You should have added new log-in credentials to your previous account in order to retain your reputation. You do not gain reputation for asking a question unless it is marked up (which none of your questions on this account have been).

@Robotnik - Indeed I wasn't talking about the front page: this has only votes and answers, so certainly doesn't need complicating. I meant the search page, which currently shows the view count, and I contend that this is less useful to someone looking for an answer than the comment count.

Thanks for the feedback. I agree about the dangers of clutter, but in some ways the number of views could already be regarded as clutter, and personally I would find the comment count more useful. What, after all, is the value of knowing the number of views? Either the title is of interest to a reader, especially if there is an answer, or it isn't. The number of other people who find it interesting is largely irrelevant.

I agree that too many comments are unlikely to be useful, which is why the count would be such a benefit on the search results. Often comments are "Have you tried...?", which is not an answer, but may be very relevant to others viewing the question. I agree that the comment count should be in a different colour from the answer and view counts, though I don't see much advantage in colour-coding the size of the number.

@random - Fine. Will do.