions: Pro: $39. Pro Anonymous: $59. Ultimate: $99. There is also a free version

5. Discussion Board Pro

Discussion Board plugin comes in two flavors: free and paid.

During the installation, the plugin creates three pages:

  • A login-in page.
  • A page for posting new topics.
  • A page for viewing existing topics.

These pages act as the backbone of your forum. And once the forum is live, users can register their user account through your website’s front-end.

The forum includes features like user management, which defines who can see it and who can post to it. You can also reduce the spam by blocking specific email addresses or domains.

The forum is mobile-responsive and works with any theme.

Pros

  • It integrates well with your website.
  • The plugin is easy to set up and configure.
  • A simple solution that adds a forum to your website without extra hassles.
  • It can be used in many ways, such as a community forum, a Q&A site, or as a job board.

Cons

  • It would be nice to see a comparison table between the free and the premium versions. That would make the selection between the free and the paid version easier.

Price

  • Versions: Basic: $49 per year (one site). Pro: $89 per year (unlimited sites). The free version is also available.

6. BuddyPress

Would you like to run a social network hub on top of your WordPress website? If so, you should consider using BuddyPress.

With BuddyPress, you can build a website with social network features. These features include things like user profiles, activity streams, or internal messaging. You can also create user groups to build mini-communities.

Contributors to WordPress also build BuddyPress. It integrates well with WordPress, Akismet, and even with bbPress.

Pros

  • Active development community.
  • It has plenty of plugins that extend the core plugin functionality.
  • It is continuously developed and maintained.

Cons

  • You need to do more configuration than with some other forum plugins.

Price

  • Free to download and use.

7. Simple:Press

Simple:Press has a long history behind it. It’s over 12 years old, and it now spans over 70 modules.

The free version includes features like great support for SEO or a spam protection tool. The premium version gives you private messaging and a TinyMCE editor for post formatting.

The forum is mobile responsive, so you can use it with your desktop, mobile phone or tablet.

Pros

  • Plenty of features already in the free version.
  • The forum developer creates all the add-ons, not a third-party. This factor makes it easier to get support for any questions.

Cons

  • Premium version prices can be too much for some people.

Price

  • Premium versions: Silver Bundle: $99 per year (one site). Gold Bundle: $149 per year (one site). Platinum Bundle: $199 per year (one site). The free version is also available.

8. Asgaros Forums

Asgaros Forums is a light-weight and forum-rich forum solution coming from Germany.

The forum is easy to set up. It creates a page titled Forum on your WordPress during the installation. The page includes a shortcode, and you can also place the shortcode on another page if you wish.

The forum is SEO-friendly, and it supports uploads, polls, and activity feeds. Forum users can also earn reputation points based on their activity on the forums.

Pros

  • Free (developer accepts optional donations).
  • Loads fast.
  • Easy to set up.

Cons

  • No plugins are available.
  • Can’t migrate from other forum systems (at least without coding).

Price

  • Free to download and use.

What WordPress Forum Plugin Is the Best for You?

So there you have it: 8 WordPress forum plugins, which each promise to be the perfect fit for you. But the hot question is: which one should you pick for your WordPress website?

Remember the seven factors I talked about in the beginning about what to look for in a forum? When I think about all the plugins against these factors, there are two forums that you should consider: Simple:Press and wpForo.

Simple:Press

  • Price: There are both free versions and paid versions available.
  • Usage: The plugin can only be used as a community forum. But if you invest into other premium Simple:Press components, you can create various types of websites.These include helpdesk sites, membership sites or donation sites.
  • Support: The free version gives you community support. The premium versions provide access to standard or premium support. You also get all the add-ons and support from one vendor, instead of from many.
  • Extensibility: Premium versions include over 70 add-ons. These include anonymous posting, polls and surveys, or profanity filter.
  • Integrations: Integrates with WordPress dashboard, logins, and registrations. The premium version adds integration to BuddyPress or WooCommerce.
  • Development: New features are continuously developed. Also, the old code is kept up-to-date.
  • Technical Features: The forum solution is easy to use, and it is mobile responsive. It has proper SEO functionality and has security features to protect you from forum spam.

Try the free version first. If you like what you see, then upgrade to the premium one. This way, you’ll learn if the solution is a good fit for you. You can also access the Simple:Press demo site to learn more about the solution.

wpForo

  • Price: Free to download. This is great if you want to have a forum solution, but are on a budget.
  • Usage: The main usage of the plugin is to use it as a forum. However, you can also use it as a Q&A/support site.
  • Support: You get the support through wpForo’s support forums.
  • Extensibility: You can extend the solution with 10 premium plugins. The prices range between $11 and $125. The premium plugins include ad manager or polls.
  • Integrations: wpForo integrates with BuddyPress and with Ultimate
    Members plugins.
  • Development: The forum is actively developed and old code is kept up-to-date.
  • Technical Features: The forum is mobile responsive, and it supports various forum layouts. It also provides great SEO support, and has tools for user management.

Like Simple:Press, give a forum a test drive first. You can also visit the vendor’s website to see how the forum looks in action.

I hope you enjoyed our blog post on the best WordPress forum plugins. Next, you may want to check out our comprehensive article on the best list building plugins for WordPress.

The post 8 Best WordPress Forum Plugins to Build a Thriving Online Community appeared first on WebresourcesDepot.

Web Tools

8 Best WordPress Forum Plugins to Build a Thriving Online Community

Post pobrano z: 8 Best WordPress Forum Plugins to Build a Thriving Online Community

These days, social media can play a significant role in community building. But there is also another way that existed way before Facebook or other platforms.

Yes, I’m talking about forums.

The easiest way to build a forum around your WordPress website is to use a plugin. But there’s a problem. There are too many potential candidates that can be a good solution for you.

The purpose of this post is to show you the solutions you should consider. So let’s get started!

What to Look for in a WordPress Forum Plugin?

Take a strategic approach when choosing a plugin for your WordPress website. Instead of picking any plugin you can find, make sure to pay attention to at least these seven factors.

1. Price

Both free and paid plugins exist. Both types have their advantages and disadvantages.

While a free plugin doesn’t cost you anything, it may lack the support options that the paid version offers.

2. The usage

Do you intend to use the plugin only as a forum, or in some other ways, too?

For instance, certain plugins work better as a Question and Answer (Q&A) site. Then again, some solutions are more flexible, and you can use them in many ways.

3. Support

I’ve already touched on this area in point number 1, but let me elaborate further.

So when you are picking a forum for your website, make sure it also offers proper support options.

For instance, if technical issues come up, do you know where to find help, and how? Find out all the support options in advance so that you get help if you need i.

4. Extensibility

I know it sounds a bit confusing, but it’s true: forum plugins can have their own plugins. These plugins extend the functionality of the forum by adding new useful features to it.

While most of the forum solutions can be extended, some are not. So make sure to learn in advance whether your forum supports add-ons or not.

5. Integration

How well does the forum plugin support the custom branding of your website? Also, is it possible to integrate the forum into other systems?

6. Development

Plugin development is an ongoing process. But is your product updated and developed frequently?

For instance, if the plugin was updated a year ago, should you consider using another solution instead.

7. Basic Functionality

What features you value depends on your needs. But as a general guideline, I would make sure that:

  • The forum is easy to set up and maintain.
  • The user interface, both for the user and the admin, is simple to use.
  • The end-user can format the posts easily.
  • You can secure your site from spam and bots.
  • You can optimize the SEO of your forums.
  • The solution contains all the essential features. These include creating new threads, replying to comments, or editing your posts.
  • The forum is optimized for mobile devices.

The Top 8 WordPress Forum Plugins for 2020

Now that you know what to look for in a forum, let’s go through the top-8 WordPress plugins.

1. bbPress

bbPress is probably the most popular forum plugin for WordPress. It’s an open-source solution, and it comes from the same folks who develop WordPress.

The guiding principles behind bbPress are simplicity, web standards, flexibility, and speed. The forum integrates well with WordPress, and you can also extend it via plugins.

The plugin supports 11 languages. It’s easy to set up and simple to use.

Pros

  • Light-weight forum solution.
  • Fast setup.
  • The solution integrates well with WordPress.
  • The forum can be translated into many languages.
  • Flexible layout options.
  • Active community forums.
  • Free to download.

Cons

  • Adding new forum categories is a bit inconvenient at first.
  • Plugins are developed by many people, which means that the support options may vary, depending on the developer.

Price

2. wpForo Forums

wpForo Forums is another fully-featured forum plugin for WordPress. While the core version is free, you can also extend your forum with premium add-ons.

The solution is light-weight and easy-to-use. You can quickly manage your current forum structure through the forum’s admin panel.

The forum has four layout options: Extended, Simplified, Q&A, and Threaded. Each layout option provides features that make your forums unique.

wpForo Forums also integrates well with systems like BuddyPress or Ultimate Members.

Pros

  • Free to download and use.
  • The plugin comes with five premium add-ons.
  • You can drag and drop the forums and categories into any order you wish.
  • SEO-friendly forum solution.
  • The forum can be easily translated into other languages.

Cons

  • The forum configuration may not be intuitive at first. So be prepared to visit wpForo’s support forum frequently.
  • If you deactivate the plugin, you’ll have to submit a feedback form to the developer first.

Price

3. DW Question & Answer Pro

DW Question & Answer is a light-weight WordPress forum plugin by DesignerWall. It helps you to build a site like StackOverflow, where the visitors can vote for each other’s answers.

The plugin provides a clean interface for the forum visitors. From the administrator’s perspective, the setup and maintenance tasks are also easy to do.

The plugin contains Default, Flat, and HelpDesk themes. Each of these options adds their nuance to the forum layout.

The forum integrates with the Akismet spam solution. The plugin also supports two different types of captchas, FunCaptcha and Google captcha.

Finally, the plugin includes six different add-ons. For instance, you can use the DW Q&A Markdown for editing forum posts without HTML language. Or with DW Q&A Leaderboard, you can list great forum contributors. You can also provide competitions for the community.

Pros

  • Clean user interface.
  • Quick to setup and configure.
  • Various captcha options.

Cons

  • Custom styling should be easier.
  • It has limited options as a discussion forum.

Price

4. CM Answers Pro

CM Answers is another elegant solution if you want to build a Q&A site, like Yahoo Answers or Quora.

The solution lets users vote for their favorite answers. Administrators can customize forum layout or localize the community to their preferred language.

You can also replace the default WordPress comment system with a Q&A discussion forum. With this feature, you can turn your website into a real community.

You can also integrate the plugin with Facebook, LinkedIn, or BuddyPress.

Pros

  • You can turn WordPress comments as part of a discussion board.
  • Users can vote for their favorite answers.
  • Users can add many attachments to questions or answers.
  • Ultimate Edition has the payment and micropayment support.

Cons

  • The user guide section (in the admin panel) looks messy.
  • You’ll find a link to the ticket system on the plugin’s home page after digging around a bit. Yet, the support options should be more easily available.

Price

  • Premium versions: Pro: $39. Pro Anonymous: $59. Ultimate: $99. There is also a free version

5. Discussion Board Pro

Discussion Board plugin comes in two flavors: free and paid.

During the installation, the plugin creates three pages:

  • A login-in page.
  • A page for posting new topics.
  • A page for viewing existing topics.

These pages act as the backbone of your forum. And once the forum is live, users can register their user account through your website’s front-end.

The forum includes features like user management, which defines who can see it and who can post to it. You can also reduce the spam by blocking specific email addresses or domains.

The forum is mobile-responsive and works with any theme.

Pros

  • It integrates well with your website.
  • The plugin is easy to set up and configure.
  • A simple solution that adds a forum to your website without extra hassles.
  • It can be used in many ways, such as a community forum, a Q&A site, or as a job board.

Cons

  • It would be nice to see a comparison table between the free and the premium versions. That would make the selection between the free and the paid version easier.

Price

  • Versions: Basic: $49 per year (one site). Pro: $89 per year (unlimited sites). The free version is also available.

6. BuddyPress

Would you like to run a social network hub on top of your WordPress website? If so, you should consider using BuddyPress.

With BuddyPress, you can build a website with social network features. These features include things like user profiles, activity streams, or internal messaging. You can also create user groups to build mini-communities.

Contributors to WordPress also build BuddyPress. It integrates well with WordPress, Akismet, and even with bbPress.

Pros

  • Active development community.
  • It has plenty of plugins that extend the core plugin functionality.
  • It is continuously developed and maintained.

Cons

  • You need to do more configuration than with some other forum plugins.

Price

  • Free to download and use.

7. Simple:Press

Simple:Press has a long history behind it. It’s over 12 years old, and it now spans over 70 modules.

The free version includes features like great support for SEO or a spam protection tool. The premium version gives you private messaging and a TinyMCE editor for post formatting.

The forum is mobile responsive, so you can use it with your desktop, mobile phone or tablet.

Pros

  • Plenty of features already in the free version.
  • The forum developer creates all the add-ons, not a third-party. This factor makes it easier to get support for any questions.

Cons

  • Premium version prices can be too much for some people.

Price

  • Premium versions: Silver Bundle: $99 per year (one site). Gold Bundle: $149 per year (one site). Platinum Bundle: $199 per year (one site). The free version is also available.

8. Asgaros Forums

Asgaros Forums is a light-weight and forum-rich forum solution coming from Germany.

The forum is easy to set up. It creates a page titled Forum on your WordPress during the installation. The page includes a shortcode, and you can also place the shortcode on another page if you wish.

The forum is SEO-friendly, and it supports uploads, polls, and activity feeds. Forum users can also earn reputation points based on their activity on the forums.

Pros

  • Free (developer accepts optional donations).
  • Loads fast.
  • Easy to set up.

Cons

  • No plugins are available.
  • Can’t migrate from other forum systems (at least without coding).

Price

  • Free to download and use.

What WordPress Forum Plugin Is the Best for You?

So there you have it: 8 WordPress forum plugins, which each promise to be the perfect fit for you. But the hot question is: which one should you pick for your WordPress website?

Remember the seven factors I talked about in the beginning about what to look for in a forum? When I think about all the plugins against these factors, there are two forums that you should consider: Simple:Press and wpForo.

Simple:Press

  • Price: There are both free versions and paid versions available.
  • Usage: The plugin can only be used as a community forum. But if you invest into other premium Simple:Press components, you can create various types of websites.These include helpdesk sites, membership sites or donation sites.
  • Support: The free version gives you community support. The premium versions provide access to standard or premium support. You also get all the add-ons and support from one vendor, instead of from many.
  • Extensibility: Premium versions include over 70 add-ons. These include anonymous posting, polls and surveys, or profanity filter.
  • Integrations: Integrates with WordPress dashboard, logins, and registrations. The premium version adds integration to BuddyPress or WooCommerce.
  • Development: New features are continuously developed. Also, the old code is kept up-to-date.
  • Technical Features: The forum solution is easy to use, and it is mobile responsive. It has proper SEO functionality and has security features to protect you from forum spam.

Try the free version first. If you like what you see, then upgrade to the premium one. This way, you’ll learn if the solution is a good fit for you. You can also access the Simple:Press demo site to learn more about the solution.

wpForo

  • Price: Free to download. This is great if you want to have a forum solution, but are on a budget.
  • Usage: The main usage of the plugin is to use it as a forum. However, you can also use it as a Q&A/support site.
  • Support: You get the support through wpForo’s support forums.
  • Extensibility: You can extend the solution with 10 premium plugins. The prices range between $11 and $125. The premium plugins include ad manager or polls.
  • Integrations: wpForo integrates with BuddyPress and with Ultimate
    Members plugins.
  • Development: The forum is actively developed and old code is kept up-to-date.
  • Technical Features: The forum is mobile responsive, and it supports various forum layouts. It also provides great SEO support, and has tools for user management.

Like Simple:Press, give a forum a test drive first. You can also visit the vendor’s website to see how the forum looks in action.

I hope you enjoyed our blog post on the best WordPress forum plugins. Next, you may want to check out our comprehensive article on the best list building plugins for WordPress.

The post 8 Best WordPress Forum Plugins to Build a Thriving Online Community appeared first on WebresourcesDepot.

Adv

A buffalo entering the metro / Pousse-toi de là, c’est ma créa!

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Post pobrano z: A buffalo entering the metro / Pousse-toi de là, c’est ma créa!

THE ORIGINAL?
RATP anti incivility campaign – 2011
“Don’t be beastly. Let other people out”
Click on the image to enlarge
Source : Ad Forum, AdPrint Angel Award
Agency : Publicis Conseil Paris (France)		 LESS ORIGINAL
Department for Transport – 2020
“Let’s slow down a bit”
Click on the image to enlarge
Source : Muse by CLIO
Agency : VML Y&R (United Kingdom)
Adv

ADI Animal Defender: 80% of bought pets end up abandoned

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Post pobrano z: ADI Animal Defender: 80% of bought pets end up abandoned
Print
ADI Animal Defender

Advertising Agency:Sancho BBDO, Bogotá, Colombia
Creative Directors:Andrés García, Jairo Rubiano
Art Directors:Iván Holguín, Carlos Ribero, Miguel Silgado
Copywriter:Felipe Gonzalez
Illustrators:Iván Holguín, Carlos Ribero, Miguel Silgado
Additional Credits:CGI: Iván Holguín, Carlos Ribero, Miguel Silgado

Adv

Chinese Canadian Council of Canada for Social Justice: Stop the Spread of Racism

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Direct Marketing
Chinese Canadian Council of Canada for Social Justice

The campaign features bottles of hand sanitizer bearing the message “Stop the Spread.” But while people might think the bottles are aimed at curbing coronavirus, they bear messaging aimed at getting them to consider their actions towards the Asian community.

The wording on the label mimics that found on standard bottles of hand sanitizer, except it has been replaced with pointed messages about xenophobia. Under uses, for example, is the phrase “Protects against toxic behaviour,” while other messages on the label include “Works best with common sense” and “Keep (intolerance) away from children.” The bottles drive people to an informational website, StopTheSpread.ca.

The global rise of the coronavirus and subsequent media attention has led to an alarming rise in a different kind of sickness—racism directed towards the Chinese Canadian community. The past weeks have seen a marked uptick in stories about people avoiding Chinese restaurants and other Asian-owned businesses, and verbally attacking Asian people online or in public.

It mirrors the upswing in racism that accompanied the 2003 SARS epidemic, which the Conference Board of Canada estimated had a $1.5 billion impact on the Canadian economy—$1 billion in Toronto alone—as travellers avoided the city.

“Globally, xenophobia and racism towards Chinese and other Asian communities have been on a rapid rise since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. This upswing of racism closely mirrors the racism experienced by Chinese in Canada during the 2003 SARS outbreak, and must be confronted,” says Amy Go, Interim National President of the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice.

The bottles of hand sanitizer were distributed on Tuesday, March 3 in high-traffic areas in Toronto, including Chinatown, Yonge-Dundas Square, and Nathan Phillips Square.. The work was developed pro bono by Toronto creative agency The Hive.

Advertising Agency:The Hive, Toronto, Canada
Chief Creative Officer:Simon Creet
Creative Director:Meghan Kraemer
Associate Creative Director:Mitch Duesling
Art Director:Teresa M. Depaz
Writer:Nicholas Schembri
Director Of Production:Yilma Campbell
Director:Cameron Tomsett
Project Management:Cecilia Hui, Brandon Vignali
Digital Content Strategist:Lauren Hildebrand
Photography:Mark Ralph
Production Company:School Editing
Editor:Mark Morton

Adv

KISS FM: Changes

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Film
KISS FM

Little changes can have big meaning – that’s what happened in the careers of many major rock stars. Inspired by their transformations, Kiss FM is in for a change, too: now, they’re broadcasting from 92.5.
Created by AlmapBBDO, the campaign behind this transition makes it clear that changes can be more surprising than you might imagine – as long as you stay true to your essence.
Inspired by real examples from music history, the short “Changes” runs through a few of the stories that changed rock forever. Like Queen, for example, when they fired the manager who didn’t believe in the potential of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a song that became one of rock’s greatest hymns. In the end, “Changes” shows that, even from its new spot on the dial, Kiss FM remains as original as always.

Advertising Agency:AlmapBBDO, São Paulo, Brazil
CCO:Luiz Sanches
Executive Creative Director:Marcelo Nogueira
Creatives:Vitor Rolim, Pedro Arvati
Illustration and Animation:Vitor Rolim
Liaisons:Maysa Oliveira, Felipe Elias Oliveira, Nathalia Chaves, Ana Carolina Manfio, Fernanda Costa, Carol Peternelli
Rtv:Vera Jacinto, Diego Villas Bôas, Leo Damasceno
Audio Production:Raw Audio
Composer:Hilton Raw
Coordination:Roberio Barbosa
Voiceover:Andre Arteze

CSS

What to Use Instead of Number Inputs

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Post pobrano z: What to Use Instead of Number Inputs

You might reach for <input type="number> when you’re, you know, trying to collect a number in a form. But it’s got all sorts of issues. For one, sometimes what you want kinda looks like a number, but isn’t one (like how a credit card number has spaces), because it’s really just a string of numbers. Even more importantly, there are a variety of screen reader problems.

Hanna Laakso documents the problems for GOV.UK. This is what they landed on:

<input type="text" inputmode="numeric" pattern="[0-9]*">

The inputmode attribute is pretty great, and we have a deep dive on that.

Phil Nash came to (almost) same exact conclusion, and blogged about improving the experience of a two-factor auth code input on the Twilio blog: 

<input
  type="text"
  name="token"
  id="token"
  inputmode="numeric"
  pattern="[0-9]*"
  autocomplete="one-time-code"
/>

That last attribute is interesting and new to me. It means you get this super extra useful experience on browsers that support it:

iOS screen with a numeric input and a text message offering to auto-fill the two-factor auth

There are other autocomplete values, as Phil writes:

There are many autocomplete values available, covering everything from names and addresses to credit cards and other account details. For sign up and login there are a few autocomplete values that stand out as useful hints: username, email, new-password, current-password.

Browsers and password managers have very good heuristics to find login forms on web pages, but using the username and current-password values make it very obvious. 

The post What to Use Instead of Number Inputs appeared first on CSS-Tricks.

CSS

Currying in CSS

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Funny timing on this I was just looking at the website for Utopia (which is a responsive type project which I hate to admit I don’t fully understand) and I came across some CSS they show off that looked like this:

:root {
  --fluid-max-negative: (1 / var(--fluid-max-ratio) / var(--fluid-max-ratio));
  --fluid-min-negative: (1 / var(--fluid-min-ratio) / var(--fluid-min-ratio));
 
  ...
}

See anything weird there? That code is using mathematical operators, but there is no calc() function wrapped around it.

Just as my curiosity set in, Trys Mudford, a creator of Utopia, blogged it:

The value after the : in the CSS custom property does not have to be valid CSS. It won’t cause any errors, nor invalidate the custom property. It won’t be evaluated in the browser until used, or more specifically, placed in a calc() function.

Here’s a contrived example:

:root {
  --padding: 1rem;
  
  /* These are meaningless alone */
  --padding-S: var(--padding) / 2;
  --padding-L: var(--padding) * 2;
}

.module--large {
  /* But they evaluate once they are in a calc() */
  padding: calc(var(--padding-L));
}

In my limited understanding, currying is like functions that return functions. I suppose this is sorta like that in that the alternate padding properties above are sort of like derivative functions of the main padding function (if you can call it that), and you only call them and execute them as needed.

The post Currying in CSS appeared first on CSS-Tricks.