With the season well under way, and with the Mariners off to their usual...well, off to a start, anyway, it seems like it might be time for a sort of "here's who we are" type of post.  So here it is.

If you're new here since the start of the season, or in the last few months, welcome.  LL is a long-established community with a pretty well defined set of norms and expectations - it's not a free for all, it's not a drunken barroom argument, and it's not a place where you can be a jerk and expect to last long.   That said, we're not scary and we welcome new posters - as long as you understand what's expected of you and can follow a few simple rules.

If you haven't already, please make yourself familiar with these three links, handily located on the left sidebar:

1.  The Off-Topic/Commenting Guidelines.  These cover what can and cannot be discussed on LL.  Since this post was written a lot of the behaviors listed in it have either gone away or mellowed out to the point of being acceptable.  We would like to keep it that way, so please read the post in full. 

2.  The Lookout Landing Style Guide:  This post covers HOW you should post what you post, including such seemingly pedantic things as requiring a subject line, using proper spelling and grammar, and some general behavioral expectations.  As mentioned in this post, these rules are here for a reason, and it's a reason a lot of us value highly - these rules make LL a civil place where it's easy to follow along and learn if you want, and easy to participate if you want.  The level of interaction you have with LL is up to you, but if you interact, these are the rules you need to use to govern your interactions.

3.  How To Post Pictures and Links:  It's not OK to post 1200x800 pictures on LL, because a lot of us read this at work (hi boss!) and our work networks are slow and old.  This post shows you how to downsize images and how to post links.  It's really quite easy.

If you're new around here, I do encourage you to read through all these posts, but the "big" rules are simple:

 - No politics
 - No religion
 - No chatspeak
 - Structure your arguments well and don't make them personal
 - Like beer, or at least tolerate those who do (okay, so I made that last one up. Still, the point stands).

So, all that said, welcome to LL, new posters, and don't be shy about speaking up!