@_Annika_ your idea to have us make @notifications actually work on the Forum was a good one, and we've now got such a system. I have to thank Dragooon of the SMF modding community for creating this complex modification. This functions very similarly to Facebook's mentions system. If you type
@Carl or any other member, you will cause a notification to be placed under Profile > Mentions that can draw that member's attention to the thread where you've asked them a question, mentioned them, or replied to them etc.
A couple of things to note:
Email notification of mentions doesn't seem to be working. Many of you would probably want to be notified. You can try going into Profile > Mentions and toggle the Email notification mentions off to on. It is on for all members by default, but might not work just yet. I've gotta figure out why that is. Those of you who never want them can just untick that box. This setting works dynamically and doesn't require you to click save unlike others on the site. Just tick it, and it'll change the setting for you.
This will help communication between members and was a solid idea. I am grateful to the mod maker, since this will help ensure less posts get missed.
I will not be able to fix any bugs related to this system, although the email is possible. The mod maker did go through a lot of revisions and improved it, so it should be stable.
Edit: Note that when you have been mentioned, a number will appear next to Profile in the main menu. This will alert you that there are mentions you have not yet seen. This system is excellent and a great addition to the Forum. I'm really happy with it