This really a really useful feature for serious discourse.
Highlighting a really verbose post with interesting points is essential for some forums.
I want to run a writer’s forum where we collaborate and discuss our work.
Many of us are writers on Medium and are used to their excellent tool.
Where the widespread use of highlighting is a massive indication of its usefulness.
Highlighting creates a social interaction. Notifications are sent. It’s one of the most common interactions on Medium. It creates contact between new users … possible friendships, collaborations. It’s a very social way of liking but liking in particular.
If clicking the heart is liking without writing, this is more of an unwritten “Hell Yeah” and is far more rewarding and satisfying to receive.
It creates links in profiles, email digests. So highlighting makes people read new posts. Creating a large amount of discourse.
If I arrive at a post someone I follow has previously visited, I see their highlight and name. I pay particular attention to that part. I click the same highlight to agree. You get to spot like minded people to read, see what they are reading etc. It’s impact on encouraging reading and use of Medium is vital.
People just highlight one line in a poem because it’s beautiful.
This equates to any line in any post that is the most salient. It helps reading and comprehension.
Massive for internal business users of Discourse. Teams collaborating using Discourse. Universities, schools … endless just endless usage.
I’m sorry to see you are so against this.
But It can be seen working well in another fairly similar situation. So perhaps not the massive leap in the dark it could have been?
If you are ever going to give something a serious rethink can I suggest this is it.
I’ve used both Discourse and Medium this will work and everyone will use it and love it.