Yeah, it's tricky starting out, this was pretty much the first forum I cam onto, and I haven't visited many others since...Miscellaneous polls and Games are pretty good for getting to know people and talking, and the shipping/battle threads are also pretty lively! I couldn't tell you much about what goes on in anime/manga forums, it's shrouded in shadow....well, actually I just don't go there myself =P
Just try posting a little bit, nothing controversial, to get your confidence up here - course, maybe you've done that already =D
Pirate