Resurrecting this thread!
This feature is highly valuable to all discourse users – and if implemented could become a huge selling point. Let me demonstrate why with my use case, which is very common.
My Use Case
Context
I work at https://nanouherman.com as the lead developer. We own a franchise, and franchisee’s are looking for a better way to communicate where emails don’t get buried / lost, and to easily reference other messages and pull other people in. I’m familiar with discourse, so I thought it would be a great idea.
Transition
Making the switch will be difficult, however. Other companies have their support systems, and not everyone can make the switch to forum accounts immediately. Having staged users for those who participate via their own support systems is immensely useful. We can also send messages out to those who are not yet on the forum by sending them a PM, making them into a staged user. We can then move these PMs into topics so that they are categorized, and everyone can see them.
Conclusion
This effectively allows us to fully integrate discourse into our existing communication, while adding the desired structure and benefits. Users can optionally join the forum, and those who already have a system can continue to use it. Almost all of our messages and emails can be moved onto discourse. It’s like a forum and ticketing system wrapped into one.
Generalization
Many more companies would use discourse if they could seamlessly interface it with their existing communication, and make it optional while still gaining the benefits. Transitioning all users at once is difficult without this.