WordPress Feature Idea: Add oEmbed Support to Comments

One of my favorite features in WordPress is the ability to easily embed content from services such as YouTube by copying and pasting the source URL into the post editor. The feature is called oEmbed and was added seven years ago to WordPress 2.9.

While content authors enjoy the luxury of easily embedding content, commenters do not. That’s because the WordPress comment form does not support oEmbed leaving readers to paste links instead. I think it’s time the WordPress comment section receives oEmbed support to pass along the ease of embedding content to readers.

Not only will it liven up comment sections across the web with the ability to go beyond text, but it makes it easier to maintain the conversation in one place. Instead of having to browse away from the conversation to watch a video, readers can watch it within the comment section.

One of the largest things to consider is how embedded content is displayed in nested comments, especially those that are three to four levels deep. This may not be an issue if the content and the site’s theme is responsive. Perhaps logic could be added so that URLs are used instead of embedding the content for comments that are three to four levels deep.

A cursory search of WordPress trac turns up zero results for tickets related to this idea. Before I create a ticket, I’d like to hear your thoughts, especially the drawbacks to adding oEmbed support to comments.