I have learned a lot and have made numerous mistakes on here.I hope my
experiences can help a fellow newbie out.One thing I have to say is to enjoy your
time on ATS.I have sat down in front of my computer and before you know it,two
hours have gone by.There are ways you can help others enjoy this forum as well.

1.Learn the rules quickly.I recommend reading them before you start posting and
review them once a month.You never know when new rules might surface.You
usually get a U2U notice about new ones.
2.There are members out there who love to disrupt threads and cause all kinds of problems,they are trolls.I had never heard of this term before joining ATS.Being
a newbie,you may be awkward in posting at first.Some members may consider
your mistakes as trolling.My advice to you newbies is to do your best and learn
from your mistakes.
3.When posting on a regular basis,you might strike up friendships with other members.You have to remember not to reveal personal contact information.You
don't know that person on the other side of the computer screen.Many kids' have
been duped by strangers posing as kids.
4.Don't get hung up on getting stars,flags and points.You don't have to be in a hurry to get them,in time and good posting,you will.
5.Posting threads,make sure of your facts and notes first.Check with the board to
make sure you're not copying another member's thread.If someone already has
this thread,read theirs and add your ideas and opinions to it.
Another thing about posting threads.If you post about a personal experience in your life,be prepared for how others will reply.Some members will not be sympathetic to your posting and will make you feel you are wasting board space.
6.Thread banning,I just learned about this a few days ago.When you are reading
a thread and suddenly it is gone.Relax,it's not about you or anything you've done.
I was upset and angry when this happened to me.I thought I wasn't being allowed
to read this thread.The thread was probably placed in the trash bin by a MOD.
7.MODS,they are the ATS police.They enforce the rules,give you warnings,give
advice,get you banned and patrol the forum for disruptive members and behavior.
Remember,the MODS are your friends!
8.Don't always feel you have to post a reply.There are many times I just read through some threads,liked what I read and flagged it and moved on.I also give other members stars if I liked what they posted.
9.There are a lot of topics to choose from here.Do yourself a favor and stick to
topics you like.If politics and religion upset you,avoid them or limit yourself to these threads.
10.Emotional outbursts,There are members who will hurt your feelings and exploit
any weaknesses in your character. Don't allow yourself to get wrapped up in a dispute with another member.You WILL type something you will regret later. If you
find yourself getting upset or angry,STOP what you're doing and get away from your computer until you have calmed down.I have seen newbies join one day and
get banned on the next day.

Just use common sense and be courteous to other members,you will have a great time here if you do.To all my fellow newbies,welcome to ATS.

Thanks I will take all this into consideration.

Good thread.

You make some very valid points here that alot of people should take into consideration before posting.

Flagged for sure.

Very well done.

Every new person should read your thread.

Good job.

Only thing I would add is to please use a spell check program. I use one for every post I make. I type too fast and some of my words don't come out as anything but gibberish.

Very worthwhile read. I hope all the newcomers (and many of the longer standing members) will take the time to read this. Although not a 'newbie' myself, I'd like to offer another and underscore one you listed:

1. Read more. Post less. -- Too often I see people posting comments on threads that clearly show the person never read the thread. Either because their comment has already been entirely discounted for one reason or another or becuase it has already been established. These kinds of posts only serve to derail and back-track the thread.

2. Don't comment just for the sake of hearing yourself 'talk' -- You already mentioned this but the volume of 'me too' posts is off the charts. It does nothing to forward the discussion in the thread and only turns good threads into massive tomes of repitition.

Again, thanks for a worthwhile and useful thread.

Originally posted by dizziedame
Very well done.

Every new person should read your thread.

Good job.

Only thing I would add is to please use a spell check program. I use one for every post I make. I type too fast and some of my words don't come out as anything but gibberish.

I know what you mean,my thoughts are faster than my finger.You read
it right,finger not fingers.I try to proof read my posts before submitting
them and I don't catch everything.

Very informative post. As a newbie to message boards (I’ve been avoiding them like the plague since the 90's) it was nice to read this post and learn something of value. It was short, concise, and to the point.

BTW, one thing about spell check …I spell so badly sometimes, spell check can’t even figure out what I wan to spell.

All newbies,I just got penalized for excessive quoting.Try and limit your
usage of quoting other members when posting.This penalty cost me
20 points.Be warned, they are serious about the space wasted by quoting

Good job

I agree , more people should read this thread.

Originally posted by backtobasics
Good job

I agree , more people should read this thread.

Thank-you very much! I need to refresh my memory now and again.
Everytime I make a mistake,or learn something new,I try to add it to
this thread!

Sometimes, I am quilty about not reading the entire thread before posting.
Try to read the entire opening post before replying.
One of the problems I have with reading the posts,is language.I see just
one bad word and I stop reading the post.

Some people use colorful language on a regular basis.When someone,
like me,posts, we're offended by the language.I have disrupted a few
threads this way by pointing out language others were using.

If you are like me and don't like the language used in others' posting,just
stop reading and move on.It is better that way,so you don't disrupt the
flow of the thread with YOUR problem. Because,these people don't care
how you feel about those words.They will make you feel you are making
a mountain out of a molehill!

These are some good pointers.

I'd like to add that its okay to take your time with reading the rules.

Some people who rush through them might not get a clear view of them.

So that's good to keep in mind.

Flagged.

To all newbies...
Do not argue with the site owners or the mods,you will lose the argument.
I can't emphasize enough,you have to read the rules and the entire op's
post before replying.
There have been some misunderstandings that got some banned.
If something,or someone,makes you angry,don't post!

Please try and refrain from using foul language when posting.
I don't like reading foul language,and I'm sure I'm not alone.