Author Dashboard & Analytics

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Frontend dashboard for authors to manage settings and view post performance.

Location: Member Blog → Author Dashboard

Overview

The Author Dashboard gives members:

  • Overview of their posting activity
  • Current limit usage and restrictions
  • Notification preferences
  • Post performance analytics
  • Scheduled post management

Dashboard Tabs

Tab Contents
Overview Quick stats: total posts, views, credits, limits
Limits Current posting limits and usage
Notifications Manage email and on-site notification preferences
Analytics Post performance charts and data
Scheduled Manage scheduled posts (if scheduling enabled)

Overview Tab

At-a-glance summary:

Stat Description
Total Posts All-time published posts
Total Views Combined views across all posts
Post Credits Current credit balance (if enabled)
Posts This Month Current period usage

Limits Tab

Shows restriction status:

Current Usage

Posts This Hour:    0 of 2
Posts Today:        1 of 5
Posts This Week:    3 of 10
Posts This Month:   8 of 30

Visual Progress

Progress bars show usage percentage with color coding:

  • Green: Under 50%
  • Yellow: 50-80%
  • Red: Over 80%

Exemption Status

If user is exempt:

“You are exempt from posting limits.”

Notifications Tab

Members control their notification preferences:

Available Toggles

Notification Default
Post approved On
Post rejected On
Co-author invitations On
Scheduled post published On

Save Preferences

Changes save immediately via AJAX (no page reload).

Analytics Tab

Detailed post performance data.

Analytics Settings (Admin)

Configure in Member Blog → Author Dashboard:

Setting Default Description
Enable Analytics Off Master toggle
Track Daily Views Yes Record daily view counts
Track Traffic Source Yes Log referrer information
Show Charts Yes Display Chart.js visualizations
Data Retention 0 Days to keep data (0 = unlimited)

Analytics Features

Metric Description
Total Views All-time views across all posts
Views Per Post Individual post performance
Traffic Sources Where readers come from
Daily/Weekly/Monthly Charts Visualize traffic trends
Top Posts Highest performing content
Date Range Filtering Filter by custom date ranges
Export Data Download analytics as CSV

Charts

Interactive Chart.js visualizations:

Line Chart: Views Over Time

Shows daily view trends:

  • X-axis: Dates
  • Y-axis: View count
  • Hover for exact numbers

Bar Chart: Top Posts

Compares post performance:

  • Horizontal bars
  • Sorted by views
  • Top 10 posts shown

Pie Chart: Traffic Sources

Breakdown of referrers:

  • Direct traffic
  • Social media
  • Search engines
  • Other websites

Date Range Filter

Filter analytics by time period:

Option Range
Last 7 days Past week
Last 30 days Past month
Last 90 days Past quarter
This year Year to date
Custom Select start/end dates

Post Performance Table

Detailed breakdown per post:

Column Data
Title Post title (linked)
Views Total views
This Week Views in past 7 days
Top Source Primary traffic source
Published Publication date

Sortable by any column.

Export Analytics

Download data as CSV:

  1. Set desired date range
  2. Click Export CSV
  3. File downloads with:
    • Post titles
    • View counts
    • Daily breakdowns
    • Traffic sources

Scheduled Tab

If Post Scheduling is enabled, shows:

  • List of scheduled posts
  • Scheduled date/time
  • Time until publication
  • Actions: Edit, Reschedule, Cancel, Publish Now

See Scheduling for details.

Shortcodes

Full Dashboard

Display the complete author dashboard:

[bp-member-blog-author-settings]

Analytics Only

Display just the analytics section:

[bp-member-blog-analytics]

Attributes:

Attribute Default Description
user_id current Show specific user’s analytics
show_charts yes Display charts
show_table yes Show post table

Dashboard Placement

Option 1: BuddyPress Profile Tab

Automatically appears in member profiles when enabled.

Option 2: Dedicated Page

Create a page with the shortcode:

  1. Create new page “Author Dashboard”
  2. Add [bp-member-blog-author-settings]
  3. Publish
  4. Link in member menu

Option 3: Widget

Use shortcode in a widget for sidebar placement.

Performance Considerations

Analytics tracking adds some overhead:

Factor Impact
View tracking Small DB write per page view
Traffic source Additional referrer lookup
Chart rendering Client-side JavaScript

Recommendations

  • Enable only needed tracking features
  • Set data retention to limit DB size
  • Consider caching for high-traffic sites
  • Use object caching if available

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
Charts not loading Check JavaScript console for errors
Views not tracking Verify analytics module is enabled
Export empty Check date range has data
Dashboard not showing Verify shortcode is correct
Wrong timezone Check Settings → General → Timezone
Last updated: January 16, 2026