[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #40031: Consider Adding Web Annotations to WordPress

[WordPress Trac]

#40031: Consider Adding Web Annotations to WordPress
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 Reporter:  MikeSchinkel     |       Owner:
     Type:  feature request  |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal           |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Comments         |     Version:  trunk
 Severity:  normal           |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                   |     Focuses:  ui
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Comment (by jdgrimes):

 Replying to [comment:6 MikeSchinkel]:
 > Replying to [comment:2 jdgrimes]:
 > > ''"I'm rather new to annotations"''
 >
 > I only learned about them ~12 hours before you.  Before posting this
 ticket I read [https://www.w3.org/blog/news/archives/6156 the three
 recommendations] in full . I'd highly recommend if you or anyone else is
 interested in this ticket -- pro or con -- to read at least the
 [https://www.w3.org/TR/2017/REC-annotation-model-20170223/ data model
 spec] so you can come fully up to speed on what annotations are and what
 they are not.

 Thanks. I haven't read through the whole thing, but just glancing at the
 [https://www.w3.org/TR/2017/REC-annotation-model-20170223/#selectors
 section on selectors] was informative. (See below.)

 > > ''"But this sounds like basically adding support for an entirely
 separate class of content than WordPress is currently built for, mostly
 under-the-hood."''
 >
 > All we need is '''already''' in WordPress core as an ''existing'' class
 of content. We already have the tables needed in the standard WordPress
 database schema: `wp_comments` and `wp_commentmeta`.  Had this concept
 required new tables or even table modification it would have been a non-
 starter because of WordPress.com and so I would never have proposed it.

 I understand that it can fit into the same generic under-the-hook comment
 types. By "class of content", I was thinking more in terms of what that
 content means to the user, how it would be presented, etc. More like, the
 purpose and function of the content. Obviously, WordPress can handle most
 any class of content, but usually that is through plugins, not part of
 core. It just seems like a shift in WordPress's core purpose at present,
 if one that is in the general sentiment of its mission. On the other hand,
 perhaps it is not much different that the trackback support that is
 currently languishing in core.

 > > ''"Are we even talking about actual annotation management being
 provided through WordPress, or essentially just storage?"''
 >
 > I am not sure what you specifically mean by ''"actual annotation
 management"'' so I cannot yet answer.

 By this I meant letting the user edit their annotations, delete them, etc.


 > > ''"Honestly, although I like the idea of annotations, I'm not
 comfortable with the idea of decentralization if it completely ignores the
 wishes and copyrights of the publisher of the annotated content."''
 >

 I think I chose poor wording here, by "publisher" I was actually meaning
 "author". See below.

 > > ''"I'm not sure it would be entirely unjustified to say that this
 ticket is trying to turn WordPress into a glorified content-scraping and
 republishing engine."''

 My concern was that specifying the part of the content that an annotation
 relates to would be done primarily through saving a copy of that part of
 the content. After reading the selector spec, I realize that there are
 actually many other options for specifying this, and there's a
 [https://www.w3.org/TR/2017/REC-annotation-model-20170223/#text-quote-
 selector warning there against this particular "selector"]:

 >'''Note'''
 >If the content is under copyright or has other rights asserted on its
 use, then this method of selecting text is potentially dangerous. A user
 might select the entire text of the document to annotate, which would not
 be desirable to copy into the Annotation and share. For static texts with
 access and/or distribution restrictions, the use of the Text Position
 Selector is perhaps more appropriate.

 This is what I was concerned about, and what I was referring to by
 "content-scraping" (which is essentially what this selector method can
 work out to). As long as use of this selector method is
 minimized/restricted, my fears about copyright issues are allayed, and I
 am happy with the concept of annotations. (Well, maybe not ''entirely''
 happy, I still question the fundamental premise of some people's arguments
 in favor of some uses of annotations, but that is a rabbit hole that this
 ticket probably doesn't need to go down.)

--
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/40031#comment:11>
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