I agree with Dave (and others I probably missed) -- applauding is another way of saying thanks, in addition of course to the words themselves.
Just in the relatively short time I've been here, I've seen some newcomers supposedly looking for help, but who wouldn't listen to a word of advice, and who had nothing good to say about avast. They're probably the only ones worth smiting -- but why bother? They probably won't stick around here anyway.
And just for the record, in my usual style I totally missed the "modify" choice in the poll and simply voted to keep the existing system. Can I use my head injury as an excuse?