The Social Networking software is now up and running on the site. After reviewing many options the last month or so I chose to use BuddyPress which I have used before. It is free and open-source software (FOSS). There are some other really cool open-source options on the horizon, but this should do anything needed here for at least the next 24 months until some of the other options mature a little more. With any luck BP will mature right alongside them.

I will need to drive some guinea pigs here to get this thing broke in and running right. There may be some difficulty with this since most people already use what they use, but this is where I will most likely be found.

Let me tell you a little more about what is now setup here. You will find the links below on the Menu (above) listed under Forums.

Groups are forums and can range from Public, to Private, to Hidden. Once you Register an account you can message me or post a comment to the Activity feed and/or to Groups as you see fit. There is little chance that I would miss any comments at this point, but putting @john in the post should ensure that I see it (this is called a ‘mention’). Apparently messages to others may be sent privately or posted publicly. You’ll see.

There are multiple options for receiving email notifications for any activity here.

Update Wednesday – 2019-08-14 — 02:35 — posted to the Activity stream
Regarding New User Registrations…
Okay, it turns out that new Registrations have to be approved by an Admin before they become active. I’m sure this is to prevent Spam registrations on large sites, but I did not realize this was the default here. I am looking at options so that no one has to wait on me to be registered and be able to post here.
30 minutes later… it appears that you Guys and Gals may have to be patient with this process for a little while longer. BuddyPress was apparently designed this way with intention and I am going to have to spend more time looking at this, but not tonight. I do promise that you will be approved the instant I see the Signup.

For what it’s worth, I have had the option to allow Users to login here using their Facebook credentials. Since the idea from the very start was to create something that had NOTHING whatsoever to do with Facebook I have continually resisted doing this. Also I don’t know, without study, whether this would inadvertently tie your activity here back to your FB account. Something I do not want. What we post and discuss here belongs to us, not to marketers, censors (mind-controllers), psychological profilers, or other ne’er-do-wells. They may still see it much of it, but we will have the dignity of not submitting to be lab rats.

We can engage here in a vigorous search for truth, unfettered by fears of upsetting those with delicate sensibilities. Hopefully, by doing so, we reclaim part of our heritage and birthright.

Welcome,

John