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If you're still using Facebook as the primary platform for your community, then hopefully this will be the straw that broke the camel's back to convince you to move: https://wptavern.com/upcoming-api-change-will-break-facebook-and-instagram-oembed-links-across-the-web-beginning-october-24
What it boils down to is Facebook adding that extra barrier and making it just that little bit more difficult for your community to ever leave their walled garden.
There are plenty of other hosted community platforms out there - @circleapp looks genuinely excellent, as do some others - but I always advocate for self-hosting so you can fully own your platform and content. That will become ever more critical the larger your community grows.
How do you self-host a community platform? Use @WordPress:
Core blog & site content: @WordPress
Social features: @BuddyBossWP, @PeepSo or @BuddyPress
Online store & paid memberships: @WooCommerce
Online courses (LMS): @SenseiLMS or @LearnDashLMS
Podcast: @CastosHQ
Core blog & site content: @WordPressSocial features: @BuddyBossWP, @PeepSo or @BuddyPress Online store & paid memberships: @WooCommerce Online courses (LMS): @SenseiLMS or @LearnDashLMS Podcast: @CastosHQ
There will be some extra work in getting it set up how you like, but that trade-off is worth it for the extensive flexibility and power you'll unlock. Use a managed WordPress host - @Pressable, @WPEngine, @HeyFlywheel, etc. - and you shouldn't have performance or security issues.
The platform you end up with will be:
100% owned by you
Customised to your needs
Powerful enough to scale with your community
Comparable in price to hosted alternatives
100% owned by you Customised to your needs Powerful enough to scale with your community Comparable in price to hosted alternatives
