Managing Post Comments

Administrators and authorized users can moderate comments submitted on posts within the Articles module. Comment moderation provides valuable community feedback through engagement while maintaining control over content quality. Comments can be published, edited, deleted, or marked as spam, with notification systems to support efficient moderation and meaningful community discussions.

Understanding Post Comment Moderation

Comment Moderation Workflow

Post comment management operates through two primary workflows depending on your Article Type configuration:

Moderated Comments (Approval Required)

• All user comments require approval before publication
• Moderators receive email notifications for each submitted comment
• Comments remain hidden until approved by authorized users
• Provides maximum control over community discussions

Auto-Published Comments (Post-Moderation)

• Comments publish immediately upon submission
• Moderators can review and moderate after publication
• Enables faster community interaction with post-publication oversight
• Suitable for trusted community environments

Integration with Article Types

Comment moderation settings are configured at the Article Type level and affect all posts within that Article Type. See Creating Article Types for detailed information on enabling comment functionality and moderation workflows.

Requirements

To manage and moderate post comments, users must have one of the following permissions:

• Administrator System Role: Complete comment moderation capabilities across all Article Types
• Post Author: Can moderate comments on posts they have created
• Publisher Access: Can moderate comments on posts within Article Types they have publisher permissions for

Comment Moderation Process

Accessing Comment Moderation

1. Navigate to the target post in the Articles module
2. Click to open the post in the Post Editor
3. Select the Comments tab to view all submitted comments

Comment Status Management

For Moderated Comments (Approval Required):

1. New comments appear with Submitted status in the Comments tab
2. Review comment content for appropriateness and relevance
3. Choose moderation action:
   • Published: Approve comment for public display
   • Spam: Hide comment and prevent public visibility
4. Comments remain hidden until explicitly approved

For Auto-Published Comments:

1. Comments appear with Published status immediately
2. Review published comments for quality and appropriateness
3. Change status to Spam to hide inappropriate content
4. Edit or delete comments as needed for community standards

Comment Management Actions

Available Actions for All Comment Types:

• View: Review complete comment content and user information
• Edit: Modify comment text while preserving attribution
• Delete: Permanently remove comment from the system
• Status Change: Toggle between Published and Spam status

Email Notification System

Notification Recipients

Configure email notifications for new comment submissions by setting recipients to:

User-Based Recipients:

• Post Owner: Original post creator receives notifications
• Post Author: Original post creator receives notifications
• Specific User: Designated user with Article Type access

Email-Based Recipients:

• Email Address: Send notifications to specific email addresses

Access-Based Recipients:

• All Users with Access: All users who have been granted access to view the Article Type through sharing permissions (users, roles, or groups) receive notifications

Notification Configuration

1. Navigate to Articles > Article Type > Settings
2. Locate the Comments pane
3. Configure notification recipients based on moderation workflow needs
4. Verify that Publishers and Owners are included when Comment Moderation is enabled

Important: Only users with Publisher or Owner permissions can approve comments when Comment Moderation is enabled, so ensure these roles are included in notification settings.

Email Notification Workflow

When Comment Moderation is Enabled:

1. User submits comment on post
2. Configured recipients receive email notification
3. Email includes links that direct users back to the portal for moderation actions
4. Publishers/Owners can moderate through the portal interface

When Comment Moderation is Disabled:

1. Comment publishes automatically
2. Notification email informs recipients of new published comment
3. Recipients can review and moderate through the Post Editor interface

Subscriber Configuration Integration

Notification behavior is determined by the subscriber tracking settings configured in the Article Type:

• Do not track Subscribers: No automatic subscription functionality
• All users who explicitly subscribe: Users must actively subscribe to receive notifications
• All users with access are considered as subscribers: Users with Article Type access automatically receive notifications based on sharing permissions

Best Practices

Moderation Strategy

Community Guidelines

• Establish clear community guidelines for acceptable comment content
• Communicate moderation standards to community members
• Apply moderation consistently across all posts and Article Types

Response Time Management

• Monitor comment moderation queues regularly when approval is required
• Establish reasonable response times for comment approval
• Consider impact of moderation delays on community engagement

Notification Management

Recipient Selection

• Include Post Authors in notifications to enable content owner moderation
• Ensure Publishers or Owners are notified when approval workflows are enabled
• Balance notification coverage with manageable workload for moderators
• Configure Article Type sharing permissions appropriately to control notification scope

Email Template Optimization

• Configure appropriate email templates for comment notifications
• Include sufficient context for effective moderation decisions
• Ensure notification emails provide clear links back to the portal for moderation actions

Community Engagement

Engagement Encouragement

• Respond to high-quality comments to encourage continued participation
• Recognize valuable community contributions through engagement
• Use comment moderation to foster meaningful discussions rather than restrict participation

Quality Maintenance

• Regular review of comment quality and community standards
• Adjust moderation approach based on community maturity and engagement patterns
• Provide feedback to community members about comment guidelines when appropriate

Post comment moderation provides essential tools for maintaining high-quality community discussions while enabling valuable feedback and engagement around your Article content.

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