User Generated Content In WordPress?

[RomesFall]

Has anyone here implemented a way to add user generated content to WordPress that actually works? I've seen a couple methods, but they don't get many people raving about them...

From the two methods I've seen they look either too simple e.g. a form which then puts the content into a pending posts area, or people have to register on your WordPress site (which natively is pretty ugly and strikes me that it could lose you authority in the users eyes).

Has anyone implemented it in any other way? If not are these potential drawbacks really drawbacks or am I over-thinking this?

Thanks

 

[CCarter]

I think you are stretching the usage of Wordpress beyond it's limits and therefore creating a huge security problem and massive headaches for you down the road. If your plugins fail or are mis-configured - bam security issue, some random user can figure out how to get administration access or worse.

You need to start with a platform designed from the ground up for UGC. If you are looking to create a forum - forum software. If you want to create another Reddit that code is already opened source. If no solution solves your unique problem then you'll have to start from complete scratch - which I doubt with the thousands of CMSes, and platforms out there. Wordpress or blog platforms were not meant to be center stage for UGC, so that means you'll need several plugins and security measures on top of a default Wordpress to get it working "okay". But like you said when users login it'll look like a silly Wordpress backend and create a bad experience.

Again if you are going for a forum start with forum software. If you are going for Reddit clone start with that, if going for an Imgur clone - looking for an Imgur clone software - all this stuff already exists and was built from the ground up for multiple users with different levels of access. Wordpress is for blogging - that was and has always been it's core. They are trying to make it into more of a site CMS, but it's not there cause that's not it's core. So for you to take it to another level above a regular website to UGC platform, that's just asking for trouble and a complete security nightmare.

 

[RomesFall]

I think you are stretching the usage of Wordpress beyond it's limits and therefore creating a huge security problem and massive headaches for you down the road. If your plugins fail or are mis-configured - bam security issue, some random user can figure out how to get administration access or worse.

You need to start with a platform designed from the ground up for UGC. If you are looking to create a forum - forum software. If you want to create another Reddit that code is already opened source. If no solution solves your unique problem then you'll have to start from complete scratch - which I doubt with the thousands of CMSes, and platforms out there. Wordpress or blog platforms were not meant to be center stage for UGC, so that means you'll need several plugins and security measures on top of a default Wordpress to get it working "okay". But like you said when users login it'll look like a silly Wordpress backend and create a bad experience.

Again if you are going for a forum start with forum software. If you are going for Reddit clone start with that, if going for an Imgur clone - looking for an Imgur clone software - all this stuff already exists and was built from the ground up for multiple users with different levels of access. Wordpress is for blogging - that was and has always been it's core. They are trying to make it into more of a site CMS, but it's not there cause that's not it's core. So for you to take it to another level above a regular website to UGC platform, that's just asking for trouble and a complete security nightmare.

Thanks @CCarter this is pretty much what I thought! I was considering doing something with my current project, but by no means was it part of the plan all along so I'm going to just go with a generic 'write for us' page and do some outreach to bloggers in my niche and see if anyone's interested.

This is definitely good to know for the future though so thanks for the golden advice!

 

[juliantrueflynn]

I'm a huge fan of Buddypress (a WordPress plugin) and use it on multiple websites. I started using Phonegap too which makes mobile apps from Buddypress.

On the security issue, I'm not so sure TBH; WordPress actually does support user registration as a default, by no means flawless though. I would say WP is a target too since it's so big, but that means things are patched quickly too (not perfect).

It's easy to build something with WP and then move up when you have traffic/money/research on what your community wants. All depends what you would want here though, Buddypress just fit my needs though. If I needed a forum on it I would use bbPress which connects to BuddyPress.

 

[Krass]

Has anyone here implemented a way to add user generated content to WordPress that actually works? I've seen a couple methods, but they don't get many people raving about them...

From the two methods I've seen they look either too simple e.g. a form which then puts the content into a pending posts area, or people have to register on your WordPress site (which natively is pretty ugly and strikes me that it could lose you authority in the users eyes).

Has anyone implemented it in any other way? If not are these potential drawbacks really drawbacks or am I over-thinking this?

Thanks

I use wpeddit and hotaru for reddit-like implementation. I like hotaru better, though. Wpeddit has the thememylogin plugin or whatever it's called to make the wp login page somewhat presentable. hope this helps