Anyone who has read my responses will know that I get irritated (probably unreasonably so ) by questions which have already been discussed at length. For me, such new threads make the forum much more unwieldy. I like to search for the answers myself, and a proliferation of new threads, especially those with the typically non-descriptive subject headings of Please Help, what is this? and Advice please, makes doing so much harder.
On other forums that I have been on, there are areas set aside for new members, but there are no restrictions imposed upon you when you sign up that limit where you can post. I know one person who asked a rather simple question in a US knife forum and a moderator moved it into the Newbie area. Rather a put down, but from the mods point of view, it was the right thing to do. That was at the mods discretion, an arbitrary restriction though would be much harder to deal with, I can see the moderation of such a restriction being a real headache, unless it was automated, which brings in problems of another nature.
Some people join forums with a wealth of knowledge, but may not post often. Any arbitrary restriction based on length of time as a member, age, or number of posts is bound to be unworkable for many, and some people, who probably dont post much because they are out doing stuff, could be lost out of sheer frustration. On this site we have people like Max, Woody and PatrickM, when they joined, would anyone have dreamed of sticking them in a newbie area?
Having an area dedicated to simple, possibly daft, questions doesnt seem like a bad idea though. If you are new, you can check that area and look at threads which are probably better tailored to your skill and knowledge level than they might be in the rest of the forum. The problem with the proliferation of repeat threads is kept down on the rest for the site.
The question is, would you older members be prepared to spend time in the Newbie area answering questions? It would only work if answers to the daft questions were forthcoming.
As for the idea of a FAQ page being sent to everyone, not a bad idea. People being people, there will be quite a few who will ignore the FAQ thinking it doesnt apply, or wouldnt be useful to them.
:bluThinki
Just a thought here....does anyone think that the variation in posting could be seasonal? Some people having more time in the summer, while others are tied up with family, or just getting out more themselves?