In Class 5 of Introduction to WordPress, we cover:

• Introduction to how to comment on WordPress.
• Overview of Comment Spam and introduction to Akismet WordPress Plugin.
• How to monitor, manage, and edit comments in WordPress.
• Introduction to creating a Comments Policy.
• Introduction to security and privacy concerns within WordPress.

Homework Assignment

• Profile updated and accurate, and display name set to be “human.”
• Write a blog post about one of your fellow student’s blog posts to create a trackback.
• Comment on blogs everywhere, especially fellow students. See if you can get them to come to your site and comment.
• Add a Comments Policy to your Policies.

Reading

• Comments
  • Enable and Disable Comments — Support — WordPress.com
  • Discussion Settings – Support – WordPress.com
  • 18+ Things You Can Do on the WordPress Comments Panel
  • How NOT to Comment on Comments
  • Editing Your Blog Comments
  • The Number One Flaw in WordPress: Comments – Exploring the history of comments in WordPress
  • Unraveling the Secrets of WordPress’ Comments.php File | Nettuts+
  • Does Your Blog Have A Comments Policy? | The Blog Herald
  • How we stop comment and trackback spam – Akismet
  • Offline Customers: Do You Make Room for Non-Bloggers To Comment? | Liz Strauss at Successful Blog
  • How to Drastically Improve Your WordPress Blog’s Comments | Webdesigner Depot
  • One Year Anniversary Review: Comments on Comments
  • One Year Anniversary Review: Comments on Comment Spam
  • The Debate Over Comments and Trackbacks
  • Does Your Blog Have A Comments Policy? | The Blog Herald
• User Roles and Responsibilities
  • Roles and Capabilities « WordPress Codex
  • User Roles — Support — WordPress.com
• Email Obfuscation Tools and Scripts – Lorelle Teaches on WordPress.com

The following are recommended reading assignments from the WordPress books in the 24×7 Book program. Please note the notes on book naming conventions and confusion in the class preparation post.

WordPress 24-Hour Trainer:

• Section 6 – Lesson 23 – Managing Comments

WordPress All-In-One for Dummies

• Book 3 – Chapter 5 – Dealing with Comments and Spam

Getting Started with WordPress: Design Your Own Blog or Website

• Part 2 – Chapter 6 – Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam: Understanding Spam and Security for WordPress