Extending WordPress Multisite for Fun and Profit by Angie Meeker at WordPress Columbus Meetup

EXTENDING
WORDPRESS
MULTISITE/ Creating a network of websites
from one WordPress install
that shares themes, plugins

NETWORK
and users… and then extending
it. Perfect for entrepreneurs
and startups.

FOR FUN AND
PROFIT
@angiemeeker | AngieMeekerDesigns.com | MyNameIsAngie.com

Why use don’
If you don’t need to do all three of these bullets,
Multisite might not be the right use for your

multisite? project. Sometimes category templates with a
Role Mangement plugin like Role Scoper will do
more simply what you might try to do with
Multisite.

•To create an unlimited number of sites with one WordPress
installation
•To share users, themes and plugins across those sites
•To manage those sites within one Dashboard

ALL THIS
FROM
ONE
DATABASE


Examples
WORDPRESS.COM
http://www.wordpress.com

of multisite BEST BUY
http://stores.bestbuy.com/527/

in the wild BOWLING GREEN
https://blogs.bgsu.edu/

YOUR CRIME SITE
http://www.yourcrimesite.com


Before you start…
Decide on your format
Your child sites will either use subdomains:
www.subdomain.yourdomain.com

or folders (also called subdirectories or paths)
www.yourdomain.com/yourfoldername

If you want to use subdomains (which I do), your host must
support the use of wildcard subdomains. (*.yourdomain.com)

And, you’ll need to add a wildcard subdomain pointing to the
folder of your installation. If they don’t, you have to use folders.

If your original site is older than 30 days, the folder option will not be allowed (easily).


Before you start…
get permission

You’ll need to make edits to your wp-config and htaccess files,
so be sure you can both see them and edit them.

These are two single files located in the root of your WordPress
installation.


Backup.*

*Really. Do it.


Multisite is like your wife.
She’s already in bed,
you just have to turn her on.
/* Multisite */
define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);

in wp-config.php
before /* That's all stop editing */


Log back in.
Expand tools.
Click on
“Network
Setup”


don’t copy from here
this info is dynamically generated for YOUR site on that admin screen.

Paste into your wp-config.php
right under the other stuff:
define( 'MULTISITE', true );
define( 'SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', true );
$base = '/';
//define( 'DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE', 'example.com' );
//define( 'PATH_CURRENT_SITE', '/' );
//define( 'SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 );
//define( 'BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 );


Replace your current
.htaccess:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index.php$ - [L]
# uploaded files
RewriteRule ^files/(.+) wp-includes/ms-files.php?file=$1 [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule ^ - [L]
RewriteRule . index.php [L]


Add two
folders
to wp-content:
BLOGS.DIR
MU-PLUGINS


Log back in.

That’s it! You’re all Multisite’d up.


My Sites will include “Network Admin” for Super Admins
Links to Dashboards of sites for which user is a subscriber


Multisite User Roles
• Super Admins: Can do everything across the entire network
• Administrators: Masters of their own…websites, but can’t
install themes or plugins. If Super Admins give them the option,
they may be able to activate existing plugins and choose from
given themes.
• Subscribers: All users are automatically added as subscribers
to the parent site, and can be subscribers to individual sites.


Theme “Network Enable”
Plugin “Network Activate”
Themes and Plugins can be installed on your Network…
but not ACTIVE or ENABLED on an individual site.

OR

Network Enabled (themes)
Network Activated (plugins)


That’s WordPress.com.
Let’s make it more efficient.
WordPress MU Domain Mapping

WordPress MU Sitewide Tags/ Pages

WP MultiSite Replicator


Recommended Plugins For Many Networks
WordPress MU Domain Mapping
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress- mu-domain-
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress- mu - domain- mapping/
wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress
top-
(to give your child sites their own top- level domain)

WordPress MU Sitewide Tags Pages
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-mu-sitewide-tags/
(to start the process of aggregating content to the parent site from within the
network, like at wordpress.com/tags)

WP MultiSite Replicator
http://wpebooks.com/replicator/
(to quickly replicate an existing, perhaps default, site within the network)

Google Analytics Multisite Async
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-analytics-multisite-async/


Now let’s make money,
and maybe protect content.

s2member


s2Member is a membership plugin that integrates incredibly
well with Multisite.

Use it to charge for access to your site, for access to your
content, for the ability to create a site on your network.

Or all three.

One time payments.
Trial memberships, then one time or recurring.
Recurring memberships.
All integrated with various payment gateways
AND your WordPress user base.
(read: no pay = no play)


We’re making money.
Now let’s build community.

BuddyPress.
(and really you should do that the other way around)


BuddyPress allows you to create a social network with your
WordPress installation. It can be used with or without Multisite.

Coupled with Multisite (with or without s2Member), your NICHE
network of websites can have their own social networks, and
also participate in the larger network of your ENTIRE Multisite
network.

Imagine:

•A campus wide social network for your university, school or
college.
•An internal communication tool for your company.
•A niche social network for your interest topic.
•A focused social network for your new product.

Hey! It must be the money!
No, it’s not.

Sensei.
BuddyPress Courseware.

Education is undergoing a revolution as students turn more
and more to the web as a resource for learning that is pacing
with today’s technologies and quickly changing world. Printed
textbooks – not so much.

Multisite in the education sector, combined with these
learning management systems allow educators to begin
moving their curriculum online and offering it to a greater
number of students at once.

Hint: it’s not just for K-12 and colleges. Everyone can teach
something.

Sensei – WooThemes.com (very user friendly, not as big as BC)
BuddyPress Courseware (in Repo, hugely powerful, originally made for
universities)


She ain’t nothing
but a golddigger.

MarketPress.


MarketPress is a free ecommerce platform that works on
Multisite installations. It is available in the WordPress repo.

Used most simply with S2Member, offer one membership
which does not include an ecommerce store, and one that
does.

MarketPress also has a PRO version which allows you to take a
percentage of the sales made from the stores on your
network, and provides a series of tools (widgets, tags, scripts)
for displaying featured items, categories, etc… from across
your network on your parent site.

Other WordPress e-commerce solutions work on Multisite, too. The
“take a cut of the sales” feature? I think is specific to MarketPress.


Other Plugins I’ve Mentioned…

s2Member
BuddyPress
Sensei
BuddyPress Courseware
MarketPress


TO LEARN MORE…

http://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_Network

http://wpebooks.com/

@andrea_r taught me everything I know about Multisite

@ipstenu | Mika
@cgrymala | Curtis
@markjaquith | Mark

Come to WordCamp Columbus.


Extending WordPress Multisite for Fun and Profit by Angie Meeker at WordPress Columbus Meetup

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