1. You can view the posts without logging in. But you have to log in to post a reply or check "my profile".
2. If the front door is not working then use the back door. It works sometimes when the other does not. The front door (http://www.letterhead.com/ubb/index.html) has links on the screen to other parts of Letterhead like Past Meets. The back door has no links on the screen (http://www.letterhead.com/ubb-cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=login), just more room to see the posts. You can add a button for the back door on your links bar. Just drag the symbol in the address line down to the word "links" and a new button on the bar should appear.
3. If you select "Today's Active Topics" you see today's topics and the last person who replyed to the post. And a short view of what they wrote. It helps in letting you know if you have already read the last reply for that post instead of opening them all.
4. Selecting a topic will take you to all the topics posted for as many days as you have set in "my profile". I check daily so I have it set for 1, 2 days at most. It loads faster that way.
5. To use private messager you click on the two people beside the envelope icon. This is located on a post in the persons reply box that you want to write to. Only you and that person will see the message. And only one person at a time can reply to the message like a letter you mail. You can also select in "my profile" not to have the reply notification sent to your e-mail address.
6. Search is nice to look up subjects. Or other posts by one person. The new number system is much easier then typing in a name correctly. This also helps when you are looking for something that is more then a month old.
7. The quote " " icon on a reply is nice if you want to copy the post when you are making a reply. I use it to read the post as I reply and then delete that part.
8. As Steve said use your note pad to write a long relpy. If your web connection is interrupted you will not have to start over. I lost many a reply that way. Like this post was lost a few weeks ago as I was writing it. And I have not felt like doing it again until now.
Things I have not learned, Yet!
1. Web TV
2. Chat
If you are new a good thing to check out is the "Past Meets" section. Nice art work, oops, I mean signs!
Hope this helps you, Dave. Sorry about the wait! 
[ October 04, 2001: Message edited by: Debbie Delzell ]
Now CHAT is easy..
1 click the green chat button at the bottom of the box on the left under the "Letterville Merchants and way at the bottom.
2. Load chat client, wait a bit, and then a new box comes on.
3. scroll down to a ways to see a box to type your nick name in, then hit enter. I don't understand why that box has to be located a mile down off the screen, but it is. That is one reason everyone gets lost when they go to chat.
