And a perfectly good explanation for why many folks keep going to the blogs rather than staying here to get their questions answered. Can't have it both ways--can't beat on newbies who ask seemingly inane questions and then wonder why the blogs keep spilling information.

It's a form of supply and demand: we keep supplying the blogs with newbies who demand the information.

I've got a general format for answering these types of questions. I don't simply beat on the poster--I generally cite a link (I know I've referenced ol' post #2 from the Citi AA 75K thread as much as anyone here) that will lead a poster to the answer plus give some framework for deeper knowledge. Although the internet is an ephemeral thing, I figure that if anyone else ever stumbles onto my reply, they'll get some useful information--instead of just "do a search!"

And, peachfront has a point. When you've been here for awhile, finding information becomes a whole lot easier than if you've just stumbled onto the site. Many times, we know a poster will get his question answered and never return--that's just the way the internet is. Some folks will start digging in deeper and become useful contributors. I think we should be trying to increase the ratio of the latter to the former.