Suggestion - "Thanks" capability
 

I don't know if this forum software allows it, but I've seen some fora where users can thank a poster without posting a reply. The individual gets the positive feedback but threads don't end up running on and on with two word thank you posts. The system I've seen also keeps track of how many times a poster has been thanked, in how many threads, and how many thank you's a user has given to other people.