This is exceptional guide to newbies 👌...I must commend your effort Jay for being so thoughtful with vital points here that would help any Newbie to navigate easily in this space.
get curious, and be observant.
You see this statement? I embraced it during my time as a newbie. I was so curious to understand how things work in hive, a good observer which pushed me to asking questions. You could call me Mrs questionnaire those days as a newbie. I didn't fear getting into people's DM in discord to ask questions 😃, this action pushed me into a great discovery that made my onboarder to cherish my growth till date...he will always say that he is proud of me and how fast I navigate things even without asking him. Oh yes, I didn't limit myself to my onboarder. I explored the chain, mingled with others and build a healthy relationship for myself in this chain which today, some of them are my real life friends including you jay. You talked about discord and other things...it's just the way to go for one to thrive here if not, newbies will continue to see this place as a strange land for a very long time. Hive is too vast, and the best way to thrive well is to become so intentional, define your journey here and every other things will follow.