When we started LW it was a way to selectively read and answer leather posts without having the hassle of old-fashioned Yahoo email lists. LW is for "education, entertainment and fellowship" for all leatherworkers, newbies to pros. Many of you had good suggestions in this thread, like how to use the advanced search feature and how important it is not to belittle anyone's efforts to learn and improve. I once worked as a Tandy manager, and you would not believe what people think they know, or what they don't! Sometimes they don't even know the words to describe what they want to ask (like wanting "rawhide" boot laces) so I can see where "search" can fail. People volunteer their time to help here, and many leatherworkers are grateful for their informative posts. Experienced leatherworkers tell me they get new ideas here, and inspiration to try more complicated projects. New folks can get encouragement and an occasional hand-holding from seasoned pros. That was the point of the board in the first place- make it easy for people to connect and share info and pics.( I never expected 26,000+ members!) Our board is enjoyed all over the world, and I think it's because we are a friendly helpful bunch. Now, let's go get that ice cream. I want sprinkles.
Johanna