Something else that this thread made me think of:
An indicator at the top of the page for any thread or resource that is watched. That indicator would we visible to the OP (and/or all others if configured that way) that indicates that the thread or resource has xx number of followers.
An additional staff option would allow viewing of a list of all members who have followed this post or resource and perhaps even a "last time visited" date next to each member name.
This would indicate to the OP, how many folks are interested in that particular thread or resource. The rest of information would give staff some insight on what makes a thread or resource more or less successful than others.