True, that is a way to do it, but that is a lot of extra steps.
1. You'd have to add every single thread you posted in to your watch lists. (A lot of extra clicking if you participate in a lot of threads.)
2. If you receive emails for your watched threads, you may not want all those emails.
The feature I'm talking about is a simple link at the top of the forum. Much like "Active Topics," it's a handy way to keep up with things.
If any of the Mindraven guys want to see a specific example, feel free to PM me.