I must say I agree with Jim on this. These last few weeks I've seen some new posters quite understandably in this "family season" visiting the site for the first time in some time, if not first time ever. They naturally search for threads relevant to themselves, in fact they may even have discovered the site as I did, using a search engine and entering their family names and see what comes up. Hopefully like me they are delighted to find such a superb site "hidden" amongst the usual dross a search engine can produce. It's quite likely they will then "excitedly" reply to that thread straight away without realising that the thread is old, or the thread's posters are no longer active.
I have sent many direct emails to such posters particularly in recent weeks, making them aware of the way the forum works in this respect and drawing their attention to the way the blue hyperlinked user names can be contacted. I'm sure others have been doing the same. Usually new posters tell me they are unaware of this useful facility. I know it took me a while to find it and I pride myself on thoroughly researching a subject or site before asking "silly questions"; I spent many weeks as a "silent" user reading thro prior threads and searching the whole site before posting on the forum; this is probably a result of my technical research background, having been using computers and tinternet since their infancy. However many posters do not do this. In my experience when trying to guide such new members they say they are not particularly forum or even computing "enthusiasts" and simply do not understand, or hadnt realised, how the system works. They are often older folk or youngsters - not computer "reliant" people like myself, other regular posters and the site's owners/moderators.

May I please make a suggestion ?.
When a new forum user signsup, they currently receive a one-line email welcoming them to the site, which is of course very correct & proper.
Can this message be very slightly & briefly amended to clearly draw their attention to read the FAQ section of the site BEFORE posting ?. Ideally in my view this message could particularly advise them of the situation wrt answering prior threads, directly drawing their attention to the "active user" and "thread locking" systems. Hopefully this would then reduce such problems and probably mean less cases of new members perhaps being disappointed, confused or even put off altogether ?. Indeed, the sooner new users were made aware of this, then there would probably be less locked threads as the posts would be more of a research nature and less of a learning the system nature.

Furthermore, when the system automatically locks a thread, perhaps that thread could simultaneously have a brief last automated/standardised post added explaining what has happened ?. This would benefit & educate perhaps confused new members who may even be worrying that they've broken a forum rule somehow.

I hope this is of interest. Please be assured this is not a criticism of this excellent website, just a suggestion as to how it might possibly be made even better, especially for new members who occasionally may need a little nurturing as in any society.

Thankyou, Jeff.

A proud Dean ironworker exiled in Middlesex.