Rioter "Read" Function?

Hi Everyone,

EDIT: Hyrum Graff beat me to the punch :P http://community.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/site-feedback/kblfUReK-forum-suggestions-to-improve-riot-player-communications

I was thinking about what would happen if we the community had greater visibility on the things that Riot was working on, and this idea came to mind. So I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees a lot of cool stuff on the boards, and also a lot of cool stuff that doesn't have a Rioter comment on it. I'm confident from what I've been seeing since I joined the boards that if you post something, chances are that at least one Rioter will have seen it even if they don't comment on it (for example, a lot of "Post of the Day" content doesn't have a Rioter's feedback).

So, Idea, then Pro/Cons

The Idea is to have some sort of tag/icon on a thread/comment that basically says "A Rioter has visited this thread and read the content of the post". Or, instead of automating it, there's a sort of admin/Red function (a checkbox, really) that says the above, just so poor content doesn't get this recognition simply because a Red was moderating it (essentially it's like an uber upvote from someone upstairs).

#Pros:

• Rioters are very busy. They simply don't have time to go through and give a meaningful reply to everything on the boards. Moreover, a lot of times, they don't want to respond, even if they think the discussion is meaningful, because they don't have anything to contribute/would rather see the discussion continue without their explicit involvement. This button could serve as a "Keep up the good work" function for the community.
• This could increase visibility on what Riot is working on/considering working on. At least, this could be a "Hey, we saw your idea, we think it's pretty cool, and will probably bring it up in a meeting at some point". I saw some comments from IronStylus re: his huge skin concepts thread that were along these lines (ie. "Was discussing [insert skin idea] at the water cooler with [insert Rioter]")
• It'd be cool to see if/how community input makes it into game. I felt like I was one of the few people suggesting the removal of LeBlanc's silence as a nerf (my [limited, ~20 games I'd say] experience playing LeBlanc suggested that she didn't really need it, since her combo is so quick), though I'm not sure if that comment had any influence on Riot's decision to remove her silence, since I don't think that comment got any feedback (from anyone, really, Riot or otherwise). Not saying I think I deserve credit or anything, since, again, I don't know if I had any influence on it, but it'd be cool to see "Hey, too busy to comment on this idea since I'm busy working on it" or even just "Good idea, we're considering it".

#Cons

• Increased expectations. Clearly, "Riot has seen this thread" =/= "This will be coming next update", but I don't think it's uncommon to get hopeful when you see a Rioter comment on a thread; if this feature is implemented then there is more visibility on Rioter activity (presumably), probably increasing the number of ideas that people think may be coming but won't, at least anytime soon.
• Ambiguity of response. Not only would you not know who saw your idea (ie. someone from the balance team thinks your skin idea is cool. Probably won't make it into the game, since they're not working in that area, but it's cool), but there is a lack of clarity in why the post was marked. Did they lol? Are they putting this in the game? Does Riot secretly want to hire you? Who knows...
• Expectations of being marked. I see a lot of "@[Rioter]" threads, some of them have really cool ideas, others are just "QQ nerf Irelia plz". Currently, Rioters can feel free to read threads and leave them be, but now people may expect their post to be marked, especially if they're directed at a Rioter.
• Marking will be meaningless. I have a sneaking suspicion that pretty much every thread is seen by a Rioter, even if just for moderation purposes or something. If every post is marked, what's the point? Or, how many cases will there be where a Rioter will want to mark a post and not just comment "Cool idea!".
• Decrease Rioter interaction. This gives a new, more passive option to acknowledging a post. I appreciate when a Rioter takes the time to post a response, even if it's just "Lol", this could cut down on responses, maybe offer more visibility on Rioter activity, but reduce the meaning of that interaction.

What do you guys think?