Do new members still have trouble finding answers?

Great post Andy.
I honestly think that new members can have the answers they want at their finger tips by either posting a new thread in the relevant section of the forum, or by using the search bar to find what they want/need to know.
I think the latter point is one which is commonly overlooked by new members, and it is so easy to find other posts on similar or the same topics as those which you're struggling with. It will save everyone time and energy responding to some of your points which have already been covered in some cases in great detail.
Joel

As much as I like to harp on people about using the search button, in reality it's a double-edged sword for the people who do use it.

For a brand new person looking to get into IM who doesn't know the difference in a Google Penguin and a Humboldt Penguin, s/he may get really bad information by using the search feature if the results pull up really old answers. For example, if they're looking to do article marketing, they may find a treasure trove of advice from 2007-2008 talking about how easy it is (was) to rank articles on EZA. For the currently-seasoned vets, we know that's folly to waste money on today, but the new people wouldn't know that.

There's also no way for a new IM'er to figure out which advice is good and which is bad. You could start by looking at the stats under a person's profile pic. I have 1100+ posts and 600+ thanks...but that doesn't mean I can't be wrong. (I never am, but that's beside the point.) I've seen threads in several sub-forums here where the majority were arguing for the wrong side. That could cost someone thousands of dollars if they decided to go with the majority.

In reality, most of the people who come in here for the first time are looking for the secret strategies that they think exist because of all the rumors out there. They don't realize that you have to spend 2-3-4 weeks reading, just like you would in a college class, before you can start assembling the patterns and discern who to follow and what to do. IM's a business, not a push button strategy, and it takes a long time for a lot of people to learn that.

-- j