I love reading the posts by the members of the SDMB. The Straight Dope has been a favorite of mine for years. I think I’ve finally worked up my nerve to join the party. 
Man, I hope they like me
Welcome to the party!
Welcome from a sort-of newbie! 
Thank you Wry and Canada for my very first welcomes! And I’ m thankful that I didn’t make a major mistake in my first post! At first when I didn’t see it, I thought I’d posted to the wrong forum. Yea, what a way to impress them that would be!
I hope to see more nice people like you – hopefullly get some tips on posting and the rules.
You’ll find more welcomers over in MPSIMS and IMHO, too, by the way. In fact, there’s at least one “lurkers” thread (maybe two ofr three) where lurkers are popping out of the woodwork and being welcomed all around.
Plus also I think they have snacks there, unless they’ve neglected to restock the buffet after my last trip through.
Welcome from another newbie. As far as tips on posting, I think the primary rule is probably “Don’t Be a Jerk”. If you follow that you won’t likely go too far wrong.
With a little practice you will get the hang of it. I’m still working on it.
Just adding my greetings to CalvinHobbes. Great choice of username!
Welcome CalvinHobbes. If you’re a long-time lurker you probably already know this but one of the best places to “learn the ropes” of this board is ATMB.
C’mon in, sit back, relax, and enjoy.
bump
Why and what for, Spite?
It’s got to be practice. You can’t exactly bump a thread that’s at the top of the forum already. 
Welcome CalvinHobbes. I’m another poster who was a long time lurker before registering. It’s a whole new world once you begin participating in the “conversation”. Have fun.
Welcome, CalvinHobbes!
[top secret lurker coding] You got the memo about the take-over, right? [/top secret lurker coding]