BuddyPress Private Messages for Followers Only
by r-a-y · Security
Also makes 9 other plugins · 420+ installs across the portfolio →
Allow members to send private messages only if the recipient is following them. Requires the BuddyPress Followers plugin.
Health
D 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
10+
≈15 estimated
Momentum
0%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “message”, “pm” and “private message” 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.
45 health vs 66 average across 1,823 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.2%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 6.1K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,081 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Removal-risk signals
51/100Maintenance 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 16+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- No tested-up-to version. The listing declares no "Tested up to" version.
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 5998 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
No "Tested up to" declared, treated as a major version behind
5.0★ over 1 review, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 5998 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.
32
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 14d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 14d
+0.3
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| buddypress your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| message your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| pm your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| private message your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 3 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “message”, “pm” and “private message” 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 · 1,492 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 59 · 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.
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
16.4y ago
latest release · v1.0 · 4 Jun 2010
1
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 4.1 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 18 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Henry Wright12.9y ago
Tested today. Plugin works flawlessly with WP 3.8 and BP 1.8.1
Read on wp.org ↗
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
7 of 8 pass · checked 5 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Allow members to send private messages only if the recipient is following them. Requires the BuddyPress Fol..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions BuddyPress, Twitter.
- ✓ Headings and lists 2 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,142 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "pm" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2022-10-04 30+ → 10+ down
Competes with
The plugins that show up in the same WordPress.org searches, most shared searches first, then plugins sharing two or more tags. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for BuddyPress Private Messages for Followers Only into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/buddypress-private-messages-for-followers-only" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="BuddyPress Private Messages for Followers Only — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> BuddyPress Private Messages for Followers Only: 10+ active installs, 5.0★ (1 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-05. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/buddypress-private-messages-for-followers-only
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