It is an idea that was toyed with a while ago. It is a great suggestion and looking at it, there is no reason why a thread cannot be manually created that the review links to in order to foster the further conversation about the review.
There are some things to think about however.
1. If we go the the forums route for anything review conversation related, would we want to disable comments on Wordpress altogether, to make sure we funnel all traffic to the forums ?
2. There is the question whether or not a review thread should be open to public of sign ups only. There are some advantages and disadvantages to both.
A. You allow guests to post
Advantage - You increase the likelihood of discussion and the possibility to convert a guest to a member
Disadvantage - You open the doors to spam.
B. You do not allow guests to post
Advantage - Unlikely to get spam
Disadvantage - Possibly deter viewers from commenting, as they do not want to sign up just to post one comment and there is no chance to turn a lurker into a member.
Personally, I am up for guest posting if it can be managed correctly as I think it is a great way to interact with the wider public and to convert lurkers into members after they see what is on offer at EHW. Happy to hear comments.
@iamjancoare you saying your hands are tied with respects to looking into the Table styles ? I can get you the access you need for delving into what you need to find out etc if that is what is holding you back.
Thanks,
E