OK, this question comes up a lot from new members so I thought I'd post it here.

First off let's define the terms "Post", "Thread" and "Forum".


Post is the individual question or reply from a member.
Thread is the collection of posts that make up a particular discussion.
Forum is the collection of Threads that are related. Forum is also used to describe the entire Forum. To be more accurate the overall Forum is a collection of sub-forums (like "Off Topic Lounge", "Classified Ads", etc.)

To start a new Thread:
Go to the board that you want to start the new message in. (for example "Classified Ads") To the upper left there is a button that looks like this: http://californiaspecial.com/forums/imagesCS/buttons/newthread.gif Just click on it and a screen comes up where you compose your message. Fill in the blanks and then click the "Submit New Thread" button at the bottom.

To reply to an existing Thread:
Go to the thread or post that you want to reply to.
To the upper left there is a button that looks like this: http://californiaspecial.com/forums/imagesCS/buttons/reply.gif Just click on it and a screen comes up where you compose your message. Fill in the blanks and then click the "Submit Reply" button at the bottom.