The list of tips I occasionally post if I feel kindly towards a newbie:
New User Rules of Thumb
This is actually a quite friendly place once you realize some basic rules of thumb:
Don't post personal essays in News Activism. In fact, posting personal essays is frowned upon, especially if you don't respond to people who want to discuss it with you.
Don't post duplicate threads
Don't use this as an advertising place
Don't expect it to be a debating society, cause it's not.
Don't post and run. This gets more people marked as trolls than anything.
Don't use it as a place to do your homework.
Don't post in the wrong area.
When in doubt, use your spell checker.
Use the preview function to make sure your paragraphs are there.
Be respectful of the fact that many people who post here love guns, God, and the Constitution.
Viking kitties can be your friends.
Best way to get a feel for it is to get involved with discussions on threads and read a lot of what is being posted.
It's really not necessary to lurk for 6 months, rumour to the countrary!
Special vocabulary:
Zot - when the moderators declare a troll has posted, and the game of pile up on the thread takes place. Frequently symbolized by a lightning strike or an atomic explosion.
Viking Kitties - the ones who do the zotting for the mods! (a great game!)
BTTT - back to the top - when you want to bump a post back up, usually because you don't have the time to read it, but want it on your "My Comments" section.
Hugh - inhouse joke for huge
vey series - inhouse joke for very serious. Can be shortened to just series.
all your base are belong to us (I suggest you google that one. Great fun!)
Stuned - inhouse joke. Stunned, usually used in a humourous or sarcastic way, usually by a "beeber like device"
And finally:
DO NOT EVER POST A WHOLE MESSAGE IN ALL CAPS.
Remember, paragraphs are your friends.
Beware the spelling and grammar nazis. Good content will keep them at bay some times, but not always.
I didn't hear you, I was in the shower.
And set the sensitivity of your sarcasm detector to MAX!
I can't beleive the word "clymer" has fell out of favor.
I can't believe the word "clymer" has fell out of favor.