Things new members might not know:

I am posting this in Club Members thoughts and Questions About PBS because some people read one but not the other.

• Searching the club wish list by title will not tell you if the copy of the book you have is on wl. If you search by the ISBN then you will know for certain that yours is Wled.
• On he contrary you may have an alternate version that someone may want but hasn’t Wled. If that is the case you can go to the Book Bazaar and post in the different ISBN wl thread.
• And last on this topic if you have a damaged copy of a WL book you can post that you will offer it free with an order in the damaged WL thread in the BB.
• If you have damaged books you can offer them as incentives with an order. For example it might read something like: If you order a book from my shelf you can chose one of the following damaged books for free. You can also go to the damaged books thread in the BB and offer them free with no strings attached.
• Robert often comes to the forums to let us know about changes, contests, and to clear up issues. If you want to know if he or Richard have said anything about the issue look for the little red megaphone icon beside the thread topic also if you hover your mouse over that icon it will tell you how many times they posted in that thread.
• If you are going to be away from your computer for more than a few days you can put your account on hold. That way you wont miss out on orders or wl books.
• You can also put your account on hold and then put all your wish list books on auto request. If you have a reserve of credits for them you will still get the wl book but not orders from your shelf.
• The pictures we have on our posts are called Avatars (next to your name) and blinkies (under your post) There is a tutorial for them in my profile. To find the images you can search the words avatars and blinkies.
• If these pictures slow down your browser or hurt your eyes you can turn them off. Go to your account page and click on settings. Scroll down to the third box and find the phrases:
• Show other members signatures: and Show other members signature images: Check no in both boxes then click update forum signature.
• Some members have Requester Conditions. They are usually for things like no books from smoking households or houses with pets and those conditions are generally for allergies. You will be informed on the order page if the person has a RC. Read them carefully some of them are worded better than others.
• If you want to put a requester condition on your account go to your account page. Click on settings then scroll down to the sixth box. Chose yes in the box next to the phrase: I will only accept books under certain conditions. Then go down to the text box and type your conditions in. Click update request settings and you now have conditions. But be aware that having a condition on your account may result in you losing out on a few requests.
• Check out the FABIL(find a book I'll like) feature. If there is nothing in there that interests you click the NI(not interested) button until all the recs that you dont want are gone and it will give you new recs.

If anyone has anything to add feel free.

I love what you are doing here. Did you know about the tips for new members thread above? Maybe post a copy there, too. :)

Yup but most of whats in there (especially early on) is out of date.

ETA these are also mostly questions that get asked frequently so I thought Id bring them up.

Here's what I can add:

• If you need help, try the Help Center first. Then use Live Help or the Forums. Don't hesitate to ask when in doubt! The volunteers and active members on the forums were all new members once!
• If you post to the forums, don't expect validation. People will provide their opinions and they won't always agree with yours!
• Remember that typing shows no emotion. Don't read between the lines or take opinions personally!
• Thinking that a swap will go badly almost always leads to one that will.
• Let the system do the canceling for you. If a request times out, it will go to another member. Be patient. There are 20k+ members on this site, with more that don't have profiles. It's hard to not be impatient, but if you let the system do the work, you'll be much happier!
• Most people prefer that their books are wrapped in a water-resistant manner. (layer of plastic, sturdy envelope, etc.) Remember that if the book gets wet during transit, you'll have a disappointed member on the other end.
• When in doubt, review the posting guidelines for book conditions before posting a book. If you're still not sure, don't post it! And if you post a book that might be considered borderline, be prepared to refund the credit if necessary.
• Post in the forums! They're fun and you'll get many more looks at your bookshelf (and therefore, orders!)

This was more advice than hidden gems, but I hope it helps! :)

To add to posting in threads. Never skim over a response that your going to reply to. Ive seen it happend and confusion and hurt feelings can be the result. Always read what your replying to fully before you hit the send key.