Support/DiscussionForumRedesignPRD

Priority descriptions

• P1 = Must be implemented before launch
• P2 = Should be implemented before launch, or top priority after launch
• P3 = Significant benefit for users/contributors, but not needed for launch
• P4 = Nice to have, but not a significant benefit

Individual Question View

P1 Needs to have for launch:

• Rich text replies (WikiMedia markup)
• Replies shown chronologically.
• The whole forum needs to be easily expandable for many languages in the future (localizable strings, tracking (and storing) the language of posts)
• Metrics we need to store per user account:
  • Real name (Display name)
  • E-mail address
• Email notification system (see separate section in this PRD) so you can be notified whenever there's activity in threads you're in or threads you've me-too'd (with different, localizeable text templates for all types of responses)
• Simple post form: not a guided form.
  • James: It's simpler and more performant to have this on its own page, instead of inline as it is now.
• The compose box should have ability to add links, formatting, lists etc to solutions and if it needs markup to have a toolbar for it.
  • Use the same markup language as the future wiki for consistency
• Auto-linkification of URLs in all posts
• Ability to edit and delete your own posts.
• Moderator controls -- delete (move to a Spam forum?), edit other people's posts as well as editing thread titles and details
• Some way to report a post as needing moderation
  • Moderators should be able to search for (or list) reported posts. (Ideally, their forum "dashboard" would have a section for posts in need of moderation, but this is not a requirement for launch).
• HTTPS support for views that require logging in as well as form submission
• We should be able to have multiple discussion forums on the same DB instance (to handle things like mobile-only forums etc).
• We should be able to set different permissions/moderator groups for different forums. (So we can have the moderators for the mobile/German forum be different from the moderators for the main Contributor forum)
• You need to be registered to post. Some forums may require you to be in a certain user group to post.

P2: We should have these in the initial launch but they can slip to "top priorities after launch" if resources are limiting.

• Ability to upload (and view and moderate) attachments
• Rich text formatted notification emails
• Anchors on individual posts so they can be directly linked to
• Avatars for contributors (will help make the whole thing feel more personal and friendly)
• Thread statuses like LOCKED and STICKY
• Feeds per thread

P3: Future but important

• Track which threads you've seen before/since your last visit and indicate new stuff.

Thread List View -- Contributor perspective

• Shown to logged in contributors or people explicitly trying to help others.

P1:

• Listing of threads that show:
  • Title
  • First line (or few words) of the content (or a summary field)
  • Author
  • Date of last activity (and person who did this)
  • Icons to indicate locked/sticky status
  • Number of replies
• Ability to moderate threads from this view (delete, bulk move to different forum)
• Feeds per forum

P2:

• Sign up for email notifications per forum.
• Indicate if threads are new or have new activity since your last visit