<Submitted by TigerHeli>.

The borders serve two purposes:

  • Puts the final answers to a problem at the beginning of a thread - so new readers don't have to wade through 18 pages of discussion to find out the question was answered on Page 12.
  • Marks a thread with a category other than "Unanswered" so mods, admins, and others can prioritize replies on threads that have not been addressed yet.

Here is the recommended usage of the the green/yellow/red borders:

  • Green "Mark As Answer" Border - Should be used to mark something that is obviously the best solution to a problem - in this case "Here is how to wire up your subwoofer", or "I figured out the solution and this is what I did".  Should NOT be used to mark the follow-up posts "Glad you got it worked out", "Yep, that was the problem after all - thanks".  etc.
  • Yellow "Suggest As Answer" Border - Ideally used when something might be the answer - Often this is used when an individual is 80% certain of a solution, but there is a 20% chance it is something else.  Then if the original poster (OP) says that what was suggested worked, the post should be changed to a green border.  This also sometimes gets used when a thread is doesn't have a definitive answer but has been stagnant - i.e. if the OP hasn't responded to a thread in three weeks, a mod might ask "Did you solve this or are you still needing help?" and suggest that post as answer - simply so the thread won't show up in the unanswered que.
  • Red Border - J Ro recommended this and it is a good idea, but the forum doesn't support it.  The idea is this would be used for posts that were completely wrong or misleading.  "Hook you amp's negative terminal to the power wire and the Batt + terminal to the ground wire."  There are three ways that this can be implemented.  If the OP realizes the information was incorrect, they can simply edit the post.  Ideally leave an <information deleted> flag so it is obvious something was changed.  Moderators CAN make changes similar to the above, but it is less offensive to quote the information and refute it in a follow-up post.  Other members that see incorrect (and dangerous) information should use the "Report Abuse" option so Forum administration can deal with it.

Some people might argue otherwise - but the unoffiicial Crutchfield forum policy is that questions are things that can be solved, i.e. "Why doesn't my amp turn on anymore?", and not things that are opinions "What head unit should I purchase?", so you may occasionally see a thread changed by a admin or moderator from a question to a discussion (or rarely, vice-versa).  Currently, only the OP, moderators, and admins can change a thread's status or edit other member's posts - but anyone can Mark or Suggest As Answers.