Personally, I think it is appropriate to acknowledge that a post has been read by hitting the "Thanks" button. On the other hand, if I don't want to encourage a poster to continue on in like manner, I leave it alone. Too bad there's not an "I hate this post" button. I think SR had to make a choice on how many buttons to include at the bottom of each post. If you think that "Thanks" means "I agree" or is anything other than a heads up, I think you would be wrong.
FT