Welcome to NamePros!
Welcome. Great question!
IMHO (in my humble opinion) do take time to familiarize yourself with every category here. Not all at once, necessarily.
Do read the category sticky threads in which the mods/admins tell you how it is ~ especially before posting in that category. Lots of good info in those. Any clarification needed ~ check with the forum leaders in that section. The vast majority of members here will go out of their way to help, and the forum leaders are exceptional in that regard.
When you get around to it, read the intros and scan the subject lines in all the categories. Scan, not read (we're not all as fast as mellowmasher). You may be surprised to find some of the subjects quite interesting, ones you might not have considered as interesting without giving them a scan.
I've just been revisiting some areas of the community (Holiday Weekend!) and one 'trick' I use is clicking on 'Replies', getting the longest threads in the category to show up first. Those threads take a long time to go through and are often worth it. They sparked good debate and you'll often find some great nuggets in them ~ knowledge- and humor-wise.
Get very familiar with your User CP right away. Take advantage of your signature file, and your postbit (the stuff on the left under the avatars). Check out the bank, "NP Store" in the top menu. NamePros was the first forum I found with its own currency, one that makes for many more transactions, smoothing the road under the wheels of commerce.
Finally, find a mentor or three. I look up to, and PM, several NamePros old-timers (who I'm sure are all much younger than me) when you have questions. I suggest trying to cultivate such relationships.
Many happy returns!
Regards,
Keith
