Media Comments allow comments and likes to be added to audio, video and image files in Moodle Media Collections and theBox.
Further details about Media Comments and their use in Moodle Media collections are available on the Teaching Gateway.
Why are the comments I see for a particular media file not the same as other people's?
You only see the comments that you are meant to have access to.
This is based on the comment type:
- Course Comments can be seen by everyone in the course.
- Private Feedback comments can only be seen by the owner of the media and the person sending the feedback
- Personal Comments are only for your own use
- Public (World) Comments can be seen by anyone when the media item is shared in web sites, using embed codes
What types of media files can be commented on?
Audio, video and image files can be commented on. Documents uploaded to theBox can not be commented on.
What is the difference between General and Timeline Comments?
General Comments refer to the media file as a whole. Timeline Comments refer to a specific point in an audio or video file.
Can different types of comment be made?
Yes. There four types of comments:
- Course Comments - can be seen by all participants in a Moodle course.
- Private Feedback - can only be seen by the owner or owners of the video who is recieving the feedback from the person making the comment. The person making the comment will also be able to see their comment and the owner will be able to reply to them privately.
- Personal Comments - are private to the person making the comment. Personal comments are usually used to make private notes on an important file or highlight an important point in an audio or video file to assist revision.
- Public (World) Comments - are similar to Course Comments but will allow comments to be visible on any web site using embed codes. In Moodle, this type of comment is disabled by default and can only be enabled on General Collectionsnand are displayed via embed codes in wed sites.
The web site lists four types of comment so why can I only see three?
Course Comments, Private Feedback and Personal Comments are enabled by default. Public (World) Comments need to be enabled in the settings of the Media Collection. See section Controlling comments in Media Comments in the Moodle Media Collection Activity.
Public (World) Comments are similar to Course Comments but will allow comments to be visible when embed codes are used to display audio or video in internal or external web sites. This type of comment is disabled by default.
Why are the comments different for the same media file that I have put in 2 different courses?
Comments are designed to be visible only in the course that the comments were made in.
Public (World) Comments are similar to Course Comments but will allow comments to be visible when embed codes are used to display audio or video in internal or external web sites. This type of comment is disabled by default.
Why are the comments the same for a media file that I have put in 2 different courses? Or why are there comments in a media file for a new course?
Media Collections need to be added individually to each course to create a new comments instance. It is likely that the course has been rolled over, imported or backed up from a previous course and the link to the comments instance in the old course has been maintained.
It is recomended that when a new comments instance is required, the Media Collection should not be included in the backing up and restoring processes but instead added to the course separately.
See how to link a collection in theBox to your Moodle course.
What does the graph below the media window show?
The graph shows where timeline comments have been made. Grey markers below the centre line show Private Feedback Comments and all other comments appear as white markers above the centre line. A red vertical line indicates where the video playback is currently in relation to comments on the timeline.
Are the comments underneath Media galleries the same a Media Comments?
No. The comments that appear underneath Media galleries are a feature of Moodle Media Collections and are not conected to the Media Comments system. Media Comments are only attached to individual media files and not the gallery that they are located in.
Example of Moodle Media Collection gallery:
Can I download comments?
Yes. You can download comments as a .CSV spreadsheet file, that can be opened in Google sheets or Excel. Click the download button at the bottom left of the comments window 
Before you download the file, you can select which comments to download by using the filter options to the right of the download button 
Only visible comments are downloaded.
Why does the word DELETED appear in my comments window?
This signifies that a message that was previously visible has been deleted by the person who made the comment. As replies can be made to comments, the removal of a comment in a threaded conversation could cause confusion. By showing where a deleted message used to be, users will know why a comment does not seem to relate to the previous visible comment.
How do I suggest improvements to the system?
Staff can raise a Feature Request to have any requirements that they have identified to be considered for a future release.