653 CHAPTER Creating a Community Site with JomSocial IN THIS CHAPTER Introducing JomSocial Obtaining and installing JomSocial Overview of the JomSocial control panel Configuring JomSocial Administering the community S ocial networking and Web 2.0 functionality are two of the most sig- nificant trends in web site development in the last few years. The basic Joomla! system provides little in the way of true social networking functionality. JomSocial, a commercial extension to the Joomla! system, has stepped in to fill the gap with a powerful and extensible suite of extensions that enable you to turn a basic Joomla! site into a full-featured social net- working site. JomSocial comes with a large number of modules and plugins and a fairly complex presentation. Configuration of the site’s many options can be chal- lenging and time-consuming. This chapter looks at what’s involved in obtaining and installing JomSocial, and then steps you through the basics of configuring a JomSocial site. Introducing JomSocial JomSocial is a complex extension for Joomla! comprised of a number of ele- ments that provide an assortment of functionalities typically associated with creating a social networking Web site. By installing JomSocial on your exist- ing Joomla! site, you can offer site visitors a full range of social networking tools and activities, thereby greatly enhancing the interactivity and stickiness of your site. Figure 24.1 shows the front end of the basic JomSocial package. Part IV: Customizing and Extending the System 654 FIGURE 24.1 The front end of the basic JomSocial package, shown here with all modules activated. JomSocial is a commercial extension and is relatively new. It is built to integrate with a number of other extensions that provide community-related functionality, like threaded discussion forums. While you can use the system to create a Facebook-type site, you can also do a lot more with it, as the example sites in the “Who uses JomSocial” sidebar demonstrates. Chapter 24: Creating a Community Site with JomSocial 655 Tip JomSocial is a complicated system with a large number of options and configuration choices. The initial setup of a JomSocial site can take a bit of time and the creation of an attractive site requires planning and good tem- plate selection. Don’t try deploying this on a live site without first working through it in detail on a develop- ment server. If you’d like to see more examples, visit the JomSocial Showcase, which maintains a collection of JomSocial sites. Go to www.jomsocial.com/overview/showcase.html Note You can test drive a live JomSocial installation at the demo site the project maintains. The demo site allows you to check out both the front-end and the back-end of the system. View it online at www.jomsocial.com/community.html The default JomSocial system supports a wide range of features for both site visitors and adminis- trators. Note that these features are in addition to the standard Joomla! site features and that you can further extend your JomSocial site by installing additional extensions. Figuring out features for visitors Front-end visitors have access to a number of features and functionalities. The front-end activity is all focused around the user profiles and interaction with other users and groups. l User profiles with user pages l User points l Photo and video galleries l Support for Facebook connect l Buddy system l Private messaging between users l Activity stream Here’s a sampling of some of the companies and brands that use JomSocial. l Barkley and Paws: http://www.barkleyandpaws.com/ l CMS Market: http://www.cmsmarket.com/ l LDS Online Community Gathering: http://www.ldstribe.com/ l Linux.com: http://www.linux.com/ l qAachen: http://www.qaachen.de/ Who uses JomSocial? Part IV: Customizing and Extending the System 656 l Installable applications l Groups l Search Features for site administrators The JomSocial administration system covers the management of users, groups, and applications. Key features include: l Customizable user fields l Smooth integration with other popular extensions l Customizable page templates l User Points management l User mass mail l Applications management l Group management Note JomSocial , like Joomla!, is extendable. The JomSocial site includes a small but growing extensions directory. Browse the directory at www.jomsocial.com/addons.html Obtaining and Installing JomSocial The first step to building your community site is to obtain the JomSocial code. As this is a com- mercial product, the only place to obtain the code is through the official JomSocial Web site, www. jomsocial.com . The software can be purchased online and downloaded immediately; it will be delivered in an archive file that must be extracted prior to installation. After you extract the JomSocial installation package, you find the following: l The JomSocial component, ready to install, in .zip format l A zipped modules directory that must be unpacked prior to installation l A zipped apps directory that must be unpacked prior to installation l An installation guide in .pdf format Chapter 24: Creating a Community Site with JomSocial 657 Installing the JomSocial component The only thing you absolutely have to install to get JomSocial up and running is the component. After the component is installed you can decide what further applications and modules you want to include in your site. To install the core JomSocial component, follow these steps: 1. Download the installation archive. 2. Unzip the archive locally. 3. Log in to the admin system of your Joomla! site. 4. Click on the option Install/Uninstall, under the Extensions menu. The Extensions Installation dialogue opens in your browser. 5. Click the Browse button next to the Upload Package File field. The file upload dia- logue opens. 6. Find and select the file com_JomSocial_x.x.x.zip, where x.x.x represents the version number of your JomSocial installer. Click the Open button. The file upload dialogue closes, and the name of the file appears in the field next to the label Package File. 7. Click Upload File & Install. The system now installs the component. If successful, you will see a confirmation message, as shown in Figure 24.2. FIGURE 24.2 Step 1 of the JomSocial component installation; the start screen. Part IV: Customizing and Extending the System 658 8. Click on the button marked Complete your Installation. A new page loads as the JomSocial installer does a quick system check to make sure your server is configured to handle the system, as shown in Figure 24.3. If all is okay, the Install button will be active. If not, address the issues indicated. 9. Click the Install button. The system installs all the necessary elements and displays a progress indicator. When it reaches 100%, a confirmation message is displayed, as shown in Figure 24.4. 10. Click the Next button. The installer closes and you are taken to the JomSocial control panel. FIGURE 24.3 Step 2 of the JomSocial component installation; the system check screen. Chapter 24: Creating a Community Site with JomSocial 659 FIGURE 24.4 Step 3 of the JomSocial component installation; the final confirmation screen. Installing the JomSocial modules In addition to the core JomSocial component, your installation package also includes a set of optional modules. The modules expand the functionality of the site and give you more choices for displaying data and community activity. Like any Joomla! module, a JomSocial module is con- trolled through the Module Manager. The modules are assigned to appear on the front end of the site through module positions and page assignments. Cross-Reference Assigning modules is covered in Chapter 17. In the JomSocial installation archive, the modules directory is compressed. Before you can begin to install the modules, you must unpack the directory labeled module_unzip_first_xxxx.zip, where xxxx represents the version number of your JomSocial installer. After you extract the JomSocial Modules directory, you can find the following, all ready to install, in .zip format: Part IV: Customizing and Extending the System 660 l Active Groups Module: Displays a list of the most active groups on the site. l Activity Stream Module: Shows a stream of posts and other activity on the site. l Hello Me Module: Displays statistics relevant to the user, including new messages and friend requests. l JomSocial Connect Module: Shows data about the FaceBook Connect functionality. l Latest Group Discussions Module: Displays a list of the most recent groups discussion posts. l Latest Group Wall Module: Displays most recent wall postings l Latest Members Module: Lists the most recent members. l Online Users Module: A Who’s Online-type module, showing the names and avatars of the members that are currently authenticated on the site. l Photo comments module: Displays the most recent comments on photos. l Statistics Module: Shows statistics about the site activity levels. l Top Members Module: Displays a list of the top members, based up on their karma points. l Video comments module: Displays the most recent comments on videos. JomSocial modules are installed like any other Joomla! module. Don’t forget that once installed you have to enable the module before it can be used. Cross-Reference Installing new modules is covered in Chapter 22. Installing the JomSocial apps In addition to the core JomSocial component, your installation package also includes a set of optional apps, or applications. The apps expand the functionality of the site and assist with the integration of other components, like the Fireboard forum, phpBB, or MyBlog. Note Though JomSocial calls them applications, these are actually what Joomla! calls plugins, and like other Joomla! plugins, the JomSocial apps are controlled using the Plugin Manager. Tip A number of these plugins are only used where you have installed certain third-party extensions to the site. Where those extensions have not been installed, you should disable, or uninstall completely the related plugins to help keep your site secure and decrease maintenance overhead. Chapter 24: Creating a Community Site with JomSocial 661 In the installation archive, the Apps directory is compressed. Before you can begin to install the apps, you must unpack the directory labeled apps_unzip_first_xxxx.zip, where xxxx rep- resents the version number of your JomSocial installer. After you extract the JomSocial apps directory, you will find the following, all ready to install, in . zip format: l All Video: This plugin is used for integration of JomSocial with the AllVideoPlugin. Enables the use of AllVideos tags inside JomSocial content items. l Article Activity: Enables the JomSocial system to recognize the posting of an article in Joomla! as an event to be shown in JomSocial. l Author Link: Links the name that appears as the author of an article to their profile in JomSocial. l Delete User: Enables deletion of users. Note that this Plugin is automatically installed by the primary JomSocial Component installer. l Event List: This plugin is used for integration of JomSocial with the EventList compo- nent. Allows the user to display events information inside their profile. l Feeds: Enables the user to display RSS feeds inside their profile. l Fireboard: This plugin is used for integration of JomSocial with the Fireboard forum. Note The Fireboard plugin also supports the Kunena forum extension. l Friends Location: Enables the display of the physical location of all a user’s friends using Google Maps. l Groups: Shows which groups the user is a member of. l Input: This is a system plugin that is responsible for stripping html tags and replacing new lines with html <br /> tags in posts. l Invite: Enables users to invite friends. l JomComment: This plugin is used for integration of JomSocial with the JomComment component. Enables the display of comments in the user’s profile. l JomSocialConnect: Aids in integration with Facebook Connect. l Latest Photo: Enables display of the latest photos uploaded. l My Articles: Enables the listing of all articles by the user on their profile. l My Blog: This plugin is used for integration of JomSocial with the MyBlog extension. Enables display of user’s blogs in their profile. l MyBlogToolbar: Enables connection with the MyBlog extension. l My Google Ads: Enables users to put their own Google Ads in their profiles. Part IV: Customizing and Extending the System 662 Note Users need to omit the <script> tags when they input their Google Ads code. l Nice Talk: This plugin is used for integration of JomSocial with the Nice Talk discussions extension. l phpBB: This plugin is used when you have also installed the phpBB forum on your site. It links phpBB forum posts with the user’s profile. Note At the time of writing this plugin only supported phpBB integration via the ROKBridge phpBB forum bridge. l Seyret: This plugin is used for integration of JomSocial with the Seyret Extension. Enables display of videos from Seyret. l System: This plugin is not used by the system and can be disregarded. l Twitter: Enables users to synch and show their Twitter feed in their profile. l Walls: Sets up a Facebook-like wall functionality that enables users to comment on each others’ profiles. Note that this plugin is automatically installed by the primary JomSocial component installer. l Word Filter: Enables filtering of bad words. JomSocial apps are installed like any other Joomla! plugin. Don’t forget to enable the plugins. You can’t use them until you do. Cross-Reference Installing new Plugins is covered in Chapter 22. Note The Apps Delete User and Walls and Invite are redundant; though you will find them in the Apps directory, they are installed automatically by the JomSocial installer during the initial installation of the primary JomSocial component; there is no point in trying to install them again and the system will display an error mes- sage if you try. Overview of the JomSocial Control Panel When you access the JomSocial component you will first see the default JomSocial control panel, as show in Figure 24.5, below. The control panel is intended to give you quick access to the most common functionalities needed by a site administrator. . JomSocial 6 61 In the installation archive, the Apps directory is compressed. Before you can begin to install the apps, you must unpack the directory labeled apps_unzip_first_xxxx.zip, where xxxx rep- resents. com_JomSocial _x. x .x. zip, where x. x .x represents the version number of your JomSocial installer. Click the Open button. The file upload dialogue closes, and the name of the file appears in the field next. where xxxx represents the version number of your JomSocial installer. After you extract the JomSocial Modules directory, you can find the following, all ready to install, in .zip format: Part