Joe Hayes {dot} Org

I’ve been running a few WPMUinstalls and use them in a myriad of ways. From generic blog hosting to doing personal and custom setups for things like multi-blog multi-author setups and even using them to host a network of domains as to help ease the maintenance required to maintain dozens (or hundreds) of Wordpress installs.

As with Wordpress, the Mu version uses the same plugin procedure albeit with some plugins written specifically for the multi-user platform. Some plugins just don’t play well with the database structure in Mu, and other plugins are specifically written for managing or adding features for a Mu environment. I utilize several plugins for this, all of which are either written by or available for download of WPMU.org

Some of the plugins I use, in no particular order, include:

• Domain Mapping – so that I can host my domains on just one WPMU install, much easier to maintain a bunch that way.
• Blog Activity – if you’re running a free/paid blog host. Great way to keep up with activity.
• First Comment – I find it beneficial to include a more helpful first comment. Things that are special to your host or information about a support forum, etc.
• Global Search – search across all your hosted blogs.
• Google Analytics – easy way for users to get thier blog’s stats. Pretty snazzy.

There are loads more, including those on the premium end of things. You’ve gotta pay for access, but the plugins and support are top notch. My membership is on/off there depending on what I’ve got going on. It’s worth it if hosting blogs on Mu is your thing (or if you want it to be). It’s also worthy to note that we’re also participating on the Countdown contest.