[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #7573: Please restore left border to new support theme

[Making WordPress.org]

#7573: Please restore left border to new support theme
----------------------------+---------------------
 Reporter:  sterndata       |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect (bug)    |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal          |   Milestone:
Component:  Support Forums  |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                  |
----------------------------+---------------------

Comment (by macmanx):

 I assume Steve is referring to the Slack thread:
 https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02RQC6RW/p1712846269876139?thread_ts=1712758047.356699&channel=C02RQC6RW&message_ts=1712846269.876139

 So, let me copy in my most recent reply:

 “I guess historically, a forum moderator’s role was to maintain the forum”

 That’s still the main purpose of the roll, and why we need those color
 borders as context clues when trying to scroll everything.

 “It seems now like we’re using the moderator role as the first and maybe
 last touch person for a topic.”

 We would very much like it not to be, but there seems to be a critical
 lack of support contributing volunteers, where a lot of the time, if we
 let threads sit, they just sit unanswered.

 Ideally, like the old days, there would be a huge amount of volunteers
 contributing alongside the mods, now pretty much the mods are a decent
 chunk of the remaining active support contributors, so we’re also
 contributing support.

 If that’s ever brought up on the forums, we’re pretty strict in pointing
 out that mods don’t always have all the answers all the time, and may not
 answer all threads.

 “Why do we need to be logged in and visually identifying as moderators to
 answer questions?”

 Well, short of saying, “That’s how it’s always been,” two things:

 1. We have a strict rule against having more than one account, and
 moderators are expected to follow that rule.
 2. When moderators reply with warnings or any such action, it is important
 that they are distinct from any random user, as moderator impersonation is
 why we added the badges in the first place.

 “For me, the answer to the question is more important than the role, and
 optimizing for an experience that prioritizes the current status and
 answer that is the resolution seems like a more end user-friendly
 approach.”

 We agree! Buried somewhere in meta trac, we have a years-old ticket for an
 “Accepted Answer” system similar to most other forums.

 __

 I want to be clear, the request for the color borders as context clues is
 two-fold:

 1. Absolutely necessary for the (ever decreasing) volunteer moderators to
 spend their (ever decreasing) time as efficiently as possible. Speaking
 only for myself, it now takes me twice as long to sweep All Replies.
 2. Probably handy for people getting plugin/theme support to separate the
 “signal” of the plugin/theme developers from the “noise” of everyone else
 piling on the thread.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/7573#comment:10>
Making WordPress.org <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/>
Making WordPress.org