it doesn't automatically "count" as "starting trouble" to inquire about another member.
however, as CraftyBear just demonstrated, the more practical steps are:
1-find that member's profile using the User List Search option.
2-check to see when they posted last
3-if they appear to have been away for longer than usual for that member, send a pm to the member to let them know you miss her/him.
some of us are board junkies and some are not. 99.99999% of the time, if a member doesn't make it to the board as often as were used to seeing them, it's "just because" and they'll be back before you know it. :-)
you are not doing anything wrong by posting a public inquiry, but it might cause people to worry unneccessarily about that particular member, so the public question should serve as your last resort. we are such a bunch of softies around here. :lol: ;-)