Using the Content Generation Spreadsheet

Master the BuddyActivity Google Spreadsheet to plan, schedule, and publish authentic community content with realistic engagement patterns.

The BuddyActivity spreadsheet is your content planning hub. It lets you configure groups, define member personas, schedule posts with comments and replies, and control how each piece of content behaves when it goes live. All data is read by the WordPress plugin from the ACTIVITY_LOG tab.

1

Get Your Copy of the BuddyActivity Spreadsheet

Start by creating your own copy of the official BuddyActivity template spreadsheet.

  1. 1.Open the BuddyActivity Template Spreadsheet (link provided in your purchase confirmation or plugin settings).
  2. 2.Click "File" → "Make a copy" from the menu.
  3. 3.Choose a descriptive name (e.g., "My Community - BuddyActivity").
  4. 4.Select the destination folder in your Google Drive.
  5. 5.Click "Make a copy".
Tip: All Apps Script functionality and custom menu items are automatically copied with the spreadsheet. You do not need to set up any scripts manually.
2

Authorize the BuddyActivity Script

Grant the necessary permissions for the spreadsheet to function properly.

  1. 1.In your copied spreadsheet, look for the "BuddyActivity" menu in the top navigation bar.
  2. 2.Click "BuddyActivity" → "Create Post" (or any menu item).
  3. 3.A Google authorization dialog will appear saying "Google hasn't verified this app".
  4. 4.Click "Advanced" at the bottom left.
  5. 5.Click "Go to BuddyActivity (unsafe)".
  6. 6.Review the requested permissions and check all boxes.
  7. 7.Click "Allow" to continue.
Info: Google displays this warning because the script is not published by a verified developer. Since you copied the spreadsheet to your own Google Drive, you are authorizing your own copy of the script — it is completely safe.
3

Configure Your Group Directory

Set up all the BuddyBoss groups where activity will be posted.

  1. 1.Navigate to the "GROUP_DIRECTORY" sheet tab.
  2. 2.For each group, find the Group ID from your WordPress admin dashboard.
  3. 3.Fill in the required columns for each group.

Column Definitions

Group ID — The numeric ID from BuddyPress/BuddyBoss (must match exactly).
Group Name — Descriptive name for your reference.
Description — Brief description of the group's purpose.
Active? — Set to TRUE to show in form dropdowns, FALSE to hide.

How to Find BuddyBoss Group IDs

  • •Go to your WordPress admin dashboard.
  • •Navigate to "BuddyBoss" → "Groups".
  • •Hover over a group name in the list.
  • •Look at the URL in your browser's status bar.
  • •The Group ID is the number after "gid=" in the URL.
Tip: Example entry: Group ID 1, Group Name "Tech Community", Description "Development and tools", Active? TRUE.
4

Set Up Your Member Directory

Create realistic member profiles that will author posts, comments, and replies.

  1. 1.Navigate to the "MEMBER_DIRECTORY" sheet tab.
  2. 2.Add each member who will participate in activity feed content.

Column Definitions

User ID — The WordPress User ID (find in Users → All Users, hover to see ID in URL).
Display Name — Member's display name for your reference.
Persona — Detailed personality description that defines writing style, tone, and behavior.
Example: "Enthusiastic early adopter. Short punchy sentences. Casual. Occasional emoji."
Groups — Comma-separated Group IDs where this member participates (e.g., 1,3,5).
Cmt Weight — Comment probability (0.0–1.0). Higher means more likely to comment.
Reply Weight — Reply probability (0.0–1.0). Higher means more likely to reply to comments.
Activity Score — Overall engagement level (0–100).
Active? — Set to TRUE to include in author selection.
Tip: Create diverse personas with different engagement levels. Mix highly active members (score 80–100) with occasional contributors (40–60) and lurkers (20–40) for realistic community dynamics.
5

Configure Simulation Settings

Define engagement types that control timing and behavior patterns for different post types.

  1. 1.Navigate to the "SIMULATION_CONFIG" sheet tab.
  2. 2.Review the pre-configured engagement types (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, SPIKE, DEAD, DEBATE).
  3. 3.Customize timing and behavior parameters to match your community's patterns.

Engagement Type Parameters

Min/Max Cmt Delay — Time range (minutes) before the first comment appears.
Min/Max Reply Delay — Time range (minutes) before replies appear.
Reply Probability — Likelihood (0.0–1.0) that a comment receives replies.
Cluster Probability — Chance (0.0–1.0) that comments/replies appear in quick succession.
Late Joiner Chance — Probability (0.0–1.0) of delayed participation hours later.
Prefer High Activity — YES biases author selection toward high-score members.
Weekend Adjust — YES modifies behavior patterns for weekend posts.
Tone Variation — LOW/MEDIUM/HIGH controls content style diversity.
Debate Threshold — Value (0.0–1.0) that triggers controversial discussion patterns.
LOW

Sparse, minimal engagement. Long delays between interactions.

Best for: Niche topics, technical documentation, off-peak content
MEDIUM

Standard community engagement with moderate activity.

Best for: Regular updates, announcements, general discussions
HIGH

Popular post with lively, active discussion threads.

Best for: Hot topics, trending content, community highlights
SPIKE

Viral content with maximum activity and rapid responses.

Best for: Major announcements, breaking news, controversial topics
DEAD

Near-zero engagement — post goes mostly unnoticed.

Best for: Test posts, archived content, expired information
DEBATE

Controversial topic with high reply chains and discussion.

Best for: Opinion pieces, polls, community decisions
Tip: Match engagement types to content topics. Use HIGH or SPIKE for major announcements, MEDIUM for regular updates, and LOW for technical deep-dives that naturally attract fewer but more thoughtful responses.
6

Create Activity Posts

Use the BuddyActivity menu to create scheduled posts with comments and replies.

  1. 1.Click "BuddyActivity" → "Create Post" in the spreadsheet menu.
  2. 2.A form dialog will appear. Fill in the fields described below.
  3. 3.Add comments and replies as needed using the "Add Comments" and "Add Replies" buttons.
  4. 4.Click "Submit" to save the activity to the Activity Log.

Post Creation Form Fields

Auto-Select Author & Time — Let the system choose based on member activity scores, or uncheck to set manually.
Group — Select from your active groups (populated from GROUP_DIRECTORY).
Engagement Type — Choose LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, SPIKE, DEAD, or DEBATE.
Scheduled Time — Format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS (e.g., 2026-03-15 14:30:00).
Author ID — WordPress User ID (if not auto-selected).
Image URL — Optional image URL to include with the post.
Post Content — The main activity post text.
Mark as Publish Ready — Check to immediately mark for publishing, or leave unchecked to review in Activity Log first.
Warning: The system will automatically generate a unique POST_ID for you. Never manually create duplicate POST_IDs — this will cause publishing errors.
7

Manage Your Activity Log

Review, edit, and control which posts are ready for publishing to WordPress.

  1. 1.Navigate to the "ACTIVITY_LOG" sheet tab.
  2. 2.All submitted posts appear here with complete details.
  3. 3.You can manually edit any field except POST_ID.
  4. 4.Set "Publish Ready" to TRUE for posts you want to send to WordPress.

Key Activity Log Columns

POST_ID — Unique identifier. Never edit or duplicate this value.
AUTHOR_ID — WordPress User ID who will appear as the post author.
GROUP_ID — BuddyBoss Group where this activity will appear.
SCHEDULED_TIME — When the post should be published.
POST_CONTENT — The main activity text.
PUBLISH_READY — Must be TRUE for the WordPress plugin to fetch this post.
ENGAGEMENT_TYPE — The simulation type applied to this post.
Danger: POST_ID uniqueness is critical. Duplicate POST_IDs will cause posts to overwrite each other or fail to publish. If you need to duplicate a post, manually increment the POST_ID value.
Tip: Use the Activity Log for batch editing. You can update scheduled times, change authors, or refine content directly in the sheet before marking posts as Publish Ready.
8

Sync to Activity Schedule

Keep your schedule view up-to-date with the latest activity data.

  1. 1.Click "BuddyActivity" → "Sync to Schedule" in the menu.
  2. 2.Navigate to the "ACTIVITY_SCHEDULE" sheet tab.
  3. 3.Review the synchronized schedule data.
Info: The sync function updates the ACTIVITY_SCHEDULE tab with data from ACTIVITY_LOG, organizing posts by date and time for easier planning and visualization. Run it after adding or editing multiple posts.
9

Monitor Your Dashboard

Track your content pipeline and upcoming activity at a glance.

  1. 1.Navigate to the "DASHBOARD" sheet tab.
  2. 2.Click "BuddyActivity" → "Refresh Dashboard" to update metrics.

Dashboard Metrics

Submitted (Not Published) — Posts in Activity Log with Publish Ready = FALSE.
Ready to Publish — Posts with Publish Ready = TRUE waiting to be fetched by WordPress.
Total Posts — Overall count of activity posts.
Total Comments — Aggregate count of all comments across posts.
Total Replies — Aggregate count of all replies to comments.
7-Day Schedule Timeline — Visual breakdown of upcoming posts by day.
Tip: Refresh the dashboard regularly to ensure you have enough "Ready to Publish" posts queued for the coming days.
10

Connect to the WordPress Plugin

Enable the BuddyActivity WordPress plugin to fetch and publish your scheduled content.

  1. 1.Ensure you have completed the Google Service Account setup.
  2. 2.Share your spreadsheet with your Google Service Account email.
  3. 3.In WordPress, configure the BuddyActivity plugin to point to your spreadsheet.
  4. 4.The plugin reads only from the ACTIVITY_LOG tab.
  5. 5.Posts with "Publish Ready" = TRUE will be fetched and published according to their scheduled time.
Warning: The WordPress plugin only processes rows in the ACTIVITY_LOG tab where "Publish Ready" is set to TRUE. All other tabs are for planning and organization only.
Info: The WordPress plugin checks your ACTIVITY_LOG periodically based on cron settings. When it finds posts marked "Publish Ready = TRUE" with scheduled times in the past or present, it creates the corresponding activity posts, comments, and replies on your BuddyBoss site.

Best Practices

Create Diverse Personas

  • Mix personality types: enthusiasts, skeptics, experts, lurkers
  • Vary writing styles: formal, casual, technical, conversational
  • Set realistic engagement weights based on member type
  • Include inactive members (Active? = FALSE) for rotation flexibility

Plan Content Strategically

  • Batch-create posts for the week ahead
  • Use different engagement types for content variety
  • Schedule high-engagement posts during peak hours
  • Leave posts at Publish Ready = FALSE until final review

Match Engagement to Content

  • Use SPIKE for major announcements and launches
  • Use HIGH for popular topics and trending discussions
  • Use MEDIUM for routine updates and general content
  • Use LOW for technical deep-dives and niche topics

Quality Control Workflow

  • Create posts with Publish Ready = FALSE initially
  • Review all content in Activity Log before publishing
  • Check for realistic timing and engagement patterns
  • Verify Author IDs and Group IDs are correct

Maintain Spreadsheet Health

  • Never edit POST_ID values manually
  • Keep backup copies of your spreadsheet regularly
  • Deactivate old groups/members instead of deleting
  • Use descriptive notes in the simulation config

Monitor and Adjust

  • Review dashboard metrics weekly
  • Adjust engagement types based on actual results
  • Refine member personas based on feedback
  • Refresh dashboard before each planning session

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Posts Not Appearing in WordPress

  • •Verify "Publish Ready" is set to TRUE in Activity Log.
  • •Check that the scheduled time is in the past or present.
  • •Confirm the spreadsheet is shared with the service account email.
  • •Verify the WordPress plugin cron is running properly.
  • •Check that Author ID and Group ID exist in WordPress.

Duplicate POST_ID Error

  • •Never manually edit POST_ID values.
  • •If duplicating a post, increment the POST_ID by 1.
  • •Use the "Create Post" form instead of copying rows.
  • •Check for accidental copy-paste that duplicated IDs.

Authorization Keeps Asking Again

  • •Make sure you clicked "Allow" on all permission requests.
  • •Try authorizing from an incognito/private browser window.
  • •Clear browser cache and cookies, then authorize again.
  • •Check that your Google account has access to the spreadsheet.

Groups or Members Not Showing in Form

  • •Verify Active? column is set to TRUE for the entry.
  • •Check that Group IDs and User IDs are numeric integers.
  • •Ensure no extra spaces or special characters in IDs.
  • •Try clicking "Refresh Dashboard" to reload data.

Comments/Replies Not Publishing Correctly

  • •Verify comment and reply data is properly formatted.
  • •Check that the parent POST_ID exists for comments.
  • •Ensure author IDs for comments/replies are valid.
  • •Review timing parameters in Simulation Config.

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