8 Managing Customer
Generated Content
This section describes how to manage the nopCommerce content generated
from the customers. It includes the following:
• Product Reviews, below
• News Comments, page 298
• Blog Comments, page 298
• Forums, page 298
Product Reviews
Reviews are displayed on the product details page. Customers can write
reviews for different products, as described in Ratings and Reviews on page
26. After a review has been written and approved by store owner, other
customers can define whether they were helpful or not by clicking Yes or No
in the public store.
By default, reviews must be approved by the store administrator before it
appears in the public store.
Note: However, this behavior can be overridden, meaning the store owner can decide that
reviews do not have to be approved by the administrator if required. From the
Administration Area select Settings > Catalog Settings from the Configuration menu,
and then uncheck the Product reviews must be approved option.
For further details on creating reviews, refer to page 26.
Managing Customer Generated Content 295
To manage product reviews:
1 From the Catalog menu, select Products > Product Reviews. The
Product Reviews window is displayed.
2 In the Created From and Created to fields, enter the date range for
your search. Alternatively, you can click on the dropdown calendar and
select the required date ranges. Use this option to search by date range.
3 In the Message field, enter the title or review text to search for.
4 Click Search to search by the selected criteria.
5 Select the Approved selected button to approve the selected review or
click the Disapprove selected button, if you do not want to approve the
review.
296 Managing Customer Generated Content
To edit the product review:
1 From the Catalog menu, select Products > Product Reviews. The
Product Reviews window is displayed.
2 Click Edit. The Edit product review window is displayed, as follows:
3 In the Product field, click the email link to display the Edit Product
details window and edit the details, as described on page 91.
4 In the Customer field, click the Edit link to display the Edit customer
details window and edit the details, as described on page 263.
5 The IP Address field displays the IP address of the customer that
added the review.
6 In the Title field, edit the title text.
7 In the Review Text field, edit the review text entered.
Managing Customer Generated Content 297
8 In the Rating field, view the customers rating displayed (cannot be
edited).
9 Check the Is approved checkbox to approve the review.
10 In the Create On field, view the date and time the review was created.
11 Click Save.
News Comments
The News Comments feature is used by the customers that want to comment
on certain news items in the nopCommerce store. For example, regarding the
features of the new release, and so on. For further details on how to add these
comments, refer to page 206.
Blog Comments
The News Comments feature is used by the customers that want to comment
on certain blog items in the nopCommerce store. For example, provide
feedback on a certain problem in or feature in nopCommerce and more. For
further details on how to add these blog comments, refer to page 209.
Forums
Forum content is managed from the pubic store by users who are forum
moderators. For further details on forums, forums settings and how to manage
them, refer to page, refer to page 211. Customers can only create posts and
reply to them after forums have been enabled by the store owner.
The store owner must enable the use of forums in the Administration area,
from the Configuration menu, by selecting Settings>Forum settings. After
selecting the Forums enabled checkbox in the Forums settings window. The
store must then create at least one forum group and one forum under the forum
group. After this is set the customer can then view and add new posts in the
forums window by clicking Forums menu in the public store. These posts and
topics that were added by the customers can be edited, moved and deleted only
by the store moderators, as described below.
Note: Only customers with the Forum moderators role can manage forum topics and
posts.
298 Managing Customer Generated Content
To edit forum topic and posts (moderators):
1 From the public store, click the Forums menu item.
2 The Forums window is displayed, as follows:
3 From the General area, double click on a forum group and then click
on the required topic to edit. The edit topic window is displayed, as
follows:
Managing Customer Generated Content 299
4 Edit the topic by selecting the required option, as follows (for store
moderator use only):
• Edit Post: Click to display the Edit post window, enabling the store
moderator to edit the text of the selected post, as required.
• Delete Post: Click to remove the post from the forum
• Edit Topic: Click to display the Edit topic window, enabling the store
moderator to edit the text of the selected topic, as required.
• Priority: From the Priority dropdown list, select the Normal, Announcement or Sticky priority.
• Options: Check the Watch topic checkbox to enable the customer to track topic posts.
• Delete Topic: Click to remove the topic from the forum.
• Move Topic: Click to move the topic to another forum. From the dropdown
list, select the forum that you want to move the topic to.
Using forums (customers):
1 From the public store, click the Forums menu item.
2 The Forums window is displayed, as follows:
300 Managing Customer Generated Content
3 (Optional) From the Search area, you can enter a keyword to search
for. The topics found will be displayed, as follows:
4 Check the Advanced search checkbox. The window is expanded, as
follows:
5 Define the search criteria using one or more of the following:
• From the Search in forum dropdown list, select the required forum to search
by.
• From the Search within dropdown list, select the required option, as
follows:
• Topic titles and post text • Topic title only
• Post Text only
• From the limit results to previous dropdown list, select the required option.
6 Click Search to display the products matching the search criteria.
Managing Customer Generated Content 301
7 Click on the topic to view it, as follows:
8 Reply to a post by clicking the Reply button. The New post window is
displayed, enabling you to create a new post.
9 Enter the required text and click Submit. The new post is displayed in
the forum.
10 (Optional) Customers can toggle the WatchTopic/Unwatch Topic
button to track posts.