I'm missing why this tagging is so important to you; you get a /msg when someone replies, right? What about 2nd- and higher-level replies, you say? Aren't bookmarks and your memory enough? The rest of us unwashed get along fine. =)

There is much worse out there; you ever tried to track a conversation at fark.com? (No really, we have serious conversations on TotalFark. I assure you.)

P.S.: I'm a good samaritan, and I perpetuated the * for you. ;)