Answers.Body: <p>This isn't strictly a CiviCRM question in my opinion, but here goes anyway...</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>members can open closed and public groups</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>This is built in to BuddyPress - check the box labelled "Enable group creation for all users" in BuddyPress settings.</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>groups have mailinglist functionality, ideally posts to the group can be created by email and send out by email (such that the users don't have to learn a new platform, if they do not want to)</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>I'm not sure about <em>creating</em> posts by email, but this plugin will do <em>replies</em> by email:</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://github.com/r-a-y/bp-reply-by-email" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://github.com/r-a-y/bp-reply-by-email</a></p>
  
  <p>It is pretty technical but there's good documentation.</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/bp-groups-civicrm-sync/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">BP Groups CiviCRM Sync</a> will keep BuddyPress group members synced with CiviCRM groups such that there are CiviCRM Mailing Groups per BuddyPress group - see the plugin page for details. </p>
  
  <p>FWIW, I also use a combination of <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/civicrm-wp-profile-sync/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CiviCRM WordPress Profile Sync</a> and <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/bp-xprofile-wp-user-sync/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">BP xProfile WordPress User Sync</a> to keep users' BuddyPress, WordPress and CiviCRM profiles in sync.</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>members can set up events</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>The CUNY fork of my <a href="https://github.com/cuny-academic-commons/bp-event-organiser" rel="nofollow noreferrer">BuddyPress Event Organiser</a> plugin (which has been developed way beyond where I left it) enables BuddyPress group events and group calendars. You could also install <a href="https://github.com/christianwach/civicrm-event-organiser" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CiviCRM Event Organiser</a> to sync those events to CiviCRM.</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>members can see / are informed over events in their proximity</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>I don't know of anything that does this out-of-the-box, so it sounds to me like a custom plugin which uses (say) Event Organiser (which has a premium proximity add-on) and <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress-group-email-subscription/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">BuddyPress Group Email Subscription</a> or CiviCRM to notify users.</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>members can set up profiles, have virtual friends and exchange messages</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>Again, this is all default BuddyPress functionality.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-11-14T11:05:24.400Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-11-14T11:05:24.400Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Christian Wach
Answers.Body: <p>AFAIK this does not exist out of the box nor do I know of an extension that does this. At the same time I would imagine it would be possible to develop an extension that performs what you mention as the CiviCRM API caters for most of the stuff (not sure how the virtual friends would work but at a glance a relationship sounds right).</p>
  
  <p>My recommendation would be to prototype the desired functionality with the API explorer, to see if you can cater for the situations that are likely to occur. That would mean that you would need to work out what CiviCRM entities to use in advance. Sounds like Contact, Group, GroupContact, Events, Participant, Relationship and potentially Mailing (or use the Email API extension).</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-11-14T10:25:31.913Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-11-14T10:25:31.913Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: ErikH - CiviCooP
Body: <p>We are looking into integrating online community tools (like buddypress, peepso):</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>members can open closed and public groups</li>
  <li>groups have mailinglist functionality, ideally posts to the group can be created by email and send out by email (such that the users don't have to learn a new platform, if they do not want to)</li>
  <li>members can set up events</li>
  <li>members can see / are informed over events in their proximity</li>
  <li>members can set up profiles, have virtual friends and exchange messages</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>Ideally, the system would play together with CiviCRM. Has anyone thought about such a thing? I found only some non-integrated approaches to sync <a href="https://civicrm.stackexchange.com/questions/4732/how-can-i-set-up-an-email-discussion-list-based-on-civicrm-groups">CiviCRM groups to mailman</a>.</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-11-14T08:32:54.137Z
Comments.Text: On what platform are you using CiviCRM? On wordpress, drupal?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Jaap Jansma - CiviCooP
Tags: <civievent><extension><groups><community><buddypress>
Title: Are virtual community tools (groups, mailinglists, profiles, "friends", ...) playing nice with CiviCRM?
ThreadText: # Are virtual community tools (groups, mailinglists, profiles, "friends", ...) playing nice with CiviCRM?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2019-11-13)
  
  We are looking into integrating online community tools (like buddypress, peepso):
  
  * members can open closed and public groups
  * groups have mailinglist functionality, ideally posts to the group can be created by email and send out by email (such that the users don't have to learn a new platform, if they do not want to)
  * members can set up events
  * members can see / are informed over events in their proximity
  * members can set up profiles, have virtual friends and exchange messages
  
  Ideally, the system would play together with CiviCRM. Has anyone thought about such a thing? I found only some non-integrated approaches to sync [CiviCRM groups to mailman](https://civicrm.stackexchange.com/questions/4732/how-can-i-set-up-an-email-discussion-list-based-on-civicrm-groups).
  
  **Tags:** civievent, extension, groups, community, buddypress
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: On what platform are you using CiviCRM? On wordpress, drupal?  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2019-11-14. Score: 3
  
  This isn't strictly a CiviCRM question in my opinion, but here goes anyway...
  
  > members can open closed and public groups
  
  This is built in to BuddyPress - check the box labelled "Enable group creation for all users" in BuddyPress settings.
  
  > groups have mailinglist functionality, ideally posts to the group can be created by email and send out by email (such that the users don't have to learn a new platform, if they do not want to)
  
  I'm not sure about *creating* posts by email, but this plugin will do *replies* by email:
  
  <https://github.com/r-a-y/bp-reply-by-email>
  
  It is pretty technical but there's good documentation.
  
  [BP Groups CiviCRM Sync](https://wordpress.org/plugins/bp-groups-civicrm-sync/) will keep BuddyPress group members synced with CiviCRM groups such that there are CiviCRM Mailing Groups per BuddyPress group - see the plugin page for details.
  
  FWIW, I also use a combination of [CiviCRM WordPress Profile Sync](https://wordpress.org/plugins/civicrm-wp-profile-sync/) and [BP xProfile WordPress User Sync](https://wordpress.org/plugins/bp-xprofile-wp-user-sync/) to keep users' BuddyPress, WordPress and CiviCRM profiles in sync.
  
  > members can set up events
  
  The CUNY fork of my [BuddyPress Event Organiser](https://github.com/cuny-academic-commons/bp-event-organiser) plugin (which has been developed way beyond where I left it) enables BuddyPress group events and group calendars. You could also install [CiviCRM Event Organiser](https://github.com/username_2/civicrm-event-organiser) to sync those events to CiviCRM.
  
  > members can see / are informed over events in their proximity
  
  I don't know of anything that does this out-of-the-box, so it sounds to me like a custom plugin which uses (say) Event Organiser (which has a premium proximity add-on) and [BuddyPress Group Email Subscription](https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress-group-email-subscription/) or CiviCRM to notify users.
  
  > members can set up profiles, have virtual friends and exchange messages
  
  Again, this is all default BuddyPress functionality.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2019-11-14. Score: 0
  
  AFAIK this does not exist out of the box nor do I know of an extension that does this. At the same time I would imagine it would be possible to develop an extension that performs what you mention as the CiviCRM API caters for most of the stuff (not sure how the virtual friends would work but at a glance a relationship sounds right).
  
  My recommendation would be to prototype the desired functionality with the API explorer, to see if you can cater for the situations that are likely to occur. That would mean that you would need to work out what CiviCRM entities to use in advance. Sounds like Contact, Group, GroupContact, Events, Participant, Relationship and potentially Mailing (or use the Email API extension).
  
  
  ---
  
  