can I add forum and members only area to a WordPress blog?

  • Unknown's avatar
    ph0104 · Member ·

    Hello

    I am part of a quilting guild and we have a basic wordpress.com blog – I want to know if it is possible, via upgrades or whatever, to add a forum and a members only area (as we are about the starting charging dues for membership) to the blog.

    Also, as we are a not-for-profit group, we would like to have buttons in the sidebar linking to groups or companies that are willing to sponsor us – is that possible, or would it be classed as advertising?

    thanks

    Pennie

  • Unknown's avatar
    timethief · Member ·

    Hello Pennie,

    to add a forum and a members only area (as we are about the starting charging dues for membership) to the blog.

    Not possible on a free hosted WordPress.com blog. We have forum workarounds but we cannot charge for membership.

    groups or companies that are willing to sponsor us – is that possible, or would it be classed as advertising?

    Of course it’s advertising and no blogger initiated advertising or paid or sponsored content is allowed on free hosted WordPress.com blogs.

    Bottom line: Read this comparison WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org and then hire a web host and set up a WordPress.org software install.

  • Unknown's avatar
    ph0104 · Member ·

    Sorry, there seems to be some confusion – I don’t want you to start charging for membership. What we want is a members only area so it acts as a benefit for those readers who are paid-up members of the guild – for instance where we can post details of special events that would only be open to Guild members, not the general public.

    Can I also say, that for someone who is answering genuine questions from people who might not have done anything like this before, your tone in answering my second question leaves a lot to be desired. All you’ve now succeeding in doing is ensuring that I won’t make any effort to continue with wordpress as a host for our blog in any format.

  • Unknown's avatar
    raincoaster · Member ·

    Yes, you can do both of those things, but it involves fiddling.

    You cannot add links to “sponsors” at all on a WordPress.com blog.

    If you wish to continue with WP.com please post back and I will give you instructions for a members-only area and forum.

  • Unknown's avatar
    timethief · Member ·

    Here are three free workaround forum options: http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2012/04/23/wordpress-com-forum-options/
    One approach is to register a forum on the internet and then create a custom menu in your blog and include a custom link to the forum in it.
    a custom link to the forum in it.
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/menus/

    Menus

  • The topic ‘can I add forum and members only area to a WordPress blog?’ is closed to new replies.