General Forum question vs. PM'ing someone

[davewill]

I do sometimes direct people who PM me to make a forum post instead, it depends on what they're asking.

I agree that searching is hit and miss. Because last years' answer is sometimes golden and sometimes woefully out of date, there's no real substitute to reading a bunch of recent threads on the subject you're interested in.

The wiki is probably the best starting point for a true newbie.