Overview
Postnomic includes a built-in comment system with moderation capabilities. When moderation is enabled, comments must be approved by a blog editor or admin before they are visible to readers, giving you full control over the conversation on your blog.
Enabling Moderation
Comment moderation is configured per blog:
- Navigate to your blog's Settings → Comments
- Toggle Enable Moderation to on
- Save the settings
When moderation is enabled, all new comments enter a Pending state and remain invisible to public readers until approved.
Comment Statuses
Each comment has one of four statuses:
| Status | Visible to Public | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | No | Awaiting review by a moderator. Default status when moderation is enabled. |
| Approved | Yes | Reviewed and approved. Visible to all readers. |
| Rejected | No | Reviewed and rejected. Hidden from public view but retained in the system. |
| Spam | No | Flagged as spam. Hidden from public view. |
When moderation is disabled, new comments are automatically set to Approved and appear immediately.
The Moderation Queue
Access the moderation queue from your blog dashboard under Comments. The queue displays all pending comments with:
- Commenter name and email (if provided)
- Comment content
- The post the comment was left on
- Submission date and time
Moderating Comments
For each pending comment, you can:
- Approve — The comment becomes visible on the post
- Reject — The comment is hidden but retained for reference
- Mark as Spam — The comment is flagged as spam and hidden
You can also moderate comments in bulk by selecting multiple comments and applying an action.
Moderating Published Comments
Even after approval, you can change a comment's status at any time. If you discover a previously approved comment that violates your guidelines, you can reject it or mark it as spam from the comments list.
Threaded Comments
Postnomic supports threaded (nested) comments, allowing readers to reply directly to existing comments. The moderation rules apply equally to top-level comments and replies:
- When moderation is enabled, replies also enter the Pending state
- Approving a reply makes it visible as a nested comment under its parent
- Rejecting a parent comment does not automatically hide its replies (each comment is moderated independently)
Required Fields
In addition to moderation, you can control which fields commenters must provide. Configure required fields under Settings → Comments:
- Name — Commenters must enter their name
- Email — Commenters must provide an email address
- Phone — Commenters must provide a phone number
These requirements are enforced both in the Client SDK comment forms and at the API level. Requiring a name and email is recommended as a baseline spam deterrent.
Notifications
When new comments are submitted and moderation is enabled, blog admins and editors can check the moderation queue in the dashboard. The pending comment count is displayed on the Comments navigation item for quick visibility.