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I have been wanting to learn about 3D printing a long time so I really want this site to succeed but I have no previous experience with the subject.

I was wondering how can I help the site at this early stage. I thought about asking about how to get started with 3D printing but SE explicitly discourages "easy" questions in the private beta.

What can newbies like me do for the site at this stage besides voting questions and answers?

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    $\begingroup$ I am in the same position. I know very little, I am very interested, I want to contribute. My questions, as well, would be very rudimentary. Unsure of how I should contribute and 'add value'. $\endgroup$
    – Citizen
    Jan 12, 2016 at 19:31

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Vote!

Private Betas love, love, love votes. Without votes, it's difficult to attain privileges, get rewards, and help push us out to public beta.

Ask Questions!

I know you said this:

I thought about asking about how to get started with 3D printing but SE explicitly discourages "easy" questions in the private beta.

But here's the catch. "Easy" isn't defined. If you have an "easy" question, but it is specific, high-quality, and to the point, and you can show some effort in it, then, please, go ahead and ask it!

Participate!

You have a voice in our meta discussions as well. You also have the authority to suggest edits, to posts, tag wikis, and tag excerpts. They also get you +2 rep for each that is approved, which can help bring you more afloat. You can also give your opinion in scope, by casting close and reopen votes as well :)

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  • $\begingroup$ I would add: answer questions! While it may seem you are new to 3D printing, you are more experienced than someone BRAND NEW to the field, and you may be able to answer some of the questions that are asked on SE 3D printing. In addition, if you attempt to answer a question by researching through google, reddit, etc, you will become more proficient at understanding 3D printing than if you chose not to participate due to 'lack of knowledge'. $\endgroup$
    – J. Roibal - BlockchainEng
    Jun 12, 2016 at 16:16
  • $\begingroup$ @J.Roibal Good point, but in my case, I think it's more lack of experience. I've never actually seen a 3d printer before, touched any software, or anything, so for me, it's a little difficult (I always have to be confident in my answer before posting it). $\endgroup$
    – Zizouz212
    Jun 12, 2016 at 17:18
  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for your comment. Have you ever tried online 3D Printing services? To me this is a fantastic option for many people and I have just begun my research on it. My first experience with a (working) 3D printer was just a couple of days ago, although I have been researching the topic for many years. $\endgroup$
    – J. Roibal - BlockchainEng
    Jun 12, 2016 at 17:20
  • $\begingroup$ @J.Roibal Not really. As a high school student, I've never actually had the need. With me, I just like helping to start out betas :P $\endgroup$
    – Zizouz212
    Jun 12, 2016 at 17:21
  • $\begingroup$ Fantastic! I am new to SE so much of this is new to me. $\endgroup$
    – J. Roibal - BlockchainEng
    Jun 12, 2016 at 17:23
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I would suggest doing a bit of basic research on 3D printing (including reading questions and answers). From these you will learn more about it and hopefull you will have new questions about 3D printing that can be asked.

If you are looking at getting a 3D printer, you could ask about different features listed and why they make prints better.

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That's the goal of the site, learn, research and ask.

While you learn, you can always perform other tasks such as:

  • improve quality posts by proposing edits,
  • be active in meta (propose new ideas or write your opinion which are always welcomed),
  • review moderation queues,
  • housekeeping - help to keep things organised (e.g. tags),
  • propose descriptions for wiki tags,
  • vote on questions, down-vote bad or propose changes on low-quality posts,
  • and so on.
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