Originally Posted by Analise

I could not disagree with this more.

Is the Talkboard about micromanaging to such a degree? So what if people ask about "have you ever stayed at the XYZ hotel"? If you see this, be a nice host/hostess and point out where the answer can be found. Show the person how to do a search.

Limiting "newbies" (why not say New Members? The term "Newbies" sounds a bit patronizing to me.) has what benefits exactly? Just because somebody registered last week, doesn't mean that he/she is new to this board.

New members breathe life into Flyertalk. Restricting them as though they all are on some type of probation seems counter-productive.