Author Dashboard and Analytics

Pro. This feature requires WB Member Blog Pro. The free plugin must be installed and active first. See the Pro index for every Pro module.

The Author Dashboard gives members a frontend interface to manage settings, view posting limits, track analytics, and manage scheduled posts—all without accessing wp-admin.

What You’ll Learn

Dashboard tabs and features Viewing post analytics Managing notification preferences Understanding limit usage

Enable Author Dashboard

Go to Member Blog → Features & Modules Toggle Author Dashboard to On Click Save Changes

Dashboard Tabs

TabContentsOverviewQuick stats: total posts, views, credits, limitsLimitsCurrent posting limits and usageNotificationsManage email and on-site notification preferencesAnalyticsPost performance charts and dataScheduledManage scheduled posts (if scheduling enabled)

Overview Tab

At-a-glance summary of the member’s activity:

StatDescriptionTotal PostsAll-time published postsTotal ViewsCombined views across all postsPost CreditsCurrent credit balance (if enabled)Posts This MonthCurrent period usage

Limits Tab

Shows the member’s current restriction status and usage:

Posts This Hour: 0 of 2 Posts Today: 1 of 5 Posts This Week: 3 of 10 Posts This Month: 8 of 30

Progress bars show usage percentage with color coding:

Green: Under 50% Yellow: 50-80% Red: Over 80%

If the user is exempt from limits, they see: “You are exempt from posting limits.”

Notifications Tab

Members control their notification preferences:

NotificationDefaultPost approvedOnPost rejectedOnCo-author invitationsOnScheduled post publishedOn

Changes save immediately via AJAX—no page reload needed.

Analytics Tab

Detailed post performance data and visualizations.

Enable Analytics

Configure in Member Blog → Author Dashboard:

SettingDefaultDescriptionEnable AnalyticsOffMaster toggleTrack Daily ViewsYesRecord daily view countsTrack Traffic SourceYesLog referrer informationShow ChartsYesDisplay Chart.js visualizationsData Retention0Days to keep data (0 = unlimited)

Analytics Metrics

MetricDescriptionTotal ViewsAll-time views across all postsViews Per PostIndividual post performanceTraffic SourcesWhere readers come fromTop PostsHighest performing contentExport DataDownload analytics as CSV

Charts

Interactive visualizations using Chart.js:

Line Chart: Views over time (daily trends) Bar Chart: Top posts comparison Pie Chart: Traffic source breakdown

Date Range Filter

Filter analytics by time period:

Last 7 days Last 30 days Last 90 days This year Custom date range

Post Performance Table

Detailed breakdown per post:

ColumnDataTitlePost title (linked)ViewsTotal viewsThis WeekViews in past 7 daysTop SourcePrimary traffic sourcePublishedPublication date

Sortable by any column for easy analysis.

Export Analytics

Set desired date range Click Export CSV File downloads with post titles, view counts, and traffic sources

Scheduled Tab

If Post Scheduling is enabled, this tab shows:

List of scheduled posts Scheduled date/time Time until publication Actions: Edit, Reschedule, Cancel, Publish Now

Shortcodes

Full Dashboard

[bp-member-blog-author-settings]

Displays the complete author dashboard with all tabs.

Analytics Only

[bp-member-blog-analytics user_id=“current” show_charts=“yes” show_table=“yes”]

Displays just the analytics section.

Dashboard Placement

Option 1: BuddyPress Profile Tab

Automatically appears in member profiles when enabled.

Option 2: Dedicated Page

Create new page “Author Dashboard” Add [bp-member-blog-author-settings] Publish Link in member menu

Option 3: Widget

Use shortcode in a widget for sidebar placement.

Performance Considerations

Analytics tracking adds some overhead:

FactorImpactView trackingSmall DB write per page viewTraffic sourceAdditional referrer lookupChart renderingClient-side JavaScript

Recommendations:

Enable only needed tracking features Set data retention to limit database size Consider caching for high-traffic sites Use object caching if available

Troubleshooting

IssueSolutionCharts not loadingCheck JavaScript console for errorsViews not trackingVerify analytics module is enabledExport emptyCheck date range has dataDashboard not showingVerify shortcode is correctWrong timezoneCheck Settings → General → Timezone