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Hopefully, readers of this blog will know that I have a keen interest in social software. For some time, I’ve been
a leader in the development of BuddyPress, a plugin that lets users take control of their social networking ex-
periences. Up to now, I’ve focused on BuddyPress http://buddypress.org, the free plugin for WordPress that
puts a number of social networking features on top of an existing WP installation. I love WordPress;
yet lately I’ve been wondering if there’s a way for BuddyPress to break free of some of the WP’s inherent limitations.

BuddyDrop

And so today, I’m making my move, and announcing an exciting new project: BuddyDrop. BuddyDrop is a
port of BuddyPress to Drupal, and represents a move away from WordPress-centric development and into the
realm of truly powerful content management. WordPress has been, without question, an outstanding
incubator for BuddyPress. But WP has also held BP back. The move to Drupal introduces true CMS features,
like global taxonomies and fine-grained user access control, that are the foundation of the best social software.

Fans of BuddyPress may greet this news with mixed emotions. BuddyPress development will probably carry
on, at least for a while. For now, I’m leading the BuddyDrop development team, but I won’t be alone: a number of
other prominent members of the BuddyPress and WordPress development communities will be announced in the weeks
leading up to our initial beta release. I’m confident that, as they experiment with Drupal and BuddyDrop, devs and
site owners will migrate their sites, and their development resources, from BP to BD.

Don’t want to wait for the first public beta of BuddyDrop, scheduled to be released in the first part of May? I’m accepting
a small number of applications for a private alpha testing phase that will begin in a week or so. If you’re interested,
you can sign up by visiting buddydrop.com, where you’ll also find screenshots and learn more about BuddyDrop.