Like button
I think it would be handy to have a "like" button. Often I read a good article and wish I could praise the author but I don't really have a comment to make. Also, if I saw an article with many "likes" it might encourage me to read it. It would be a good way to weed out the best authors, ie the authors with the most likes could be trackable.
Thanks for the suggestions. We'll certainly keep them in mind when we think about future site development.