This is a great topic especially for those out there who are in a position to encourage good behavior and get more new players into the community, not just the game itself. As we all know by now, the game is great, but the DF community is fantastic. A little whiny and backwards thinking sometimes, but who doesn't like it better back in the good ole days
Yes we all took our licks and boy was it a sharp learning curve with some serious head on masters a few years ago. If i was in visual range I could be dead in 2 hits (INSTANTLY) lol
EDIT: Ive been gone for awhile, but are there really NO noob servers?
One of the most memorable moments I had was early on when I played against Wig. I knew he was the #1 player in the game and he was obliterating me head on. I made a joke about how crappy I was doing and he surprisingly (probably/defiantly lying) he said I was doing pretty good. And then he proceeded to kill me, but gave me a little more time to try and shoot him down
New players aren't a huge threat, but if you can take a minute to be cool and show them a thing or two, im sure they will contribute more of the same good behaviors in the DF community later on. Still, nobody is perfect.
Just my 10 cents
EDIT
: I have been gone for awhile, but are there really NO more noob servers?!?