From a few weeks of "lurking" I have seen the same questions asked over and over again. Is it possible to have just one section like a FAQ section that can be updated for newbies? Just a question from a newbie :) not that there is anything wrong with asking sometimes for me it would be a great assest for newbies and oldies to go to for help on freqently asked questions.

that might work ... except ...

many people would not take the time to read through an FAQ topic before posting their question anew.

many people would not take the time to search through an FAQ section before posting their question anew.

developing and maintaining an FAQ topic or section would take a lot of work up front and forevermore. are you volunteering?

i'm not trying to criticize or poke fun. cross my heart. it's a logical suggestion. it's worth a try if we get one or more volunteers to help set up and maintain it. setup would involve doing a thorough search through the whole board to develop a list of questions already asked and all the answers already provided. maintenance would include tracking the frequency of new questions & answers to determine whether or not they should be added. it would also involve indentifying new answers to old questions.

You'll have repeat questions no matter what 'forum' you're on.

If they're repeated, answer their question or just don't read it.

Sometimes even the topic is repeated over and over and over. That's ok - it's new to someone!

I see nothing wrong with repeat questions. there is usually something new in the responses.

I agree. Sometimes the question is clear in the subject line, and as an experienced quilter I know the answer, but I still enjoy reading everyones input!

I learn something new every day even on repeat questions. The search feature is really helpful to me. Love this Board!

When I first joined I asked a lot of questions that had already been posted. The biggest help for me was the Search function--I use that before asking a question and usually find the info is already on this board. Sometimes you have to scroll thru a lot of related items but you'll usually find what you need (and lots more). Hope this helps other newbies like it helped me.

Yup. Search is your friend. The list is HUGE when you use keywords. And I agree, clear titles help so if you're not interested in the subject, you can just scroll away! :D

I learned so much from reading ALL the topics related to my question when I was a newbie...I'd hate to see the questions not being posted...afterall...there are newbies here all the time..sometimes they know a LOT more than some of the rest of us and I love having all the different answers...so newbies or not...keep posting questions, even if they have been posted before! Thats just my opinion...but I'm sticking to it..LOL!!

ya, but the newbies do not go there, they come here and ask; over and over...because it's easier to just be on the main board and ask than it is to go find an answer on their own.

I was new once and I'm sure I asked questions that had been asked and answered many times. I'd been on here quite awhile before I realized that if I'd just click on SEARCH and ask my question there I'd usually find the answer. I think a lot of times it's just a matter of not knowing how or being comfortable with using all the facilities that this board provides.

Repeat questions are fine with me as I probably missed the question the first, second or third time (LOL) and besides the same people do not always answer the same question so I feel I get to hear from more people. And, I just like to visit since I'm home alone most of the time I can feel connected to friends.

Sometimes it is difficult to search if you don't know the specific name of something you want to ask, not the obvious.

When I was a newer be, I did not realize/understand about the "search" function.

Most of the questions have multiple choices for an answer.

To prewash or not to prewash fabrics before cutting is an example.

After a while, one figures out what methods/procedures/processes one prefers.

But there is no reason to re-invent the wheel, either, if one can help it.

It makes sense to get opinions from others more experienced.

I do not agree with what some of the people do - and they do not agree with how I do some things.

One will make mistakes. (Or as I prefer to put it - I learned something new/different - or - I learned an inefficient way of doing something) It's part of the experience.

One of the most fun things about quilting is that one can have a usable item at almost any level of expertise.

When I first joined and asked questions, one of the first few answers was invariably "This has been asked before" with a link to the thread. I learned to search for myself.

Links to previous threads are useful, as there are always good discussions in them.