Improve Clarity of Forum Spectator Notice for Company Accounts

[alimuzzamanalim]

Currently, company accounts that have been converted to the "forum spectator" role receive a simple "You cannot reply to this topic" message when attempting to post in the forums. This message does not adequately explain why the account is restricted or provide clear instructions on how to regain forum participation privileges.

This Trac ticket proposes to:

• Replace the generic "You cannot reply to this topic" message with a more informative notice.
• The new notice should clearly state that the account has been converted to a "forum spectator" role.
• It should explain the reason for this restriction (to maintain the forums as a community for individual support).
• It should provide clear, step-by-step instructions on how to create a new individual account and assign it the appropriate support role.
• Provide a direct link to the relevant developer documentation for further guidance: ​https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-org/using-the-forums/ and ​https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-org/special-user-roles-capabilities/

This change will improve the user experience for company accounts and reduce confusion by providing clear and actionable information.

Current Issue:

The current message "You cannot reply to this topic" is vague and does not explain the reason for the restriction.

Proposed Solution:

Replace the current "You cannot reply to this topic" message with the following notice:

Your brand or company account has been made a forum spectator role. 
To participate in the forums, please create a new individual WordPress.org account and 
assign it the appropriate support role.

See the documentation for details: [Link to a single, comprehensive documentation page]

This concise notice provides clear, actionable steps for affected users.

User Impact:

• Reduced confusion for company account users.
• Clearer instructions on how to regain forum participation.
• Improved understanding of the forum's purpose and policies.

Developer Impact:

• Relatively simple implementation.
• Long-term benefits of improved user experience.

Possible additions:

• If possible, include a mock up of the new notice as it would appear on the forums.

[alimuzzamanalim]

​https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02RQC6RW/p1740660188942509

I have seen mods reply in the slack again and again.

[Ipstenu]

I'm not sure if that's technically possible.

There isn't a flag for "Is a company account", it's just a role.

[dd32]

#7953 was marked as a duplicate.