I am surprised at how many people, like me, who select text to highlight what they are reading. Some reasons include tracking your reading position, increasing text contrast, or as an "intra-page" bookmark. If these are common actions, perhaps browsers (or add-ons) can provide purpose-built features for these functions.
Poll: Do you select text while reading?
1–10 of 366 posts
Re: Poll: Do you select text while reading?
#2To be honest, never really thought about why I select the text before.
Re: Poll: Do you select text while reading?
#3Sometimes I select text for my own internal emphasis. If I see something important I select it as a way to reinforce its importance to myself.
Re: Poll: Do you select text while reading?
#4Interesting! I've never heard of this or even seen anyone do it.
Re: Poll: Do you select text while reading?
#5I've always considered myself a slow reader. I feel that highlighting words/sentences on a web page helps me read quicker (for whatever reason).
Re: Poll: Do you select text while reading?
#6Didn't answer, I'd like to choose "Yes, all of the above"
Re: Poll: Do you select text while reading?
#7I select text compulsively while reading. I just double-click whatever paragraph I'm on to make it stand out from the rest of the text, and then just kind of keep clicking. Why? I have no idea, really. Just an odd habit!
Re: Poll: Do you select text while reading?
#8For a long time the New York Times had a javascript thing that would pop up a dictionary reference for anything you double clicked on. As someone who compulsively doubleclicks to highlight and unhighlight, it bugged the hell out of me.
Re: Poll: Do you select text while reading?
#9I just spastically double-click words all over the page while I'm reading. No real rhyme or reason to it, it doesn't help me read or anything. It's mostly just an unconscious tick.
Re: Poll: Do you select text while reading?
#10I don't do it when I'm using a trackpad, but I do when I'm using a mouse.
Interesting.