Google has updated its help documentation with two key updates regarding discussion forums and site names.
1) Updating Discussion Forum Guidelines
Key Updates:
- SocialMediaPosting Markup: Now confirmed as supported. Only images or videos are allowed in comments without text.
- Purpose: To better reflect data ingestion processes and reduce noise in validation reports.
- Usage Guidance:
- Use SocialMediaPosting for sites resembling generic social media platforms.
- DiscussionForumPosting remains appropriate for most forums.
- Avoid duplicating or truncating text into a headline if there isn't a separate title for SocialMediaPosting.
Additional Notes:
- Specific instructions have been added to the comments section of required properties, emphasizing the appropriate use of SocialMediaPosting and DiscussionForumPosting based on the site's nature.
2) Resolving the Issue with Site Names and Internal Pages
What: The warning about the issue preventing new site names from propagating to internal pages has been removed.
Why: The issue has been resolved, but note that it takes time for Google to recrawl and process the new information, including internal pages.
