New to the Boston Board? Read this first

[The Chowhound Team]

Are you new to Chowhound? Or just to the Boston board? Perhaps visiting from out of town? We've got some tips to help you get started.

If you're brand new to the site, you should read our Site Etiquette (http://www.chowhound.com/topics/367605) so you don't break any rules or step on any toes.

This board is focused on discussing chow in the Boston area. For tips on the rest of Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, please see our New England board: http://www.chowhound.com/blog/boards/13 . For a complete list of boards available, click on the down arrow next to the word 'Chowhound' in the navigation bar.

HAVE A HOT TIP?
If you've got a great tip or a recommendation for someone, dive right in and post it. It's great if you can include some details of why you like a place, but even those short tips on where to find a great taco or donut are appreciated. If you need help starting a new thread, check out the FAQ: http://www.chowhound.com/faq#topic

HAVE A QUESTION?
The Boston board is a pretty active place, and a lot of questions have been covered recently--the Chowhound archives are a great resource.

Start your quest for an answer with a search of all the great info that's already out there. There's a 'SEARCH THIS BOARD' link at the top of each board and thread -- it's next to the name of the board. 'Search this board' is a quick way to search the last year worth of posts on your current board to find recent mentions of your subject. Just add your keywords and go. On the search results page, you can change your search criteria to add more keywords, or change your sort order or the dates you're interested in.

Here are just a few of the subjects that are common on the Boston board, and some suggestions on how to find that information:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON THE BOSTON BOARD:

Where should I eat near Quincy Market? Faneuil Hall? Fenway Park? the Convention Center? Other attractions?
Search terms to try: name of attraction (Quincy Market, Faneuil Hall) or any shorter versions or nicknames. Boston has two major convention centers, so be sure you know which one your conference is in.

Where should we eat in the North End? Harvard Square? Back Bay? the Theater District? Other neighborhoods?
Search terms to try: the name of the neighborhood you want to eat in, use quotes around multi-word neighborhoods like "North End" to avoid getting all the results including North or End. Add a cuisine for more specific results.

Where should we go for Seafood? Lobster? Lobster Rolls? Clams?
Search terms to try: seafood, lobster, clam, clamshack

Where's the best brunch/sushi/burrito/dim sum/seafood/etc?
Search terms to try: title:best and the type of food you're looking for
Also, check out the Boston Hub on Places: http://www.chow.com/places/regions/12 Choose your cuisine of choice from the list for local Places tagged with that cuisine, then check out the threads to find out more about them.

Where should we go for our special occasion?
Search terms to try: anniversary, "special occasion", proposal, romantic, birthday
These might not all apply to your particular occasion, but they generally turn up the same kind of recommendations.

Where should I plan my group dinner?
Search terms to try: "private room", "buy out", corporate, group, "holiday party", "large group", "rehearsal dinner"

Where should we go for a bachelorette party? Girls night out?
Search terms to try: bachelorette, stagette, "girls night", "fun night out"

Where can we get NY-style pizza? Chicago-style hot dogs? Other non-local regional specialties?
Search terms to try: New York, Chicago, "NY-style", etc.
If you end up asking about these, please be nice--don't disparage the local food scene when asking about the stuff you remember from back home.

For information on more advanced search options, see the Search FAQ:
http://www.chowhound.com/faq#find

STILL HAVE A QUESTION?
Boston hounds are a great resource, but help them help you by including some important details. Tell them:
- Whether you have a car or will be relying on transit.
- How far or how long you're willing to travel
- What neighborhoods you'll be visiting
- What your budget is. Descriptions such as 'expensive', 'moderate' and 'cheap' mean different things to different people, so use dollar values. Boston's restaurants can be expensive, but it also offers a wide variety of great places with lower prices.
- What types of cuisines you're interested in.
- Any other special circumstances (traveling with kids? vegetarians? non-chowhounds?) that will help

If you've done some of your own research, mention what you found so hounds can help fill in the gaps, rather than rehashing what you already know.

AFTER YOUR MEAL
Most importantly, after your trip or your meal, thank the Boston hounds for their help by reporting back. Tell people which suggestions you used and how the meals turned out, plus add tips about any great places you discovered on your own. This helps make the board more useful for everyone who visits after you.

BOSTON SPECIFICS

Here are some things you might see referred to on the Boston board:

JP = Jamaica Plain
DOT/Dot = Dorchester
NE = North End
SE = South End
CTown = China Town.
Southie = South Boston
Eastie = East Boston

Neighborhoods, Squares and T-stops tend to be abbreviated, so when searching keep an eye out for other names for the areas you're looking for -- searching on those as well may help you find more data.

LINKS
Boston Regional Hub: http://www.chowhound.com/places/regions/12
Add a new topic to the Boston board: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/12/new
Boston transit info, including subway stops: http://www.mbta.com

FEEDBACK
If there's something you think is vitally important for new members of the board to know that we've missed, please comment on this Site Talk thread: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/458605