A year ago, we decided we were not going to add an “Add recommendation” button to QUOTE.fm. Right now, we’re doing exactly that. What happened?

We presumed the only way to add an “Add recommendation” button would be by providing a free text form. Paste an URL, paste the respective quote and hit “Recommend”. The problem with that approach was that there’s nothing else like QUOTE.fm and a free text form would’ve engaged people to write whatever they want.

Every major social network endorses direct actions like this, with a place to write text into indicating some form of means of communication. This one isn’t, and justifiably so. The second problem would be the possibility to alter a quote, which could have negative effects for the site the quote is connected to.

Eventually, we came up with a better solution. Paste the URL of the story you’d like to recommend into the “Add recommendation” form above your timeline, wait a second, select the passage you want to quote, pick a topic, add a comment, done. Easy as pie.

Go lay your hands on it yourself, it’s right over at your timeline.