Why can't students @ mention each other in replies and then get notifications when they are @ mentioned on discussion boards? I want students to (a) not have to subscribe and get 80 notifications when they really need 4 and (b) be able to draw in multiple voices in their reply, so that they can have, you know, actual discussions. 

I see this as an "open for voting" concept in Ideas from 2018. This is now a critical priority for fall 2020 if/when all of our classroom discussions are based in Canvas. 

As I type this, I see this is quite literally an option on this forum, with "@ Mention" and "# Tag" in the top right toolbar...