Rating: 5 stars
Been in the biz of social networking community for over 30 years. WPS is by far the most customizable. It can be a bit challenging, but over all it is easy. I have created over 30 sites, and each one is unique.
Customer service is excellent.
Rating: 1 star
Had numerous issues when installing this app and ultimately ended up going with another plug-in to get the functionality I was looking for. However, that’s not where my problems began with this plug-in.
Even after the plug-in failed to work, I did not request a refund as I took responsibility for not doing enough research before committing to their annual subscription (because the only other option was a lifetime purchase). So I ate the costs and moved on.
The following year, I see a charge for this plug-in on my PayPal account. Immediately, I reach out to support and kindly explain that I would like to cancel the subscription and requested a refund.
I’ve never encountered a business owner how refused a refund when it’s requested within hours of the renewal. Obviously, if we were months into the subscription period, it would be a different story. Despite emailing them the moment that the renewal was charged, they never responded. Simply cancelled my subscription (I only know this because I was notified by PayPal) and never issued a refund or even an explanation as to why they wouldn’t refund me.
Since then, I have tried reaching out 5 different times as well as once through PayPal. Again, they had time to respond to the dispute on PayPal, but not to any of my emails. Not only is it extremely unprofessional to just completely disregard customer’s emails like that, I still cannot believe they are refusing to refund me for an annual subscription that I don’t even have access to.
At the very least, if they refuse to refund the year subscription, I should have access until the end of the 1-year period.
Complete scam artists. Do not care about you as a customer, just want to collect that check. Zero customer service and a poorly made plug-in.
]]>Rating: 1 star
Main issue I found was after creating a forum the page generated did not match the “page” as generated for the menu item.
When I added the menu item the forum page link was broken – it led to url.com/wps-forums/name-of-forum. In reality the forum URL was simply “name-of-forum” (without “wps-forums”). That simply shouldn’t happen.
I don’t want to critique to UI and settings panel which is not easy to figure out but this plugin looks like it needs an update and some reworking of the functionality.
I will go back to BuddyPress / bbPress for now.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
I have tried for days to get access to the website wp symposium pro and keep getting kicked off/redirected . This has been going on for days and I need to access the site to get the pro shortcodes that I need to have a social site. I am not able to gain access to make contact either, I am not able to access anything on the pro site which has all the things I will need to make it work like the demo shows. The codes that were available were great but without the pro codes it’s not worth it.
]]>Rating: 3 stars
WP Symposium is a great idea with a host of great features. And once you get into the admin side of the fence, the plugin is incredibly easy to use for even the most technically challenged of people. With that said, the execution of that idea is where you’ll find flaws.
For example, when uploaded, images are displayed as thumbnails opposed to full-sized images. Although support for GIF files is advertised, they are displayed as still images when uploaded. No animation or movement. In addition, videos open and play in a separate tab opposed to directly on the user’s profile or group page. Link previews are sometimey. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they just display random error. etc. What may have been small nuances a few years ago are a big deal in an era where visual content is so critical to user engagement. I discussed these concerns with the creator, who revealed that there were no plans of addressing them in future updates any time soon.
In essence, basic WordPress features have been scaled back in the WP Symposium. I
imagine some of these limitations were enforced with resource management in mind, but it’s very frustrating when your hosting platform is equipped to accommodate much more. Unfortunately, WP Symposium, while very useful, comes off as an outdated application that is more suited for the MySpace days than today’s visually stunning social web. As such, I’m currently considering making the switch to BuddyPress in hopes of finding something with more media-friendly flexibility. After a year of building everything around WP Symposium, I can’t say I’m looking forward to it.
Rating: 5 stars
The guys at WPS provide extremely good support and the positive reviews here can be taken as genuine FACT. Although familiar with WordPress, my lack of coding/CSS knowledge has not been an issue with this plugin & Pro Extensions as the ‘tweaks’ I needed were provided promptly and courteously by the support team.
This is by far the best WP Forum alternative and for those worried about continuity and/or compatibility – fear not! The support is top-notch and I can wholeheartedly recommend both the Core (Free) Plugin and the Pro (Paid) Extensions, which provide an extensive amount of extendability.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
If given the choice between Buddy Press and all their billion of addons/plugins/whatevers, or using WP Symposium Pro, I’ll take WP Symposium Pro hands down every single time. Why? Because of the human factor. WPSP has the best REAL support I’ve ever encountered in this arena- REAL, as in : Talking to a human being, and most likely, talking to the guy who’s actually developing the product, not just some untrained “customer service” rep, or god knows who in some forum that may or may not know ANYTHING.
The value of REAL customer service and Actual SUPPORT is Priceless. And the written supporting documentation is outstanding.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
This is just great for me, it save my time. Within few mins I got a lot of option to manage.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
Hi,
I’m currently utilizing BuddyPress and looking for ulternatives which I came across your plugin. There is one feature that I’m looking for and that is Invite Anyone which is for BuddyPress. Do you have such feature that users can drop emails of their friends in a box, like this screenshot: https://prntscr.com/f3raxu
…and those who accept the invitation will be in sender’s network of friends. You also can see the status of your invitations sent…
Thanks.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
This plugin is amazing. I guess if they could invent this plugin before Facebook, it could be the present Facebook. Support team is very helpful and supportive. Though we had some misunderstanding at the beginning but they sorted everything out. Strongly recommended.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
If you guys are seeking for a good product with an AWESOME costumer service, then you should try this one!
They will help you, and will keep supporting you through the entire process of the installation!
Thank you Robert! Top class service!
]]>Rating: 5 stars
I wanted to congratulate the folks at WP Symposium for creating a great plugin. I found it to be highly flexible, easy to use, and very powerful. It can be easily customized and I found features that I haven’t seen elsewhere. In addition, it works well with a variety of other plugins. I have to also praise the support I’ve received. These folks are truly concerned about the success of my project and the support for routine questions and issues were all handled quickly and fully. I was even surprised to get a Skype call to follow-up on my questions. I am very pleased.
]]>Rating: 1 star
We only used WP Symposium as our theme was apparently incompatible with BuddyPress. With hindsight it would have been cheaper and quicker to pay a coder to sort out these issues and stick with Buddypress. We found the WP Symposium Pro documentation confusing and the support was limited to leaving help-desk tickets and waiting for the support guy Richard to come back to us. On the plus side he comes back quickly but on the other hand he always seemed grumpy and blamed our other plugins for any issues. We ended up paying coders to identify the cause of our issues and they unanimously said it was WP Symposium despite Richard’s attempts to blame other plugins. We had to pay them to sort it all out. It would be far better if their help forum was open so we could see the replies for other users which may have answered our queries too. Also a proper demo site would be helpful. There just doesn’t seem to be any example sites running it. But even with an open help forum, a proper demo site and easy to understand documentation we would still not recommend it without a support team who are more helpful, less quick to blame other software and more focused on sorting out the issues. Richard seemed more concerned that we continue to pay the $1 per month forever more.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
Thank you for all of the help setting up my forum. It looks and works great.
This is a very feature rich plugin that can be used as a social network site or a forum. I love that it is all inclusive, you don’t have to couple together a bunch of plugins to get the features you want, like bbpress.
And let’s face it if the support isn’t terrific what good is the plugin. And this is a well supported plugin. Robert was just fabulous in helping work through issues that I had.
Thank you
Patti
Rating: 5 stars
Prior to installing WP Symposium Pro, we diligently explored BuddyPress, BBPress, SimplePress and a number of alternatives, each one bringing with it “issues” and “disappointments” when it came to functionality, plug-in conflicts and/or less than satisfactory “support/service” after the sale. In fact, we went as far as to purchase SimplePress – and after collaborating with their “Support” Team for over a month, finally gave-up not simply due to functionality/conflicts, but more importantly – a less than satisfactory “attitude” when it came to standing behind their pre-sale representations & satisfaction guarantee.
With the above lessons learned, we invested considerable research into finding the “very best” Forum Plug-in (studying dozens of reviews, User opinions, etc.) all in our quest to invest in a plug-in backed by an “authentic” Support Team/Commitment. We are pleased to shout across the rooftops that WP Symposium Pro has simply “hit it out of the ballpark” in every respect. No sooner had we reached out to their (Contact Us) Support Team with a list of pre-purchase Questions, than did our phone literally ring with all of the answers and over three hours of remarkable installation and support guidance (including what can best be described as customized coding “above and beyond” the call of duty. And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, this remarkable support continued after our installation dialogue concluded well into the evening and the next day – all intended to ensure that we were 100% satisfied with the end result.
Suffice it to say that not only has the WP Symposium Team captured a customer for life, but their definition of Support has set them apart from the dozens upon dozens of others we’ve encountered over the years.
If you are search for a top-notch Forum Plugin that comes with simplicity, support and performance, you’ve come to the right place. Take advantage of our experience and look no further. Kudos Robert & Simon and everyone standing behind this remarkable Plugin!
]]>Rating: 4 stars
Since posting this review several days ago, the developer has responded in a professional and receptive manner and has acknowledged the former limitations posed by people trialling the product being unable to gain access to support = and he is NOW MAKING THIS AVAILABLE. This positive response is appreciated and this will be a win-win for both him and his customers. Well done, thank you.
His support desk has also contacted me in response to my technical issues. Again, thank you.
I appreciate the huge amount of input and costs that go into developing and supporting quality WordPress plugins and I would be the last person to wittingly and unfairly put a product in a bad light. Therefore, my revised view of WP Symposium Pro based on the developer’s reply is that once the technical issue has been resolved (of the Extensions plugin crashing my site) I will be keen to evaluate the extended options of the product (which look very good)further. However, from what I have seen of the core product, it appears very good and I have also read some very good reviews of the product which is encouraging. The short codes feature looks excellent. And the developer has clearly put a lot of effort into support videos and overall documentation. Assuming the quality of Support is at a high level, the product promises to be a valuable addition to the WordPress Plugins stable.
I feel I am being as fair as I possibly be at this point and I am changing my rating from 2 to 4 to reflect my current overall assessment of WP Symposium which takes into full account how the developer responded to my issues.
———————————-
My original review:
We are SO disappointed and frustrated with WP Symposium. Here are my “beefs”:
a) It is abundantly clear that WPS persistently and stubbornly refuses to provide assistance to people who are TRIALLING the product and put a gun to their head to FORCE them to sign up first – and then try to get a refund if you find there are issues – and of course, in the real world you may not even realise there are issues until AFTER the refund period
I have read so many posts from people utterly frustrated with this policy and SO AM I
b) In my case I tried to contact them because when the PRO extensions plugin is activated it crashes my site. As there is no desk support available to trialers, I placed a post in the forum a full week ago with no response and a follow up several days later asking if I could expect any help. To today, NO RESPONSE.
WOULD YOU NOT THINK THAT SUCH A SERIOUS ISSUE WOULD BE ANSWERED! AND ESPECIALLY GIVEN WE ARE A POTENTIAL BUYER!!
c) There is not even a contact email address on the website! (something required by FTC rules by the way!). I managed to find it on their Facebook page. So if you are frustrated as well, email them at [email protected]
d) On their main web page which I looked at again today there is NO PRICING table – in fact there is no link to ANY page enabling a person to buy this product and evaluate the options or prices! Is this Micky Mouse or what?? Incredible but true.
e) There are inconsistencies in the pricing table anyway (the one that USED to display) and the information is confusing
f) Many people have asked for websites that use WPS but they refuse to provide these – they just tell you to buy a subscription and you will be able to see how it works!! Outrageous.
g) There is a worrying over-preponderance of complaints about bad or non-existent support – no surprises there!
h) It is clear that the “culture” of WPS is shooting them in the foot – the impression being given is that they just do not care and money in the bank is all that matters. This is NOT a formula that works anymore in the longer term.
i) When we took up a membership several years ago under their old membership system and started the set up process (since abandoned until this time around when we thought we would give it another go).
We have made the decision that this is NOT a product that we want to support. It is unfortunate that what may possibly be a good product (it would be nice to actually be able to see it fully in action however we can’t because as stated above when the Extensions plugin is activated it crashes our site) is being wasted through bad policies and bad support.
I will be happy to commend WPS if they choose to respond with some basic humility and professionalism and undertake to resolve my issues. I seldom write negative reviews but sorry WPS, to this point you have really earned it.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
I am blown away by how extensible the shortcodes are, seems like they become more flexible with every update. Support from Robert has been over-the-top awesome including early-release versions adding conditional logic parameters to avatar and display name shortcodes (page-based vs. logged-in-user based so you can see your own user name and avatar in a sidebar or widget while viewing someone else’s profile with their avatar and name displayed). I’m using the extensions plugin, it’s very worth it, lots of one-click setups for different features too. Excited to see and experience how the plugin(s) and codex evolve. Great work guys!
]]>Rating: 5 stars
I first used WP Symposium Pro over a year ago, but the project got abandoned for one reason or another. The same project has since been resurrected, so it was time for me to re-visit the best way to produce the type of social network that was needed.
What I couldn’t believe was the speed of development in the year or so since I last looked at WPS Pro. The number and scope of the features has expanded enormously, including 2 or 3 that I, myself, suggested last time around. In fact, I contacted support to ask if a particular feature was available as the user manual wasn’t clear to me. The feature wasn’t available then, but it appeared within 2 days of me speaking to Robert on the Support desk.
Simon seems to have a perpetual coding motor, as very update has not only fixes, but improvements and yet more new features. Support has been excellent on the occasions I’ve needed to use it, with almost instant replies to any problems I had.
I’ve been using WordPress for over 10 years in both a personal and professional capacity, and wish all plugins could be so well thought out and so well supported. Is WP Symposium Pro perfect? Not quite, but there aren’t many plugins that come close to being this good and I’ve no doubt it will just get better. It’s easily a match for BuddyPress, and deserves far more attention than it gets.
Note: I neither work for WP Symposium Pro, nor have any vested interest in the plugin other than as a designer and user, I’m leaving this review because I feel it deserves it.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
For the record: I am not being paid or compensated in any way for this review. I give it because it deserves it. The affordable price and service are so good, I feel compelled to give you my honest opinion and highly recommend it if you’re looking for a social networking, messaging and/or a forum management plugin. These folks deserve your business!
In all of the years I’ve worked with WP and the multitudes of heavy duty plugins I’ve tried over the years, this is by far the most superior, fast, lightweight, heavy duty plugin and service I have ever found. The SEO is awesome right out of the box and the custom settings and short-code system are easy to learn and well organized. We all work on our sites forever as we all know from a style standpoint but with this plugin, the right hosting and two weeks time to get comfortable with it, you will love it and you can get back to style!
The tutorial videos and support after the sale are truly impressive. This is also a very professional product that even businesses and small governments could quickly and easily incorporate into a basic WordPress site within a few weeks, maybe sooner.
If you’re looking for a social networking plugin with private groups that subscribers never need to get into the dashboard with private groups any user can setup, public or private forums, messaging, photo galleries, timelines like facebook, etc and more bells and whistles than you could even imagine, that you can easily manage, this is it!
NOTE: From personal experience, be sure to upgrade to at least a cloud hosting plan before you commit it to the database. Once your subscribers start to see how good this plugin works, you’ll need it!
]]>Rating: 5 stars
I have been using WP Symposium for over a year now. Before that I fumbled around with BuddyPress but it never worked right or looked the way I wanted it to look and feel. It is clear that Simon and the staff truly care about providing a great plugin, they are on top of the updates and implementing not only what is needed but what the customers request.
I have had tremendous support from Robert specifically. He responds to all my questions and support issues within moments if he is able and will walk me through correcting anything I need. Through his help, I have been able to create the social media platform I have always wanted for my members. He also takes the time just to check in to make sure all is good, I don’t know that I have ever had support so genuine, personal, quick, and detailed as his.
I utilize a lot of various plugins and programs, I have become quite accustomed to having to reach out to support teams across the board and on any given day I can expect to have to submit some support ticket to someone somewhere. I find anymore that I am always comparing their level of support to that of WP Symposium, specifically Robert. That says a lot to me.
I’ll be adding many more websites with the social media platform and can already tell you that I will look no further than WPS for being that plugin I need and want!
Dakota
[Link redacted] & [Link redacted]
Rating: 1 star
*disclaimer, I’m new to this site building stuff, but I’m a master at finding crap plugins for noobs!
IDK where to begin other than to say, I just gave up on this plugin (& it’s paid version) as a recent update broke one of the two features that actually worked and “support” is useless to fix it.
I’ve posted about my problems with this particular plugin before but I’ve tried to been nice not identify it, but today I’ve had my fill & I’m going to warn you all to stay away from WP Symposium (& Pro)
Let me give you the basics, Problems, Problems & nothing BUT PROBLEMS! As of today 1 out of the three main features I paid for is working, it used to be two. But last week they put up an new update that screwed up what was once a previously working directory & now after almost a week of back & forth BS (with questions such as what version of WordPress are you using? in response to my writing I had the “latest version” when he knows full well (from other recent tickets & no new releases as well as backend access) I still have the problem.
But Robert the one man show (continues to insist that the problem is with my user roles (which wasn’t a problem before the update, and they aren’t a problem for any of my other plugins)). What’s worse is that he sends me “proof” that only PROVES WHAT I’M SAYING! I had to say are you checking your work? cause this page has a conditional cod to ONLY show members X and a simple check of a the user names would show you that it’s showing users X,Y & Z…
To back that up, i added another directory option & told it to only show members X & guess what… IT DID JUST THAT. So then to add more support to get through to him that the problem was on his end so he could stop fighting with me & actually FIX IT, I removed the conditionals & told the directory to display ALL members, and guess what… IT DIDN’T, but ironically enough this didn’t stop him from attempting to show me the plugin WAS working by doing the same thing! Again, only 45% of my sites users were visible in the directory which lead me to again ask if he was checking his work.
I’ve now given up. I’m angry because my users will have to reenter extensive profile data & this guy is clueless, my guess was he didn’t double check his work with the update & thats where the problem originated.
The worst part is, even after the update, my attempt to restore the plugin to the previous day (which caused me to loose new content) did not fix the problem as it clearly caused some corruption somewhere. I’ve had 3 different developers look at this and all agreed the issue is with wp symposium.
I should also mention that this volley of BS has happened with this same developer in the past, it appears that his first response is always to blame every problem on other plugins. In the past when I’ve had to have other developers help me fix HIS plugin they would say, its symposium pro & here’s why, I would forward that on to him, you would think after the first three times he would be less apt to deny, deny, deny… But that’s been the case the whole time.
Anyway, All that said, I’m really frustrated, I feel taken advantage of, I’m unhappy that the constant problems leave my site looking “unprofessional” and that this guy seems to have fun playing stupid games with what he calls “support” & yes, I do have copies of the discussions in the event anyone wants to confirm my post here. Lastly I find it unconscionable that this plugin is being advertised as “very comparable”.
One last note, before I gave up, I asked SEVERAL times to work with someone else, like hey Where’s SIMON? I’ve seen his responses, he seems reasonable, can I talk to him, but I was told no… All information goes through Robert (hence the one man show) because I don’t believe there is any others involved with this plugin anymore.
All I wanted was for him to fix the problem HE CREATED with his update, you would expect a developer would say “oh yea, we modded x & y, Maybe that interfered & caused a problem” and then try to fix it, but he didn’t, his FIRST response was to tell me I screwed up “Some of the parameters” or messed up the code on the page, when I told him, the code is the same code HE provided to me, he denied this, when I posted the code he was like “oh yea, I did”. But alas even after this revelation and my repeated reminders that this problem surfaced with HIS plugin only, just after HIS update… He STILL wouldn’t budge. Today I requested a refund & have decided to give up all together after more than 2 months.
Needless to say, not only do I not recommend the paid version, but I would say the free one isn’t worth the hassles, use buddy press because there’s allot more support options out there when things go wrong.
Sigh… Its over ??
]]>Rating: 5 stars
Really pleased with WPS – a huge amount of features and although a lot to get your head around to begin with and a few minor issues, the support is excellent. Have contacted several times and always received a prompt and relevant answer.
Doesn’t have quite all the functionality I would like, but not far off – would highly recommend.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
Short version: Yes, download this plugin and start using it. It’s a better alternative to Buddypress or any other available social network plugin to date, without a doubt.
Longer Version: Is having control over the look of your site important to you? It is to me. I’m a bit of a control freak, you see. I’m very “particular.” I will spend an entire day adjusting code on an individual feature to the exact look and feel I want, because I care immensely about user experience and how that experience affects brand perception. As a designer by trade, I have a particular respect for interfaces that are streamlined and easily intuited, without sacrificing function. I’m all about the aesthetic, but I’m equally about practicality, order, and utility.
A few years ago, I considered which software package would suit my need for a CMS-based social network. With Buddypress, the learning curve seemed high. Control over the interface seemed less fluid and the host of related plugins I had to entertain running with that system complicated things further. With WordPress Symposium, installation was quick and to the point. Customization was much, much easier.
With [Link redacted], the successor to the classic WordPress Symposium, all of the above still holds true, and them some. Granted, the new version has a higher learning curve: CSS customization beyond the out-of-the-box look is a little time-consuming, and at the time of this review, there are still small glitches that need ironing out, but as a whole, this plugin is gold for anyone serious about having the built-in flexibility to customize the look and feel of their WordPress-based social network.
Rich forum discussion options, user profiles, user galleries, private messaging, member directory, group creation, and a search function completes the repertoire of functional social network features you need in the real world, and they can all be activated in WordPress Symposium Pro’s gamut of available options.
Oh, and is support important to you? It is to me. Is it also important that the software evolve? If so, you’ll also love this plugin. Technical help is great and the software itself keeps getting better with each version.
If you want to get serious about your social network, if customization and control of your site’s experience are important things to you, WordPress Symposium Pro is the only real choice. I know, because I’ve been using it since 2011.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
]]>Rating: 4 stars
This plugin (plus the paid-for extensions add-on) have enabled me to build a social network and I much prefer it to BuddyPress and BBPress.
The support is good and it gets better with each release.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
Lifetime license is not lifetime license for real. I bought the lifetime license in 2015 and now I cannot use the plugin anymor (since 2018, so 3 years after I bought it) it says the license key is not good and they don’t let me download the last version of the plugin… they proposed me to buy it again with a 35% discount. What a joke!!
]]>Rating: 1 star
this plugin is [ profanity redacted ]
]]>Rating: 5 stars
I initially installed bbpress hoping I would get the functionality I needed for my site. FAIL. I searched and found WPSymposium and activated it. I immediately had issues and was getting seriously frustrated. I went to the support page, and wasn’t finding a solution. That’s when just like others here have said, Robert messaged me, asking if he could help. I told him my issues, and he went to my site to see what was going on. He told me my issues were server related. I immediately found another host and rebuilt my website from ground up. I purchased the pro plugin and began setting it up. Exactly as Robert explained, the setup was insanely simple, and at my new host I had none of the prior issues. As I continued to set up the extensions I had further problems that Robert answered and solved quickly. I swear its as if I had a hotline to help & support whenever I had even the dumbest of questions. Not only do I have ALL of the componets I REQUIRED for my website, WPSymposium Pro gave me several goodies that just puts icing on the cake. That along with the outstanding support make the purchase of WPSymposium Pro well worth every dime I spent. I honestly cant say enough about it.
]]>Rating: 5 stars
Started to work on my niche courtship site, truelovesingles.com, in January 2015. Wasn’t sure if to go with BuddyPress / bbPress or something else. However, as a rather rusty HTML and ASP / VB programmer guy, I wanted something coherent and with better documentation and the chance of some hand-holding. Went with WP Symposium Pro and the extensions and spent the $100 with support. Have not regretted my investment.
Using the Customizr theme, WP Symposium Pro, and Paid Membership Pro over at Dreamhost.
WP Symposium Pro and its extensions are a great tool, one does not need to know PHP, but a bit of html and css knowledge is helpful.
Update 12/25/2019: I am still a fan of the plugin! Been using it for years now. No serious PHP errors in my error log, and all works very well. People who complain about it, giving it only one star or so, do perhaps not know how much at all about WordPress and have little patience to learn. It’s not a one-click thing.
Make no mistake, it takes a bit of know-how to set up any social network, no matter which plugin or what a plugin author may say to sell it. Social networks are fairly complex beasts.
Documentation could be better, and the WPSPro website looks crappy. True, but the two plugins work. For the little money, it’s a steal!
]]>Rating: 2 stars
I spent about two weeks configuring my site with the assumption I would use this plugin for my forum. I had tried bbPress, but found that it had formatting issues on the twentyfifteen theme, wheras formatting was almost okay with WPS.
After fiddling with the css for quite a while, I got the WPS plugin looking reasonable, but it was mssing some basic functionality like a menu for adding html tags when posting. I found that the plugin ignored the moderations settings at my admin page. A bit of research, which included downloading their instruction pdf, I added ‘moderation = “1”‘ to my shortcode, and got moderation for replies, but not for new user-initiated threads. A bit more research suggested that extra plugins were needed to stop users intitiating their own unmoderated threads.
Right through the plugin there appears to be confusion about what constitutes a post versus a reply, and user-initiated threads are missed by the default WordPress ‘Recent Posts’ and the ‘Recent Comments’ widgets.
I never managed to solve the styling problems on mobile browsers, with huge indents for sub-comments taking up a large part of the available screen space, and I couldn’t work out how to turn off sub-comments. I had indicated didn’t want nested threads on my admin page but this was ignored.
Some of these issues might have been solved with more effort, but the lack of appropriate moderation was the last straw. I reverted to bbPress and solved the formatting issues with a little bit of css in my child theme. Wish I’d done that at the start.
]]>