I think it might make HN a smaller place. Because the current design of the site puts so little emphasis on usernames, it is difficult to know if a comment I am

I think it might make HN a smaller place. Because the current design of the site puts so little emphasis on usernames, it is difficult to know if a comment I am reading is coming from someone I've read before. Just as in the real world there are some people who I listen to more carefully than others, I'd like to discover who those people are here. The current voting system shows us on a comment by comment basis what is liked most by the entire community of HN. I'd like to be able to see who I like on a person by person basis.