[Tigerblade]

I'm sorry if I've come across as pompous or anything like that. If I've come across that way, I apologize sincerely. I'll attempt to explain my opinions about certain parts of your post as best I can; please do understand that these are merely my opinions, nothing more. They do not necessarily represent the general consensus of the BBB staff, and I don't claim that my opinions are always perfectly accurate.

Originally Posted by Tea Granny

If you detest the colors/bold/fancy text so much then why not remove the option from BBB posting all together. If someone can't access it, they can't use it. Then no one will get dissed for using it. And before you give me the "they're used for emphasis speech," why not just use "tags" for emphasis. There are bold/color/font tags yes/no?

Well, yes, there are such tags for fonts and colors. That's what people are using to change the color and font of their posts. I have absolutely no problem when people use these tags to place emphasis on certain parts of their posts that need to be have special attention drawn to them. It's only when the whole post is formatted in some giant pink font that I start to get irritated (and I know I'm not alone on this). Colors and fonts are a valuable option when used properly... it's the improper use of these that is the problem.

Just telling me that VB code is on, doesn't show me how to use tags. I am just not "getting" the printed instructions. It won't matter how many times you repeat these instructions, until I see pictures it won't sink in.

This part I'm not sure how to help you with. There's a fairly extensive list of all the tags with examples of how to use them and what they do. My mention of the text "vB Code is On" was simply pointing to how to access that page. For this, I honestly don't think pictures would be necessary or appropriate - it would just be pictures of text. What would you like to see pictures of that isn't covered in that list?

Imagine how you feel when you walk in to a new store looking for a particular item, only to have a clerk there tell you to "read the signs above the aisles." It is not much help, and it certainly wasn't very friendly. Are you going to go shop somewhere else?

Personally, I'd laugh at myself for not realizing that I didn't see the big sign that says "BREAD" before asking the clerk where the bread aisle was. Think of it from the clerk's point of view. All day, you have to point out to people where the bread aisle is, even though there was a sign put up that says "BREAD" specifically so people could find it themselves. I do try to guide members (at least, in the AIM section or with AIM-related problems) towards a more appropriate place for their questions rather than just telling them to read the signs, but... sometimes I have to wonder how hard it is to figure out that the best place to ask a question about AIM is in our AIM forum? Why would the Yahoo forum be a good place to ask about problems with AIM? Just a rhetorical question.

Like I've said, I'm not trying to sound pompous or haughty or anything of the sort. I just mean to show that there's only so much the staff can do to help people. We try to guide members around, offering assistance where needed and where we think we can provide it. The problem is that not everyone is willing to try to help themselves at all; some members expect to have their hands held through everything, and a volunteer staff can't always do that. I realize that not everyone is at the same level of experience; that's what a forum like this is for -- people sharing knowledge and helping others out. Sometimes it just gets hard to be all-tolerant and all-helpful.

That's just me and my opinions though. Take them as you wish. Just remember I mean no one any insults or harm by my comments. These are just my views on what you've brought up.