I dont find any truth at all in this statement:
If you don't put in a comment your work never gets noticed

I am probably the worst commenter in this place. I used to go through the galleries every day and comment a lot, but with young children, i dont have much time to do so anymore. Yet the great people in this community still post comments to my work. I also used to thank people individually for their responses, but again, i dont have the time, and i dont like sending the same standard IM's to everyone, so i thank people generally under my images instead. At least that way they are aware that i still notice and appreciate each comment they leave.

I myself used to wonder about the Hot 20, and how some images made it in there when some spectacular ones are overlooked, but i shrugged it off as obviously some voters seeing something in the image that really appealed to them, but might not to me.
In any case it isnt something i worry over anyway. I post here to let people look at what ive been making, and also in the hope that maybe one of my images might brighten someones day. Not because i aim for the Hot 20, because frankly i dont give a stuff about it.
I enjoy it more if one of my fractals has really appealed to someone enough to leave a comment. We all enjoy looking at beautiful things, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, hence why some images may make it to the hot 20 that other people dont think deserve to be there.

I also disagree with your comment on the critique of an image ( in general, as i guess sometimes you get the odd person who doesnt like criticism). Ive had several suggestions to my own works on occasions, and at all times have found them to be extremely useful and helpful.

And why there is yet ANOTHER thread on this kind of thing i have no idea, but frankly, continually rehashing it is becoming a huge yawn-fest.