Creating a user login site in Wordpress

Question

I would like to create a site in Wordpress where users are able to log in, and by log in, I do not mean log into the wordpress admin panel. Login to a members area only part of the site. How would I go about this?

Is there a plugin for this or do I need to do this manually using custom php (and MySQL) inside wordpress?

I am asking because there has to be an easy way for this without having knowledge of php...

Answer 1

Several members area plugins exist for Word Press, both free and paid versions. You could try out http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/member-access/ which is a really simple and free solution. You could also try out BuddyPress for a complete social community overlay. Some other alternatives are reviewed here http://www.mytechopinion.com/2009/07/5-ways-add-membership-wordpress.html