There seem to be so many repeat topics lately (sometimes minutes after the first post) that I wonder if people don't know that there is a search function at the very top of the page to see if that topic might have already been posted and has the answer to the question without having to wait for replies?

I know that many don't know there is a separate "User Defined Topics List" section to the board other than the Main (http://www.quiltingboard.com/virtual_section_list.jsp). I didn't know until I started looking around more closely because when Googled, it simply gives you the "Main" and not the "Home" or any other page!

It can get very confusing around here for people not used to computers or how this board is set up. Sometimes people just get so overwhelmed, they can't get a handle on it. Sometimes when someone directs a person to another section, I can picture them looking confusedly at the computer screen and mumbling "And just where the heck is that"? lol.

How long did it take you to discover there were more topic boards here than just the "Main"?
Any tips or tricks of the board you'd like to pass along to people who might not know?

Sometimes, it is not easy going through all the "search results" to find the answer to a particular question that one may have. In my experience, I have spent more time than I have doing just that. Other times, I have found the answer very quickly. So, I would guess that similar experience OR inexperience keeps the same questions showing up on the main board.

this is EXACTLY why it is important to use a descriptive heading rather than "LOOK AT THIS" or "GUESS WHAT I DID" no help at all with the search feature

Most of the time, if the heading isn't descriptive, I will just pass it by. Please add more detail to your new topic heading.

An easy one is just to scroll down to the bottom of the page and running crosswise you will see:

Main
Pictures
BOM
Intro
GCC
Tutorials
Links
Offline
Classifieds
Swaps
Recipes
PDA
Topic Lists

For those that don't know what these are click on them and read the descriptions provided by Admin/Mods for each forum.

It benefits everyone to use the proper forum when creating a topic.

It also benefits everyone to do a search because as Sewobsessed1 mentions there are so many duplicate topics on any number of subjects that is becomes very confusing for all members.

As Kathy/Moderator explains the search feature is only as good as the person creating a topic makes it. To use ambiguous words creates a nightmare in the search feature. Anyone trying to find information to refer back to is lost in a maze of unknown topics and could spend weeks trying to find what they were looking for.

It is to everyone's advantage that comes on this board to learn everything they can for their own benefit as well as the benefit of others.