Also, most of the posts are repeats of the same questions and answers, with people either trying to validate them or just too lazy to read the forums. With a "+1" button, you can see how many people agree with a post.
There are three problems with a "following" and a "+1" button
1. There will be less posts and Dans stats won't be as impressive
2. It will become like milepoint.com, no new posts, no fun. Boring. It will take the schmoozing out of DDF.
3. I don't know if Dans forums platform offers it...