I'd like to suggest a Test Forum -- a place where newbies like myself can practice, or test features of the software -- figure out how it works, etc., without having to do it on a "real" thread. Thanks...
When you are typing up a post click on "go advanced". Once there you can play around with different fonts, smilies, ect. Instead of posting your "test run" click on "Preview Post"
You will be able to see everything as if it were a normal post
When you are done you can just click on any of the links at the top (ex. Cat Lounge) if you don't want to post~
Thank you for your suggestion. As Ashley said, you might want to try the "Preview" option to see what the smilies, font effects, images etc. look like. I will keep the suggestion in mind and maybe we will implement it some day when we get hundreds of new members joining in daily