10 Things Every Newbie Should Know

Here are a few things a newbie (new member) of the forum might want to learn to improve their experience here:

1. Follow the forum rules you agreed to when you joined. I know folks get into a hurry and often just click the "I agree" without reading them. Avoid any future problems by going to the Terms, Rules and Privacy Policy after clicking the Help menu.

2. There are a few posting restrictions when you join. To help in the battle against spam, you have to wait two days after confirmation before you can start a thread. All posts made your first two days have to be approved by a moderator.

3. If you want to start a thread, try to make the title pertain to the subject. A thread about improving the running game should read something like "How to Improve the Running Game" and not "We Gotta Fix This". Believe me, you'll get more folks to read your thread when they know what it is about.

4. Clicking on your name on the upper-right profile block allows you to customize your profile, avatar and signature. Tinker around with it because you can change it as often as you want. Don't worry. You can't break the forum messing around with them. If you want to use an avatar you've created instead of one of those we have on file, you may upload it to the forum as long as it is 150x150 pixels and in a .jpg or .gif format. This is the same place you can pick your favorite player's jersey.

5. Before starting a thread, be sure one on the subject isn't already underway. If you come to the forum often, just check for any new threads on the subject before you start a new one by putting key words into the area next to the title. It'll run down any similar threads for you.

6. One of the more common mistakes newbies make is how to quote from a message they wish to respond. When you click "reply", it will automatically pull in the quote. If you wish to only quote a part of that message, you can remove any part you wish in your reply though you must leave the quote bracket code in place for it to work properly after you post. Just work with it and you'll get the hang of it. Avoid quoting a long message just to give a short reply. And remember you always have an edit button if you need to go back and fix anything.

7. In case you didn't do #1, do #1.

8. It's often hard to understand sometimes whether or not someone is joking or not in a forum. Use the smilies (the little faces like ) to help folks understand your intent. Don't take your fun too seriously. If everyone would live by this rule, we would all be better off. We don't want or need any "hidin' behind the computer tough guys."

9. Despite efforts to moderate all equally, members who have been around a while have earned a little latitude while newbies get a short leash. Once a newbie has been around, they too earn the same latitude. Fans for other teams start out on a choke collar.

10. Have fun! That's what this is all bout.

If you run across anything not mentioned above, feel free to ask questions. You may PM (private message) TitanJeff@goTitans.com anytime and I'll be glad to help.