In a recent post, I asked for ideas on how WordPress ecosytem developers can earn a living doing what they love to do—coding great-quality plugins for WordPress, BuddyPress, and bbPress. This post is my attempt to try the time–honored (but more than likely ineffective) request–for–donation approach for my BuddyPress Privacy Component.

Please Note: The BuddyPress Privacy Component is not yet available. The below PayPal button is for donation to support development. It is not a paywall that provides access to a download link for the Privacy Component. All of my WordPress and BuddyPress plugins to date are GPLed and are freely available on the WordPress Plugin Repository. Once the BuddyPress Privacy Component is ready, I will make it available in the same manner. Only donate if you want to provide development support.

Support Level

Supporter $15.00 Donor $25.00 Sponsor $50.00 Benefactor $100.00 Patron $250.00 Open Source Angel $500.00 Holy Cow! $1,000.00

If you are a corporate user, consultant, plugin developer, or theme designer and profit from using my plugin, please consider donating at one of the upper levels. Thank you!

But, I’m going to go about this in a slightly different way. This approach is a serious attempt at doing things differently. I hope it does not provoke the ire of my readers.

How is my approach going to be different? Well, I’m going to be upfront and honest about the time commitment on my part to code, update, and support my BuddyPress Privacy Component. Then, I’m going to appeal to your sensibilities. If that doesn’t work, I’m then going to leverage your needs!

Please click the first link above and read that, if you have not already. Then, come back to this post and continue reading.

First a Caveat

Please be advised that the approach I’m about to detail will be controversial. This is my attempt at one possible solution to the question posed in the first link above. It is an experiment at best.

Do I think that this approach will be warmly received? No. Do I think that it will be successful? No.

But perhaps it will stir up healthy conversation and some tangible solutions.

The Ever-Changing BuddyPress Landscape

BuddyPress version 1.2 is fast approaching its public release. However, the underlying codebase has undergone major code refactoring and even significant changes in functionality. So much has changed that it will require a significant amount of time to refactor my Privacy Component codebase to function properly in the newly-overhauled BP platform.

I’m not complaining about the changes. I’m just stating a fact. I believe that BP version 1.2 will be superior to previous versions.

I’ve had discussions with a few other BuddyPress plugin developers who wonder if we’ll see similar codebase changes in future versions of the BuddyPress platform. At this stage, we have to assume that this is a real possibility. Therefore, it is only wise to plan accordingly, to assume that with each major new release, that parts of our plugins may require significant TLC. But again, when the dust settles, version 1.3 of BuddyPress will be superior to previous versions.

It’s Just Time, Right?

I currently estimate that it will take at least 30 to 40 hours of code refactoring and functional code changes to bring the current version of my BuddyPress Privacy Component up to working order for BP v1.2. Of course, not all of this time is for coding. A noticeable amount of this time is studying the changes to the BP codebase and figuring out how key object arrays, actions, and filters have changed. When version 1.3 comes out later this year, it may require a similar amount of effort. This estimate does not even take into account the incremental versions (1.2.x, 1.3.x) that could require fixes here and there. But, leaving the incremental version changes out of the equation, I estimate that this phase of the project will require between 60 and 80 hours of work in 2010.

Along with updating the plugin, support is another time sponge. I estimate that once my plugin hits the mainstream, that I could be looking at at least 5-10 hours a week for support requests during the first two weeks of a version release and then 10 hours a month until the next version is released. With two major BP privacy plugin versions assumed to be released in 2010, that equates to an estimated total of 100-140 support hours in 2010.

Finally, there is at least one big, missing piece of the privacy puzzle—group privacy filtering. Until development of BP v1.2 is frozen, I will not be able to provide an accurate estimate of how many hours it will take to code a full-featured suite of group privacy filters. But, I do know that there is talk of possible, significant changes to the groups component in version 1.3. So, once again, this is my best guesstimate. I’m assuming roughly 80 hours of coding to bring to fruition group privacy filtering.

What does this all add up to? The total estimated time required in 2010 to upgrade, maintain, augment, and support my BuddyPress Privacy Component is 240-300 hours. At my standard, weekly work schedule, that is roughly 4 weeks of my time!

This is more than likely an underestimate of the amount of time that will be required, but I’m using that figure to help me determine a realistic financial support request. Also, it does not include the hundreds of hours already invested in the current version.

An Appeal to Your Sensibilities

Now, of course I cannot possibly donate four weeks of my time on this plugin or any of my other not–yet–released BuddyPress plugins. Can you donate four weeks of your time for anything? Would you give up your vacation time (and then some) to provide free software programming and consulting services?

My goal is to recoup some of the time I’ve already put into developing this plugin, to fund the current and future upgrades and enhancements to this plugin over the course of this year, and to cover some of the support time I will inevitably be requested to provide.

Supporting Development, Developing Support

How is my donate button different than others? Well, it is not a donate button. It is a support this project button. It’s a request for action, an opportunity for you to show your support by buying into the project. If there is not sufficient support, then the project will be discontinued.

Without sufficient financial support, I cannot continue to develop this, or any other plugin. I need to have a reasonable cash flow. I have to contribute to the support of my family.

Based on my above estimates of the number of hours that I will be required to put into my BuddyPress Privacy Component in 2010, I’ve set a goal of $9,000. That adds up to an hourly rate of between $30 and $37.50. This, in itself, is a greatly reduced hourly rate from my previous consulting days. That is okay. I’ll consider the difference as my continued donation to the cause.

What Happens in 2011?

This request for financial support is only for 2010. So, you rightfully may ask, what will happen when 2011 rolls around?

By then, privacy in some form or other should be a core BuddyPress component. It will thus be maintained by the core development team—and I’d be willing to help them maintain it as well.

Of course, it’s possible (but I think unlikely), that privacy will become a core feature of BuddyPress this year. If it does, I very much doubt that it will be the fined grained, fully-featured privacy suite that I offer in my plugin. But Andy and JJJ are very clever guys. So, you never know!

What Happens if You Don’t Raise the Entire Amount?

Since PayPal allows for refunds to be sent within 60 days of receiving a payment, I plan to hold all proceeds in my PayPal account. In 58 days from the date on this post, I will assess the results. If the goal has not been met, I will decide if I’m willing (and able) to provide the entire year’s worth of work discussed above for the amount raised. If I decide to proceed, I’ll withdraw the funds from my PayPal account. If I decide not to proceed, I’ll issue a refund through PayPal.

So, on Monday, March 1, 2010, the final decision will be made.

BuddyPress Privacy and BP Version 1.2

Just to allay any fears, I have already committed to bringing my privacy component up to code to work under BuddyPress version 1.2. That will happen no matter how this little experiment turns out. The real issue is what happens from that point.

Wait, Open Source is Supposed to be Free

Most people expect software to be free these days, especially with Open Source projects. But the spirit of Open Source is not providing free (as in no cost) software. It is in providing freedoms in how you use the software. These two pages on Gnu’s website–the maintainers of the GNU GPL license which WordPress is licensed under–explain it very well:

• Selling Free Software
• The Free Software Definition

So, although it is customary in the WordPress ecosystem for plugin developers to offer their work for no cost, it is not what is intended by the GPL, it is not what Open Source is truly about.

Has the misguided assumption about free (as in cost) software become too ingrained in our community? Whereas designers who offer GPLed–premium themes seem to be accepted into the community without issue, developers who offer GPLed–premium plugins are often treated differently. There should not be a double standard. Both designers and developers should have the right to earn a living from providing great-quality free software.

My Plugins will Always Be Free

I believe in the free software movement, in the spirit of open source. I will always freely provide my plugins to the greater community. I’m truly not looking to sell my code. I am just looking for an acceptable vehicle (besides the consulting route) that provides some financial support so that I can continue offering high-quality (I hope!) plugins.

An Appeal to Your Needs

Now, I’m in no way intending to hold the BuddyPress community hostage. I’m trying to see if this idea will work.

Is privacy something that you think is important in BuddyPress? Is privacy filtering for your members’ data something that you need for your BuddyPress-based community?

If you have read this far, and have not unfriended me over at BP.org or unfollowed me on Twitter, then I am amazed! Actually, it does not surprise me. I assume that you agree that Privacy is of paramount import in BuddyPress, in any social network.

If privacy is something you value in BuddyPress, then I ask that you please help support my efforts. Tweet about this post (you can use the Tweet This! button on top), blog about my post, draw attention to my efforts in other ways, and finally, put a few dollars into the project’s coffers. I’ll then do all the heavy lifting!

Thank you!

Support Level

Supporter $15.00 Donor $25.00 Sponsor $50.00 Benefactor $100.00 Patron $250.00 Open Source Angel $500.00 Holy Cow! $1,000.00

If you are a corporate user, consultant, plugin developer, or theme designer and profit from using my plugin, please consider donating at one of the upper levels. Thank you!

The bar chart below and at top will update as support rolls in. The question is, will it roll in at all? If not, what are my options?

Apparently I’ve made 1317 posts on the #buddypress forums. This puts me ahead of @apeatling on 1053, @johnjamesjacoby on 1257. @jeffsayre wins with 1454!
1:08 PM Dec 13th by Tweetie

it made me remember a post on Andy Peatling’s blog from several months ago about giving back to the Open Source projects from which we personally benefit.

Andy’s take was that commercial users of Open Source projects should strive to contribute back at least 1% of their time to the project. You can read Andy’s take on this issue here.

I agree with Andy. Further, I think it should apply to all users—not just those of us (like myself) who are building or plan to build commercial SaaS solutions based on Open Source projects.

BuddyPress is not the only Open Source project from which I and many others derive benefits. BuddyPress requires WordPress Mu and further benefits from bbPress. These three Open Source projects, managed by the corporation Automattic, also depend on other Open Source projects—PHP, MySQL, Javascript, JQuery, and probably a few others.

Also, we all depend on some sort of server operating system and Web server software, more than likely both Open Source in nature. Finally, you might even throw in the Open Source licensing schemes that the aforementioned Open Source projects are licensed under.

But, this post is about BuddyPress. Paul’s tweet made me wonder how much time I’ve given back to the BuddyPress project, the Open Source project with which I am most associated. So, I did a few calculations:

Time spent answering forum questions:
1454 posts x avg. of 7 minutes per post = 170 hours

(N.B. Some posts require twenty or so seconds, but many others I’ve spent 20+ minutes carefully answering. So, I’ve settled on an acceptable average of 7 minutes per post.)

Time spent on forum (reading, moderating, but not answering):
80 hours

(a guesstimate)

Time spent answering private BuddyPress PMs and emails:
40 hours

(a fair guesstimate, but I’ve probably spent a little more)

Time spent on IRC:
70 hours

(These are active, participating hours, not passive hours. That equals about 2 hours a week)

Time spent developing (my Privacy Component, Trac patches, and a few not yet released plugins):
373 hours

(based on my calendar entries)

Total volunteer hours contributed to the BuddyPress project to date:
733 hour

Now, the average number of hours a person works each week in the United States in 40 hours. That adds up to 2,080 total work hours per year. I’ll use this figure for one measure of my contribution. Of course, 80 of those hours are often granted to employees as vacation time (if you’re lucky).

But, is there really a normal work week? I’ve never had a job where I’ve worked fewer than 50 hours per week on average. Currently, and for the past decade or more, I’ve worked at least 10 to 12 hours per day, 6 days a week. Often, it is more like 14 to 16 hours each day. Now, if I’m fortunate, and wise, I might actually take 2 weeks off in a year.

So, to be conservative, let’s assume I work an average of 12 hours per day, 6 days per week, and 50 weeks a year. That adds up to 3,600 total work hours per year. Yikes!

Now granted, since I am one of a handful of active BuddyPress forum moderators, the amount of time I volunteer might be a little higher than most. But, these calculations cover just 8 months of my involvement in the BuddyPress project to date. They also do not count the many non-paid hours I’ve spent via iChat, Skype, or on the phone discussing BP with others. So, I’m guessing my actual, yearly total is higher.

The Results

What percentage of my working year do I volunteer to the BuddyPress project? The results are in:

Using an average American work year:

733 hours / 2080 hours per year = 35.2%

Using my work year:

733 hours / 3,600 hours per year = 20.4%

Boy, I need to go make some money or at least go on a vacation. But, at least I’ve banked a few volunteer hours using the 1% gauge!

There surely are a number of other BuddyPress developers who kindly give of their time to this extent as well. What percentage of your working year have you volunteered to the BuddyPress project this year?

This component is the first public Beta release. Please read the future.txt file that comes with the download package to learn about upcoming features and release dates. Instructions for installing and using the component can be found in the readme.txt file.

Click to see settings screen

NOTE: Comments are now disabled for this post. Thanks to everyone who has tested and provided feedback.

The newest version of my plugin is not yet ready for WPMU 2.9.x or the newly-released BP 1.2. I will be releasing an updated version in the near future (2-6 weeks). Since there have been too many people attempting to use the current version of my plugin under WPMU 2.9.x and now even BP 1.2, I am removing the link to the download repository. Once the latest version is ready for BP 1.2, I’ll create a new post with a new download link. If you want to be notified when my new BuddyPress Privacy Component is released, I suggest that you follow me on Twitter so as to get notified as soon as it is ready.

Okay, enough said. You can download my BuddyPress Privacy Component here. Once it is close to ready for an official public release, I will upload it to my WordPress Plugin Repository account.

Installation Hint:

If you read the readme.txt file, you will see that it says, “copy bp-authz.php and /bp-authz/ into /wp-content/plugins/ and activate the plugin.” This means that you need to make sure that you have both the directory /bp-authz/ and the single file bp-authz.php in /wp-contents/plugins/. So, it should look like this:

/plugins/
…/buddypress/
…/bp-authz/
…bp-authz.php

That last file needs to be at the same level as the /bp-authz/ directory. So, instead of simply dragging the main package directory BPAz into plugins, you drag the contents into plugins instead, leaving out the BPAz directory.

Release Notes:

• Requires at a minimum WPMU 2.8.4a and BuddyPress 1.1.1. Preferred environment is WPMU 2.8.6 and BuddyPress 1.1.3
• Although this release is very stable for a beta version, since it is a pre-release version (Beta 1), it should not be used in production environment.
• The component does not come with any theme files. It uses a few custom CSS selectors. If you are using a customized theme (i.e. not the BuddyPress default theme) you may need to adjust your theme’s CSS
• There may be a few issues with filtering out activity stream items. I suspect that the activity object array structure changed in a minor way in BP 1.1.3 and I have not yet had time to see if that is the case.
• Please provide any bug or usage requests in this thread

Do you like this plugin? How about showing your support? You can learn more about what it takes to build, maintain, extend, and support this plugin by reading my Do You Support BuddyPress Privacy post?