Bookmarks that follow you

A reading list is only useful if it is still there when you come back.

What You Can Do

Every post has a bookmark button next to the copy and share buttons. Press it and the post is saved. Press it again and it is removed.

As you scroll, the site also remembers how far down each post you have been. If you leave and come back, a small Pick up where you left off button takes you to that spot.

Both live on your profile page, in three tabs:

In lists across the site, a post you have started shows a small percentage, and one you have finished shows Read.

You Do Not Need an Account

Bookmarks work the moment you press the button, signed in or not. They are saved on your own device first. A visitor without an account sees their bookmarks on the profile page, with buttons to sign in or create an account.

If you do sign in, the bookmarks you saved while signed out are merged into your account, so nothing is lost by signing in late.

Why It Feels Instant

Everything is saved to your browser straight away and sent to the server a little later, in one small batch. That is why pressing the button never waits for the network, and why closing the tab cannot lose a bookmark. The post Save now, sync later explains how.

There is a small status line that tells you where your changes are: saved, saving, offline, or not saved.

What Is Kept, and What Is Not

Only the furthest point you reached in a post is stored, not a trail of every scroll. Reading progress and bookmarks are private to you. The database rules let only you read them, and not even the author account can.

A bookmark should be saved the moment you press it, and be there when you come back.