[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #43473: Add default text for a privacy policy

[WordPress Trac]

#43473: Add default text for a privacy policy
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 Reporter:  azaozz                             |       Owner:  idea15
     Type:  enhancement                        |      Status:  assigned
 Priority:  normal                             |   Milestone:  4.9.6
Component:  General                            |     Version:
 Severity:  normal                             |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  gdpr 2nd-opinion has-patch commit  |     Focuses:
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Comment (by azaozz):

 Replying to [comment:51 melchoyce]:
 > **Inline Notices**
 >
 > Display the help text in our regular WordPress info notices. You can X
 out of them, but ether way they won’t be rendered in your page, just
 within the editor block. It uses standard WordPress styles and is
 attention-grabbing, but takes up a lot of space within the editor.

 So basically we will use the template with inline help/info but remove
 that help on saving the page? That was my first idea too but the problem
 is that when the user saves a draft, the help texts will be removed.

 Also, if we remove the help content from the template shown in the
 postbox, the users will not be able to see that text at all after the
 policy is saved. It will just disappear.

 > **Link to Guide**
 >
 > Alternately, we could write either a post or a handbook entry guiding
 folks through filling out their Privacy Policy page, and then link to it
 at the bottom of the policy metabox. This keeps your admin/editor from
 getting overwhelming, and allows for additional expansion later on if we
 decide to write more about privacy policies. This would be my top
 recommendation.

 Yeah, we will need to link to some external resources on wordpress.org in
 any case. One problem with this is that very few users will actually go to
 check that out. Another problem is that following a guide that keeps
 changing every few days is pretty tedious. We can have "extended
 references" as external link, but think that'd be pretty bad as the main
 source of help.

 If we go with this we will be inserting mostly a "bare skeleton" of
 section and subsection headings. Since the subject matter is pretty new or
 unknown for most users they will be really lost :) I agree, this may
 "persuade" them to look for additional help, but since the `WordPress`
 suggested text is usually folded in the postbox, it's not going to be
 easy.

 We can add it at the top and not fold it, but then texts added by plugins
 will always be under the fold and hard to find...

 > Regardless of which solution we pick, we shouldn't show the help text
 within the policy metabox — it takes up a lot of room in a space that's
 already quite cramped,

 Yeah, I understand. The help text is indeed quite long, and there's no way
 we can shorten it.

 Having to use another browser tab/page seems worse? Trying to follow
 instructions on one page and write on another is super inconvenient; need
 to be switching between the two pages all the time, very easy to loose
 context, etc. Ideally the screen should be split horizontally with the
 instructions in one half and the editor in another. That's what I was
 trying to achieve by adding the postbox.

 > it's unclear that the help text isn't a part of your policy itself.

 Hm, the content is pretty different. Perhaps we can change the styling
 even more to enhance that difference (if we keep that)?

 I've been wondering for a while which is the "lesser inconvenience" when
 displaying the privacy policy help text. The current way adds a "plain
 text template" where the help is inline and the user needs to delete it
 while editing. This seems the simplest way. It may not be super intuitive
 but describing what to do at the top will help.

 Alternatively we can do the second options above, but instead of having an
 external link to the help, we can add it in the postbox. That way it will
 be "front and center" when the users visits the edit policy page, and they
 will be able to see the help and use the editor at the same time. To do
 that thinking we can replace the current `We suggest reviewing this text
 then copying and pasting it into your privacy policy page...` text with
 the full help text and make it foldable.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/43473#comment:56>
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