diff --git a/EVENTS.txt b/EVENTS.txt
index c108606ce2..d3c2fb7bf6 100644
--- a/EVENTS.txt
+++ b/EVENTS.txt
@@ -748,3 +748,18 @@ EndDisfavorNotice: After saving a notice as a favorite
 - $profile: profile of the person faving (can be remote!)
 - $notice: notice being faved
 
+StartFindMentions: start finding mentions in a block of text
+- $sender: sender profile
+- $text: plain text version of the notice
+- &$mentions: mentions found so far. Array of arrays; each array
+  has 'mentioned' (array of mentioned profiles), 'url' (url to link as),
+  'title' (title of the link), 'position' (position of the text to
+  replace), 'text' (text to replace)
+
+EndFindMentions: end finding mentions in a block of text
+- $sender: sender profile
+- $text: plain text version of the notice
+- &$mentions: mentions found so far. Array of arrays; each array
+  has 'mentioned' (array of mentioned profiles), 'url' (url to link as),
+  'title' (title of the link), 'position' (position of the text to
+  replace), 'text' (text to replace)
diff --git a/classes/Notice.php b/classes/Notice.php
index 7e524cacd4..6f1ef81fc5 100644
--- a/classes/Notice.php
+++ b/classes/Notice.php
@@ -820,6 +820,7 @@ class Notice extends Memcached_DataObject
     /**
      * @return array of integer profile IDs
      */
+
     function saveReplies()
     {
         // Don't save reply data for repeats
@@ -828,76 +829,44 @@ class Notice extends Memcached_DataObject
             return array();
         }
 
-        // Alternative reply format
-        $tname = false;
-        if (preg_match('/^T ([A-Z0-9]{1,64}) /', $this->content, $match)) {
-            $tname = $match[1];
-        }
-        // extract all @messages
-        $cnt = preg_match_all('/(?:^|\s)@([a-z0-9]{1,64})/', $this->content, $match);
-
-        $names = array();
-
-        if ($cnt || $tname) {
-            // XXX: is there another way to make an array copy?
-            $names = ($tname) ? array_unique(array_merge(array(strtolower($tname)), $match[1])) : array_unique($match[1]);
-        }
-
         $sender = Profile::staticGet($this->profile_id);
 
+        $mentions = common_find_mentions($this->profile_id, $this->content);
+
         $replied = array();
 
         // store replied only for first @ (what user/notice what the reply directed,
         // we assume first @ is it)
 
-        for ($i=0; $i<count($names); $i++) {
-            $nickname = $names[$i];
-            $recipient = common_relative_profile($sender, $nickname, $this->created);
-            if (empty($recipient)) {
-                continue;
-            }
-            // Don't save replies from blocked profile to local user
-            $recipient_user = User::staticGet('id', $recipient->id);
-            if (!empty($recipient_user) && $recipient_user->hasBlocked($sender)) {
-                continue;
-            }
-            $reply = new Reply();
-            $reply->notice_id = $this->id;
-            $reply->profile_id = $recipient->id;
-            $id = $reply->insert();
-            if (!$id) {
-                $last_error = &PEAR::getStaticProperty('DB_DataObject','lastError');
-                common_log(LOG_ERR, 'DB error inserting reply: ' . $last_error->message);
-                common_server_error(sprintf(_('DB error inserting reply: %s'), $last_error->message));
-                return array();
-            } else {
-                $replied[$recipient->id] = 1;
-            }
-        }
+        foreach ($mentions as $mention) {
 
-        // Hash format replies, too
-        $cnt = preg_match_all('/(?:^|\s)@#([a-z0-9]{1,64})/', $this->content, $match);
-        if ($cnt) {
-            foreach ($match[1] as $tag) {
-                $tagged = Profile_tag::getTagged($sender->id, $tag);
-                foreach ($tagged as $t) {
-                    if (!$replied[$t->id]) {
-                        // Don't save replies from blocked profile to local user
-                        $t_user = User::staticGet('id', $t->id);
-                        if ($t_user && $t_user->hasBlocked($sender)) {
-                            continue;
-                        }
-                        $reply = new Reply();
-                        $reply->notice_id = $this->id;
-                        $reply->profile_id = $t->id;
-                        $id = $reply->insert();
-                        if (!$id) {
-                            common_log_db_error($reply, 'INSERT', __FILE__);
-                            return array();
-                        } else {
-                            $replied[$recipient->id] = 1;
-                        }
-                    }
+            foreach ($mention['mentioned'] as $mentioned) {
+
+                // skip if they're already covered
+
+                if (!empty($replied[$mentioned->id])) {
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                // Don't save replies from blocked profile to local user
+
+                $mentioned_user = User::staticGet('id', $mentioned->id);
+                if (!empty($mentioned_user) && $mentioned_user->hasBlocked($sender)) {
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                $reply = new Reply();
+
+                $reply->notice_id  = $this->id;
+                $reply->profile_id = $mentioned->id;
+
+                $id = $reply->insert();
+
+                if (!$id) {
+                    common_log_db_error($reply, 'INSERT', __FILE__);
+                    throw new ServerException("Couldn't save reply for {$this->id}, {$mentioned->id}");
+                } else {
+                    $replied[$mentioned->id] = 1;
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/lib/util.php b/lib/util.php
index ae812e8cf4..7fb2c6c4b0 100644
--- a/lib/util.php
+++ b/lib/util.php
@@ -426,13 +426,148 @@ function common_render_content($text, $notice)
 {
     $r = common_render_text($text);
     $id = $notice->profile_id;
-    $r = preg_replace('/(^|\s+)@(['.NICKNAME_FMT.']{1,64})/e', "'\\1@'.common_at_link($id, '\\2')", $r);
-    $r = preg_replace('/^T ([A-Z0-9]{1,64}) /e', "'T '.common_at_link($id, '\\1').' '", $r);
-    $r = preg_replace('/(^|[\s\.\,\:\;]+)@#([A-Za-z0-9]{1,64})/e', "'\\1@#'.common_at_hash_link($id, '\\2')", $r);
+    $r = common_linkify_mentions($id, $r);
     $r = preg_replace('/(^|[\s\.\,\:\;]+)!([A-Za-z0-9]{1,64})/e', "'\\1!'.common_group_link($id, '\\2')", $r);
     return $r;
 }
 
+function common_linkify_mentions($profile_id, $text)
+{
+    $mentions = common_find_mentions($profile_id, $text);
+
+    // We need to go through in reverse order by position,
+    // so our positions stay valid despite our fudging with the
+    // string!
+
+    $points = array();
+
+    foreach ($mentions as $mention)
+    {
+        $points[$mention['position']] = $mention;
+    }
+
+    krsort($points);
+
+    foreach ($points as $position => $mention) {
+
+        $linkText = common_linkify_mention($mention);
+
+        $text = substr_replace($text, $linkText, $position, mb_strlen($mention['text']));
+    }
+
+    return $text;
+}
+
+function common_linkify_mention($mention)
+{
+    $output = null;
+
+    if (Event::handle('StartLinkifyMention', array($mention, &$output))) {
+
+        $xs = new XMLStringer(false);
+
+        $attrs = array('href' => $mention['url'],
+                       'class' => 'url');
+
+        if (!empty($mention['title'])) {
+            $attrs['title'] = $mention['title'];
+        }
+
+        $xs->elementStart('span', 'vcard');
+        $xs->elementStart('a', $attrs);
+        $xs->element('span', 'fn nickname', $mention['text']);
+        $xs->elementEnd('a');
+        $xs->elementEnd('span');
+
+        $output = $xs->getString();
+
+        Event::handle('EndLinkifyMention', array($mention, &$output));
+    }
+
+    return $output;
+}
+
+function common_find_mentions($profile_id, $text)
+{
+    $mentions = array();
+
+    $sender = Profile::staticGet('id', $profile_id);
+
+    if (empty($sender)) {
+        return $mentions;
+    }
+
+    if (Event::handle('StartFindMentions', array($sender, $text, &$mentions))) {
+
+        preg_match_all('/^T ([A-Z0-9]{1,64}) /',
+                       $text,
+                       $tmatches,
+                       PREG_OFFSET_CAPTURE);
+
+        preg_match_all('/(?:^|\s+)@(['.NICKNAME_FMT.']{1,64})/',
+                       $text,
+                       $atmatches,
+                       PREG_OFFSET_CAPTURE);
+
+        $matches = array_merge($tmatches[1], $atmatches[1]);
+
+        foreach ($matches as $match) {
+
+            $nickname = common_canonical_nickname($match[0]);
+            $mentioned = common_relative_profile($sender, $nickname);
+
+            if (!empty($mentioned)) {
+
+                $user = User::staticGet('id', $mentioned->id);
+
+                if ($user) {
+                    $url = common_local_url('userbyid', array('id' => $user->id));
+                } else {
+                    $url = $mentioned->profileurl;
+                }
+
+                $mention = array('mentioned' => array($mentioned),
+                                 'text' => $match[0],
+                                 'position' => $match[1],
+                                 'url' => $url);
+
+                if (!empty($mentioned->fullname)) {
+                    $mention['title'] = $mentioned->fullname;
+                }
+
+                $mentions[] = $mention;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // @#tag => mention of all subscriptions tagged 'tag'
+
+        preg_match_all('/(?:^|[\s\.\,\:\;]+)@#([\pL\pN_\-\.]{1,64})/',
+                       $text,
+                       $hmatches,
+                       PREG_OFFSET_CAPTURE);
+
+        foreach ($hmatches[1] as $hmatch) {
+
+            $tag = common_canonical_tag($hmatch[0]);
+
+            $tagged = Profile_tag::getTagged($sender->id, $tag);
+
+            $url = common_local_url('subscriptions',
+                                    array('nickname' => $sender->nickname,
+                                          'tag' => $tag));
+
+            $mentions[] = array('mentioned' => $tagged,
+                                'text' => $hmatch[0],
+                                'position' => $hmatch[1],
+                                'url' => $url);
+        }
+
+        Event::handle('EndFindMentions', array($sender, $text, &$mentions));
+    }
+
+    return $mentions;
+}
+
 function common_render_text($text)
 {
     $r = htmlspecialchars($text);
@@ -663,37 +798,6 @@ function common_valid_profile_tag($str)
     return preg_match('/^[A-Za-z0-9_\-\.]{1,64}$/', $str);
 }
 
-function common_at_link($sender_id, $nickname)
-{
-    $sender = Profile::staticGet($sender_id);
-    if (!$sender) {
-        return $nickname;
-    }
-    $recipient = common_relative_profile($sender, common_canonical_nickname($nickname));
-    if ($recipient) {
-        $user = User::staticGet('id', $recipient->id);
-        if ($user) {
-            $url = common_local_url('userbyid', array('id' => $user->id));
-        } else {
-            $url = $recipient->profileurl;
-        }
-        $xs = new XMLStringer(false);
-        $attrs = array('href' => $url,
-                       'class' => 'url');
-        if (!empty($recipient->fullname)) {
-            $attrs['title'] = $recipient->fullname . ' (' . $recipient->nickname . ')';
-        }
-        $xs->elementStart('span', 'vcard');
-        $xs->elementStart('a', $attrs);
-        $xs->element('span', 'fn nickname', $nickname);
-        $xs->elementEnd('a');
-        $xs->elementEnd('span');
-        return $xs->getString();
-    } else {
-        return $nickname;
-    }
-}
-
 function common_group_link($sender_id, $nickname)
 {
     $sender = Profile::staticGet($sender_id);
@@ -716,29 +820,6 @@ function common_group_link($sender_id, $nickname)
     }
 }
 
-function common_at_hash_link($sender_id, $tag)
-{
-    $user = User::staticGet($sender_id);
-    if (!$user) {
-        return $tag;
-    }
-    $tagged = Profile_tag::getTagged($user->id, common_canonical_tag($tag));
-    if ($tagged) {
-        $url = common_local_url('subscriptions',
-                                array('nickname' => $user->nickname,
-                                      'tag' => $tag));
-        $xs = new XMLStringer();
-        $xs->elementStart('span', 'tag');
-        $xs->element('a', array('href' => $url,
-                                'rel' => $tag),
-                     $tag);
-        $xs->elementEnd('span');
-        return $xs->getString();
-    } else {
-        return $tag;
-    }
-}
-
 function common_relative_profile($sender, $nickname, $dt=null)
 {
     // Try to find profiles this profile is subscribed to that have this nickname