This summary includes pertinent developer conversations in Slack before and right after the official chat time last week.
Trac Tickets
Email API and customisation features (#6592) Three hours before dev chat, @boonebgorges and @djpaulgibbs had a long and interesting discussion about the new Email API. Topics covered: standardizing verbs for method names, choosing taxonomy for Email Types to give admins the option of implementing multiple templates, among others. Latest: @djpaulgibbs has since updated the `amazing-emails` branch at https://github.com/paulgibbs/buddypress/
XProfile field database schema (#6350) @johnjamesjacoby will be writing down his vision for improving the xProfile tables.
Groups: Add Profile Fields and Profile Field Groups (#6783) From an enhancement for the Groups component, @im4th has proposed a change in direction to making this a generic component which would work for any object (Members, Groups, and Blogs) in ticket. @im4th consulted with @johnjamesjacoby about the best way forward.
Comment syncing between activity and post comments for Custom Post Types (#6482) @imath and @rayisme deliberated and agreed on adding `bp_activity_type_supports()` which works similar to WP’s `post_type_supports()` function. This would provide some flexibility if/when more features are added to BP activity types in the future.
General Administration
Messaging
A lively brainstorming session arose from a proposal by @johnjamesjacoby to replace the old “social network” association used for the past 8 years. There were slogans, taglines, and observations shared during and even after the chat:
• If we’re going to change it, can we think of it more as a strategic/goal/mission statement—more than just a tag line? ~@dcavins
• Social network” and “in a box” are both icky. Something having to do with “community” is better than “social network”. As for “in a box”, it glosses over the developer-focused flexibility of BP, which IMO is one of its strong points. ~ @boonebgorges
• It (“BP as a platform”) seems technically accurate, and speaks to the breadth of purpose, and I think it’s meaningful to a non-technical audience. I think we have two audiences – network builders and developers – so maybe our branding should have two parts too ~ @boonebgorges
• BuddyPress. Go Social. Build Communities. Create Networks. ~ @mercime
• Enabling Community Platforms ~ @hnla
• Building Blocks for your Community ~ @jjj
• Community toolbox ~ @karmatosed
• Community components you can put together in a very easy and funny way ~@im4th
• A suite of social components for building communities ~ @pollyplummer
• BuddyPress. A developer/professional platform that can scale up to millions of users. ~ @mercime
• BuddyPress: Create your own community space ~ @rayisme
• You have the users, BuddyPress (has) the building blocks to kit out your community to the fullest ~@netweb
• BuddyPress, an online community building kit ~ @robkk
• Fun & flexible software for online communities, teams, and groups.
BuddyPress helps you build any type of community website using WordPress, with member profiles, activity streams, user groups, messaging, and more.
~ @johnjamesjacoby
New BudddyPress.org Theme
@johnjamesjacoby noted that the “theme needs a complete revamp and redesign to make it more attractive. I would like for BuddyPress & bbPress to be powered by the same theme, so that they are effectively co-branded as such.” Someone’s going to be tapped to work on the new theme.
Slack log: https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/buddypress/p1453320187003820
BP Team Updates 