There are some topics that keep spawning new threads rehashing the same issues over and over again, sometimes several times in a single day. Combo box problems, views not updating tables, etc. etc. Many of these threads would not be created if the authors read the appropriate FAQ or article, or did a search on the existing message base.

I suggest adding a "global search" feature to the top of the New Thread entry form. The user could type in keyword(s), and clicking on a "Search" button would search all available materials plus recent messages. Results could be displayed in a separate browser window. Hopefully this would induce users to try a search before even starting their message.

Another possible approach would be to automatically do a search on title and/or message text keywords after the "Send" button is clicked. To actually post the message, the user would have to confirm the "Send". If an answer was found in existing materials, no confirmation is necessary, and the thread need not be created.

This feature could perhaps be on by default for BUTM, and off by default for PUTM.

Speaking of BUTM, explicit instructions should be written up, in an obvious place, on how to use Calendar mode to retrieve specific messages. I'm sure a lot of users give up when they find they can't click on a message link in a search result because it's PUTM only. Maybe the instructions could be placed right there, rather than simply saying "PUTM only".