[doctorjazz]

I'm new to the site, and I sure would appreciate advice on how best to get started.

Thanks.

doctorjazz

[inquiry]

doctorjazz, on 2011-February-25, 20:44, said:

I'm new to the site, and I sure would appreciate advice on how best to get started.

Thanks.

doctorjazz

Welcome doctorjazz,

To not annoy, follow these simple rules....

1) Don't type in all caps

2) It is ok to disagree with someone's views, just try not to attack a person for their views

3) Post in the Beginner/intermediate forum are "protected" in the sense we give them very wide lattitude to ask questions. In that forum at least, there are no stupid questions, no matter how basic they are.

4) Always agree with me (just kidding).

Anyway, welcome.

[ggwhiz]

If you post a question you may see many answers posted that disagree with each other. Take it for what it is, a difference of approach/opinion and use it as a learning tool.

Do NOT be afraid to answer any post with a minority opinion that may get trashed by the majority. We don't keep score here.

[inquiry]

ggwhiz, on 2011-February-25, 22:28, said:

Do NOT be afraid to answer any post with a minority opinion that may get trashed by the majority. We don't keep score here.

Good one... another point for ggwhiz. what is his score up to now?

[ggwhiz]

inquiry, on 2011-February-25, 22:31, said:

Good one... another point for ggwhiz. what is his score up to now?

Trashed by the majority, 1,698 out of 1,700.

[Cromlyn]

I wondered did this post refer to the site as a whole and not just the forum?

If so not jumping off the table in the middle of a hand would be my number one piece of advice.

Not saying the rude things you would like to say to a pickup partner would be my second piece.

Thirdly trying to play reasonably quickly is important because your partner and opponents cannot see you and begin to wonder if you are still there!!!

[Zelandakh]

Cromlyn, on 2011-February-26, 04:34, said:

Thirdly trying to play reasonably quickly is important because your partner and opponents cannot see you and begin to wonder if you are still there!!!

If you need time to think then you can simply type "think" to the table to let the other players know you have not lost connection. This is much more polite than the all too common alternative taken by those who discourage thinking of typing "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" to the table.

As for the forum site, be aware that several of the posters here are genuine experts, Ben (inquiry) included (you will learn the others quickly enough). When these posters write about bridge matters they are almost always talking sense and where you disagree it makes for an interesting learning experience. Do not be afraid to ask questions, especially in the BI forum. But equally do not use the fora as a means to criticise another player personally - Ben will usually edit out the names in such posts anyway. Otherwise, just the usual Netiquette rules - using proper sentences, punctuation and paragraphs make your posts easier to read, but grammatical errors are ok (English is not the first language for many posters). Finally there are a couple of "stickied" threads at the top of this forum, "FAQ" and "useful abbreviations..." which contain some information which may be of use to you. But most of all just enjoy your time here and find the best way to use the site for your own ends.