jMonkeyEngine.org

Both jMonkeyEngine.org and jMonkeyEngine.com are powered by WordPress. The .org community site is additionally complemented by BuddyPress and over 50 plugins. We run our own private server graciously provided by Brooklyn Experimental Media Center. We also develop and maintain our websites to the best of our ability, but since none of us are dedicated web developers, we lack forward momentum.

Theme: jmonkeyengine.org tune-up (update: almost complete)

The .org site is just not very unified right now. The theme as it stands is a result of a collection of tweaks. There’s the header, which we’re quite happy with (but not stuck on), and then.., white and more white, with shades of grey. Bottom line: Our site needs a more unique look, with emphasis on reader-friendliness.

Tasks

• Use the Canvas framework (tests show a transition would only require a few very minor tweaks)
• Color and typography alterations (optimizations) to create a unified look (easily done through theme editor, just takes a lot of experimentation)
• Experiment with different takes on the header.
• The forum should be optimized for readability.

Requirements

• Strong knowledge of modern practice HTML & CSS.
• Fair knowledge of PHP.
• Strong knowledge of WordPress & BuddyPress theming.
• Excellent attention to readability (proper application of color schemes, typography and dimensions)

WordPress Multisite

In order to take full advantage of some unique theme acquisitions and advanced capabilities of BuddyPress, we would like to turn our single WordPress installation into a multisite network. This is no easy task however. Setting up multisite isn’t so tough, but maintaining and optimizing it requires an experienced WordPress developer.

Tasks

• Evaluate the multisite rationale.
• Get us safely through a multisite transition.

Requirements

• Strong knowledge of WordPress 3.x
• Strong knowledge of multisite and some experience with setting up WordPress networks
• Some knowledge of BuddyPress

Plugin: Achievements

We plan to apply a Achievements plugin to our site. This plugin is very developer friendly, and can be extended in a great number of ways.

Tasks

• Apply custom achievements
• Extend plugin: Attach link to achievements.
• Extend plugin: Nominations. See bottom-most paragraph of the last post for the simplest possible implementation.

Requirements

• Strong knowledge of the Achievements plugin API
• Some knowledge of HTML & CSS
• Some knowledge of PHP