OH boy, I have one very important suggestion -
relax!
This software is used for thousands of forums and it really is easy to learn.
I would start with learning how to navigate. By the way, there is a navigation line above forum description that one needs to get used to. If you get lost, which I have, you can use that to go back or find out which forum you are in. It helps those like me who will leave a page up and walk away for an hour or two.
I would also get familiar with the user control panel (usercp) and learn the different things that you can do, like the weird and wonderful signature lines you can have with all the different colors and stuff. Don't forget there there is a 500 char limit to the signature and no posting of pictures (yet? hint). I am puzzled by the avatar thing, but maybe it is me. And if you want to receive a birthday message, then put in your birthday (is that option on?)
I then would play around posting, if geriatric patients at a nursing home can use this software, I can not see why any one here could not after being patent and trying it out. By the way, I wasn't kidding, there is a nursing home in Florida that has a forum for it's residents and they know how to use it. Any who, be patient like anything new, it takes time. and you have a description of the smilies now that help, I have used them more here than anywhere else and like the idea of the pull down with the description.


(can't show more than that, programming error - come on only 4 images per post?) The other thing I like is the WYSIWYG (pronounced wiziwig) editing, I now can have
sentences with color or make them really large with weird fonts and everyone (I think) can see them. It makes it all easier to post.
Just an FYI if you have used MS word for anything more then typing an occasional letter, most of the things you see on the message box is familiar to you. There is font size, color and type. There is the text alignment, bullet and numbering buttons and right/left indentation buttons. Link buttons and email link buttons. The added things an add image button, the qoute button, the code button, the html wrap button and the php button (which I would highly recommend removing the last button for a couple reasons the web programmers should know about).
The thing I know many don't know about it the bar above the post that says "Submit Thread >
....." (limited by the image limitations?). Well these are for submitting the posts to one of those blogging tag sites, like
Delicious, unless you are into the blogging thing, many people don't bother with it. It is a good source for info so try clicking on the link there and see what it is all about. There are a few hundred out there, like digg and Google's and readit and myyahoo and what ever else. Oh this goes for the trackback stuff too you see below the message box when you write a post, if you want to read about that, try this link
trackback (which by the way is at wordpress.org, my blog software of choice.
Just remember the most important thing is to relax. Anything new is always a pain in the a** and if you don't try new things life will be very boring.