i may be among the minority, but before joining CS, after i heard about it and how great it is from a friend of a friend, i did my homework.

this means, i went ahead and read everything about this website. and it really paid off. because when i joined, i knew exactly WHAT i was joining and had a very good idea of HOW to navigate and operate the site.

unfortunately, many new members underestimate the importance of doing their research about CS. and then, inevitably, they make many mistakes, they have difficulties and maybe even not the best experiences. not always, but quite too often.

thus, i'd suggest to take the time and read about the CS project at
http://www.couchsurfing.com/about.html

if not all the information there, then at least the FAQ section
http://www.couchsurfing.com/help.html

and definitely take a look at the "how-to" tips of the site on
http://www.couchsurfing.com/tips.html


if your english is not at a sufficient level to read fast enough and understand everything, try translating the webpage as a whole or a section of text at
http://babelfish.yahoo.com

it has quite a wide selection of languages and the translation is rather comprehensible.

don't underestimate the importance of understanding what you do here on CS and HOW to do it!!! it's worth the effort to read about the project - it will definitely help join the community much smoother and make the experiences more positive!!!