[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #7064: Reviews: Change from "forever editable" to "threaded"

[Making WordPress.org]

#7064: Reviews: Change from "forever editable" to "threaded"
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 Reporter:  mrfoxtalbot      |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  feature request  |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal           |   Milestone:
Component:  Support Forums   |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                   |
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Description changed by mrfoxtalbot:

Old description:

> This idea came up on the support table at WCEU Contributor Day (@igorel
> and others). I realize that this is a significant shift in the way
> reviews work but I think it is worth exploring.
>
> Currently, users posting reviews can edit their own plugin and theme
> reviews as many times as they want and there is no time limitation
> either. By allowing keeping reviews open FOREVER, we introduce lot of
> complexity and exceptions in they way they
> [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6094 are listed (#6094)] and in
> the way [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/2884 notifications are
> handled (#2884)]. This is made worse by the fact that anyone else can
> piggy back on other user's reviews, as they
> [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6865 often do (#6865)].
>
> The rationale behind leaving reviews always editable for authors is
> allowing them to update their review if they change their mind but it
> would be better if could preserve the old review and show it alongside
> the newer one. This was raised in
> [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/1181 #1181]
>
> There is a third element to take into account: edited reviews are
> [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6426 very hard for moderators to
> monitor (#6426)]. This forces us to choose between two evils: we either
> have to archive reviews from users whose intentions we feel a little bit
> unsure about OR we need to let them stay and run that risk that future
> less-than-ideal updates to their reviews will likely go under the
> moderatoration radar.
>
> To address all of the above. I would propose the following changes:
>
> - Only the author of the review, the author of the plugin, and moderators
> can can participate in a thread. Fixes
> [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6865 6865]. Non-participants
> looking at someone else's review will be directed to write a review of
> their own.
> - Reviews and replies are only editable during the 1h window (like any
> other forum post, which fixes
> [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/2884 2884] &
> [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6094 6094]).
> - Even though replies are not "editable forever", the thread itself DOES
> stay open forever for new replies. Fixes
> [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/3505 3505] and alleviates
> [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/5877 5877]
> - Review authors would be allowed to update their rating each time they
> add a new reply to the thread. A small "changed from X to Y stars" would
> be shown below each new comment, if applicable.
> - To accommodate larger plugins, we might need to fix
> [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/5635 5635]
>
> To wrap it up: we would give up the "flexibility" of having third actors
> participate in reviews (which we ask people not to do, anyway) and we
> would gain a review system that is easier to moderate, does not need to
> overwrite content, and that does not require so many workarounds and
> exceptions.

New description:

 This idea came up on the support table at WCEU Contributor Day (@igorel
 and others). I realize that this is a significant shift in the way reviews
 work but I think it is worth exploring.

 Currently, users posting reviews can edit their own plugin and theme
 reviews as many times as they want and there is no time limitation either.
 By allowing keeping reviews open FOREVER, we introduce lot of complexity
 and exceptions in they way they
 [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6094 are listed (#6094)] and in
 the way [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/2884 notifications are
 handled (#2884)]. This is made worse by the fact that anyone else can
 piggy back on other user's reviews, as they
 [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6865 often do (#6865)].

 The rationale behind leaving reviews always editable for authors is
 allowing them to update their review if they change their mind but it
 would be better if could preserve the old review and show it alongside the
 newer one. This was raised in [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/1181
 #1181]

 There is a third element to take into account: edited reviews are
 [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6426 very hard for moderators to
 monitor (#6426)]. This forces us to choose between two evils: we either
 have to archive reviews from users whose intentions we feel a little bit
 unsure about OR we need to let them stay and run that risk that future
 less-than-ideal updates to their reviews will likely go under the
 moderatoration radar.

 To address all of the above. I would propose the following changes:

 - Only the author of the review, the author of the plugin, and moderators
 can can participate in a thread. Fixes
 [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6865 6865]. Non-participants
 looking at someone else's review will be directed to write a review of
 their own.
 - Reviews and replies are only editable during the 1h window (like any
 other forum post, which fixes [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/2884
 2884] & [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6094 6094]).
 - Even though replies are not "editable forever", the thread itself DOES
 stay open forever for new replies. Fixes
 [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/3505 3505] and alleviates
 [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/5877 5877]
 - Review authors would be allowed to update their rating each time they
 add a new reply to the thread. A small "changed from X to Y stars" would
 be shown below each new comment, if applicable.
 - To accommodate larger themes, we might need to fix
 [https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/5635 5635]

 To wrap it up: we would give up the "flexibility" of having third actors
 participate in reviews (which we ask people not to do, anyway) and we
 would gain a review system that is easier to moderate, does not need to
 overwrite content, and that does not require so many workarounds and
 exceptions.

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-- 
Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/7064#comment:1>
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