Google has announced new structured data for discussion forum and profile page structured data on Google Search, with new markup and also new Search Console reports. Also, with this change, Google updated the Q&A forum structured data.
Google said this markup works with “Google Search features that are designed to show first-person perspectives from social media platforms, forums, and other communities. Implementing this structured data will help ensure what Search shows in these features is as accurate and complete as possible.”
This seems related to the new personalized experience within Google Search, the hidden gems, the follower counts and discussion and forum features.
Profile Page (ProfilePage) Structured Data
The ProfilePage markup is designed for any site where creators, which Google says are either people or organizations, share first-hand perspectives. The markup allows Google Search to “better identify information about the creator, such as their name or social handle, profile photo, follower count, or the popularity of their content.” Other structured data features can use ProfilePage markup too, including, Article and Recipe structured data have authors, and there are often several authors present in discussion forum and Q&A page structured data.
Here is the visual example Google shared:
Here is the example I shared in the raw search results last week:
Here is the new Search Console report for Profile page structured data: