Lol, welcome angela,

i'm jess. The little signs next to them mean different things. Some are announcements or "stickys". I'm a mod and can post those types of messages. A sticky is a post that will stay where it is even if other posts are made. Some topics are locked cause of content or the doc ones cause only docs can answer those. No you can't tell if someone is online at the same time and the polls are if you want to ask a question with various answers. People can vote.

Also certain "bad" words will not show up when they are typed and the only time you can make a capital is after a . S.E.E ?

I see your posts on here a lot what is a mod? And who is fatfamily?

lol!! A mod is a person who looks after the forum. She can delete or lock posts that are inappropriate. Among other things...
You should read the info found in the help section above your user name on the top left.

Fatfamily is just another member here who has created quite a stir over her situation. For more info...Just look for her posts and have fun reading! Lol!!