Hello all,

I run a small website called the Youth Bloggers Network (http://youthbloggers.net/) which is currently using WordPress and the Simple:Press forum plugin to run the forum. I’ve received some advice to switch to a “dedicated” forum software such as bbPress or phpBB to increase loading time and optimize the site structure (splitting up the forum and cms backend). If I were to switch, bbPress is the definite option for me seeing as I need my WordPress users to be members of the forum as well. I was able to install the latest bbPress version (1.0 alpha I believe) and integrate it perfectly with my WordPress install (cookies, users and everything). That was wonderful. The only two things holding me back from making the switch are:

1) Simple:Press is so easy to integrate into any page, just plug and play

2) I need a bbPress theme that matches my current WordPress theme

The problem is that I would like my forum to look and feel like just another page on the site. With Simple:Press this is easy (even when switching themes). With bbPress I need a new theme.

So here is what I would like to know:

Is it worth switching to bbPress even if it means a little extra work and designing?

And where can I find someone who could create a bbPress theme for me that fits my current design for a *low* price?

Please visit the site: http://youthbloggers.net/ and give me your advice and suggestions.

Thanks very much,

Patrick

[@johnhiler Member 15 years, 11 months ago]

Matching the bbPress theme to your WordPress theme isn’t trivial… at first it really bothered me. But once I realized how different blogs and forums were, it made a lot more sense to me.

The initial conversion was the hardest part. After that, little tweaks to my blog theme didn’t take that long to incorporate into my bbPress theme. But I’m getting ready to do a redesign of the blog, and am dreading converting it into a bbPress theme again. It probably won’t be that bad; it’s just inconvenient.

Overall though, it’s been definitely worth it . Frankly I am liking bbPress much more than I ever liked WordPress!

[@patrick10128 Member 15 years, 11 months ago]

I also feel that Simple:Press has many more features than bbPress currently. So maybe I should wait until bbPress is developed more?

[@_ck_ Participant 15 years, 11 months ago]

No one else can answer what is best for you.

It takes ten to twenty minutes tops to install bbPress.

Install both, play with both for a weekend, delete the one you don’t want.

Here is someone who tried six different forums and went with bbPress:

http://www.beholdgenealogy.com/blog/?p=591

http://themehybrid.com/support/topic/best-wordpress-forum

Which is better bbpress or wp-forum plugin ?

https://bbpress.org/forums/topic/bbpress-10-alpha#post-18532

[@johnhiler Member 15 years, 11 months ago]

Hey Patrick10128 – bbPress actually has a design philosophy which puts most features in plugins, not in the core engine itself.

Which features are you looking for? We could let you know if there are plugins that do it or not…

[@patrick10128 Member 15 years, 11 months ago]

Thanks for the responses,

it looks like I’m gonna to be going with bbPress soon, once I get a nice design.

[@patrick10128 Member 15 years, 9 months ago]

Went with bbPress:

http://youthbloggers.net/forum/

[@sambauers Participant 15 years, 9 months ago]

Nice work.