This question comes via an anonymous submission to Ask Slashdot: The problem with "Ask Ubuntu"

As far as I can tell, users are encouraged to search for an existing question before posting one. Say a new user comes across an unanswered question about a problem that also affects him. How should he indicate that the problem also affects him?

• Upvoting is impossible with a new user's reputation.
• Posting something other than an answer as an answer is forbidden.
• Asking an exact duplicate question is discouraged.
• Suggesting seven edits that only remove noise is also discouraged, as such edits "clutter up the review queues".
• Even asking this question would have been impossible with a new user's reputation.

If all the questions that affect a given new user have already been asked, how should he go about indicating that the problem also affects him? Or if someone new is thinking in terms of "this also affects me", should he be directed to Launchpad instead of AU?