Trying to satisfy a group of people on whether or not an individual is an expert or not is another situation where there could be a very wide spread in opinions. The only gauge someone can use is how well the contributor's "advice" conforms to what he /she would have said or done. That said, when I read posts to garner information or knowledge, I do what every "experienced" hobbyist tends to do. I tend to compare what is being posted with my personal experiences (if I have any) and how others in the thread are responding to those posts. I do not profess to being an expert but if I have done something that works or doesn't work I remember that and hopefully can pass that information on to someone who needs it. I avoid posting on things I have little or no knowledge about. But I do have an opinion!

For someone who has no experience and is trying to get started, I think one way they can find answers for anything is by asking, or the other is by experimenting. Yes, they are likely to get answers that conflict because what they get is usually an opinion. And peoples' opinions vary widely. So the point of this thread is well taken. Unfortunately, I do not have an answer.

How can an individual parse through the huge volume of peoples posts to get answers I guess is to keep reading and if they are lucky there will be someone who can provide the answer they need in the context that fits. Hopefully they choose the "right" answer if there are differences of opinion!

Some means of rating would be nice... But who will be the judge(s)?