Just try not to take too much information from here.
As much as I support APUG and participate in the forums, I would say the "information age" is a double-edged sword, and one of the major reasons why this hobby can appear so daunting to a potential newcomer.
Before all this, you could start with some simple books by Kodak or the Time Life series, follow the directions from Kodak, Ilford etc, learn the basics and go from there, progressing as required/desired. Maybe you took a class. But there was a certain level of beneficial ignorance (if there is such a thing), at least at the outset, regarding the endless, excrutiating minutia(e) of the process. Problems were solved along the way as they were encountered.
Enter the internet. Now a beginner can find all the million-and-one details to sort out and problems to solve, before even starting out. Indeed, one might get the impression analog photography involves a nearly impossible craft. Add to this the very murky mixture of information and disinformation.
My advice to the beginner would be to use these forums sparingly, as a way to reach out to people when you encounter a specific problem.
