# Since I'm still a relative newbie.. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 26, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-im-still-a-relative-newbie/236492 "2004-03-26T03:04:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-im-still-a-relative-newbie/236492/21 "2004-03-26T20:18:57Z")
> [@Rooves](#): > > I don’t know any other dopers either but I was invited to dinner with a group from my area (Philly). Although I was made to feel very welcomed to go, I didn’t. Maybe next time I will, who knows. **Rooves** – there’s actually two separate cliques of Philly dopers – come join ours! We’ll be having dinner at King of Prussia on Tuesday, April 13th. There’s a thread in MPSIMS that I’ll be bumping again closer to the time… ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-im-still-a-relative-newbie/236492/22 "2004-03-26T20:50:36Z")
I don’t know anyone here, though I’ve been here a while. I still always feel like I’m butting in on conversations between friends. Some year, I’ll get over that. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-im-still-a-relative-newbie/236492/23 "2004-03-30T17:36:53Z")
I know quite a few Dopers, have dated a couple, and even married one ( **UncleBill** ). There are gatherings all the time, in lots of different places. I’ve been to 'fests in the DC area, NYC, Michigan, Chicago, Ohio and Florida–and may be forgetting some. I used to keep a list of how many Dopers I’d met, but haven’t updated it in a long time; the count was at 135 as of two years ago, and there have been many additions since then. Many of the Dopers I’ve met have become very dear friends, and I love the community we have here. I know it can seem a little intimidating because so many of us are friends IRL as well as on the boards, but don’t be afraid of feeling left out. I always tell newbies not to be timid about coming to gatherings, because as many Dopers as I’ve met, I would love to meet even more! Whenever I see a post from someone I’ve met, I go, hey, I remember that person. It’s a nice feeling. ---
**Author:** ![tanookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@tanookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanookie)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-im-still-a-relative-newbie/236492/24 "2004-03-30T18:06:38Z")
We’re a really neat bunch of people. Overall the group is very friendly and welcoming to new people. For a while I felt like I was butting in on other conversations but eventually people started mentioning they remembered me from some thread or another or I’d pop into a thread and see that someone posted that they hoped I would come by to post on the subject :eek: That was when I knew I was really at home here. I’ve been to dinner with a few dopers. I’m trying to organize a fest for this summer right in my backyard. There’s a thread in MPISMS about it (I’m in Northern MA myself) I’m married to a doper, **Parallax** , he introduced me to the boards and mostly lurks. I started mostly posting in MPISMS and IMHO but now I realize that over time I’ve posted something in every forum! I learned a lot and have met some wonderful people here. Come on in - the water’s fine… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-im-still-a-relative-newbie/236492.md?page=1)