Managing website comments

Enabling comments for your site visitors

Like all site plugin, comment settings are inherited by all content from their parent. If comments are enabled for the site, by default they’ll be enabled automatically for all site add-ons, categories and items. Enabling them for a single add-on only won’t affect the settings for other add-ons, only the categories and items in that add-on.

To fine-tune the comment plugin settings applied to the site, an add-on or a category, edit the settings for the add-ons, categories or elements for which you want to disable comments.

Visitor comments are one of the site plugins enabled from the site manager, and like other site plugins, you can choose where to enable comments on your website:

1. for all site content: from the Settings > Global settings > Site info menu of the site manager
2. for all items in a content add-on (like blog posts, or site pages): from the plugin settings for that add-on, under its Options tab (for example, from the Pages > Options, or Add-ons > Blog > Options menus)
3. for all items in a category of an add-on: from the plugin settings at the bottom of the editor of that category
4. for a single item of site content: from the plugin settings at the bottom of the editor of that item

Set up automatic moderating options for visitor comments

As the site webmaster, you can choose whether to allow visitor comments to be published as soon as they’re posted, or whether you’d prefer to approve them for publication manually.

To define how visitor comments should be managed automatically when they’re posted, head to the Settings > Global settings > Moderating menu of the site manager, and choose whether to moderate messages:

1. Before they are published: once a visitor publishes a comment, it will be accessible only in your site manager, from where you can review and publish or delete it
2. After they are published: visitor comments will be published on your website as soon as they are posted by site visitors. You can review, edit and unpublish or delete them at any time, from the site manager

Managing comments

On the site dashboard, and on the dashboard of each content add-on, you’ll find a link of the latest comments added to your website. To access the full list of comments for each content add-on, use the Comments tab of the add-on (for example, access page comments from the Pages > Comments menu).

When placing the mouse pointer over a comment, a list of clickable options for that comment will appear. Here are the different actions you can perform for each comment:

1. Reply: your comment will be published on the same page of your site as the visitor comment to which you’re replying. Replying to a comment from the site manager enables you to post your reply without having to provide your name, email or other information (it will be filled in automatically using your account details)
2. Edit: to correct spelling errors or remove sections of text
3. Delete: to permanently delete the comment from the site manager and your website
4. Publish or Unpublish: to display the comment on your website, or to remove it temporarily
5. Tag a comment as Spam: remove the comment from your site (if it’s published), and move it to the “Spam” list from where it will be automatically deleted after 30 days Move your mouse cursor over a comment to access the options for that comment.

Handling spam

Spam simply means an unwanted, unsolicited message left on your site, usually designed to create links to other sites. Whether spam is left by real visitors, or by automated systems (spam “bots”), you can easily treat spam from the site manager.

1. Spam filters: under the Settings > Global settings > Spam filter menu, you’ll find a range of different tools for managing spam, each filter is applied to every message posted on your website by visitors. Combine as many different filters as possible to keep spam to a minimum.
2. Spam buttons: when managing a comment in a content add-on's Comments menu, use the Spam button to automatically move all comments posted from the same IP address to the spam list, unpublish them, and to add the IP address used to post the comment to your spam filter block list.

Displaying recent comments on your website

Site widgets enable you to display different kinds of content on your site, in pages or menus.To display the latest comments in a page:

1. edit the page and add a content block
2. enable the Comments > Latest comments widget from the “Other widget” category
3. choose the number of comments to display
4. save your changes

To display comments in a side menu:

1. add a widget to the menu from Settings > Menus
2. choosing the Comments > Latest comments widget
3. define the number of comments you’d like to display in the menu
4. save your changes

Prevent new comments from being posted

There are times when you’ll want to leave existing comments on an item of site content while preventing new comments from being posted.

To stop new comments from being posted:

1. edit the plugin settings for that item (category, add-on, or the site)
2. check the “Disallow new comments” box
3. save your changes

Setting the number of comments to display on each page

There are times when you’ll want to leave existing comments on an item of site content while preventing new comments from being posted.

To stop new comments from being added:

1. edit the plugin settings for that item (category, add-on, or the site)
2. check the “Disallow new comments” box
3. save your changes

Changing the display order for comments

When accessing a page on your website that has been commented by site visitors, a pre-set number of comments will be displayed. Any additional comments will be masked by default – to view them, visitors will click a link (“Show more comments”) at the bottom of the list of comments.

To define the number of comments to be displayed by default:

1. access the Comments plugin settings for the item, category, add-on or site
2. choose the number of comments to display
3. save your changes

Restricting comments to site members only

Comments can either be displayed from oldest to newest, or from newest to oldest.

To define the display order for comments:

1. access the Comments plugin settings for the item, category, add-on or site
2. choose the comment display order
3. save your changes