My WordPress Comments Wishlist

WordPress's built-in commenting system, while a key feature, feels outdated. This wishlist outlines improvements to enhance user experience and functionality. These suggestions are offered as user feedback and design considerations, acknowledging the complexities of large-scale software changes.

User-Owned and Editable Comments

Currently, logged-in users lack direct ownership of their comments. This should change, allowing users to edit their posts, correcting typos and improving clarity. A timed editing window could even extend this functionality to non-registered users. This feature is similar to bbPress's topic and reply management, but missing from standard WordPress comments.

Social Authentication for Comments

Manual entry of name and email is cumbersome. Integrating social logins (like Disqus) would streamline the process, encouraging more participation. While Jetpack offers this, its iframe-based implementation limits design control. A native solution with greater customization is needed. The current narrow textarea comment box also needs a redesign.

HTML Tag Whitelist

The current system's strict handling of HTML tags frustrates users, even developers. While Markdown is an improvement (offered by Jetpack), a whitelist approach would provide a more intuitive and forgiving experience. Allowing specific safe tags (like <em></em> for italics) while escaping others would enhance usability.

Comment Preview

A comment preview function would allow users to review their input before submission, reducing errors and encouraging more thoughtful contributions.

Reply Email Notifications

Users should receive email notifications for replies to their comments. While Jetpack offers blog post subscription, a more refined system for comment replies, directly linked to the user's specific comment, is needed. This would increase engagement and foster conversation.

Contextual Reply Display

Email notifications and the admin/app comments area should display the parent comment for context. Currently, replies lack this crucial information. Simple inline expansion or a popup preview would greatly improve usability.

Improved Comment Email Design

WordPress's default comment emails need a visual overhaul. Basic HTML styling, cleaner links, and improved typography would significantly enhance their appearance.

Actionable Comment Email Links

"Delete" and "Spam" links in comment emails should directly perform those actions, eliminating the need for an extra click.

AJAX Functionality

Comment submission and actions should utilize AJAX, eliminating the need for full page refreshes and improving responsiveness. The existing JavaScript for comment replies demonstrates the feasibility of this improvement.

Expanded Comment Actions

Additional comment actions, such as upvoting, downvoting, reporting (spam/harmful), saving/pinning, would enrich user interaction and moderation capabilities. This could also lead to a comment quality scoring system, improving moderation and highlighting valuable contributors.

Comment Sorting Options

With a voting system, comment sorting options beyond chronological order (e.g., by votes) would be beneficial.

Front-End Comment Management

Users should be able to perform back-end comment actions (edit, delete, spam, update metadata) from the front-end interface.

Dedicated Comment Moderator Role

A dedicated role for comment moderators, distinct from site administrators, would empower trusted community members to manage comment threads effectively.

This wishlist aims to revitalize WordPress's commenting system, making it more user-friendly, engaging, and efficient.

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