Our Joomla Templates use this basic layout structure:
User3 is used for the horizontal navigation menu, whether it is located at the very top, or underneath the header.
Left and Right are used for positioning modules around the content block. Sometimes the left column is located left of the content, sometimes it is right of the content, but left of the 'right' column in a 3 column layout..
If you have questions as to which position is which in your template follow the instructions below for your version of Joomla:
If you are using
Joomla 1.5.X you can check the module positions in your template of choice by appending ?tp=1 to the end of the URL.
If you are using
Joomla 1.7.X you will need to open the Admin Control Panel, select Template Manager, then click the Options button on the toolbar. Select the Enable radio button under Preview Module Positions. You can then append the ?tp=1 to the end of the URL as you would under Joomla 1.5