There are a lot of bells & whistles on this website. Unless you spend a lot of time, it takes a while to learn how to use some of them. I'm a retired librarian, so I usually "search" to get my own answers before I ask on a board like this one. I find it amusing that quilters ask a question on the Quiltingboard just to have someone else "search" the website or Google to provide the answer.
I find it hard to not just be a lurker as others seem to have unlimited time to make comments. Much useful information is passed along, but this seems to be a social outlet for many.
At least I discovered the "Unread Topics" link at the top of the Message Board. However, it would be nice if the "Topics" gave a clue as to what they were about as I'm sure I'm not the only one with limited time to go through the messages.