Here at Studio66 we often take advantage of open-source software and development tools, which save time and money. We’re always looking for ways to contribute back to the open-source community. One way we accomplish this is by releasing plugins we’ve developed for CMS platforms like Wordpress and BuddyPress.

We recently released BuddyPress Group Documents, a plugin that allows for uploading and sharing of all types of media inside social networking groups.  Immediately after its release, it became obvious that many sites across the web could use this feature. It has been downloaded over 2,500 times in just a few months; it has also been translated into 3 additional languages: French, Italian, and German. Additionally, the plugin has been highlighted on the BuddyPress Homepage, called out as a Featured Plugin for Buddypress Developers, and on March 12, Andy Peatling (the creator of BuddyPress), listed it as one of the most popular plugins.

Over the last few months, we’ve released several updates for Group Documents containing new functionality and bug fixes. It is now a robust, flexible plugin that integrates with many of BuddyPress’ features including: the activity stream, email notifications, and site widgets.  There are multiple ways to sort and browse uploaded files, as well as download tracking. There are flexible display options and security settings for the site administrator as well as bulk file uploading with FTP.  Our most recent release attracted over 160 downloads in one day.

Needless to say, we’ve been pleased with the success of this plugin, and the great feedback we’ve gotten from users. We’ve got more features in the pipeline, so stay tuned!