I used to start from the top, andjust pick through the thread subjects manually, when I was a new member. I had a lot of questions, and I wanted to just read EVERYTHING and so I sort of immersed myself in it up to my knees...
But now, I usually go to the "New Posts" link and just keep up with current events.
But, every now and then, I will just browse through the "Member Systems" section--I LOVE seing all the great setups that other members have. Adn when I have a problem or need some sort of particular info, I'll use the "Search" function to look up older posts...