I don't think there's a protocol. If I start a new thread to answer questions, someone eventually PMs me and asks why I don't answer. When I've had specific questions, I'll post in that thread (so others know what the question is about), then I PM the person asking the question and give them the same answer. I sometimes don't go back to my posts if there's a lot of pages, and so I don't always know there's a question. I prefer someone PM me to ask questions. Oh, and in the tutorial area.....PLEASE PM your questions to the original poster. I found one I'd posted last summer had a question I never answered! I forget to go look after a week or so.....