wpDiscuz Report and Flagging Addon

The list of report reasons is your rulebook

A reader sees a comment that bothers them and has nowhere to say so, so they stay quiet or write an angry reply. When a report button finally exists, another problem appears: which reasons do you offer them to pick from.

What is not on the list of report reasons cannot be reported clearly, so that list works as your community's rulebook even if you never wrote one. The person reporting picks a category and writes a message, and you read both before deciding.

wpDiscuz Report and Flagging adds a flag button to every wpDiscuz comment with two modes, flag only or flag and report. The categories can be created, edited and removed, and the moderation thresholds are set in the settings.

A flag button with two modes

• Flag button on all comments, in flag-only mode or flag-and-report mode.
• Pop-up report form: the reader picks the bad-comment category and writes a message.
• Your own categories: added, edited or deleted from the settings.
• Automatic moderation by flags and reports: based on how many a comment collects.
• Automatic moderation by down-votes: based on the votes against or dislikes it receives.
• Two actions at the maximum: the comment becomes unapproved or goes to the trash.
• Guests: you can allow or block them from flagging and reporting.
• Emails to the administrator when a report arrives, with the reader's message, and when a comment reaches the maximum; subject and content are editable.
• Phrases translatable one by one and three developer hooks, on flag, on down-vote and on report.

A use case: unapprove first and trash later

One possible combination: a low threshold with the unapprove action, so a heavily flagged comment leaves public view while you review it, and the trash only once you know which categories get the most reports. The numbers that work depend on your volume and your community.

1. Define the report categories that match your site's rules.
2. Choose the unapprove action for when the maximum is reached.
3. Read the emails and adjust the maximums or the action to the real pattern.

This is a suggested use; adjust it to your community.

Functions the add-on does not include

Among its functions there is no time-based moderation: it does not pull a comment because days pass without favorable votes.

• Among its functions there is no dashboard view with the number of reports and their messages; they arrive by email.
• If nobody checks the moderator's inbox, reports go unread.

How to get it running

It needs wpDiscuz installed and active, because it adds its function to that plugin's comments.

1. Install and activate wpDiscuz if you are not using it yet.
2. Upload the add-on and activate it.
3. Open wpDiscuz, Settings, the Addons tab, the Report and Flagging subtab.
4. Choose the button mode, decide whether guests can use it and create the categories.
5. Set the maximums of flags and votes, the action applied and the moderator email.

Alternatives for moderating comments

The comment system itself is wpDiscuz, which this add-on depends on. If your site uses another comment system, the catalog includes Thrive Comments.

Questions about reports and moderation

Can visitors without an account report?

Yes, if you allow it. There is a setting to let guests flag and report comments or not.

What happens when a comment reaches the maximum?

It becomes unapproved or goes to the trash, depending on the action you chose, and an email goes to the administrator.

Can I change the reasons the reader sees?

Yes. The bad-comment categories can be added, edited or removed.