I've had about 10 people create new documents because they are having a technical problem with their computer and are seeking advice from other readers about how to fix it. This is not the proper use of a document. So, as a refresher, here are the differences, and what to use in what situation.
Discussions -- more commonly known as message board threads. You would start a new discussion (thread) when you wanted to put a question or comment out for other readers to give input on. If you are asking a question and looking for an answer or a solution, you should leave the box checked that marks your thread as a question. This will give you the opportunity to select replies as "correct" and "helpful". This helps you get answers to your question faster, helps reward people who take time to answer your question, and helps other readers quickly identify the most helpful and correct answers.
Documents -- Documents are like wikis or knowledge base documents. They are meant to be a complete question & answer or problem & solution set. They will not only specify what the problem is (for example, a certain error message) but how to fix it, what it means, etc. Discussions can easily be turned into Documents by selecting "Convert to Document" from the Actions menu to the right of every thread. You can then edit the thread contents into a cohesive document.
I hope this clears up confusion and will help us use the right tools to get the outcomes we desire. I also want to encourage everyone to convert useful discussions into documents, or to write documents on solutions you know about, to help us build our knowledge base of documents.
