---
title: "Assigning vs mentioning"
description: "Mentioning pulls someone's attention to a post. Assigning names them as responsible and keeps the post in their Assigned to me filter until it is cleared."
category: communication
section: notifications
type: Tutorial
lastUpdated: 2026-08-05
locale: en
canonical: https://support.talkspirit.com/en/communication/differences-between-assigning-and-mentioning
---

# Assigning vs mentioning


## Assigning vs mentioning

Mention someone when you want them to read something. Assign someone when you want them to do something: the post then stays in their **Assigned to me** filter until it is cleared, so there is a record of who is on the hook.

Both actions ring the recipient's bell straight away, and both can also send an email. The difference a reader feels is what happens next. A mention has done its job once it is read. An assignment stays visible until someone removes it.

## What each one sends

| | Mention | Assignment |
|---|---|---|
| Bell notification | Yes | Yes |
| Email | Yes, on by default | Yes, on by default |
| Leaves a trace afterwards | No | Yes, in **Assigned to me** |
| Works on a whole group | Yes, with `@all` | No, one person at a time |

Each member controls the email, not the bell. Go to **Profile and preferences**, open **Notifications**, and scroll to **Emails notifications.** Two switches matter here: *you are mentioned in a post or a comment*, and *you are assigned in a post*. Both are on for every new account.

![The Emails notifications section of Profile and preferences, showing switches for being mentioned in a post or a comment and for being assigned in a post](/images/communication/differences-between-assigning-and-mentioning/02-email-notification-settings.png)

A third switch, *someone mentions all group members in one of your groups*, covers `@all` on its own, so a member can keep individual mentions and silence group-wide ones.

Some organisations see a different **Notifications settings** screen in the same place, with **Mention** and **Assignation** switches that control the notification log instead of the email. If that is what your account shows, contact your administrator about the email settings.

## Mentioning

Type `@` in a post or a comment and pick a person, or use `@all` to reach every member of the group the post was sent to.

Two things regularly surprise people:

- **A mention only notifies when the post or comment is published.** Editing a post afterwards to add an `@` sends nothing. Write a comment instead.
- **Mentions are not searchable.** The newsfeed search has no filter for posts that mention you, so a mention is only worth as much as the moment it arrives.

Because a mention lives inside a post or a comment, you need the group's permission to publish or to comment before you can send one.

## Assigning

Assigning is open to anyone who can read the post, even without permission to publish or comment in that group.

Select the **+** button at the bottom right of the post, then choose **Assign users**. **Assign myself** puts you on the post in one click and becomes **Unassign myself** afterwards.

![A newsfeed post with the plus menu open, showing Labels, Assign users and Assign myself](/images/communication/differences-between-assigning-and-mentioning/01-assign-users-menu.png)

You can also assign while writing. The post options carry an **Assignments** tab, which lists everyone you have already mentioned in the draft under **Assign mentioned users**, so you can turn a mention into an assignment in one click.

Three rules apply:

- **You can only assign people who can already see the post.** The picker is limited to the post's recipients, and the server refuses an assignee who cannot read it.
- **You assign one person at a time.** There is no group assignment, and `@all` has no equivalent here.
- **Anyone who can read the post can remove an assignment**, including one that is not theirs. Treat the list as shared rather than as a personal inbox.

## Finding what you are assigned to

In the newsfeed or in a group, select the person icon in the header bar to narrow the feed to posts assigned to you. Select it again to clear the filter.

![The newsfeed header with the Assigned to me filter highlighted](/images/communication/differences-between-assigning-and-mentioning/03-assigned-to-me-filter.png)

The search bar does the same job with the `assignee:` term, which also accepts other people, so you can see what a colleague still has open.

When the work is done, open the **+** menu on the post and select **Unassign myself**. The post leaves your filter.

## Choosing between the two

Use a **mention** when the information is the point: a date, a figure, an announcement, or anything a colleague will want to know but does not have to act on.

Use an **assignment** when a named person has to act, when you need a record of who owns what, or when you want them to close the loop by unassigning themselves.

Doing both on the same post is harmless but pointless. If someone is already assigned to a post, mentioning them in it raises no second notification.

## What's Next?

- [Assigning users](/en/communication/assigning-users)
- [Mentioning a member or all group members](/en/communication/mentioning-a-memberall-group-members)
- [Notifications](/en/communication/receive-notifications-for-new-activities-on-the-platform)
- [Identifying who has seen a post](/en/communication/how-to-identify-whos-seen-a-post)