Oh, I don't know that they should stay away.
Think about it for a second. I can remember several times that "clueless AOL newbies" types have wandered in to a forum & asked something off-the-wall. What usually happened was that some member got the pleasure of explaining it 3 - 5 times, plus several other questions afterwards.
Now, can you think of a
better way to
honestly run up the ol' post count???
I can't remember who it was, but about 2 yrs ago, someone dealt with a newbie to the tune of a 4 page topic, 30 something replies.

Afterwards, several members posted <applause> & praise for the patience shown!