(re downvoting) There's no interaction.

The voting itself is interaction.

It's an expression that the post was so bad, it doesn't merit a reply.

Perhaps that is how you view downvotes. I do not. Usually when I downvote, I reply and tell what is wrong with the post (not saying anything about how I voted). UNLESS someone has already done so OR the post is just a stupid flame.

And you think that a reply is too subtle?

No, a reply is not subtle at all.

They really need a vote?

There is no question of *need* regarding XP or votes.

Just so you know, I didn't vote on your posts. But you do know what I think about them, don't you?

I can guess. You choose how you vote. I'm not saying any voting strategy is bad, as long as you vote for nodes, not people. You chose not to vote, I chose to vote. We both have our reasons for doing (or not doing) so. One of the reasons I vote for most replies is that I have plenty of votes to cast.