I read the FAQ page and the About page, but no links to any help topics about the mechanics of using the site.

When I post a comment, can I used formatting? Where is the format or markdown help?

Okay, when I actually ask a question I get the formatting help sidebar on the right, with a link to the formatting reference http://ubuntu.stackexchange.com/editing-help, but I do not get that link when I'm writing a comment.