Frances Bell

I wasn't suggesting having multiple courses - just pointing out the implications of it being one course. The Moodle Lounge 'course' has this strange feature that people can post without being enrolled (or maybe they just enrol , post, unenrol) that means that the user profile click doesn't work for everyone. So I am not suggesting splitting up Using Moodle.
What do you think about having links to help at the point of viewing the forum and reading/making posts? Would that help new users?

Maybe you were clicking unsubscribe from an email message. In that case, it makes sense to be sent to log in, as you need to be identified as you before you can unsubscribe yourself.
Another alternative is to go to your profile (by clicking on your name in the message above) and unenrolling yourself from this 'course'.

This is a very interesting topic - each time it comes up
First I thought about automated approaches that might prompt users to enter the right sort of data (e.g. info Tim mentions in the Wiki as drop down boxes), then embedding the help in the reply box (an extension of the ? button). Then it occurred to me, as others have said, that not all posts are questions e.g. several of the 0s here in Moodle Lounge are announcements rather than questions.
Then I thought of the scale of Moodle.org as compared with an educational implementation. So many people whizzing in and out, so many forums on Using Moodle is probably on a different scale from most 'courses' in formal education.
I wondered if the needs of Moodle.org newbies might be different from that of students who are likely to have semi-formal inductions/training. When thinking of a comparable example of forums serving a transient and large population, I thought of World of Warcraft. The 'official' forums weren't much help but this one is interesting. In Moodle forums, like with most forums, once you get in you have lost the wider context, just seeing discussions then postings.
I wondered if , in Moodle.org at least, it would be useful if those posting could still see a wider context with links to Help, FAQs, etc.
There is a lot of useful help available, it's just not that easy for new users to find it.
Of course other may point to counterexamples, but I wonder if Using Moodle is straining the concept of a course to the limit.

Maybe its freedom emerges from the continued activity and will of a group of people engaging with, developing, using, promoting, etc. a software package that enjoys the phenomenon that is the GNU license (another artefact that emerged from people and other technologies). The spat between Bryan and Steve (started by Bryan but connected to the previous actions of both and many others) served to highlight some lack of respect by each of them for the part each other plays in the network of human endeavour and technology artefacts that is Moodle.org (and that includes Moodle.com).
What I have gained from this thread is change can happen from collective and individual action. Inevitably, the rate and nature of this change will not satisfy each individual - how could it? But change is possible and happening because there are enough people in Moodle.org who are interested in making change happen. There is also an interest in 'natural justice' and I have seen plenty of evidence of people speaking up for Steve on the occasion that he was badly treated. I also appreciate his careful explanation of why he helps others on Moodle.org. However, I would observe (mindful that this may attract the accusation of being judgmental ) that IMHO, some of Steve's interventions may make change less rather than more possible, or at least slower sometimes. However, in the tolerant space that is Moodle.org, change has happened and will continue to happen nevertheless.

Moodle is a very complex software package and I am not sure many people here would know it all. However Moodle is relatively easy to install and configure (though I can't speak for 1.9) by an administrator. The teacher user can digest Moodle a bit at a time by starting simple and including more elements as they get to know them (probably in an experimental space).
Others may have estimates of hours to give you.