I think most people are unaware of the huge base of information that's on this site. If a thread has not been posted to recently, it won't come up as an active thread, but it doesn't disappear. If you set your preferences to show posts made in the last 10 days, you will miss something was last posted a month ago, but it may be exactly what you're lookng for.

This is where the Search link at the top of the page is useful. Choosing a keyword will generate links to all of the posts that contain that word. The search can be refined by specifying a particular part of the froum, and/or a specific username. For example, we now have a very good discussion of 'Perfect Pitch' that will disappear from the Active Threads list, but its still going to be there in October, when someone wants to talk about "this thing called 'Perfect Pitch'..."

I admit, I get frustrated when people post questions about something that has been very thoroughly covered in a previous thread. Its like they're too lazy to look for it themselves, so they get someone else to look it up, or write a fresh reply from scratch. If that user had found the old thread, and posted a reply to it, it would come back up on the Active Threads list, where everyone could review the material, and add any fresh insights or clarifications to it.

The vB code makes it possible to customise your posts with italics, bold, and [u]underlined[/u] text. Links to other parts of this site, or other web pages, can be posted using a short phrase, or a single word, instead of typing out the full URL, (which can sometimes make a post turn into a monster that becomes 3 or 4 screens wide!).

A selection of Smilies is available to add some colour and expression to your posts.

Maybe a tutorial should be put into the sign-up routine so that new members learn how to use the site before they start posting.