Hello and I need help!!!!!!

I am not only a new member to this site, but I am also new to the Internet. Any advise you all have on how to manuever around the website would be great. I've already looked around it quite a bit and I found the tour info and the FAQ's, but just plain advise from any of your personal experiences would be great. I am computer illiterate so this is a HUGE step for me. Thanks to all of you for any help you can give.

Hi FlowerChild,
Welcome to DG. There are a lot of forums here I wil admit. I pick out the ones that interest me and watch them, then picking out the threads you like and watch them. What are your interests?
Al

I primarily do perennials and some ornamental grasses. I also have a goldfish pond with waterfall that I installed. I am also planning on going to school this fall for my landscape architect degree. That about covers my gardening interests, but I saw several other things that would probably relate to me also. I have children (boy and girl) and pets (1 dog and 4 cats) and there were several things under the home forums that looked interesting.

That sounds good. I am a coneflower specialist(I guess) amongst other perennials. The grasses I have quite a bit. The grasses are in with bamboo(don't ask me why). I figure I already know everything about parenting LOL
Not sure where pond stuff would be. If you don't see a thread useful - then start your own.
Al

Can you tell me if there is any way to set up my home page where I can select threads to watch and still be able to see the most recently posted threads also? Whenever I try to select something to watch I only get to see those and lose track of the new things other people are putting on.

You would need to 'watch' the forum that has the threads you are watching in it. It will then come up new when ever anything new is posted in that forum.

Thanks alot for your help on this. It's all starting to make sense now. I found some other people to talk to on the parenting forum and I think I will try to start a pond forum. Any other forums you would recommend?

I guess Water Gardens and Perennials. There are a few other specific plant forums that you might have too. Browse through the Garden Talk tab and look.
Al

hello and welcome from upstate new york. i was just like you when i joined meaning i had no idea what a computer could do. just check out all the forums, even the computer forum if you have any problems.

FC95:

Welcome aboard, from another retread who went back to school and got his LA degree. Are you going to be a Boilermaker? Good luck with the hard slog! It's worth every minute when you're done (like when you stop beating your head against the wall; it feels so much better). With kids and pets, you have all the background you need to put up with the "traditional" students (read: spoiled youngsters with no concept of making their own way in life) you'll be surrounded by in class.

I haven't patrolled there yet, but I've read comments that Curb Appeal and Garden Tour are forums that deal with design and might attract someone who has that interest.

Thank you all for the welcome. And, yes, Viburnum, the plans are for me to be a Boilermaker this coming fall. I've checked out curb appeal and realized from what some other people wrote that I don't know as much as I thought I did!! Around here people ask me for landscape advice all the time, but this is a really small town (pop about 500) and there's not too many other people to ask. I think I'll definately pick up some new skills here.
Herbie, thanks for the advice on the computer forum, I haven't seen that one yet, but I will sure take a look at it.
Al, I've looked at everything you've suggested now, and they are all great. I haven't posted yet on all of them, but I've read several strings with lots of info.

Hello welcome.. enjoy..

Welcome from North Florida, ---I hope you have as much fun as I do, ---Michael

Flowerchild--welcome to DG. You will love it here and learn a lot. And don't forget to check out the Ohio River Valley Forum--I'm not sure where your town is, but lots of Hoosiers are on the forum.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/region_orv/all/