Introducing ... Wobby Dobby

[caliburncy]

Welcome, Robert!

Yes, the list can be rather daunting when you're new.  We pretty much 
all felt that way at one point. :-)  (Well, except perhaps the people 
that have been here since the beginning.)  Don't bother reading all 
the back messages--there's so many of them that no one really expects 
you to.  Instead, just read the current messages for a couple days 
before you begin posting, so that you get an idea of how things work 
around here, and what's recently been talked about.

It sounds like you've already read the Humunguous Bigfile 
(http://www.hpfgu.org.uk/admin), so that's good, and so long as you 
don't ask a question in the VFAQ (http://www.hpfgu.org.uk/vfaq), then 
you should be just fine.  We moderate new members' messages on the 
Main List, so you have a "safety net" as it were, with Moderators and 
List Elves to read your message before it goes to the list and make 
sure you have the hang of things.

So all it takes is a bit of courage and persistence, and then things 
get much more comfortable very quickly--it's a very welcoming group, 
I think, despite the size.

If you're particularly concerned about getting an idea of what's 
already been discussed, you should check out our Topical Essays, also 
known as the FAQs, if you haven't already 
(http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/faq/).  They're basically a 
compilation of past discussion on the list (although not entirely up 
to date), and they're great reading when you first join (I even like 
perusing them again from time to time) because they map out so much 
of what has come before, collecting together lots of various theories 
and opinions.  Looking through these will prove much easier and 
quicker for you than trying to read all the back messages, and it'll 
still give you a good idea of what's happened in the past here.

Of course, your list elf has probably already contacted you off-list 
with this information (if not, he or she will soon), but once I start 
typing I just keep going and going . . . the resident Energizer Bunny 
of the list, if you will.

Again, welcome!  Glad to have you here!

Take care,
-Luke
List Elf
Harry Potter for GrownUps