What would you say to newer members of the CD community?

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

After some careful thought...I decided that there is one major issue that new members should have guidance with. Anybody can learn to search before they post, to check the manual before they ask for rule help, or to de-flood the gallery. I would like to step up in teaching new members how to overcome criticism.

So, without further ado, I present the outline of the "Making a Mistake" tutorial, a newbie guide to not getting caught up in the little things, and to adapting to a different climate and learning from their mistakes. I'd like to think a bit more carefully on how exactly I will write this out, but for now I'll present a few ideas I have:

• A brief explanation of rep, and how to handle a bad rep if you recieve one, including commentary on the three Rs: reply, respect, rebound
• Suggested steps for handling complaints from users about signatures or pictures
• How to contact moderators if you see a problem
• Working with peers: the ins and outs of avoiding cliquiness and prejudice

These may seem redundant, but I think a bit of positive reinforcement in these areas will encourage new students to feel like they're not alone in these issues, and that almsot every mistake is redeemable if the right actions are taken.