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WB Member Blog

Members who want to publish posts on your community site have to ask for backend access or use clunky third-party forms.

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WB Member Blog lets the members of your site write, submit and manage their own blog posts from the front end, without going into wp-admin. You decide who can write and whether posts go live straight away or wait for review. Readers can follow writers and topics, clap for posts and save them for later.

It works on plain WordPress and adds a Blog tab to member profiles when BuddyPress, BuddyBoss Platform or PeepSo is active.

Who it is for

Section titled “Who it is for”
  • Site owners running a community, membership site, publication or school who want members to contribute posts.
  • Members who want a simple place to write, keep drafts and see how their posts are doing.

Free and Pro

Section titled “Free and Pro”

The free plugin is a complete member blog. Pro adds modules on top of it, and every Pro module can be switched off.

Free

  • A front-end post composer with three editors: Editor.js, Medium Editor and Classic (TinyMCE). See Editors.
  • A member home with Published, Drafts and Pending tabs, plus Saved and Following for readers. See Managing your posts.
  • Review before publishing, with Approve and Send back from Posts > Member submissions. See Moderation.
  • Writer profiles, topic hubs, following, claps, a reading list, related posts, featured posts and a digest email. See Writer profiles and Engagement.
  • Shortcodes and blocks for post lists, authors, categories and more. See Shortcodes.
  • Settings for pages, access, editor and content. See Admin settings.

Pro

  • Posting limits, word limits and exemptions. See Restrictions.
  • Extra fields on the post form. See Custom Fields.
  • Co-authors and an editorial review workflow. See Co-Authors.
  • Scheduling, series, analytics and a member Settings tab. See Scheduling, Series and Analytics.
  • Approval, publishing and followed-writer emails with editable text, plus on-site notifications on BuddyPress. See Notifications.
  • Post credits sold through WooCommerce or granted by membership plugins. See Post Credits.
  • Group blogs for BuddyPress and BuddyBoss groups. See Group Blogs.

The full list is in the Pro index.

Start here

Section titled “Start here”
  1. Installation and Requirements - what your server needs and how to install.
  2. Quick Setup Guide - the settings a new site starts with and what to check first.
  3. Free and Pro - what each edition includes and how to turn on Pro modules.
  4. Your platform: Standalone WordPress, BuddyPress and BuddyBoss or PeepSo.
  5. Share Creating your first post with your members.

Stuck? Try the FAQ or Common Issues and Solutions. Developers start at the Developer guide.

Start here

Section titled “Start here”
  1. Free and Pro
  2. Installation and Requirements
  3. Quick Setup Guide

All documentation

Section titled “All documentation”
Getting Started3 pages Writing and Managing Posts4 pages Editors3 pages Moderation1 page Reading and Engagement6 pages Series (Pro)4 pages Scheduling (Pro)3 pages Co-Authors (Pro)4 pages Custom Fields (Pro)5 pages Group Blogs (Pro)3 pages Posting Limits (Pro)4 pages Post Credits (Pro)3 pages Analytics (Pro)3 pages Notifications (Pro)4 pages Modules (Pro)1 page License (Pro)1 page Platforms3 pages Admin Settings7 pages Shortcodes and Blocks3 pages Developer Guide6 pages FAQ1 page Troubleshooting4 pages Pro Features1 page

Video tutorials

Section titled “Video tutorials”

46 tutorials in 7 series. Each one opens in the video library on wbcomdesigns.com, with chapters and a transcript.

How to Find Your Way Around the Member Blog Settings in WB Member Blog 2:45

Tutorials: Start Here6 videos

Find your way around the settings, set the writing and dashboard pages, choose who can write and publish your first post.

  1. How to Find Your Way Around the Member Blog Settings in WB Member Blog 2:45
  2. How to Set the Writing Page and the Dashboard Page in WB Member Blog 2:35
  3. How to Choose Who Can Write Blog Posts in WB Member Blog 2:05
  4. How to Choose the Editor and Turn On Autosave in WB Member Blog 2:19
  5. How to Turn On the Reader Features in WB Member Blog 2:43
  6. How to Write and Publish Your First Post in WB Member Blog 2:31

Open this series →

Tutorials: Writing7 videos

Drafts, categories, tags and images, who can read and comment, share summaries, preview, editing and unpublishing.

  1. How to Save a Draft and Finish It Later in WB Member Blog 1:59
  2. How to Add a Category, Tags and a Featured Image in WB Member Blog 2:08
  3. How to Control Who Can Read and Comment on a Post in WB Member Blog 2:01
  4. How to Write the Summary Shown When a Post Is Shared in WB Member Blog 1:55
  5. How to Preview a Post and Write Without Distractions in WB Member Blog 1:55
  6. How to Edit a Post That Is Already Published in WB Member Blog 1:57
  7. How to Unpublish or Delete a Post in WB Member Blog 2:00

Open this series →

Tutorials: Your Blog Home2 videos

The member's blog dashboard and the articles tab on a BuddyNext profile.

  1. How to Use Your Blog Dashboard in WB Member Blog 2:32
  2. How to Find Your Posts on Your BuddyNext Profile in WB Member Blog 2:09

Open this series →

Tutorials: Review and Moderation4 videos

Hold posts for review, approve or send back, fix a sent-back post and feature the best ones.

  1. How to Hold Member Posts for Review in WB Member Blog 2:15
  2. How to Approve or Send Back Member Posts in WB Member Blog 2:14
  3. How to Fix a Post That Was Sent Back in WB Member Blog 2:15
  4. How to Feature a Member Post in WB Member Blog 2:05

Open this series →

Tutorials: Readers8 videos

Claps, reading lists, following writers, comments, topic hubs, writer profiles, related posts and digest emails.

  1. How to Read a Post and Clap for It in WB Member Blog 1:56
  2. How to Save Posts to Your Reading List in WB Member Blog 1:55
  3. How to Follow a Writer and See Their New Posts in WB Member Blog 2:04
  4. How to Comment on a Member's Post in WB Member Blog 1:45
  5. How to Browse a Topic Hub in WB Member Blog 1:44
  6. How to Open a Writer's Profile Page in WB Member Blog 2:02
  7. How to Show Related Posts Under Each Article in WB Member Blog 2:00
  8. How to Send Followers a Digest Email in WB Member Blog 1:59

Open this series →

Tutorials: Site Settings3 videos

Categories members can use, image sizes and types, and member posts on any page.

  1. How to Let Members Add Categories, or Block Some, in WB Member Blog 2:26
  2. How to Set Image Sizes and Types Members Can Upload in WB Member Blog 2:15
  3. How to Show Member Posts on Any Page in WB Member Blog 2:37

Open this series →

Tutorials: Pro16 videos

Pro modules, emails, posting and word limits, custom fields, analytics, co-authors, scheduling, series and credits.

  1. How to Turn Pro Modules On and Off in WB Member Blog 1:57
  2. How to Edit the Emails Member Blog Sends in WB Member Blog 1:57
  3. How to Choose Who Hears About Posts Awaiting Review in WB Member Blog 1:50
  4. How to Let Members Choose Their Emails in WB Member Blog 1:50
  5. How to Limit How Many Posts a Member Can Publish in WB Member Blog 2:00
  6. How to Set a Minimum and Maximum Word Count in WB Member Blog 1:50
  7. How to Give One Member Their Own Limit in WB Member Blog 1:44
  8. How to Add Custom Fields to the Writing Form in WB Member Blog 1:52
  9. How to Read Your Post Views and Traffic in WB Member Blog 1:54
  10. How to Read Views for the Whole Site in WB Member Blog 1:53
  11. How to Choose the Dashboard Tabs Members See in WB Member Blog 1:38
  12. How to Invite a Co-Author to a Post in WB Member Blog 2:08
  13. How to Let Editors Review Posts on the Front End in WB Member Blog 1:54
  14. How to Schedule a Post and Use the Calendar in WB Member Blog 2:09
  15. How to Group Posts Into a Series in WB Member Blog 2:01
  16. How to Charge Credits to Publish in WB Member Blog 2:09

Open this series →

All 46 video tutorials →