Here are some other tips to help you get started and make the best of your experience:

Start a new thread in the "Introduce Yourself" forum- you’ll soon have people come in to welcome you!
Personalize your experience! Set up your member profile (including a picture) to help people get to know you. Your picture could be of you or anything else that represents who you are.
Make the topic of your thread specific. Rather than "I need advice," it is more helpful for other members if the title relates to your question or comment.
It’s always a good idea to read over your posts before you send them. This gives you a chance to clarify anything that might be misunderstood. What sounds great in your head may come across differently in print.
Online communities are just like real-world communities in many ways. Occasionally you will disagree with someone or find people who have different views or beliefs. That's okay as long as we keep the tone of messages as supportive and positive as possible.

Communication experts say that the "tone" of communication is more important than what is actually said. This means that there are positive and negative ways to give feedback to each other. You always have a choice in how to respond to any post. If someone happens to make a mistake or uses a negative tone in a post, you can prevent a negative cycle by choosing to respond in a positive tone. We work hard to keep SparkPeople a positive community.

Lastly, we takes the safety of the members very seriously. Please keep in mind that other Internet users can see your posts. Also, be very cautious about giving out personal contact information on the Message Boards (or via e-mail) to other members.

We’re glad you are here and hope to see you on the Message Boards soon! If you have any questions or if there is anything I can do to help make your experience better, just let me know!

Once again, welcome!

Malka