nickandyhead,
If you are still with us, what you've been seeing is a demonstration of one of the immense strengths of InDesign, the fact that there is often more than one way to accomplish any particular task. Is one way better than another? That's often impossible to say, and the answer may depend on the specific circumstances, with one method being better in one case, but completely off the mark in another. Sometimes it's just a matter of personal philosophy which direction you want to go.
And I learn new techniques here all the time from other users whose experience and work habits are different from mine.