Also remember that Google knows all and is willing to share.

Searching for "DotNetNuke Banner Ads", and clicking on the first returned result would have answered most of your questions:
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&q=dotnetnuke+banner+ads

If the first one didn't get it all, there are several other links on that first page that explain it also.

You can also search these forums directly from my friend google:  http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGIH_en___US207&q=banner+ads+site%3adotnetnuke%2ecom

If that doesn't work then ask a simple question in the configure it forum if it is about configuring DNN, or in the Skins forum if it is about Skins.  The reason I say simple is because if you write more than one paragraph you will turn most people off from giving you an answer.  You are much better dividing multiple questions up into seperate posts that have specific subjects, so that people who see a subject they know they'll be quicker to read your post and respond.

Yes.  Of all the forms of documentation, I think everyone will agree, the tooltips leave a lot to be desired.  One more thing added to the list . 

One thing I think that many new users lose sight of is that even if you have simple needs today, you will quickly hit a wall.   Everyone who has used DNN for any length of time knows exactly what I am talking about. For every user who feels that DNN has just the right feature set, there are another 10 who want XYZ added or enhanced to meet some new use case.  When DNN started it out was very simple, but it was also very limited.  Over the last 4 years more features have been added in response to community requests and our own sense of what we wanted to see in the product.  We recognize that in many cases the initial implementations may not have been as easy to use as they could be and we are looking at making some changes this year to streamline some administrative tasks and make them easier.

OP here...the point I was trying to make is that a lot of code writers are involved and documentation reflects this. What is needed is a designers guide so we don' t to wade through all the tech stuff just to make a site look decent. The big companies have testing groups. They get people with different levels of skills to start clicking and see what they can accomplish. Something that answers those basic questions. Maybe those people writing the code and the docs don't remember the basic questions. By the time they get the coding done, maybe the basics are understood. But, imagine someone with the screen in front of them for the first time.

I did find a video with instructions on putting modules on the page. That was helpfull. Here are some current questions:

I finaly got my screen to stay at a fixed width. I needed this so that friends can see the content without horizontal scrolling. Now I have white space on either side. I would like to change the color of that. Maybe I would like to repeat a logo over that area. Is that a style sheet thing? All I find on style sheets so far is how to start from scratch. I need to know how to make small changes while I learn to make the big ones.

With the Events Module I set the time zone...but it doesn't stick. I go back and it stil at Dublin. What do I care what time it is in Dublin? I need it to stick where I put it...how is that done?

I have XMod...can't get the display right. The whole thing is a link and the whole story is in the list screen....I need the story in the detail screen. Do I have to write a teeser for the list or is there a way to let the program choose the first couple of lines?

As for Google...I do it a lot! But, without knowing the terms its not real usefull. Is there a vocabulary list? One that is sorted for what the beginners need would be nice.

I am thinking of doing a Wiki of what I learn. Anyone want to help with that...just to make sure I get it right?