Introduction

Overview

The wp-private-comments plugin provides a streamlined way to manage discussion privacy on your WordPress site. By default, WordPress comments are public, allowing any visitor to view the conversation. This plugin transforms the comment section into a private communication channel by restricting comment visibility to specific roles involved in the discussion.

This tool is ideal for sites requiring confidential feedback, one-on-one coaching, or any environment where users should not be able to read each other's submissions.

Core Value Proposition

In many WordPress use cases—such as educational portals, membership sites, or customer support hubs—public discourse is not always desirable. wp-private-comments offers a "plug-and-play" solution to:

• Protect User Privacy: Ensure that sensitive information shared in comments remains between the user and the site staff.
• Encourage Candid Feedback: Users are more likely to share honest opinions or questions when they know their peers cannot see them.
• Reduce Moderation Overhead: Since comments are not public, the risk of "comment wars" or public spam is significantly mitigated.

Visibility Logic

Once activated, the plugin automatically filters the comment stream. Visibility is strictly limited to the following three parties:

1. Comment Author: The individual who wrote the comment.
2. Post Author: The user who created the post or page where the comment was left.
3. Administrators: Site managers with the highest level of permissions.

All other users, including logged-in subscribers and anonymous visitors, will find the comment section empty or populated only by their own previous entries.

Getting Started

The plugin requires zero configuration. Once installed and activated, the privacy rules are applied globally to all post types that support comments.

Example Usage

For a site owner, the experience remains unchanged. In the WordPress Admin Dashboard, comments appear as usual:

Dashboard > Comments
- [Comment by User A] - Visible to Admin & User A
- [Comment by User B] - Visible to Admin & User B

On the front-end, the restriction is handled automatically:

• User A logs in and sees only their own comments.
• User B logs in and sees only their own comments.
• A Guest visits the page and sees no comments at all.

For installation instructions and support, please refer to the subsequent sections of this documentation.