I am relatively new to TER and have been both impressed and disappointed with some of the help provided by some of the more seasoned users of this board.  At times they have seemed to be less than helpful to new users of this board  and at other times they have bent over backwards (no pun intended…well maybe a little) to help out people like me that have never  been on a board like this.
I personally had a question that I wanted to ask the other day but was not sure which type of response I would have gotten.  Fortunately , I think I found my answer (about which provider might be right for somebody new at this) by patiently sitting back and reading what was posted and the one I have been thinking about was indeed recommended by some folks that apparently have been members for awhile.  
Please remember that as newbies we may not know how to get around this board as well as people that have been here for some time; we may want to find out more about what this is all about before we become VIP members ourselves.
Please remember that all users had to start here sometime and have all either sat back to learn or posted something that others may have felt was unnecessary .
With that I would like to thank all that posted in response to “any recommended provider for a newbie” form Bearrock posted 02/05/05, and hope to be setting up an appointment with the provider that seems to be highly regarded on this board.
Hope I didn’t overstep any boundaries but it's just my 2 cents.
Peace out.

Yo Nikonbert - Welcome to the board.

I don't think you overstepped any boundaries, just raised a good point. It was not that long ago that I was new and like you I did a lot of thinking and searching before posting, since I did not want to get the new guy flame. I remember posting a question with no link, did not even know how to do a link, and getting the no link flame. The nice thing is that after I admitted I did not know how to link several guys bent over backwards to explain how it could be done.

When I was new I thought the help from the veterans was great, usually beyond the call of duty. On occaision they did get a little curt. I think it is like teaching the new guy at work. You work real hard getting him up to speed and don't mind all the questions. But one day when you are in a bad mood and he asks you the same question for the 10th time you might snap at him. I think that is what sometimes happens on the board. I think new guys, like the new guy at work, can help themselves by doing a little work ahead of time like you did.  For instance, within the last few days I have seen the same question asked on the same page. I think anyone, new or old, should read back at least a page or two before posting a question.

That said, I think your posts reminds us of an important fact, we were all the new guy once. So even when someone makes a new guy mistake (like asking about a lady without even looking at her reviews), we can politlely let them know they should check the reviews and offer to explain how if they do not know.

Take care, look forward to reading your future reviews.

but not new to the hobby or post or reviews. I've just returned from a long sabbatical. Even though new here I knew the best thing was to see a few ladies, post a couple reviews of them, then contact some of the better known posters. I first read the board and checked the non-VIP reviews. Read and lurked for sometime prior to making my first visit.

Best advice is to be patient, lurk, read and learn. There are a few very helpful 'gentlemen' here. (Hope I didn't offend anyone here by calling them a gentleman...LOL). Unlike the other board, TER doesn't get too nasty. They can be a little short sometimes but are usually helpful and informative. If you go to the other board, be prepared to get slammed at some point.

Hi there! Your points are very well-taken! Please always feel free to TER e-mail me, or direct e-mail me at [email protected] if I may assist you in any way?
Thanks in advance!
And good luck!

dc!

I'm a travelling hobbyist who fortunately visits mostly the same cities. But inevitably I'm a newbie to someone's board every year. IMHO you are very fortunate that you're hobbying in DC.  The guys there are very helpful and they keep a good eye out for rip-offs and girls who changed their names because of bad reviews etc... And most of all they welcome new vips.  Not all boards (even here on TER) can make those claims.  Even though I already have my 4 favorites in DC and have a good idea which agencies to follow to see who is touring I still like participating here because of the gents who post.  This is also probably the most pro-hobbyist board I have seen. Some boards for cities or states are dominated by the providers and it puts things in a different tone (not bad just different).  Other boards have virtually no discussion topics and provide very little good intel for the customers.  And lastly, the DC guys are very civil. Some discussions I've watched on other boards would be fist fights in person!   For the record I only occassionally go to the smaller sites so my compaisons are the various city and state boards I go to on TER and TBD.