Buddypress Friend of a Friend (FOAF)
by quan_flo · Social
Also makes 4 other plugins · 250+ installs across the portfolio →
This plugin includes a new block inside each user profile page and includes a "Friend of a Friend (FOAF)" display.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
10+
≈18 estimated
Momentum
-33%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “buddy”, “buddypress” and “friends” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
47 health vs 58 average across 1,835 Social plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.1%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 17.6K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Social plugin keeps 0.5%, across 1,276 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Social plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 9+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.7.39, well behind 6.8.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 3647 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.7.39; the current branch is 6.8
4.7★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 4.19★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3647 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| foaf your tag | #3 | #1 | — |
| buddy your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| buddypress your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| friends your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| social your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “buddy”, “buddypress” and “friends” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 90 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,400 to #44,800, alongside the other plugins at 10+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
10.0y ago
latest release · v2.7 · 7 Nov 2016
18
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 20.
Install history since 10 Mar 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Anonymous10.6y ago
Hi, Unforunately your plugin destroys the BuddyBoss theme. See before http://www.screencast.com/t/j9k5DHFrGiv after http://www.screencast.com/t/rT0kwOZGQ
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ BitBuster11.4y ago
Good Work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ agunda11.6y ago
BEST BOY OF DAY! 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ BackpackersUnion11.8y ago
This plugin is ahead of its time! Other social networks use various methods to show users how they’re connected to others, but this plugin out performs them all by actually displaying how you’re are connected to each user. It reminds me of the concept of “6 degrees of separation”, but actually displays the degrees of separation and shows who the connecting members are to any particular user. Very very cool!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ capson12.2y ago
I agree with Kalmax. Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Randall Camacho12.4y ago
Original, intuitive and thoughtful plugin for a BP community !!! i love the additional short code feature. This is a keeper, therefore i hope the developer is devoted to it and keeps the plugin updated and does not just let it wither away like so many other plugins. i have high hopes for this plugin !!! Cheers !!! RC.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ solhuebner12.5y ago
Like the possibilities 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ww_hoax12.6y ago
a good social network plugin
Read on wp.org ↗
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 21 languages, 0 at 90% or more · development strings
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "This plugin includes a new block inside each user profile page and includes a "Friend of a Friend (FOAF)" d..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("The admin user is not shown up in “you may know” widget or site").
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions BuddyPress.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,783 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-07 20+ → 10+ down after 21 days in tier
- 2026-07-17 10+ → 20+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-07-15 20+ → 10+ down after 386 days in tier
- 2025-06-24 30+ → 20+ down after 212 days in tier
- 2024-11-24 40+ → 30+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2024-11-20 30+ → 40+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-11-19 40+ → 30+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2024-11-13 30+ → 40+ up after 2 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
- I Invite Anyone 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags C
-
BuddyPress Automatic Friends 200+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D -
Activity Link Preview For BuddyPress 100+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Metricool – Social media and site statistics 90K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Buddypress Friend of a Friend (FOAF) into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/buddypress-foaf" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Buddypress Friend of a Friend (FOAF) — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Buddypress Friend of a Friend (FOAF): 10+ active installs, 4.7★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/buddypress-foaf
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