Well, in general, just do what feels comfortable for you. Don't feel obligated to reply to or react to everything that comes your way - we're all human beings with our own schedules and lives, and the worthwhile people on this site respect that.

Do be patient! I've found some very good friends here, as well as a number of other members who I respect highly. This happened over a long period of time, so just let things develop naturally. No need to rush - the new members who expect instant help and a hundred new friends tend to leave disappointed. All up, I think we've got a pretty good community here.

Of course we all can't see eye-to-eye, so if you disagree with someone on the public forums, just say what you need to say, then leave it. Petty bickering and long, drawn-out arguments are just dull to read, and arguing with fellow native-speakers about your own language is really, really counter-productive. Ultimately, we're all on the same side. :)

This is just my own preference, but I keep most of my interactions on italki public and only occasionally use private messaging. Maybe PM works fine for other members. If another member has a question or wants a correction, then I think it can be posted publicly so others can help too.

Welcome to italki!

I'll give you a brief step by step on how to get the most out of italki (in Brazilian Portuguese because we know this language is awesome ???????? Hahahahaha)

1) Primeiro de tudo você tem que me adicionar (porque meu limite diário já foi atingido ????)

2) Depois me adiciona no skype

3) Tenha ótimas conversas comigo????

Mas agora falando sério... Eu uso o italki mais pra achar pessoas que possam conversar pelo Skype, já que o meu objetivo é melhorar meu speaking. Se o seu objetivo for o mesmo que o meu, você vai achar o italki o paraíso porque existe um monte de brasileiros querendo praticar inglês. Sério, a sua caixa de entrada vai ficar sempre cheia. ????

Mas se você quer praticar o writing ou então gramática, você pode usar o fórum ou escrever notas. Como já disseram aqui, a comunidade é sempre muito boa e prestativa.

Hope to hear from you soon.

That Peachey dude is everywhere.  It must be a bot, definately not human.

Got a thumbs up from me to anyway.

depends on what you want to do here. learning language, just getting to know people and culture etc...

but you can always start with posting whatever your question is in discussion forum.

so you took the first step right. :p

@HYD: You're right. But if they don't post, it's hard to know whether they're active users or not… D: