[Billfred]

I suppose that if I could offer one piece of advice to any new CDer, it would be to use complete, proper, your-English-teacher-would-not-keel-over-dead sentences. The end result is far easier to read than "omg d00d wut iz wrong with my robot!!!!!111!1!1111!!!!!111oneoneone!!1one," making tips and advice more likely from other members of the site. (Granted, some folks will try to help regardless, but others who may be busy are more inclined to skip over the thread, since it takes more mental gymnastics to decipher.)

In the same vein, when you've got an issue with anything technical, make sure to post what you've tried to do already in as much detail as possible. Not only does it keep folks from suggesting things you've already tried, but it also serves as a way to make sure you haven't inadvertently committed some easy mistake. (The robot works a lot better when you plug in the battery, y'know.)