[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #5270: Remove user profile history links to closed/moved/archived content

[Making WordPress.org]

#5270: Remove user profile history links to closed/moved/archived content
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 Reporter:  jonoaldersonwp  |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect          |      Status:  new
 Priority:  high            |   Milestone:
Component:  Profiles        |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  seo             |
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Description changed by jonoaldersonwp:

Old description:

> User profile pages, like https://profiles.wordpress.org/zebulan/, contain
> an 'Activity' feed. This contains links to posts/comments/replies on
> forum posts/threads.
>
> When those forum posts/threads are deleted, moved or archived, those
> links now inadvertently point to a URL which returns a 404 error.
>
> E.g., many links from the example profile above direct the user to
> https://wordpress.org/support/topic/i-can-see-the-big-picture-and-i-am-
> looking-forward-to-it/, which no longer exists (or is not publicly
> available).
>
> This is a significant UX and a SEO problem.
>
> To address this, when a forum post is made non-public, we should
> automatically un-link ''comment'' and ''topic'' links from Activity feeds
> when the respective post is made non-public. Alternatively, the Activity
> feed should check the status of the referenced post, and alter its
> behaviour accordingly.
>
> I suggest transforming the `<a>` to an `<s>` (and removing the href
> attribute), though we may wish to decorate this with a tooltip/similar
> for accessibility purposes.

New description:

 User profile pages, like https://profiles.wordpress.org/zebulan/, contain
 an 'Activity' feed. This contains links to posts/comments/replies on forum
 posts/threads.

 When those forum posts/threads are deleted, moved or archived, those links
 now inadvertently point to a URL which returns a 404 error.

 E.g., many links from the example profile above direct the user to
 https://wordpress.org/support/topic/i-can-see-the-big-picture-and-i-am-
 looking-forward-to-it/, which no longer exists (or is not publicly
 available).

 This is a significant UX and a SEO problem.

 To address this, when a forum post is made non-public, we should
 automatically un-link ''comment'' and ''topic'' links from Activity feeds
 when the respective post is made non-public. Alternatively, the Activity
 feed should check the status of the referenced post, and alter its
 behaviour accordingly.

 I suggest transforming the `<a>` to an `<s>` (and removing the href
 attribute), though we may wish to decorate this with a tooltip/similar for
 accessibility purposes.

 It's also worth considering that these links will need to be removed
 anywhere where this content is exposed; including in feeds. That might
 limit/affect the preferred solution.

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Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/5270#comment:1>
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