Can I set up a forum on my WordPress page?

• 

  katherineferrers · Member · Mar 5, 2016 at 2:03 pm

  • Copy link
  • Add topic to favorites

  I googled this and something came up about Bbpress, but I’m not at all clear about how to set it up. Do you have guidance?

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

• 

  swoolz · Member · Mar 5, 2016 at 3:57 pm

  • Copy link

  Good morning,
  I think Bbpress is an add-on for WordPress.org, not WordPress.com. In spite of the fact that both websites have generally the same name, they’re very different:

  Click here for detailed information on the differences between the two.

  In essence, WordPress.com is a stream-lined, simple way for people to post content online in a no-nonsense fashion; everything is handled and created for you, but there are some limitations (so that things stay simple for its users). WordPress.org, on the other hand, is a place to develop and find a variety of softwares that you can tinker with on a site outside of your wordpress.com account, but you have to host it yourself, or on an outside website service provider.

  An easy solution might be to host your forum on an outside website and post a link to it on a custom menu, which should show up on your home page.

  Here is a link to show you how to set up a sub-menu.

  I hope that helps! Let me know if you need me to clarify anything.

• 

  timethief · Member · Mar 5, 2016 at 4:53 pm

  • Copy link

  We cannot use plugins like BbPress on any wordpress.com hosted sites. There is no FTP access and no blogger installed plugin capability on any free hosted WordPress.COM blogs and there is no upgrade you can purchase here that changes that reality.
  http://en.support.wordpress.com/ftp-access/
  http://en.support.wordpress.com/plugins/

  For your WordPress.COM blog you have three free workaround forum options http://onecoolsite.wordpress.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.
  http://en.support.wordpress.com/menus/
  http://en.support.wordpress.com/menus/#adding-custom-links

  The Tlk.io widget allows you to embed a web chat in your WordPress.COM hosted blog. http://en.support.wordpress.com/widgets/tlk-io-widget/ There are no other chat options I know of that work on WordPress.COM blogs at this time.

• 

  katherineferrers · Member · Mar 6, 2016 at 10:15 am

  • Copy link

  Thank you both, you’ve been very helpful. Much to think about!

• 

  timethief · Member · Mar 6, 2016 at 10:03 pm

  • Copy link

  You’re welcome and best wishes. :)

• 

  swoolz · Member · Mar 7, 2016 at 12:57 am

  • Copy link

  My pleasure! Good luck with your blog. :)